After a 14-6 record and 0-3 end to the season, the upcoming boys JV basketball team had a sour taste coming into this unique season. The boys were set to play Northview, a familiar foe, in their opening game. This group struggled with Northview in the past season, going 0-2 against the Wildcats. As adversity already continues to strike in this very young season, sophomore and star shooter Timothee Larmande was ruled out for last night’s contest. With a lack of a true shooter, it left JV head coach Jordan George with a tough decision to make. He decided to pull up freshman Brady Miller for the game, a guy that brings an electric shot with good length. This would set the scene for a great start to the season for the Rangers. 

“Last year, the team lost to Northview twice, so this was obviously a huge win for us because we came out right from the beginning and dominated the game from start to finish,” George said. 

The start of the game was a beautiful sight to see for coach George. A very intense and aggressive start led the Rangers to an early lead. They continued to force turnovers that led to easy transition baskets. After a hard-fought first half, the Rangers were up 34-19 over the Wildcats.

Northview did not back down in the second half though. The Wildcats came out of halftime and gave the team some trouble. Forest Hills Central’s first taste of adversity already; how would they handle it? They handled it very well and responded with a run of their own to put the game out of reach. After the buzzer sounded, the Rangers found themselves 1-0 with a 55-48 win over the Northview Wildcats. Sophomore Levi Mckenzie led the team with 16 points.  They played unselfish basketball, dishing it out to other teammates while creating shots when needed. As a result, sophomore Jake Koning scored 13 points, Brady had 11, and sophomore Owen Meyer chipped in 11 as well. 

Not only did the Rangers have four players in double figures for scoring, but Nate Delaney collected 12 rebounds throughout the game. The 6’5” sophomore played a key role in the paint for FHC.

“Team morale is really high right now,” George said. “This was obviously a huge win for us, but it also huge because we realize how good we could be when we play this way together.”

The boys have now started 1-0 on the season with this win coming within the tough OK White conference. FHC now takes on Forest Hills Northern at home this Friday; this is a huge game for the Rangers as a win would create an immense amount of momentum heading into the meat of their schedule.