With a pair of freshmen pulled up to JV and a star player in Jackson Clay injured, the freshmen boys basketball team had found itself short-handed. They have had to fight through adversity and fight from behind all year long, and Thursday was no different. In this game, the Rangers were playing catch up from the get-go. Northview was off to a red hot start and gave the Rangers trouble in the full court. Ranger guards David Mason and Trevor Lewis were dealt with the tough task of escaping the pressure. With a few minutes remaining in the first quarter, they were down 23-3. Turnovers were an issue for the Rangers and making smarter passes is something that they will continue to focus on. Shooting guard John Corey was a sole bright spot for FHC, as he had a stellar night shooting the ball. John was able to knock down multiple three pointers to cut into Northview’s lead throughout the game. He could tell it was going to be a good shooting night early on.

“I hit my first shot and could tell I would be able to hit most of the looks I got,” John said.

While the Rangers had turnover issues and struggled to score, their achilles heel was stopping Northview defensively. They were simply out matched against a very skilled and big team. Jackson looks to bring a spark and inspire the team defensively in his return.

“We need to speak up on defense,” Jackson said. “When I come back, I will try and help my team out as much as I can.”

Ranger Head Coach Kevin Banner agrees that defense is a core issue, and he questions his team’s overall work ethic and desire on that end of the floor.

“Defensively, we need to be harder to play against,” Banner said. “We need to fight harder and play with more urgency.”

While defense is something they need to focus on heavily, Banner knows there are changes that need to be made on offense as well.

“Offensively, we have to play with more pace,” Banner said. “Our guys need to get more physical, and most of all, trust each other.”

While John played well, he is still focused on getting better individually and as a team.

“I think we need to throw safer passes and rebound better,” John said. ” My goals are to get better as an all around player and to win some more games.”

Jackson has big plans for the team for the rest of the season. He knows that it won’t come easy, but anything is possible.

“I want us to go undefeated for the rest of the season,” Jackson said.

Banner’s goals are more short term and controllable, but very necessary if they want the wins to start coming.

“We need to keep grinding day in and day out,” Banner said. “We will keep building and moving forward while trusting each other and the system.”

The Rangers look to bounce back next Tuesday against the Greenville Yellow Jackets.