Tribe welcomed home

FORT RECOVERY — The message was clear: We could not be more proud.
Fort Recovery High School girls basketball fans welcomed their team home Saturday. The Indians returned from Columbus with a fire truck escort through the village and a standing ovation when they entered the gym at Fort Site Fieldhouse.
It was a fitting celebration for one of the school’s best seasons, which came to a close Friday afternoon with a 57-40 loss to eventual state champion Anna in the Division III semifinal round.
“It’s been a great year,” said FRHS coach Doug Bihn. “It was tough yesterday the way things ended, but I told the kids, ‘One hundred ninety-six teams were at home wishing they had the chance to play in Columbus. And there were only four of us down there doing it.”
The Indians’ finished at 23-3 for the third-best record in school history, trailing only the 1990 and ’91 state title teams.
Their tremendous run to the state finals included 14 straight victories after a last-second loss to Minster in January. Those wins included the dramatic regular-season finale, in which Holly Brunswick lifted the Indians over St. John’s with a lay-up late in overtime. And after beating Parkway in the sectional championship, FRHS defeated four 20-win teams in a row — Tinora, Evergreen, No. 2 Lake and No. 6 Africentric Early College — just to earn its trip to the state finals.
“It’s been an amazing ride, that’s for sure,” said Holly Brunswick. “I couldn’t have asked for a better senior year.”
Each of the players, many trying to fight back tears, thanked their coaches, former coaches, fans and teammates for all being part of the exciting journey. Bihn and varsity assistant Al Summers thanked the senior class — Abby Huelskamp, Nicole Dilworth, Kendra Brunswick, Holly Brunswick and Olivia Thien — for leading the team to its first state berth in 20 years.
And Harold Fiely, the FRHS public address announcer and master of ceremonies for the event, took the opportunity to announce the starting lineup one last time, with the five seniors running along the stands and slapping hands with the front row of fans.
Bihn also offered some thoughts about each member of his senior class.
“We always thought she’d be a great player for us here. We have for years,” he said of Thien. “This year, we were in tight ball games, and any time we needed a big shot, Olivia Thien stepped up and she made a big shot. And that’s not something that you can teach. That’s something that’s inside you.”
He talked about Kendra Brunswick, who moved up to the varsity squad late in her freshman season mostly because of her shooting skills. He said she always wanted more playing time, and that his response was that she needed to become more than just a shooter.
“By her senior year, she’s one of the best defensive players we have,” Bihn said. “She’s one of the best scorers we have. And she’s one of the best rebounders we have. She’s probably the most complete player we have in the program.”
“Abby is a great kid,” he added of Huelskamp. “She has a great attitude. … She didn’t care how much she played. She accepted her role, and Abby’s done a great job for us.”
Then he turned to his two captains.
“Nicole is the heart and soul of this team,” said Bihn of Dilworth. “Nicole gets very little respect for what she’s done for us. She’s been under the radar all season long. …
“I don’t care who we played this year,” he added, noting some of the stand-out guards the Indians took on, “I wouldn’t trade Nicole Dilworth for them, ever.”
And for Holly Brunswick, the comments returned to a theme that has surrounded the team all season long — unselfishness.
“Holly is by far the best athlete in the program,” said Bihn of his leading scorer in the tournament. “Holly can do anything she wants. Holly is very intelligent, wise beyond her years probably. Holly can score from anywhere on the floor at any time. …
“She gave a lot of herself up, her own personal stats, for the good of the team. A lot of kids would not do that. Holly Brunswick did.”
This season the community was treated to a group of athletes, who grew up together, uniting as one to chase the goal of competing on the state’s biggest stage. And although the year ended with a defeat in the state semifinals, playing in Columbus is something the Indians will never forget.
Dilworth made that clear, sharing a story about her team’s state finals experience.
She said the coaching staff held up a picture of the Schottenstein Center, a picture the Indians had posted on their team wall last spring when they set the goal of reaching the state finals. The coaches pointed to that picture, telling their players that dreams really do come true.
“And they really do,” Dilworth said.[[In-content Ad]]