November 30, 2019 at 5:36 a.m.
Thrilling opener
Late Thobe free throws lift Fort Recovery
Thrilling opener
FORT RECOVERY — Gavin Thobe dribbled the ball off his leg.
It was rolling toward the left sideline.
Coach Jim Melton was trying to call a timeout.
As players dived toward the loose ball, a whistle blew.
The result was a Memorial (St. Marys) foul that sent Thobe to the line where he hit what turned out to be the game-winning free throws with 11.2 seconds left for a 55-53 Fort Recovery victory over the visiting Roughriders.
“Huge free throws,” said Melton after his first win at the helm of the FRHS program. “Gavin’s been working really hard. This is kind of karma for him, because he’s been staying over, working on the side. … He reaped the fruits of his labor there at the end of the game.”
The Indians (1-0) led for the first 20 minutes before the fourth quarter became a back-and-forth affair with Memorial pulling even for the final time when Ethan Steger snagged a rebound and put it back with 36 seconds to play.
Both teams called timeouts and Fort Recovery was holding the ball of the last shot when Thobe lost the ball leading to the foul. He nailed the first free throw and had the second bounce off the back of the rim and the front before falling through.
The Roughriders (0-1) pushed back up the floor but weren’t able to execute the play — a double screen to get the ball in the hands of Steger — they wanted. Instead they got trapped on the left side of the court, eventually settling for a Max Mielke 3-point try from deep on the left wing that came up short.
Memorial coach Dan Hegemier, who came out of retirement to coach Memorial this season, called the foul on Thobe “tough.”
“We had a chance to do something and we failed to execute on our end,” he continued. “You’ve just got to live and learn and move on.
“We called a play that we ran the whole time. I don’t know. They kind of panicked a little bit. And that’s what happens.The Indians were up 9-2 early but led by just three at the end of the first quarter. They extended their advantage to 13 points in the second quarter before Memorial closed to within five at the half.
The Roughriders got their first lead of the game on a Jack Cisco 3-pointer with 4:15 left in the third quarter, and the final 12 minutes were hotly contested.
Brian Bihn had a couple of key 3-point plays for the Indians in those final 12 minutes, including one on a put-back after Thobe’s try on a long outlet pass rolled out. Bihn, who had just come into the game and delivered Melton’s call for the play, was there to grab the board, put it back and connect on the free throw for a 52-51 lead.
“We were going to run a free-throw break to get it quick and get it down the court and get a bucket,” said Bihn, who shared the team high of 10 points with Clay Schmitz. “I beat him down the court … We missed the layup and I got the board and finished. …
“It always feels awesome when you get an and-1. It’s a great feeling.”
Grant Knapke and Ian Homan added nine points apiece, and Thobe finished with seven.
Steger racked up 26 points to lead Memorial. Eighteen of those came in the first half and he was limited to just two in the fourth quarter.
Junior varsity
Fort Recovery took control early as it cruised to a 46-33 victory over the Roughriders.
Owen Jutte hit a pair of 3-pointers as he scored eight of the Tribe’s 14 first-quarter points as the home team built a double-digit advantage. They pushed the advantage to 16 at halftime and cruised to the victory.
Jutte paced the Indians with 17 points. Caleb Evers followed with seven points, and Cale Wendel scored six.
Brandon Bowers scored 10 for Memorial.
It was rolling toward the left sideline.
Coach Jim Melton was trying to call a timeout.
As players dived toward the loose ball, a whistle blew.
The result was a Memorial (St. Marys) foul that sent Thobe to the line where he hit what turned out to be the game-winning free throws with 11.2 seconds left for a 55-53 Fort Recovery victory over the visiting Roughriders.
“Huge free throws,” said Melton after his first win at the helm of the FRHS program. “Gavin’s been working really hard. This is kind of karma for him, because he’s been staying over, working on the side. … He reaped the fruits of his labor there at the end of the game.”
The Indians (1-0) led for the first 20 minutes before the fourth quarter became a back-and-forth affair with Memorial pulling even for the final time when Ethan Steger snagged a rebound and put it back with 36 seconds to play.
Both teams called timeouts and Fort Recovery was holding the ball of the last shot when Thobe lost the ball leading to the foul. He nailed the first free throw and had the second bounce off the back of the rim and the front before falling through.
The Roughriders (0-1) pushed back up the floor but weren’t able to execute the play — a double screen to get the ball in the hands of Steger — they wanted. Instead they got trapped on the left side of the court, eventually settling for a Max Mielke 3-point try from deep on the left wing that came up short.
Memorial coach Dan Hegemier, who came out of retirement to coach Memorial this season, called the foul on Thobe “tough.”
“We had a chance to do something and we failed to execute on our end,” he continued. “You’ve just got to live and learn and move on.
“We called a play that we ran the whole time. I don’t know. They kind of panicked a little bit. And that’s what happens.The Indians were up 9-2 early but led by just three at the end of the first quarter. They extended their advantage to 13 points in the second quarter before Memorial closed to within five at the half.
The Roughriders got their first lead of the game on a Jack Cisco 3-pointer with 4:15 left in the third quarter, and the final 12 minutes were hotly contested.
Brian Bihn had a couple of key 3-point plays for the Indians in those final 12 minutes, including one on a put-back after Thobe’s try on a long outlet pass rolled out. Bihn, who had just come into the game and delivered Melton’s call for the play, was there to grab the board, put it back and connect on the free throw for a 52-51 lead.
“We were going to run a free-throw break to get it quick and get it down the court and get a bucket,” said Bihn, who shared the team high of 10 points with Clay Schmitz. “I beat him down the court … We missed the layup and I got the board and finished. …
“It always feels awesome when you get an and-1. It’s a great feeling.”
Grant Knapke and Ian Homan added nine points apiece, and Thobe finished with seven.
Steger racked up 26 points to lead Memorial. Eighteen of those came in the first half and he was limited to just two in the fourth quarter.
Junior varsity
Fort Recovery took control early as it cruised to a 46-33 victory over the Roughriders.
Owen Jutte hit a pair of 3-pointers as he scored eight of the Tribe’s 14 first-quarter points as the home team built a double-digit advantage. They pushed the advantage to 16 at halftime and cruised to the victory.
Jutte paced the Indians with 17 points. Caleb Evers followed with seven points, and Cale Wendel scored six.
Brandon Bowers scored 10 for Memorial.
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