Tobe giant vs. Green

WAPAKONETA, Ohio - In their first tournament game, it took a trio of Indian seniors until the fourth quarter to find their shooting touch.

Craig Tobe got the hot hand much earlier Tuesday night.

The senior hit each of his first six field-goal attempts, lighting up the scoreboard in the first quarter on the way to a game-high 22 points as he led Division IV No. 8 Fort Recovery to a convincing 57-44 victory over the Ottoville Big Green.

The Indians (19-3), who also got 16 points from Greg Kahlig, never trailed in the final three quarters and led by as many as 18 points in the second half.

"We've been telling them we need guys to step up," said FRHS coach Brian Patch, who seemed utterly unsurprised by Tobe's sharp-shooting. "We didn't know defensively what they were going to throw at us with Greg. (Tobe) stepped up and hit some shots. That's what we needed."

The win earned Fort Recovery a rematch with co-Midwest Athletic Conference champion New Bremen (19-3), which defeated Fort Jennings 59-44 Tuesday, in the district championship Friday at 7 p.m. In their Feb. 27 regular-season meeting, the Tribe led by five before failing to score in the final three minutes of a 50-47 loss to the Cardinals.

Tobe, who hit the game-tying shot in Friday's sectional championship comeback win over New Knoxville, has had a few 20-point games this season. But it's safe to say he was never as hot as he was in the opening 10 minutes against Ottoville (11-11).

After the Tribe fell behind 6-0, he got the Tribe on the board with a 3-pointer and just kept scoring.[[In-content Ad]]