Fort Recovery eyes regional crown

Saturday is when dreams can become a reality.
It’s when far-off goals set during summer practices are suddenly right in front of you.
It is the day when two area teams will have the chance to prove themselves to be on a different level, truly among their states’ elite.
The Jay County boys and Fort Recovery girls basketball teams are both in a position to make March 12, 2011, a day they will never forget.
The Patriots open the day early, playing the No. 10 Kokomo Wildkats at 10 a.m. in the semifinal round of the Class 4A regional tournament at Marion. If they are able to knock off the regional favorite, they would advance to play either Northrop or Pendleton Heights for the regional title at 8 p.m.
For the Indians, the hopes and dreams ride on a single game, as they battle the sixth-ranked Africentric Early College Nubians in the Division III regional championship at Lexington, Ohio, at 1:30 p.m.
Victories would put each of the team’s in their state’s final four — JCHS with a berth in the semi-state and FRHS with a trip to the state finals.
Fort Recovery has played like a state contender all season long.
The team was short-handed when it dropped the season opener by three points to Memorial (St. Mary’s), and then ran off nine consecutive victories. Its only other loss came by two points to Division IV No. 5 Minster, which fell to Fort Loramie in Thursday’s Division IV regional semifinal at Springfield, on a last-second shot following a three-quarter court pass.
Although it never cracked the top 10 in the Division III Associated Press poll, it has been in the top five of the Freeman Rankings most of the way. And on Thursday a pair of seniors — sisters Kendra (12.5 points per game) and Holly Brunswick (12.4 ppg) — were named to the All-Northwest District second team.
The Indians (22-2) have been in control through the tournament thus far, trailing for only a handful of minutes and never in the second half, in their four victories. They knocked out defending district champion Tinora in the district semifinal, and sent home second-ranked Lake in Tuesday’s regional semifinal at Ohio Northern University.
Even so, they have yet to show their full arsenal in the tournament.
“We played really well against Evergreen,” said senior Olivia Thien, “and I think that even that wasn’t our best game. I think we can play better than that. So hopefully that’ll come out on Saturday.”
Fort Recovery, which has won 13 straight, was a great 3-point shooting team during the regular season. Four different Indians hit more than 20 triples this year, including Kendra Brunswick’s single-season school record of 45.
But the Tribe has struggled a bit from downtown lately, including a 23-percent effort in the victory over Lake.
“It makes me feel good,” said FRHS coach Doug Bihn of knowing his team still has more left in the tank. “We’ve haven’t been shooting the ball well as of late. I think we’re due. So I’m hoping the law of averages catches up pretty soon for us.”
The Indians know they will need to be at their best in the regional finale with Africentric (22-2) standing in their way.
The public school near downtown Columbus won Division IV state championships in 2007 and 2009, and was the runner-up in 2008. Moving up to Division III last season, the Nubians advanced to the regional semifinal before falling to then-undefeated Madison Senior.
Africentric slaughtered first-time regional participant Seneca East in its regional semifinal game Wednesday, jumping out to a 39-10 lead in the opening period on the way to a 44-point victory, and has won its tournament games by an average of 41 points. Only four of its games, including losses to Brookhaven and Hathaway Brown, this season have been decided by single digits.
Ohio State recruit and Division III Central District Player of the Year Raven Ferguson leads the group, which has won 19 straight, having averaged 18 points per game during the 2009 state title season and 23 last year as a junior. Brittani Thomas, an Akron recruit, scored 19 points in just 17 minutes against Seneca East.
“They’re aggressive,” said Holly Brunswick, noting that she and her teammates can not afford to be intimidated by the Division I talent. “We can’t let it get into our heads. We’ve got to come out and play how we normally do. We’ve got to come out strong.”
One of the biggest keys for Fort Recovery will be handling the Nubians’ pressure defense. Playing a full-court, high-octane style has been to the Tribe’s advantage thus far in the tournament, but they will be looking to control the speed of the game Saturday.
“They’re extremely quick,” said Bihn. “They want up-tempo. They want to play a full-court game. The majority of their points come off of miscues and turnovers. …
“To win we’ve got to be more disciplined. We have to take care of the basketball. We have to execute offensively. And if we can play more of a half-court game against this team we’re probably going to be better off.”
The Fort Recovery team, which is in the regional final for the first time in a decade, left home late this morning and had practice time on the regional court this afternoon.
Tonight, Bihn hopes to give them a little inspiration.
The Indians will gather at the team hotel to watch three DVDs — Fort Recovery’s 1990 state championship victory, its repeat title a year later and the 1986 film Hoosiers.
“I’m thrilled,” said Thien of Saturday’s opportunity to advance to the state finals. “I’m excited. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m not really nervous yet, but I know I will be. It’s kind of surreal. We just hope that we can come out and pull through and work together as a team.”
“That’s what we’ve been working for this whole season,” added senior Nicole Dilworth. “And I think we deserve it.”[[In-content Ad]]