Wildcats top Tribe

FORT RECOVERY — Facing a 15-point deficit and the possibility of an 0-3 start, the Indians rallied back.
They pulled even three times and then took their first lead of the game with 3:40 left on the clock. But the Darien Sheffer hoop that put them ahead was the last they would get to fall.
Fort Recovery High School’s boys basketball team never scored again, closing the game on the wrong end of an 8-0 run for a 51-44 loss to the visiting Jefferson Wildcats.
The Indians (0-3) fell behind by 15 early in the third quarter after Jefferson (3-0) scored the final five points of the first half and the first four of the second. But then they began to chip away at the Wildcats’ advantage.
Fort Recovery scored the final six points of the third quarter, getting to within five on a Caleb Martin hoop with eight seconds left. It finally pulled even at 38 with 6:01 on the clock in the fourth quarter on a hoop by Kyle Schroer, and then again at 40 and 42.
Trey Smith’s free throw, one of 28 on the evening for Jefferson, gave the visitors the lead again before Sheffer scored to put the Indians up 44-43 with 3:40 to play. The Tribe, which to that point was shooting 56 percent from the field in the second half, went 0-for-6 with a turnover the rest of the way.
The Wildcats shot just 32 percent from the field, but made up for those struggles by taking advantage of their frequent visits to the free-throw line. They shot 28-of-36 from the stripe, including a 19-of-22 effort from Smith, compared to just four attempts for the Tribe.
Smith added five field goals as he led all scorers with 30 points. He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Jace Stockwell added 12 points for Jefferson.
Micaiah Cox recorded a double-double as he paced Fort Recovery for the second consecutive game. He had 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting while also snatching 10 rebounds.

Junior varsity
Like their varsity counterparts, the Indians had a chance late only to come up short in a 38-35 loss to Jefferson.
FRHS trailed by four at the half and five after three quarters in the loss. It shot just 30 percent from the field, including 21 percent in the first half.
Cade Wendel paced Fort Recovery with 13 points and six rebounds. Jason Roess