FREDERICKTOWN — By definition, the Fredericktown boys basketball team’s home game against Marion Pleasant on Tuesday would be called a trap game.
After all, Fredericktown had Centerburg on Saturday. They face the No. 2 team in the Mid-Buckeye Conference, Northridge, this coming Friday.
But the Freddies didn’t treat it as such. Instead, they took it to the Spartans, withstanding a furious late rally to come away with a 43-41 victory.
Fredericktown played without senior guard Tyler Hathaway, who injured his knee in Saturday’s win at Centerburg. Hathaway tore his meniscus in the first period of that game, and is likely out for the season.
“For me personally, this is the first game in seven years that I’ve coached without Tyler or his brother (Ryan),” Fredericktown head coach Kirk Manns said. “So it was different.”
Hathaway had been the second-leading assists leader on the team. As the game went on, as the student section repeatedly chanted his name, he appeared restless, anxious to be out there with his teammates instead of relegated to the bench.
Add that to Ryan Logan’s foul troubles –– he collected three in the first half –– and the team was without its top scorer and its two assist leaders for much of the game.
But the Freddies stepped up to the challenge. They played excellent ball control throughout the night, having several possessions last a minute or more, and committing just 12 turnovers in the entire game. Six different players ended up with an assist.
