By George Starks |
Pitsburg- The Franklin Monroe Jets was forced to hold off a stubborn Dayton Christian team Saturday in the Hanger, 52-48.
The difference for the Jets came from the foul line.
Shooting a dismal seven of 14 through the first three quarters from the charity stripe, the Jets nailed seven of 10 freebies in the final stanza the remain undefeated at 3-0 on the season.
“Our foul shooting was less than desirable and it a big concern for me,” said Franklin Monroe coach Troy Myers. “This is something we need to improve on but we were solid from the line in the fourth quarter when we needed it the most.”
Right from the jump the Warriors had the Jets back against the wall, jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead early and with 5:23 left in the opening stanza, Myers was calling for a break as Dayton Christian was looking to shoot down the Jets early.
After play resumed, the homesteading Jets on a 10-6 spurt and trailed 12-10 with eight minutes in the books.
Coming in off the bench, it was the offensive aggressiveness of junior EB Fall that sparked the Jets.
Fall netted nine points early and led the team with 19 points total to finish the night.
“I was very happy with his aggressiveness, ” admitted Myers. “His intent was to get to the rim and not settle. I thought he did a really good job in that area. He rose to the occasion I’d say. He’s a dynamic player. “
At the break, things were right where it started with a 22-22 tie.
“I think the ability to respond is a skill and I think we’re in the developmental stage of that,” said Myers. “The kids showed a lot of resilience to be able to come back the way they did. They came out and showed that early in the game. We were able to hit our free throws to close out the game.”
It was a balanced attack by the Jets led by the 19 by Fall with Eric Breener chipping in 15 and Lucas Brenner adding 10 in support.
“I really liked the balance in our scoring attack, ” Myers added. “If we can continue that and know what our identity is then I think we’re going in the right direction. They’ve come a long way from where they were in the past but there’s a lot of growing up and some maturity to do.”
The Jets will be back in action Friday at Mississinawa Valley in a key conference game.
CNO Photos by George Starks. Featured photo: Junior EB Fell looks to score during first half action. Fell netted 19 points to lead the Jets against Dayton Christian.
