By Drew Terhall

Dailyadvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — Here are the scores and stats from the high school boys basketball games from Feb. 2 – 4.

Feb. 2: Arcanum 41 (10-9, 5-4) vs Franklin Monroe 42 (13-5, 7-2)

It was a close game that came down to the final play. Arcanum senior Brady Lock made a three-point shot with seconds to spare to be down one. With 0.7 seconds left in the game, Franklin Monroe missed the free throw and Arcanum was able to get a shot off.

A Jet defender was right in front of the shooter, close enough to have the crowd call for a foul. There was no foul called as the shot was no good.

Franklin Monroe head coach Troy Myers said his team’s execution in the late game was good up to the last shot. He was okay with Arcanum getting off a shot from three-fourths of the court away from the basket and not have his player go contest the shot.

“Our player had no business being in the play. Obviously, the player was looking for a foul. You be the judge. There’s three guys in stripes to make that call. Obviously, I’m on the winning end and I’m thankful they didn’t call a foul,” Myers said. “But, it’s also something that we can not do. We wanted to miss it anyway. So they can’t take it out of bounds and advance it on an out of bounds play.”

Arcanum head coach Kevin Brackman said in a situation like that, the play must be a clear foul. It’s a tough call to make.

“At that point in the game for as back and forth it has been, a call like that has got to be so clear. It’s got to be evident. One party is going to end up happy if he goes down and makes two free throws,” Brackman said.

Arcanum started the game hot and got out to a sizeable lead. The Trojans were without key contributors in seniors Braylen Etherington and Nathan Koller along with sophomore Matthew McCans.

Brackman said sophomore Regan Christ wasn’t at practice the day before and they didn’t know if he would be available for the game. With a sickness going around the team, Brackman and the team did all they could to have everyone prepared for when game day arrived.

“Although we’ve been trying to prep, it’s kind of been a wonky week. We had to communicate with guys. We were dropping scouting reports off to different guys’ houses just so they could look over stuff. We were hoping they were here today,” Brackman said.”For them to come out hot and handle the adversity that the week had presented us with, I’m proud of the guys.”

Myers said Arcanum came out inspired and played well. The Franklin Monroe defense took some time to execute their defensive game plan.

Once the Jets were able to slow the game down, they started to mount a comeback. Franklin Monroe junior Eric Brenner scored a last second layup to tie the game 19-19 heading into halftime.

Both teams then battled to grab momentum in the second half. With 4:30 left in the game, Brenner was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws for a 33-30 lead. From that point, Franklin Monroe didn’t give up their lead.

Even while the Trojans struggled from the free throw line late, they still found ways to get a big bucket to stay in the game.

Brackman said this game showed what high school basketball is really about, especially a rivalry game. He also said he heard about this rivalry all week long and it lived up to the hype.

Myers said it was a great crowd that helped bring the tournament like atmosphere to the game.

“Great crowd, even our side. That’s what you expect from a cross-town rival. Thankful that our people came out and really supported us,” Myers said. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised as the season goes to see more and more of them coming out. It’s gives our kids energy for sure. I’m thankful for it.”

Brenner and junior EB Fall both had 10 points to lead the Jets. Christ had 11 points to lead the Trojans and Lock had nine points.

Franklin Monroe followed up this game with a road win at Newton, 34-28.

The Jets will host Ansonia on Feb. 9 at 7:15 p.m. and then host Emmanuel Christian on Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Arcanum will be at Tri-County North on Feb. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. tip off and then be at Greenon on Feb. 10 for a 7:30 p.m. tip off.

A full game recap can be found on our website, dailyadvocate.com.

Around the county:

Ansonia (4-14, 2-7): The Tigers dropped both games this weekend. They lost at National Trail, 55-50, in double overtime. Senior Trevor Hemmerich and freshman Bennett Lehman both had 14 points. They then lost at home to current one seed in Division IV in the Southwest district North in Russia, 72-21. Senior Matt Barga led with 11 points. The Tigers were without senior Ethan Reichert for both games. After hosting Sidney Lehman on Feb. 6, the Tigers will be at Franklin Monroe on Feb. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. tip off and then will host Fairlawn on Feb. 10 at 7:15 p.m.

Bradford (10-8, 5-4): The Railroaders split their two weekend games. They lost 72-42 at Tri-Village on Feb. 2. They held the Patriots to nine points in the first quarter. Tri-Village then scored 20+ points in the next three quarters. Senior Hudson Hill and junior Dalton Branson both led with 11 points. They then turned around and got a 56-52 win over Northeastern the next day. They led 28-19 at halftime and held on for the win. Hill led with 18 points and junior Owen Canan had 15 points. Bradford will host Dixie on Feb. 9 at 7:15 p.m. and then host Milton Union on Feb. 10 at 7:15 p.m. for their last home game of the regular season.

Greenville 37 (3-17, 3-13) at Fairborn 56 (9-9, 8-7): The Green Wave lost on the road in their lone game over the weekend. Senior Chace Drew and junior Drew Hamilton both had 11 points to lead the team. They held Fairborn to 33.3% shooting from the field. Greenville will host Piqua on Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. for their next game.

Mississinawa Valley 53 (2-16, 1-7) vs. Tri-County North 46 (1-17, 0-9): The Blackhawks get their second win of the season with the win over Tri-County North. They led 26-11 at halftime and held on for the win. Mississinawa Valley will head to Preble Shawnee next on Feb. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. tip off and then will host Union City on Feb. 10 at 7:15 p.m.

Tri-Village (16-1, 8-0): The Patriots lone game of the weekend was their 72-42 win over Bradford. Sophomore Trey Sagester led with 19 points. Sophomore Noah Finkbine and freshman Dom Black both had 12 points. Senior Tanner Printz also chipped in nine points. After hosting National Trail on Feb. 6, the Patriots will be at Twin Valley South on Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and then host Ponitz on Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Versailles (7-10, 2-4): The Tigers lost two close games over the weekend. It started with a double overtime loss to Coldwater, 65-60. Junior Jace Watren led with 27 points and senior A.J. Griesdorn had 11 points. Versailles then lost to Ponitz at home, 53-50. The Tigers had a 30-19 lead at halftime that was cut down to a 41-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Senior Carson Heitkamp led with 16 points with Griesdorn scoring 15 and Watren scoring 12. Versailles will have two road games next weekend. They will be at New Knoxville on Feb. 9 for a 7:00 p.m. tip off and then will be at Anna on Feb. 10 for a 7:30 p.m. tip off.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]