In the dying minutes of the 4th quarter, any sort of momentum was desperately needed to keep FHC afloat and in fighting position. A huge block from senior Kyle Peirce, that resulted in a three point score from Andrew Tebeau, sparked a fiery defensive comeback. Late free throws from senior Sal Sidebotham would seal the deal.

FHC varsity boys basketball defeated FHE 64-58 in an all-out brawl. Head coach Ken George praised his players after the game and recognized the win, but he realized that there is definitely room for improvement moving forward.

“It was important for the guys,” George said. “We were in a little bit of a struggle mode, so to come out on top was pretty important. There are a lot of people that say winning isn’t everything, but I think if you look at the two locker rooms right now, it really is. I just think that we can be a lot better. Give a lot of credit to FHE, because they really had us scouted and did a lot of good things to give our guys some trouble. Our guys have to understand that we aren’t good enough and to not be satisfied with a win tonight. We’ve got to get better. I thought Eastern played really hard, but we’ve got to get better.”

It was a cat and mouse game for the majority of the night, with the Rangers taking an early 4-point lead in the 1st quarter. Although they got off to a quick start, they trailed throughout the rest of the game until late in the 4th. The two teams appeared to be very evenly matched, as both attacked the rim and spread the floor with perimeter shooting. Ryan Dunn, a junior guard playing in his first year on varisty, had a big night for the Rangers. Ryan was frequently taking the ball up and down the court, and he created space for others to work and finding openings.  He finished with 11 points and 4 assists.

Junior Tyler George was lighting it up from deep (4-9 from three)and made his presence felt in front of the home crowd with 14 points. Ty was optimistic about the victory, but also recognized the room for improvement.

“It feels great to get our first home game out of the way with a win,” Ty said. “It’s always good when you beat a rival like that. Coming in, we knew that they were going to be tough. We had a rough first half, but we got fired up a little bit in the second. We had a better defensive mentality, and we were a lot tougher.”

It was the same old story for FHC’s senior leaders Jack Uecker, John Fuller, and Sal Sidebotham. Jack controlled the ball well in the game, as he handled a tough press from the Hawks in the second half. Sal scored some crucial buckets in the game (15 points) and finished off the Hawks with some clutch free throws in the dying minutes. Fuller fought hard down low for the majority of the night on both the offensive and defensive boards (10 rebounds). John was eager about the remainder of the season, and he was pleased with what they had accomplished against their rivals.

“The first Friday night home game is a big win for us,” John said. “We fought the adversity of being down at half; it means a lot. We’re all excited to get better. We’re going to work very hard in practice to get a lot better, because we have a lot of work to do.”