Indians upset unbeaten Cards

Twenty-five years ago this week, the Indians scored a big upset.

The Dec. 13, 1996, edition of The Commercial Review featured coverage of the Fort Recovery High School girls basketball team blowing out previously undefeated New Bremen Cardinals, 59-37.

The Indians, who entered the game at 1-2, took control by outscoring New Bremen 14-5 in the second quarter for a 10-point halftime lead. They turned the game into a blowout with a 15-5 advantage in the third quarter.

“We talked about it all week … we knew it was coming and the big thing was they believed in themselves,” said first-year FRHS coach Lynn Bihn, who led the Indians to back-to-back state titles as a player in 1990 and ’91. “I thought we were going to win, but I didn’t think by 22 points. I’ve been talking about confidence all year, and I hope (this game) will prove to them they’re better than they think. But we still need to get better. We did a lot of things well, but not everything.”

Senior Carrie Bihn paced Fort Recovery with 16 points to lead a trio of Indians in double figures. Senior Carissa Dues and sophomore Angie Staugler each added 11 points, and sophomore Michelle Knapke scored eight points. Staugler also added 10 rebounds.

New Bremen, which entered the game 6-0 with a win over traditional Midwest Athletic Conference power Coldwater, got 11 points from Christa Bornhorst in the defeat.