Fort falls in finale

FORT RECOVERY — Offense was a struggle for the Indians all night.
Still, they managed to claw their way back from a seven-point deficit to take the lead late in the third period. But St. Henry pulled even again at the quarter break and controlled the final eight minutes.
Fort Recovery gave up the first seven points of the fourth quarter and never recovered Thursday night as it fell 50-39 to the Redskins.
“We’re struggling,” said FRHS coach Doug Bihn, whose team dropped three of its final four games to finish the regular season at 14-8 overall and 5-4 in the Midwest Athletic Conference. “We’re not shooting the ball very well right now. We didn’t make very good decisions with the basketball. That’s something we’ve got to get better at.”
The Indians trailed 28-21 before climbing back and eventually taking the lead with 1:10 left in the third quarter on a Caley Schoenherr hoop off of a rebound and assist from Cassidy Rammel. But Taylor Clune tied the game for St. Henry (10-12, 3-6 MAC) just 15 seconds later and the Redskins reclaimed control early in the fourth quarter.
After nearly two scoreless minutes, Kelly Siefring reclaimed the lead for St. Henry for good on a pair of free throws, and Ally Mikesell pushed the advantage to four points on the next trip down the floor. A Siefring 3-pointer from the left wing completed a 9-0 Redskin run and forced a Tribe timeout.
“Our girls were dialed in,” said St. Henry coach Kurt Huelsman. “They came out in the fourth quarter fired up and ready to go. …
“They played really well as a whole entire team. They did a lot of unselfish things on the offensive and defensive end in order to get the job done.”
Fort Recovery senior Kelsey Fiely hit a 3-pointer after the timeout to close the gap to 39-35, but the Indians never got any closer as St. Henry went 9-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Siefring made eight of her 10 free-throw attempts as she powered the Redskins with 22 points. She was also 6-of-10 from the field.
“She did a wonderful job,” said Huelsman. “She had 22 points and she was consistent the entire game. She got in a little bit of foul trouble, but she bounced back. She played really well for us tonight.”
Ally Mikesell also went 6-of-10 from the field for the Redskins and added 14 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Taylor Clune had 10 points and four assists.
The Indians struggled to put the ball in the basket, shooting just 27 percent for the game, including 24 percent in the first half. They committed five of their 10 turnovers in the opening quarter.
Chelsea Pottkotter hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the final home game for she and fellow seniors Melissa Lochtefeld, Sam Tobe and Fiely. Tori Lennartz also scored 11 points, and Fiely added nine before leaving in the fourth quarter with a back injury.
Fiely added five rebounds and three assists.
“They’ve done a great job for us for the last four years,” said Bihn of his senior group. “They’ve worked hard and put a lot of time into this program. … Unfortunately I’ve only got two of them healthy right now. But they’re a great group of kids.”
The loss to St. Henry marked the end of a stretch in which the Indians played four games in eight days to close the regular season. They fell 56-46 to New Knoxville on Feb. 7, defeated Tri-Village 64-56 Saturday and fell 70-49 Tuesday to Celina.
Fort Recovery will have eight days off before playing either Minster or New Bremen in the sectional championship game at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23.

Junior varsity
Fort Recovery rallied to claim the lead in the third quarter and then pulled away in the fourth for a 30-19 victory over the Redskins.
Haley Knapke totaled nine points, 13 rebounds and four steals to lead the Indians, who outscored St. Henry 22-9 in the second half. The Tribe limited the Redskins to 3-of-21 shooting (14 percent) after the intermission.
Kendra Siefring added seven points and nine rebounds, and Caitlyn Huelskamp scored five points.
Ellie Stammen finished with 11 points to pace St. Henry.[[In-content Ad]]