BOYS’ BASKETBALL SPORTS SHORTS, 2011-12
(Scrimmages do not count toward win/loss record. Visit the Sports Section for boys’ basketball features.) For a simple overview of scores and upcoming games, check the Winter sport box scores, 2011-12 for dates, opponents and times for all Eagle sports.

Be sure to visit the 2011-12 boys’ basketball schedule, home page, roster page, or check out Maxpreps.com. The Eagles are currently 22-1 overall and 7-0 in the West Sequoia League as of Feb. 14. According to Maxpreps.com, FC has the top record in the state for the Central Section D-V basketball.

The Eagles will continue the 2011-12 season with an away game against the Parlier Panthers, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL, 2011-12
EAGLES CONTEND, DEFEAT FOWLER, Feb. 14 .
The Eagles traveled to Fowler to play their second to last league game, Feb. 14. Although FC has already clinched the league title, they were determined to play hard. After losing to FC twice this season, the Redcats were hungry to stop the Eagles? winning streak. From the tip off the game was a physical battle. The lead went back and forth as both teams fought to put the ball in the basket. When all was said and done, the Eagles pulled away with the 67-51 victory.

The first quarter proved to be tough for the Eagles. Fowler face guarded seniors Cooper Belmont and Chandler Vargas in a triangle and two defense. Having never seen this defense before, FC struggled to get their offense flowing. Ryan Neufeld, ?12, scored 4 points in the first and ended with a solid 14. Neufeld also had 5 assists along with teammate Brady Lee, ?12. Fowler dominated on offense by hitting jumpers and getting to the rack. The game was extremely physical but few fouls were called. At the end of the first Fowler led, 14-12.

Senior Tyler Krigbaum battled against Fowler?s big men in the paint. He feels like his team had to fight through much adversity in the first half.

?It was a weird first half,? Krigbaum said. ?We are not really used to being down necessarily. There were a lot of calls we didn?t get but we stayed composed and didn?t complain.?

The Eagles picked up their defensive intensity by switching to a half court man defense. Fowler continued to play strong on offense, penetrating to the hoop and racking up points. The Eagles got up the court fast and scored in transition. Senior Cooper Belmont paced the Eagles with 8 points in the second. He finished the game with 7 rebounds, 7 steals, and 18 points. FC began to play even more tenaciously on defense by executing their full court press. Going into halftime the Redcats led, 27-25.

Head coach Josh Justin says his team had trouble executing on offense the offensive end.

“In the first half we struggled to score the ball, and we did not play great defense,” Justin said. “However, the team made some adjustments at halftime, and came out and played much better in the third and fourth quarters.”

While Krigbaum only finished with 2 points, he led his team in rebounding with 8 boards. Krigbaum shares that Fowler came out with more physicality from the start of the game.

?I think we were physical the whole game but they were just more physical in the first half,? Krigbaum said. ?During halftime Coach Josh told us that being physical was the only way we were going to win this game.?

Krigbaum feels like his team was united in purpose going into halftime.

?Everyone?s attitude in the locker room was the same,? Krigbaum said. ?We knew what we had to do; we knew we were capable of doing it, and we knew we had to just come out and execute.?

The Eagles came out strong in the third and began getting stops on defense. They repeatedly switched from their half court defense to their full court press. Due to FC?s defensive intensity, The Redcats had difficultly executing on offense. Senior Chandler Vargas hit 2 3-pointers in the third to give his team the lead. Vargas finished the game with 8 points, 3 assists and 4 steals.

The Eagles continued to jump on the Redcats by scoring points off of steals and offensive rebounds. The tides were changing as FC began playing with greater physicality. Going into the fourth the Eagles led, 43-37.

Though the Eagles were up 6 going into the fourth, the game was by no means over. Fowler?s big man, senior Chris Scott, muscled his way to 8 points in the fourth. Scott ended up being the game high scorer with 17. FC continued to pressure the Redcats on defense. Fowler began turning the ball over as they tried to break the Eagles press. FC capitalized on the turnovers and pushed their lead.

The Eagles passed the ball around in the half court set to look for the open man. Lee, who finished with 11 points, made 2 3’s to give his team momentum. Having garnered a significant lead, coach Justin took the starters out of the game with a little more than a minute left. As the final buzzer rang, FC walked away with a hard fought, 67-51, victory.

Coach Justin is happy how his team responded to the first half. He hopes that their hard play will carry over to their last league game on Friday.

“I was very proud of how hard and how physical the team played in the second half,? Justin said. ?It was another great win for us and hopefully we can use this game to help us get ready for Parlier.?

The Eagles will finish the WSL season and travel to face the Parlier Panthers, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

PODCAST: Pregame for WSL final game: Parlier: Feb. 17 , 2012–

For more information on the Eagles season, check out Boys’ basketball sport shorts: Eagles win Senior Night OT thriller (VIDEO).