February 28, 2020 at 5:51 p.m.
Rangers topple top-seeded FR
Gabel hits go-ahead three to lift NK past Indians
Rangers topple top-seeded FR
WAPAKONETA — Ellie Gabel is known more for passing the ball than shooting it.
The Ranger sophomore set the school record for assists in a season.
Thursday night, she closed the door on the top-seeded Indians by putting the ball through the net rather than helping someone else do it.
Gabel’s go-ahead 3-pointer gave the New Knoxville Rangers a two-point lead, and a last-second attempt at the potential game-tying bucket bounced off the rim as the Rangers upended the Fort Recovery girls basketball team, 46-44, in the Division IV district semifinal.
“I’m sure (New Knoxville coach Tim Hegemeier) is saying the same thing; neither of us played our best games,” said first-year FRHS coach Holly Gann, whose team ends the year 18-6. “We knew it was going to be a barn-burner. The deal is, they made big shots when they had to make big shots.”
New Knoxville (18-7), the district’s fourth seed, advances to the final at 7 p.m. Saturday against No. 3 seed and eighth-ranked Minster (18-5), the two-time defending state champion. Minster held off Marion Local (19-5), ranked fifth in the state and the district’s No. 2 seed, 54-44 earlier Thursday night.
In a game that was back-and-forth almost from start to finish, Fort Recovery senior and future Findlay Oiler Val Muhlenkamp drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 24 seconds remaining, giving the Indians a 44-43 advantage.
On the next trip down the floor, Haley Fledderjohann found Gabel on the right side for the go-ahead bucket.
“Little surprised they didn’t trap us a little bit more,” Hegemeier said of the Indians’ typically suffocating defense, which caused fits for the Rangers when FRHS won 50-28 Jan. 16 at Fort Site Fieldhouse. “I thought Ellie did a good job. She just needs to learn to keep the ball at the middle of the floor and not on the side and she’ll be a lot better.”
Following Gabel’s bucket, Gann called timeout with 11.9 seconds to go and the Indians having to travel the full length of the court.
Out of the break, Kierra Wendel, who led the Indians with 14 points, took the ball across the timeline to the left side. She passed to Muhlenkamp at the top of the key, and with time running out Muhlenkamp had to get off a shot.
She drove to the right side of the lane and went up with Megan Jurosic and Gabel both in her face. The shot was short, and she wasn’t able to come up with the rebound for a second chance at the potential game-tying basket.
“We had been practicing a last-second thing,” Gann said. “Val in the block, in my mind, is an OK place to be. We were looking for a handoff or a quick pinch in. Again, clock ran out. We just didn’t get it done.
“If we would have probably had three more seconds I think we would have probably got the board and put it back up. Just time ran out.”
Hegemier said no matter what, he didn’t want the Indians to shoot a 3-pointer on the final play.
“Val Muhlenkamp, she is a hell of a good player,” Hegemeier said. “I think they put it in the best girl’s hands. It just didn’t fall.”
Muhlenkamp was second for the Indians with nine points, all of which came in the second half as she sat most of the first in foul trouble.
Gabel’s game-winning triple gave her a dozen points for the night, second only to Morgan Leffel’s game-high 15.
The largest lead for either team was an 8-2 New Knoxville advantage late in the first quarter after the Rangers scored eight consecutive points. Following their slow start offensively, the Indians rallied to pull within three, 14-11, at the end of the first quarter.
Olivia Patch, who wore FRHS colors for the final time and will play for Hillsdale College next season, nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the score early in the second.
The seesaw was in full effect from then on, as the largest lead for either team the rest of the way was four points. New Knoxville led 23-22 at half and 30-29 after three quarters.
Down 41-39 with 2:07 to play in the game, Patch made both ends of a one-and-one — Fort Recovery finished 5-of-13 from the stripe — to even the score once again.
Gabel assisted on a Leffel basket with 55 ticks remaining ahead of Muhlenkamp’s triple and Gabel’s heroics.
