The whistle blew, and senior Sal Sidebotham stepped up to the free throw line with two seconds left and a chance to extend the Rangers lead to two possessions. Some players would crack under the pressure with the game is on the line, but the senior blocked out the noise of the crowd and drained both of the free throws to finish the Rangers’ 55-51 win over the Huskies of FHN.

“Honestly I was just hoping that they would go in,” said Sal, who finished with 11 points. “I thought back to all the practices. I’ve been shooting 100 free throws a day, so it was really nice to have them fall.”

The Rangers had a rough first half, shooting only 30% from the field and 0/10 from behind the arc. Despite the poor shooting effort, FHC found themselves only trailing 25-20 at the half.

“I thought we were tight and nervous in the first half,” head coach Ken George said. “We were lucky we guarded so well in the first, because we could have been down 15 going into the 2nd half instead of 5.”

The Rangers looked like a better team in the second half and shots started to fall. The Rangers began to dominate FHN on the boards.

“I told them at halftime that we just have to reset,” George said. “A lot of guys have never played in this gym. I thought we were better in the second half, not a ton better, but better.”

One player who stepped up in the second half was sophomore Dan Deindorfer. Dan ended with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

“Dan is a strong player,” George said. “If you just leave him out there, he’ll finish with 14 points and 8 rebounds. He really just fills the stat sheet.”

The Rangers had an obvious size advantage, and Dan made good use of it. With 4:13 left in the 3rd quarter, Dan gave the Rangers the lead, momentum, and confidence heading into the 4th quarter.

“I think the key to my performance tonight was just being aggressive in the paint,” Dan said. “My teammates got me the ball, and I went to work. We capitalized on their lack of size by driving to the hoop, because we knew beforehand that was what we wanted to do.”

The Rangers had a strong defensive showing and had an impressive 8 blocks and 7 steals. FHC showed toughness and grit when they needed to.

“We just worked really well as a unit,” Sal said. “Everyone was playing great individual defense, and we communicated well which led to a great defensive effort.”

This win improved FHC’s record to 4-2 and more importantly it gave the Rangers a win in their first conference game of the season.

“A win today gives us some evidence that what were doing in practice actually works and pays off,” George said. “I think emotionally it makes a huge difference. Is it a season changing win? I don’t know about that, but I think to go on the road against a team that hasn’t lost yet is something to build off of.”