On Tuesday night, January 16, the SaberCats took the court against one of their biggest rivals, Rocky Mountain. The gym was packed, each row of bleachers holding its maximum occupancy of fans and students, and the energy was literally buzzing off of the walls. Both teams showed up hungry for the win, but Fossil was able to comeback from an early setback, and earn a (47-37) win.

The starting lineup for the Cats included juniors Tommy Croft, Holdyn Kawcak, and seniors Garrett Ripsam, Brandon Lambrecht, and Blake Bodnar, and they came out of the gate strong and aggressive.

Croft almost came away with a steal in the first minute of play, but the Lobo’s point guard, being on one of the most skilled teams the Cats will face, was able to keep the ball in his hands. Rocky took an early lead, (5-0), as Fossil couldn’t put away any of their shots.

Ripsam drained a (3 pt) shot to put the Cats on the scoreboard, but with scrambles under the net with each switch of possession, the score remained low at (3-5), in favor of Rocky, with 2:53 left in the first quarter.

With a few minutes left in the first, Drew Cornmesser and Dylan Whittall subbed into the game, and Cornmesser found Ripsam on a long pass covering half the court, and then Ripsam found Lambrecht under the hoop on a slot pass and Lambrecht racked up (2 pts) on that play; the Cats were down (6-7) with 1:02 left.

In the last minute of the first quarter, Whittall secured (2 pts) for Fossil from the line, giving the SaberCats a (9-8) lead over the Lobos going into the second.

With 6:19 left in the second, Calvin Marley subbed into the game for Kawcak, the Cats were down (9-11) after Lobo Joe Elliott sunk a three point shot.

Lambrecht was fouled and completed (1/2) free throws from the line, and then Sam Osius subbed into the game and hit a (3 pt) shot in his first play of the night. The game was tied (13-13) when sophomore Ethan Henderson, and senior Dylan Ellis subbed in.

With three minutes remaining in the half, Marley put a shot away, and then found himself on the free throw line where he completed (1/2) of his shots. Fossil was down (17-23) going into halftime, as Rocky’s offense had scored on nearly each possession they had in the second quarter.

With the second half underway, Blake Bodnar racked up (2 pts) for the Cats as well as Lambrecht. The game was tied (23-23) with 3:02 left in the third quarter.

Ripsam hit another (3 pt) shot, giving Fossil a (26-23) lead with 1:15 left in the third quarter. On the Lobo’s next possession, Croft stole the ball and took it all the way down for a layup, pushing the Cats further ahead (28-23).

As the fourth quarter began Lambrecht made a huge shot, and as he drove towards the basket he broke through two defenders and got fouled along the way. He made (1/1) from the line, giving Fossil a (33-23) lead with 6:44 in the game.

Lambrecht contributed to Fossil’s lead two more times, one with a layup off of a nice combination pattern, and a second time from the free throw line, where he made (2/2) of his shots. Fossil was up (38-32) with 58 seconds left in the game, and from then on Rocky fouled every chance they could.

Ripsam, Marley, and Cornmesser found themselves on the line, completing (2/2), (2/2), and (5/6) shots respectively.

Fossil (7-7-0) was able to come back from being behind, and take a (47-37) win over the Lobos (6-7-0) in a thrilling cross-town rival game. Croft stated in an interview after the game, “Overall that was a really fun game, everyone had a ton of energy and everyone contributed.”

The boys will take on Horizon High School this Friday, January 19, at home at 6:30 P.M. Come out and support the boys as they try to keep their three-game winning streak alive! Follow @frhssportsnews on Twitter for more updates.