Patch gives order, Thien delivers

Editor’s note: Whether key plays, incredible achievements or milestone events, sports are full of instances that stick out more than others. Sports editor Chris Schanz has seen a ton of them. In this “Memorable Moments” series, he’ll revisit some important moments in area athletics or experiences he’ll remember most.

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A lot of little things can happen over the course of a basketball game.

Many of them pass without many noticing they even occurred.

At times it takes a keen eye to spot them, such as a slight head nod from the point guard telling the forward where to set up. Or maybe it’s a tuned ear to a coach telling a player to put the game away.

In high school hoops, coaches bark orders almost constantly. During a stoppage in play, or when one team sets up to shoot a free throw, a coach may call over a player to give them a certain direction.

Or when a player stands in front of the team’s bench to begin a set play, the coach may walk over to him/her and whisper something into their ear; a tip on what to do, a slight bit of coaching or just a vote of confidence.

And most often, these small conversations are never heard by others.

But when they are, and then a subsequent string of events swings the game in that team’s favor, it becomes a moment that sticks out for years to come.

It’s March 1, 2018. The Fort Recovery High School girls basketball team is playing the Ridgemont Golden Gophers in the Division IV district semifinal at Wapakoneta.

The eighth-ranked Indians were leading the Gophers by a wide margin, 33-13, in the second half. During an inbounds play with the Indians bringing the ball up the length of the court, then-senior Grace Thien parked herself in front of the Fort Recovery bench.

Coach Brian Patch walked over to his captain, bent down and said nine words: “This is the moment we bury them right here.”

Thien had spent the previous three years solidifying herself as one of the program’s best 3-point shooters. As a freshman, she made 40 shots from the perimeter, which at the time was tied for fifth most in a season.

As a junior, she made 58 3-pointers, shattering 2011 graduate Kendra Brunswick’s school record of 47 in two fewer games than what Brunswick played during her senior season.

Perched in the corner near Patch, Thien waited for the ball to come up the court. Carley Stone, Thien’s teammate and the point guard, dribbled to the left side of the key and kicked to a wide open Thien.

Swish.

On the next Indian possession, Thien again made her way back to the spot in front of her team’s bench. Once again, Stone found her wide open.

Swish.

Stone to Thien in the corner a third time.

Swish.

Gophers buried.

“That’s somewhat shocking to me is how she gets so wide open sometimes,” Patch said after the game, a 54-24 shellacking of Ridgemont. “I’m not sure how you leave her open like that three consecutive times.

“I talked to her, said ‘This is where we’ve got to end this,’ and basically she did.

Before Thien’s sharpshooting, the Gophers had little chance at getting back in the game. They trailed by 20 in the second half. Following Thien’s shooting surge, though, it became a 31-point game and put the Indians well out front.

“It was really fun,” Thien, who extended her own school record that season by making 78 3-pointers, said after the game. “I just like getting an open three by my favorite play, my assist from Carley Stone. That was cool so that was fun.”

Thien finished the night with a game-high 19 points, including a 4-of-10 effort from the arc.

Patch’s statement was unnoticed by most. But one reporter — me — sitting on the baseline heard it.

And then Thien fulfilling his request with three straight triples feet away from where he was standing sticks out as a memorable moment in local athletics.