FRHS grad scores career-high 36 (12/03/05)

For the third time in five games this season the fifth-ranked Capital women’s basketball team was pushed to the limit. But a Fort Recovery graduate would not allow the Crusaders to lose.

Sara Heitkamp forced overtime with a game-tying lay-up with five seconds remaining and finished with a career-high 36 points to lead Capital to a 109-106 double-overtime victory over Mt. Vernon Nazarene Thursday.

Heitkamp, a 2002 FRHS grad, pushed the game into overtime after the Crusaders had trailed the entire second half. She shot 12-of-18 from the field (67 percent) and also hit 12 free throws.

She also had eight rebounds, five assists and two steals as Capital improved to 5-0 on the season.

The senior finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five steals as the Crusaders defeated Wittenberg 60-50 Nov. 26.

She leads the team in every category this season, including an average of 18.6 points per game. She is the top rebounder at 8.6 per game and has 25 assists and 25 steals while shooting 58 percent from the field and 77 percent from the foul line.

Heitkamp now ranks seventh in career scoring at Capital with 1,276 points. She finished her career third on the Fort Recovery all-time list, posting 1,494 points.

Tyler Niekamp

The 2003 Fort Recovery graduate grabbed nearly a third of the rebounds for the Findlay men’s basketball team as it defeated the University of Charleston 85-69 Tuesday.

Niekamp grabbed eight of the Oilers’ 26 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, in just 15 minutes of play. He also scored two points and added one assist.

The sophomore has been the top rebounder in three of Findlay’s five games this season. He is averaging a team-best 5.4 boards per game for the NCAA Division II No. 18 Oilers.[[In-content Ad]]