Tribe hopes to build off solid finish

The Indians won the first three games last year under new coach Michael Bashore.

But as January rolled around, they started to struggle and went into February at 7-8.

A season-ending loss to conference rival Coldwater in the district semifinal capped a strong finish, as they closed out the year having won eight of their last 10 games.

With four starters returning, including three of its top five scorers, Bashore is hoping the Fort Recovery High School boys basketball team can build off that finish heading into his second year.

“We’re excited with the group of kids coming back,” said Bashore, whose team opens its season Saturday at home against Jefferson. “Not only me, but they’ve set a lot of expectations on themselves and we’re hoping to live up to that.”

Those expectations include competing for Midwest Athletic Conference and district championships.

“We’re farther along, which is where you hope to be,” Bashore said of the progress heading into the season. “We tried to simplify the offense a little bit, just focus on running a few things well instead of trying to run a lot of things.”

The Indians return leading scorer Peyton Jutte, who last year tied current assistant coach Bob Leverette for most made 3-pointers in a season with 74.

Jutte averaged 18.7 points per game, including surpassing 20 PPG in each of his MAC games, and was second on the team with 4.8 rebounds per game en route to being named third team Division III all-state.

“The bullseye is going to be on his back,” Bashore said.

But it’s the other players on the court he hopes can take some of the pressure off of him. Grant Knapke, a junior, scored 7.2 points per game (third on the team) and Clay Schmitz tallied 5.1 PPG (fifth), despite missing time early in the year with an illness.

Fort Recovery also returns Derek Jutte, who helps anchor a big sophomore class with Schmitz that will see considerable amount of time on the court.

Derek Jutte (3.2 PPG) will take over as point guard from the departed Cade Wendel (5.8 PPG, 3.2 assist per game), and Bashore said he is among the two players on the squad who have shown the most improvement from a season ago.

“He’s probably made, between him and Noah (Lennartz), the biggest jump from the end of last year to right now,” he said. “High motor, he’s able to get us into our offense. He’s really good at getting to the basket. He’s been one of our better defenders.

“He’s got big shoes to fill taking Cade’s spot (but) he’s done a really nice job.”

Lennartz, a 6-foot, 6-inch senior, came off the bench as a junior to average 2.1 points per game, and his frame along with the 6-foot, 4-inch Schmitz gives the Indians a tandem at the post they hope to exploit this season.

“With the improvement of Clay and Noah it has given us an inside dimension we haven’t had a whole lot of last year to go along with our two guards who can really shoot the basketball,” said Bashore, who still plans to play an up-tempo game on both sides of the ball.

Seniors Clayton Pearson and Blayne Tobe, junior Owen Schoen and sophomores Gavin Thobe, Ryne Post, Regan Martin and Brian Bihn complete the Tribe’s roster. 

“I think we’ll go nine, 10 deep,” Bashore said. “I think that is something we’ll do this year that we didn’t do last year. I think we’ll get quality (minutes) out of all of them.

“I think we’ve got four kids who can put up double figures. Hopefully that will keep teams from focusing on Peyton.”

In order to accomplish its goals of conference and district titles, Fort Recovery, which drops to Division IV this season, has to get through defending MAC and state champion Marion Local. The Flyers didn’t lose a conference game last season and won the state title in double overtime.

“You’re going to come every night,” he said. The Indians tied for sixth in the MAC last year with a 3-6 record. “You look at who’s in this league, you could go anywhere on the road and lose to anybody.

“We have to be able to play every night. You have to be able to protect your own floor and then go steal some on the road when you can.”