The boys varsity basketball team found itself in a similar position at Northern than it was last month when the Rangers hosted the Huskies. 

Deadlocked in the fourth-quarter, both teams were trading buckets and lead changes. In the final minutes, though, it was FHN that took the edge to come out victorious by a one-point margin at 40-39.

“You have to give a lot of credit to FHN and how hard those guys battled all night,” assistant coach Jordan George said postgame. “I thought our guys fought like crazy and things didn’t work out for us in the last few minutes.”

As expressed by coach George, it wasn’t a lack of effort and fight that brought FHC back to the losing column. In fact, Rangerball was seemingly in control during the first half.

FHC led 25-17 entering the third quarter with Levi McKenzie’s 7 points. The Huskies begin to tighten the screws, limiting the amount of open looks the Rangers saw. At the conclusion of quarter three, Northern trailed by just three points.

Heart was spilling on the floor from both sides. No matter the implications, the FHN-FHC rivalry added another fantastic chapter to its storied history on Friday night.

Tied at 36 with just 1:30 remaining in the game, it was anybody’s game. But, thanks to incredible Husky defense, FHC was unable to convert on meaningful opportunities. Northern stole this one 40-39.

Despite the agonizing loss, Rangerball has no time to hang its heads. The boys will travel to Northview on Tuesday, February 15, to take on the OK-White’s top dog.

 “Moving forward, we need to continue to be a group that is together,” coach George said. “We need to show up every day and every possession and continue to battle together.”