FRHS drops season opener

CONVOY, Ohio — The Indians are still figuring themselves out.

The season opener didn’t go the way they wanted, but it was a step in that process.

The Fort Recovery High School girls basketball team fell to the Crestview Knights 52-29 in its season opener Friday night.

Senior Cali Wendel led the way with 11 points for the Indians (0-1). She splashed in three 3-pointers in the first half but was held to just a pair of free throws in the second.

Wendel was the only Indian in double figures, while Crestview’s Cali and Kaci Gregory both passed her mark. Cali Gregory led all scorers with 17 points while Kaci added 16. They powered the Knights’ offense in the second and fourth quarters. During the second period, Kaci Gregory hit three shots for seven points while Cali had a pair of buckets to make up 11 of the 15 points by Crestview (1-0). In the fourth, they had all 11 of the Knights’ points.

Four more Knights scored in the game as well, combining for 19 points.

Outside of Wendel, all of Fort Recovery’s points came inside the arc or at the free-throw line.

In the first half, Karli Niekamp had a pair of buckets, but couldn’t convert for the three-point plays. In the second, she had another bucket and went 1-for-2 from the line to finish with seven points.

Freshman Makenna Huelskamp got the start as senior guard Kensey Gaerke did not play in the game.

Huelskamp finished with one bucket and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe for five points in her varsity debut.

Sophia Guggenbiller also scored a bucket in her varsity debut. The freshman put one in during the Indians’ best quarter of the season opener, the second, when they scored nine points.

Kennedy Muhlenkamp and Saige Leuthold both had two points in the loss.

The Knights won all four quarters taking the first 11-8, the second 15-9, the third 15-5 and the fourth 11-7.

The Indians will look to bounce back today against Arcanum in their home opener and will play at Fort Site Fieldhouse again Tuesday against Mississinawa Valley.