Back on their feet (02/08/06)

FORT RECOVERY — The typical cold and flu season is in full swing. Tuesday’s game proved to be just the elixir the Indians needed to cure what was ailing them.

Fort Recovery’s girls basketball team, which had lost three of its last four games, looked sharp again in a 57-37 thumping of the visiting Celina Bulldogs.

Holly Stein bounced back from a rough ending Saturday at Versailles to score a game-high 21 points. She, Tiff Gaerke and Sara Fortkamp also led the Indians to a dominating 37-23 advantage on the boards.

Indian coach Jeff Roessner said the game was exactly what his team had to have with the sectional tournament just a couple of weeks away.

“What you saw on the offensive end, especially early, was some new-found intensity, some new-found fire in their belly and a desire to go out there and perform,” he added. “I think our girls just came out with more determination, on both ends of the floor. I’m really, really pleased with the effort we had tonight.”

Fort Recovery (13-5) trailed 6-3 early on before using a 12-0 run over just a two-minute span to claim the lead for good. Fortkamp and Vicki Roessner keyed the stretch with bookend 3-pointers.

The Bulldogs (7-10) trailed by 10 early in the second period, but went on a 6-0 run when Stein went to the bench with a pair of fouls.

Then Jeff Roessner decided to send Stein back into the game, and it was over.

Stein immediately hit a 3-pointer off an assist from Vicki Roessner, lifting the Indian lead back to seven points. Roessner then found Fortkamp with an assist before driving to the hoop for a lay-up of her own. Stein drained another triple from another Roessner assist with 3:22 left in the opening half, and Abby Niekamp scored from yet another Roessner assist to complete the Tribe’s second 12-0 run of the game.

“I just thought she played tremendous,” said Jeff Roessner of Stein, who rebounded after missing a potential game-winning free throw against Versailles. “And it was more than just the points, it was the intensity that she played at.”

Everything came together for the Indians — Stein’s energy, an offensive spark from Niekamp off the bench, tremendous passing by Roessner and Fortkamp and great rebounding from Gaerke, Stein and Fortkamp — to take away any chance Celina had at victory.

Stein served as the Indians’ spark, and had an outstanding offensive game as she finished 8-of-12 from the field. She made both of her free throw attempts and had two assists.

Niekamp was 5-of-8 off the bench for 11 points.

Roessner and Fortkamp were in on most of the Tribe scores as 19 of the team’s 23 made field goals were assisted. Roessner finished with eight assists, and Fortkamp had five.

Gaerke continued her dominance on the glass by grabbing 15 rebounds. Stein finished with nine boards, and Fortkamp had seven.

Fort Recovery had 20 more field goal attempts than the Bulldogs in the first half alone thanks to their rebounding prowess and 10 Celina turnovers. The Indians gave the ball away just three times before the intermission.

“Fort Recovery did a whale of a job on the boards,” said Celina coach Brian Stetler, whose team never got closer than 11 points in the second half. “You have to tip your hat to their play. They were really the aggressor on the boards.

“That was the game right there ... A lot of those boards they got second and third shots.”

Betsy Hone was the only player to have much offensive success for the Bulldogs as she scored 11 points in the first half en route to a team-high 18. Laura Homan finished with six points, five rebounds and two blocks.

Junior varsity

The Indians found their groove in the second half as they bolted away to a 34-18 victory over Celina.

Neither team could get its offense working in the first half as both teams managed just a single first-quarter point and Fort Recovery led 10-8 at halftime. But the Tribe shot 41 percent in the second half to score 24 points after hitting just 19 percent in the first for the win.

Jill Pottkotter powered the Indians (12-6) with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Lauren Wenning added 10 points, Angie Wenning grabbed six rebounds and Kelsey Wuebker had four assists.

Megan Darland hit four of Celina’s five field goals and scored eight points.[[In-content Ad]]