Post stands tall

FORT RECOVERY — Leaving a strong 3-point shooter is often looked at as a cardinal sin in basketball.

If you aren’t going to stay home, you have to get a defensive stop before the ball can get out to the threat.

So as Connor Hoge came barreling down the right side of the lane, Colson Post had a choice to make.

The junior chose to stand his ground.

He took the contact, the whistle blew and the official put one hand to his head and another pointed to the Indians basket. And with the charge taken, the game was as good as over.

Post took a charge on Hoge to kill the last of the New Knoxville Rangers’ momentum, propelling the Fort Recovery High School boys basketball team to a 61-53 victory on Friday night.

Before the charge, the Rangers (4-12, 0-6 Midwest Athletic Conference) were vying for a comeback. Fort Recovery (5-13, 2-5 MAC) kept the lead around eight points for most of the second half, but a pair of triples by Evan Fledderjohann and five Tribe turnovers helped NKHS get back into the game.

“They were definitely more aggressive in that fourth quarter,” FRHS coach Bob Leverette said. “We had to go back to man and had some good stops down the stretch. They shot it really well there in the second half from three. That was the difference and what kind of kept them hanging around and within striking distance.

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Fort Recovery boys basketball vs. New Knoxville (1/31/2025)

“We hit a couple of free throws down the stretch, Colson Post takes a huge charge for that stop.”

After Fledderjohann’s second triple of the period — he finished with four to total 14 points — the Indians flipped back to man-to-man defense with Post on the shooter. Over the final four minutes, the Ranger only managed to fire off two more 3-pointers on a high ball screen and a baseline-out-of-bounds play, but Post’s contests were enough to bother the shots for misses.

Still, New Knoxville managed to cut the deficit to 56-53 with 1:42 remaining off of a Preston Rutschilling triple. FRHS got a score from a Briggs Overman post up and Post hit two bonus free throws to give it some breathing room, but the Rangers still had some momentum.

On the following play, NKHS ran a high ball screen to get Hoge downhill toward the basket. Post had to decide between stepping in to take the charge, or bailing out to Fledderjohann in the right corner to prevent a kick-out 3-pointer. The junior chose to stay put, and it paid off with a charge that sealed the Rangers’ fate with 27.1 seconds remaining.

“I just look for it all the time,” Post said. “I mean, a charge is what (coach Leverette) wants me to do and I enjoy it. …

“It was awesome. I should have had one down there earlier. I didn’t get it but we got one for the night.”

The Indians also struggled with turnovers early in the final period, coughing the ball up on their first three possessions. FRHS finally broke through for a bucket off of a Breaker Jutte put-back at 5:34, but two more turnovers led to points for the Rangers.

At 4:23, the ball went out of bounds underneath Fort Recovery’s basket, leading to Leverette telling his team to calm down and work to set solid screens. They did just that on the following play, as Jutte got a pin-down screen to flare up to the 3-point line. Brody Barga delivered the pass for one of his game-high six assists as Jutte knocked down the triple.

“They had us frazzled and got up in us,” Leverette said. “I mean we showed some experience and some grit there down the stretch to come together and finish.”

Parker Jones matched Fledderjohann’s 14 points for New Knoxville, shooting 5-of-7 (71.4%) from the field and hitting 4-of-5 free throws. Rutschilling followed with nine, while Jay Schroeder and Hoge each had seven.

Gavin Fortkamp led the Tribe off the bench with 18 points. The sophomore found a home beyond the arc, hitting 5-of-6 shots from deep.

“It was just instinct,” Fortkamp said. “I felt good and just kept shooting it.”

Briggs Overman followed with 16 points, while Post had 11. Gavin Evers contributed six points while other forwards, Barga and Jutte, each had five.