Eagles defeat Redcats on Senior Night

Fans piled into the FC gym, as the Eagle seniors prepared to take the court for the final regular season home game of their careers. FC basketball faced off against Fowler High School for Senior Night, Feb. 10. After falling to the Redcats in their first meeting of the season, the Eagles were determined to win this game. In the end, FC defeated Fowler, 70-58.

Before the game started, each of the Eagles’ 12 seniors were honored individually for their careers at FC. Following the senior ceremony, it was time for the game to begin. The Eagles jumped out to an early lead forcing Fowler to commit turnovers. FC’s largest lead of the first quarter was 16 points. The Redcats cut this lead down as the quarter went on. At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles were in the lead, 25-11.

The second quarter slowed down as the teams began trading baskets back and forth. Neither team gained an overwhelming advantage. The Redcats did have a slight advantage ending the second quarter outscoring the Eagles 15-11. The Eagles still led the Redcats at halftime, 37-26.

Coming out of halftime, the Redcats were ready to make a comeback. They quickly cut down the deficit as FC attempted to keep the lead. The point differential was as close as one point as the Eagles led, 47-46. As the Redcats crept close to taking the lead, the Eagles finished the third quarter on a, 5-0, run.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles began to pick up the energy that they had in the first half. They outscored the Redcats by 6 points in the final quarter sealing the victory. The Eagles defeated the Redcats, 70-58, giving them their first loss in league play.

The win on Senior Night was most special because the class of 2017 seniors had never beaten Fowler before. One key factor to the Eagles’ victory was the performance of Daniel Walker, ’17. Walker led all players with a game high of 30 points. 

“It felt really good to beat Fowler,” Walker said. “They are the toughest team in our league and it was a great win especially on Senior Night. I scored 30 points by being confident and making a lot of my shots. I also had great opportunities set up by my teammates who gave me great passes. The win gave our team a lot of confidence going into playoffs and we feel like we can beat anyone.” 

The win against Fowler extended the Eagles’ winning streak to six games. The Eagles are in second place in the West Sequoia League. FC will play their final league game before playoffs at Parlier High School, Feb. 13.

To read another FC basketball sport short check out: FC basketball sport short: Parlier.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @Phillip11499 and via email: Phillip Christopher.