After suffering their first loss earlier in the week, the Fossil Ridge boys basketball team bounced back with a pair of league wins over the weekend.

First on the docket was a matchup against Horizon High School on Friday night. The last matchup between the two teams was an instant classic, as the Sabercats downed the Hawks on the road with a buzzer-beater from Ty Brown. However, this year’s Horizon team had faltered, entering the matchup with a 7-9 record.

Fossil immediately took advantage of the skill difference, burying the Hawks with a 45-14 lead at the half. The Sabercats cruised to a victory, doubling up Horizon 79-37 in a feel-good win.

There was also plenty of high morale due to the return of Brady Rotner. Rotner had missed the first half of the season with a lower leg injury that had him on crutches for several months. But the return of the 6’ 2” guard adds another ball handler to the bench to complete the full 10 senior rotation. 

After not playing in the Fort Collins game, Cooper Mcmillin had a bounce back game with 11 points, three rebounds, along with a steal and a block. This marks a career-high with his first double-digit point game at the varsity level for Mcmillin. 

The whole team contributed in the win, with twelve separate players contributing points. Even with Matthew Boldt expected to be out for several games, the Sabercats have plenty of depth up and down the roster. Luckily Boldt is expected to be back before the playoffs.

Their next game was not anywhere near as easy, as No. 3 Fossil squared off against the No. 11 Legacy Lightning. The Lightning got the better of the Sabercats early on, holding onto a one-point lead at halftime thanks to an improbable half-court heave. Legacy ran a fierce zone that the Sabercats could not figure out for the first 16 minutes. 

“I think we came out slow,” senior guard Domenic Leone says. “We talked to each other at halftime and said we weren’t going to let that happen.”

Fossil Ridge made some important halftime adjustments and finally solved the zone. The Sabercats dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Lightning 20-8 to snag a nine point lead. That lead was built mainly from Domenic Leone, who scored 11 points in the quarter off three made triples. Leone has had an up-and-down shooting year, but was able to make some key shots to push Fossil ahead 55-34. 

“It was Johannsen, he told me to keep shooting,” Leone says. “I know I had missed a couple before but he said to keep shooting so I did.”

Legacy pushed their way back into the game, cutting the deficit down to six. But the Sabercats held onto their lead with some very timely free throws to win the game 65-56. Forward Colin Hayes made 7-8 of his free throws, which has been a big point of emphasis for him. Hayes entered the game shooting 66 percent from the line, but he has continuously worked to improve that percentage. 

“I was struggling with free throws at the start of the season,” Hayes says. “So after practice I usually shoot 50 to 100 free throws…in game I found it’s really if I just take a deep breath and relax myself.”

Fossil Ridge has two games next week, with their next home game on Friday, February 10 at 7 p.m. against Rocky Mountain. This will be their second game against a city opponent, hoping to snatch their third consecutive win over the Lobos. It is also the Sabercats’ senior night as they celebrate their extensive list of four-year players.