Timing is everything (03/01/06)

COLDWATER, Ohio — They couldn’t have picked a better time to get their first MAC win.

The Fort Recovery Indians finished Midwest Athletic Conference play at 0-9 this year. And they looked headed for more of the same as they trailed league rival Marion Local 17-2 in the opening quarter Tuesday night.

The Tribe was still down by 14 late in the third quarter of its Division IV sectional semifinal game at Coldwater, but came roaring back to beat the Flyers 48-47 in double overtime.

“Our kids and our staff would not trade this win right here for any win during the season, I’m sure,” said FRHS coach Brian Patch, adding in a phone interview this morning that both teams had chances to win the game in regulation and both overtimes. “We just made one of those plays to win it, and they didn’t.”

The Indians advance to play for their second straight sectional championship Friday night, but will face a difficult task as they take on No. 9 New Bremen (17-3).

Minster (14-7) defeated Waynesfield-Goshen (9-12) in the other semifinal game at Coldwater Tuesday and will play New Knoxville (16-4) in Friday’s second championship game.

Following a first overtime in which the squads scored just three points — none in the final minute — Luke Bihn gave the Indians the lead for good off a Clint Tobe steal and a Travis VanSkyock assist at the 2:25 mark over the second extra session. A pair of VanSkyock free throws pushed the advantage to four.

Marion Local (6-15) got back to within one on two occasions, and was down 48-46 with 13 seconds to go after Ryan Staugler split a pair of foul shots.

The teams exchanged the ball twice during the final stretch, with Corey Moeller eventually going to the foul line with one second left for a chance to tie the game. His first free throw was good, but the second missed its mark and neither team could get to the ball before time expired.

After the Bihn hoop to start the scoring in the second overtime, every shot for the Indians was taken by either VanSkyock or Staugler. VanSkyock finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists as the Indians avenged a 53-45 regular-season defeat.

“We were trying to get the ball to our seniors,” said Patch. “We were going to let those guys try to win the game for us.”

Tobe and Bihn each scored nine points, and Toby Metzger and Staugler added six apiece. Bihn had nine rebounds, and Metzger dished out four assists.

Patch credited Metzger, who picked up his fourth foul with more than five minutes to play in regulation but stayed in the game the rest of the way while continuing to play strong defense.

“I thought Toby Metzger, for a freshman, came in and played big,” said Patch. “I thought we played well as a team. You could see the chemistry out there. The kids were excited for each other.”

Fort Recovery (8-13) went 7-4 outside of the MAC this season, but couldn’t figure out how to win against their conference rivals. It looked like the same story would play out against Marion Local, but with their season all but over the Indians found a way.

After scoring just two first-quarter points, trailing by as many as 16 in the first half and still down 14 with less than 10 minutes to play the defense started to pay off and shots began to fall.

VanSkyock buried a 3-pointer just three seconds into the final period to pull the Indians within 10. He added a conventional three-point play, and a Bihn jumper pulled the Tribe to within 35-30. VanSkyock hit another jumper, and Metzger added one for a 12-0 Fort Recovery run.

Patch said he felt his team was doing all the right things early in the game, only couldn’t get shots to fall. But great team defense — the Indians allowed just 21 points over the final three quarters after giving up 17 in the first — allowed them to get back in the game.

“We stepped our defense up,” Patch said. “They went long stretches where they didn’t get a shot up. And if they did, it was one and done.”

Marion Local went scoreless for the first 5:40 of the final period before managing to push back out to a 38-34 lead. But Bihn scored on an assist from Tobe Metzger, and Travis VanSkyock came up with a steal leading to a Metzger hoop at the first tie of the game at 38 with 1:02 to go.

Neither team scored in the remainder of regulation, and they each managed just three points in the first overtime before the Indians pulled out the victory in the second.

Marion Local got 14 points from Chris Stucke and nine by Corey Moeller. It was hurt by 17 turnovers, which helped the Indians to take 23 more field goal attempts during the contest.[[In-content Ad]]