FR struggling

FORT RECOVERY — Through their first eight games, the Indians were flying high.
They had a perfect record, rallying to several late wins. And they were ranked among the top 10 teams in Ohio in Division IV.
Now, they are searching for answers.
The New Knoxville Rangers came to Fort Site Fieldhouse Friday and handed Fort Recovery it’s third straight loss, 62-47.
“They’re pretty good, and they came out and proved that tonight. Any time you can go on the road and get a 15-point win in the conference, obviously you’re a pretty good team.They came in here from the very start and took it right to us.”
Fort Recovery led briefly in the first quarter when consecutive Elijah Kahlig 3-pointers put the home team up 11-7, but the Rangers (10-3, 4-1 Midwest Athletic Conference) responded with a 9-0 run and never fell behind again. They extended their lead to double digits on a Cody Horstman rainbow from the right baseline at the first-half horn, and pushed their lead to 15 midway through the third quarter.
The Indians (9-4, 4-2 MAC), who have dropped four of their last five, pulled back to within nine with a quick 6-0 spurt but never got any closer. They were unable to find an offensive rhythm for most of the game, turning the ball over 15 times in the first three quarters.
“That’s something that we work on nightly in practice,” said NKHS coach Kort Fledderjohann, whose team also limited Fort Recovery to 35 percent shooting in the first half. “We started off the season a little bit slow on defense. We’re finally starting to get in a rhythm and pick it up.”
New Knoxville’s leading scorer, Marcus Reineke, struggled to a 4-of-16 night from the field, but went 10-of-11 at the foul line as he scored a game-high 19 points. Horstman finished 6-of-9 — he hit buzzer beaters to end the second and third quarters — and scored 16 points.
Reineke also had five rebounds and four assists.
“You’ve got two three-year varsity senior guards,” said Patch of Reineke and Horstman. “They were on their state (championship) team (in 2009). They’ve been in the battles. They’re very quick and athletic defensively. They know how to play.”
Fledderjohann said although his team seemed in control most of the way, it was focused on finishing the game. The Rangers lost twice to Fort Recovery last season, including in the sectional championship despite leading by 14 points with less than six minutes to play.
“That was definitely on our kids’ minds this week,” Fledderjohann said. “We played them tough at our place last year … but they got us. And we thought we had them down the stretch in the tournament game last year, and we let them back in. … That was definitely on our minds.”
Jared Kahlig went 7-of-7 from the free-throw line and scored 13 points to lead the Indians. Wade Gelhaus added 12 points, but shot just 5-of-15 from the field.
Gelhaus added six rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Jason Pottkotter grabbed five rebounds, and Ryan Schoen had three assists.
Since their 8-0 start, the Indians have dropped games to Kalida, Minster, Franklin Monroe and the Rangers. They will try to right the ship today when they visit Fort Loramie.
“We’ve just got to dig in,” said Patch. “Collectively we’ve got to get it done. Everyone has got to step up and do their part. …
“In a season, no matter if you have young or experienced kids, you’re going to go through roller coaster rides. … It’s a 20-game season … and you can’t get frustrated.”


Junior varsity
Fort Recovery dominated the first three quarters as it earned a 36-25 victory over the Rangers.
Trent Kaiser had 12 points for the Indians, who built a 31-14 lead through three quarters. Wyatt Blockberger added seven points, and Bobby Mattraw grabbed seven rebounds.
Ben Kuck powered New Knoxville with 19 points. Seth Kuck totaled nine rebounds.[[In-content Ad]]