Yoder scores 30 as Fossil defeats Monarch
Owen Cornmesser (left) crafts a play.
January 12, 2019
On a cold, rainy Friday night, Fossil’s basketball team (6-6) hosted the Monarch Coyotes (4-7) in a conference matchup. The Sabercats sought their first win since December 15 when they defeated Campbell County to win third place in the Winter Showcase. Meanwhile, the Coyotes looked for their second straight win after a tough start to the season. The ball tipped at approximately 6:30 P.M. local time in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd at Fossil’s gymnasium.
Monarch’s John Grigsby opened the scoring with a 3-pointer from the left wing. Ex-Fossil forward Ethan Henderson cashed in with a three of his own, resulting in a quick 6-0 start for Monarch. However, like the weather, the Coyotes cooled down for a bulk of the first quarter, enabling a 10-0 run for the Sabercats. After a timeout was called by Coach Brewer, a technical was assessed to Fossil’s Drew Cornmesser. The ensuing free throws enabled Monarch to retake the lead 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Fossil’s Tommy Croft challenges former teammate Ethan Henderson.
Unfortunately for the Coyotes, Fossil’s team play improved dramatically. They played with more aggression, challenged the defense and drew more fouls. Fossil started taking advantage of Monarch’s mistakes, specifically turnovers. And they started to use their strength inside. Monarch struggled mightily when defending Fossil’s bigs in the paint, especially Holdyn Kawcak and Tyce Baldwin. Because of this, Fossil outscored Monarch 21-8 in the second quarter, taking a commanding 33-22 lead at the half.
This trend continued throughout the second half. In addition to Fossil’s success underneath, sophomore Luke Yoder dominated on the perimeter, scoring 30 points including seven 3-pointers. Fossil increased their lead to 60-42 by the end of the third quarter and cruised to an 84-62 victory. The highlight of the fourth quarter was Tyce Baldwin’s monstrous block that slammed against the glass. He finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Fossil improved their record to 7-6 on the season (1-1) in conference play], while Monarch dropped to 4-8 overall (1-2 in conference play).
Next, Fossil travels to Thornton to face the struggling Horizon Hawks on Tuesday. For Monarch, they go back on the road to play a non-conference matchup against Arvada West on Monday.
