It’s been a great season for the 21-22 boys basketball team at Fannett-Metal. “We came into this season with high expectations and lofty goals, and while we may not have won any championships, we sure checked off many boxes on our way to a memorable season”, said Tigers Head Coach Paul Coffman. The Tigers posted their first winning season in several years, won a home playoff game for the first time in school history, and advanced to the PIAA State Playoffs to become only the second boys basketball team in school history ever to accomplish that feat.
On Tuesday night the Tigers(14-12) travelled to Octorara High School to take on the District 3 Champion Linville Hill Christian (23-3). The District 3 Champs came out hot and jumped on the Tigers to take the early lead. “Linville had a large crowd at the game and they were certainly a factor throughout the game”, Coffman said. However, behind the hot shooting of Tiger Center Wyatt Appleby who knocked down three treys in the quarter, a trey by Hunter Hill and a pair of buckets by Ayden Warren and Luke Coffman the Tigers only trailed 17-16 in a back and forth first quarter. The second quarter was a different story however as Linville dominated the glass on the offensive end and capitalized on a handful of turnovers to pull ahead 38-27 at the half. “They were very athletic and they crashed the boards for several 2nd and 3rd opportunities throughout the game. Many times we were in a good position but just couldn’t secure the ball and I believe that was the difference in the game”, Coffman said.
In the second half, “we talked about coming out more aggressively on the boards and defensively, making our offensive possessions count, and countering their aggressiveness by attacking them in transition once we secured the rebound. I thought we matched their intensity in the second half and we went down swinging”, Coffman said. The Tigers would win the 3rd quarter but still trailed 56-46 going into the 4th quarter. Although the Tigers made a run in the 4th, Linville’s relentless defensive pressure just wore the Tigers down and they secured the 75-60 victory. Linville will advance to the round of 16.
This year’s Tiger squad was forced to overcome adversity right away this season as they lost a great player in returning senior Colton Friese to a season ending knee injury in our first scrimmage of the season. To lose a player of that caliber was tough. But the Tigers persevered to overcome that and other obstacles to have a successful season. The younger players really stepped up and played a pivotal role in the team’s success this season. “It’s been quite a journey with these seniors especially. I have been with them since 3rd grade and they seem like they are a part of my own family. And to share this experience with two of my sons on the team, it’s been like a dream come true. This team played hard every single night no matter who the opponent, and they have made their school and community proud. It’s been an honor and a privilege to have served as their coach”, Coffman said.
Hunter Hill led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Ayden Warren had 14 points and 4 steals, Wyatt Appleby had 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Luke Coffman added 7 points, 4 assists and 3 steals. Riley Martin and Drew Goshorn both knocked down a three pointer to finish with 3 points each. Evan Wingart chipped in 2 points.