After a three-week break, the Fossil Ridge boys basketball team stormed the court to defeat Erie High School 73-35 in their first game of the new year. 

The Sabercats began with a strong first quarter, dominating the Erie Tigers 24-7. These first eight minutes were capped off with an improbable half court heave from Ty Brown at the buzzer. Brown made an additional three shots from behind the arc, racking up 13 total points while shooting 50% from three point range.

Despite the strong start, Fossil’s rust caught up to them during the second quarter. The team looked slower, and was unable to perform on either the offense or defensive end. As a result, the Sabercats headed into halftime only leading 31-24. Forward Nick Randall touched on the second quarter slouch after the game.

“[We weren’t executing] our defense. We allowed them to get to the free throw line and they made all their free throws,” Randall said.

Fossil understood their issues and immediately amended them in the second half. It started on the defensive end,  as the Tigers continuously turned the ball over and the Sabercats were able to capitalize on the other end. With this defensive minded approach, Fossil Ridge outscored their opponents 42-11 in the second half. Randall was a major part of the second half run, scoring a game-high 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. 

“These last couple weeks we’ve been really focused on defense, so we just had to get back to basics,” Randall said. 

The Sabercats now continue their goal of their third straight conference championship, as their 14 remaining games all come against teams in the Front Range League. 

“We’re excited. I always want to play more basketball and we have some great opportunities ahead of us,” Randall said.

Fossil’s next game will come against Brighton High School at home on Tuesday, January 10 at 7:00 p.m.