February 7, 2020 at 3:59 p.m.
One win away
Fort Recovery hits free throws late to top St. Henry and close in on share of first MAC title in nearly three decades
One win away
FORT RECOVERY — The free-throw line typically is not the Indians’ favorite place.
But with the game, and potentially the league title, on the line Thursday, they hit all six attempts in the final minute.
Kierra Wendel, Val Muhlenkamp and Brooke Kahlig all delivered on foul shots late to help the Fort Recovery High School girls basketball team preserve a 44-36 victory over the St. Henry Redskins.
The win pushed the Indians to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in the Midwest Athletic Conference, keeping them in a tie for first place with Marion Local. They are now one victory away from securing their first league title since the 1990-91 state championship season, which capped a run of three in a row.
“It feels really good,” said Wendel, a junior. “Our team played hard. We know every MAC game is going to be a tough one. So we know we’ve got to come out and battle. That’s what we did tonight. That’s what we’ll have to do our next game also.”
FRHS will close MAC play against New Bremen (12-7, 3-5 MAC) while the Division IV No. 8 Flyers (17-3, 7-1 MAC) finish up against Coldwater (8-12, 4-4 MAC).
Fort Recovery was clinging to a 38-36 lead Thursday against the Redskins (12-9, 4-4 MAC) with their top scorer in the game, Alli Vaughn, fouled out. But Wendel who had hit a key pull-up jumper along the baseline a couple of minutes earlier, drained a couple of free throws with 52.2 seconds left.
Addy Vaughn of St. Henry had a shot go in and out on the opposite end, sending Muhlenkamp to the line. Her first try bounced high off the back of the rim but dropped through the net, and she connected again to extend the lead to six points. After a missed 3-point try by the Redskins, Kahlig sealed the victory with her pair of free throws with 20.7 seconds left.
“You just kind of stay calm,” said Wendel. “I’m pretty confident, so I feel fine.”
The eight-point final margin was the largest advantage either team had in the game, which was back-and-forth most of the way with the lead changing hands nine times. St. Henry was up by five on multiple occasions in the third quarter — the last time at 29-24 — before turnovers helped ruin its night.
Kahlig came up with two steals, assisting on transition hoops by Wendel and Muhlenkamp as part of a 6-0 spurt that gave the Indians the lead. The Redskins turned the ball over on three of their last four possessions of the third quarter and gave the ball away 21 times in all.
“When you don’t have a bench and you get tired, that’s what happens,” said SHHS coach Kyle Menchhofer, whose team allowed the Indians to attempt 23 more field-goal attempts in the game thanks to turning the ball over and giving up 21 offensive rebounds. “We just got tired.
“That’s happened to us lately.”
The Redskins were up 19-16 at the half in part because of swatting shots — they finished the game with seven blocks — and in part because Fort Recovery struggled to connect from the field. The home team shot 6-of-33 (18 percent) in the first half.
“We couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean there early,” said FRHS coach Holly Gann. “The good news is, we were getting the looks. It wasn’t one of those situations where we didn’t have the looks or the opportunities. We did.”
And the give-aways finally caught up to St. Henry, which was led by Addy Vaughn’s 12 points and eight rebounds, as it hit just one field goal in a stretch of nearly six minutes bridging the third and four quarters.
Muhlenkamp’s free throws in the final minute gave her a share of the team-high in scoring, matching Alli Vaughn’s 13 points. She also grabbed 14 rebounds.
Wendel added 11 points.
Junior varsity
Fort Recovery’s offense went stagnant as it fell 40-32 to the Redskins.
The Indians dominated the first quarter, running out to a 19-6 lead. But they were shut out in the second quarter and managed just two points in the third as St. Henry took control.
Grace Guggenbiller’s 12 points were the team-high for the Indians. Elena Evers followed with eight points.
Mia Niekamp led the way for the Redskins with 10 points. Claire Wendel and Mya Ontrop each had eight.
But with the game, and potentially the league title, on the line Thursday, they hit all six attempts in the final minute.
Kierra Wendel, Val Muhlenkamp and Brooke Kahlig all delivered on foul shots late to help the Fort Recovery High School girls basketball team preserve a 44-36 victory over the St. Henry Redskins.
The win pushed the Indians to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in the Midwest Athletic Conference, keeping them in a tie for first place with Marion Local. They are now one victory away from securing their first league title since the 1990-91 state championship season, which capped a run of three in a row.
“It feels really good,” said Wendel, a junior. “Our team played hard. We know every MAC game is going to be a tough one. So we know we’ve got to come out and battle. That’s what we did tonight. That’s what we’ll have to do our next game also.”
FRHS will close MAC play against New Bremen (12-7, 3-5 MAC) while the Division IV No. 8 Flyers (17-3, 7-1 MAC) finish up against Coldwater (8-12, 4-4 MAC).
Fort Recovery was clinging to a 38-36 lead Thursday against the Redskins (12-9, 4-4 MAC) with their top scorer in the game, Alli Vaughn, fouled out. But Wendel who had hit a key pull-up jumper along the baseline a couple of minutes earlier, drained a couple of free throws with 52.2 seconds left.
Addy Vaughn of St. Henry had a shot go in and out on the opposite end, sending Muhlenkamp to the line. Her first try bounced high off the back of the rim but dropped through the net, and she connected again to extend the lead to six points. After a missed 3-point try by the Redskins, Kahlig sealed the victory with her pair of free throws with 20.7 seconds left.
“You just kind of stay calm,” said Wendel. “I’m pretty confident, so I feel fine.”
The eight-point final margin was the largest advantage either team had in the game, which was back-and-forth most of the way with the lead changing hands nine times. St. Henry was up by five on multiple occasions in the third quarter — the last time at 29-24 — before turnovers helped ruin its night.
Kahlig came up with two steals, assisting on transition hoops by Wendel and Muhlenkamp as part of a 6-0 spurt that gave the Indians the lead. The Redskins turned the ball over on three of their last four possessions of the third quarter and gave the ball away 21 times in all.
“When you don’t have a bench and you get tired, that’s what happens,” said SHHS coach Kyle Menchhofer, whose team allowed the Indians to attempt 23 more field-goal attempts in the game thanks to turning the ball over and giving up 21 offensive rebounds. “We just got tired.
“That’s happened to us lately.”
The Redskins were up 19-16 at the half in part because of swatting shots — they finished the game with seven blocks — and in part because Fort Recovery struggled to connect from the field. The home team shot 6-of-33 (18 percent) in the first half.
“We couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean there early,” said FRHS coach Holly Gann. “The good news is, we were getting the looks. It wasn’t one of those situations where we didn’t have the looks or the opportunities. We did.”
And the give-aways finally caught up to St. Henry, which was led by Addy Vaughn’s 12 points and eight rebounds, as it hit just one field goal in a stretch of nearly six minutes bridging the third and four quarters.
Muhlenkamp’s free throws in the final minute gave her a share of the team-high in scoring, matching Alli Vaughn’s 13 points. She also grabbed 14 rebounds.
Wendel added 11 points.
Junior varsity
Fort Recovery’s offense went stagnant as it fell 40-32 to the Redskins.
The Indians dominated the first quarter, running out to a 19-6 lead. But they were shut out in the second quarter and managed just two points in the third as St. Henry took control.
Grace Guggenbiller’s 12 points were the team-high for the Indians. Elena Evers followed with eight points.
Mia Niekamp led the way for the Redskins with 10 points. Claire Wendel and Mya Ontrop each had eight.
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