“Defensively we didn’t know what was going on half the time,” Gann said. “I don’t think we were our normal, just sitting back and playing good half-court defense.
The Ranger sophomore set the school record for assists in a season.
Thursday night, she closed the door on the top-seeded Indians by putting the ball through the net rather than helping someone else do it.
Gabel’s go-ahead 3-pointer gave the New Knoxville Rangers a two-point lead, and a last-second attempt at the potential game-tying bucket bounced off the rim as the Rangers upended the Fort Recovery girls basketball team, 46-44, in the Division IV district semifinal.
“I’m sure (New Knoxville coach Tim Hegemeier) is saying the same thing; neither of us played our best games,” said first-year FRHS coach Holly Gann, whose team ends the year 18-6. “We knew it was going to be a barn-burner. The deal is, they made big shots when they had to make big shots.”
New Knoxville (18-7), the district’s fourth seed, advances to the final at 7 p.m. Saturday against No. 3 seed and eighth-ranked Minster (18-5), the two-time defending state champion. Minster held off Marion Local (19-5), ranked fifth in the state and the district’s No. 2 seed, 54-44 earlier Thursday night.
In a game that was back-and-forth almost from start to finish, Fort Recovery senior and future Findlay Oiler Val Muhlenkamp drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 24 seconds remaining, giving the Indians a 44-43 advantage.
On the next trip down the floor, Haley Fledderjohann found Gabel on the right side for the go-ahead bucket.
“Little surprised they didn’t trap us a little bit more,” Hegemeier said of the Indians’ typically suffocating defense, which caused fits for the Rangers when FRHS won 50-28 Jan. 16 at Fort Site Fieldhouse. “I thought Ellie did a good job. She just needs to learn to keep the ball at the middle of the floor and not on the side and she’ll be a lot better.”
Following Gabel’s bucket, Gann called timeout with 11.9 seconds to go and the Indians having to travel the full length of the court.
Out of the break, Kierra Wendel, who led the Indians with 14 points, took the ball across the timeline to the left side. She passed to Muhlenkamp at the top of the key, and with time running out Muhlenkamp had to get off a shot.
She drove to the right side of the lane and went up with Megan Jurosic and Gabel both in her face. The shot was short, and she wasn’t able to come up with the rebound for a second chance at the potential game-tying basket.
“We had been practicing a last-second thing,” Gann said. “Val in the block, in my mind, is an OK place to be. We were looking for a handoff or a quick pinch in. Again, clock ran out. We just didn’t get it done.
“If we would have probably had three more seconds I think we would have probably got the board and put it back up. Just time ran out.”
Hegemier said no matter what, he didn’t want the Indians to shoot a 3-pointer on the final play.
“Val Muhlenkamp, she is a hell of a good player,” Hegemeier said. “I think they put it in the best girl’s hands. It just didn’t fall.”
Muhlenkamp was second for the Indians with nine points, all of which came in the second half as she sat most of the first in foul trouble.
Gabel’s game-winning triple gave her a dozen points for the night, second only to Morgan Leffel’s game-high 15.
The largest lead for either team was an 8-2 New Knoxville advantage late in the first quarter after the Rangers scored eight consecutive points. Following their slow start offensively, the Indians rallied to pull within three, 14-11, at the end of the first quarter.
Olivia Patch, who wore FRHS colors for the final time and will play for Hillsdale College next season, nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the score early in the second.
The seesaw was in full effect from then on, as the largest lead for either team the rest of the way was four points. New Knoxville led 23-22 at half and 30-29 after three quarters.
Down 41-39 with 2:07 to play in the game, Patch made both ends of a one-and-one — Fort Recovery finished 5-of-13 from the stripe — to even the score once again.
Gabel assisted on a Leffel basket with 55 ticks remaining ahead of Muhlenkamp’s triple and Gabel’s heroics.
“Defensively we didn’t know what was going on half the time,” Gann said. “I don’t think we were our normal, just sitting back and playing good half-court defense.
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