On Friday, February 23, boys varsity basketball faced off against GRC for their last game of the regular season. Playing GRC, a high-ranking opponent, meant that this game would be intense and expectations did not disappoint. Throughout the entirety of the game up until the last period, the battle between FHC and GRC was often separated by merely one point. Due to an action-packed fourth period, where the leading team repeatedly flipped between the two schools, GRC was ultimately able to pull ahead at the end. The final score was 42-38 GRC.
The Rangers started off on a strong foot, connecting with teammates and buckets to keep their game at a close 3-point deficit at the end of the first half. It was clear from the start that keystone players such as seniors Brady Miller, Owen Godley, and Ty Hudkins would be controlling both ends of the floor with aggressive defense, playmaking, and shot-taking in particular. FHC’s small wins this quarter were mainly attributed to the boys’ patience on offense which allowed them to pick apart GRC’s defense and score crucial buckets to keep them in the game. However, GRC was seemingly unfazed by the Rangers’ efforts, continuing to keep their lead of about four going into the second period. GRC has strengths that gave the Rangers trouble at times.
“They have quite a bit of size,” said head coach Jordan George. “I thought our bigs played great, but they [GRC] were bigger than us at just about every position. When they went into their press and started pressuring us, we just had some problems taking care of the ball.”
GRC proved to the crowd why they are ranked fourth amongst Michigan Division II high school basketball teams in the second half. Here, senior players like Jaylan Ouwinga and Nate Johnson took over for GRC, producing multiple stops on defense and making FHC struggle to achieve offensive production. However, it should be noted that these defensive stops on the GRC side were off of missed shot attempts by the Rangers rather than turnovers; this is a reflection of the strong FHC offensive gameplay implemented by coach George. The score was 19-18 GRC at the start of the second half.
The second half brought very physical gameplay from both teams. The majority of the second half was a one-point game, highlighting the fact it was nothing short of a battle. Although FHC did not manage to pull ahead yet, they played well on defense, limiting GRC’s chances to score.
“I think we slowed their pace well,” senior Quincy Henry said. “We took control of their game [during this time] and kept to ourselves.”
The fourth period was hectic. A flurry of turnovers from both teams combined with fouls heightened tensions, especially as the score remained close, around 30-30 when the fourth period began. But as the game entered its final minutes, with GRC remaining slightly in the lead, a three-pointer from junior Brendan Cargill set the Rangers in the lead 34-33. Then, GRC stole the lead back with another three-pointer, leaving the crowd roaring. FHC managed to inch ahead again, but successful penalty shots and a floater from Johnson made the final score 42-38 GRC.
This loss marked the boys’ record at 15-7, wrapping up their regular season. Although this loss was saddening, playoffs loomed for the boys; they have a positive outlook on it.
“We’re feeling really good [for playoffs,]” senior JT Hartman said. “Today was a tough loss, but I think we’re ready to make a run in playoffs.”
As well as this being the boys’ last regular season game, there is another memorable aspect to the season finishing: this was coach George’s first season coaching varsity. Coach George is following his father’s footsteps, (Ken George) as Ken was also the head coach for varsity. Coach George’s first season being head coach proved very successful, as the team has a better record than last year (12-11) and racked up wins against teams they formerly lost to, such as FHN and Lowell.
“I’m quickly learning that it’s about relationships with the players,” coach George said. “I do feel like the guys that we have trust me, and I trust them. It’s been a real good positive experience this season and the [collective] trust between us builds up.”
The team expressed their happiness with coach George.
“They [coach George and his assistant coaches] did really great,” Hartman said. “They came in with a lot of energy and implemented a new offensive system. They’ve done a really nice job and we’ve been able to win a lot of games because of them.”
This final regular season game doubles as another milestone: the seniors’ seasons are coming to an end. Senior players such as Jonas VanderWoude, Brady Miller, Ty Hudkins, and Henry have been on varsity for multiple years and make up the starting lineup. Their impact will be missed.
“Being a senior makes me want to play harder and play more,” Henry said. “It’s our last year playing with the team so we want to make it the best.”
