Mount Vernon News

SPARTA — The Fredericktown High School boys basketball team took advantage of a late spurt Saturday night to beat Highland, 41-32. The score was tied at 13 going into the half before the Freddies (2-0) took control of the game.

“We just stuck to our game plan and kept doing what we had to do. We made a few mistakes at some crucial times but we didn’t panic for the most part; we just kept playing and we were able to make enough plays,” Fredericktown head coach Kirk Manns said.

Both teams forced a number of turnovers by their defensive pressure, the result of which created a low-scoring affair.

“I think both teams played good defense. I think both teams did everything they could to stop the other team’s offense and made it very difficult to score. I think when you get into that kind of situation that the score is going to be low,” said Highland head coach Mike Hoyng.

In addition to turning over the ball during some crucial moments, the Scots (0-1) were unable to perform at the free-throw line.

“We’ve worked on free throws everyday and I don’t know what else you can do. It’s just a matter of having confidence, stepping up to the line, and putting them in,” Hoyng said.

As a team, Highland was 7-for-19 in foul shooting, while the Freddies went 12-for-20.

“We turned it over way too much and we missed our free throws. To me, that was the story of the game. If we had made our free throws or a percentage of our free throws that we are capable of making, and if we had done a better job taking care of the basketball, who knows who would have won that game,” said Hoyng.

Leading the offensive attack for the Freddies was Taylor Hitzfield, who ended the evening with 15 points.

“Everybody went out there and did their job tonight, especially in the second half,” said Hitzfield.

Less than two minutes remained in the third quarter when Shawn Johnson’s assist to Kyle Pelc resulted in a 3-pointer to give the Freddies some added momentum. On their next trip down the court, Hitzfield rebounded a shot to put up his own and give Fredericktown its first 10-point lead of the ballgame.

“Third quarter we were able to gain our composure and make a spurt, and that was pretty much the difference in the game. Then we were able to keep a six- or seven-point team from there on,” said Manns.

A 3-pointer by Highland's Brandon Geiger with 49 seconds left in the game brought the Scots within six at 37-31, but the Freddies broke Highland’s full court pressure on consecutive plays, giving Fredericktown its final 41-32 win.

“I thought Highland did a great job of taking away a lot of things we like to do in the first half. They deserve a lot of credit for their defensive pressure and their defensive game plan was very good. It confused our kids for a little while,” said Manns.

Highland hosts nonconference opponents Mansfield Temple Christian on Tuesday with junior varsity tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.

“I think we are going to be a good basketball team this year, but we’ve got to do the little things to be a good basketball team on a consistent basis,” Hoyng said.

Fredericktown begins Mid-Buckeye Conference action on Tuesday, traveling to Northridge for a 6 p.m. tipoff.