Talawanda struggles in loss to Fenwick

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12:30 AM Wednesday, December 7, 2011

By Rick Cassano

Staff Writer

OXFORD — Fenwick High School’s early favorite number is 32.

The Falcons boys basketball team has romped to back-to-back road victories by that margin to open the season, the latest being a 60-28 conquest of Talawanda on Tuesday night.

“I’m proud of my kids. I thought they came out and established themselves right away,” Fenwick coach Pat Kreke said. “It was another good effort by our defense. Offensively, I thought we executed much better than we did last Friday (against Dayton Oakwood).”

The Falcons shot 53.5 percent from the floor, getting double-digit scoring from Connor Ridge (12), Frank Catrine (11) and Will Sennett (11).

Fenwick’s man-to-man defense was particularly effective. Talawanda (0-2) handled the ball poorly against the active half-court attack by the Falcons.

“That’s pretty much what sparked our transition, and we went from there,” said Catrine, a sophomore guard who collected five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

“I think the half-court man is better for us because we’re not as deep,” he continued. “If we do well on defense, it really sparks our enthusiasm.”

The Braves, led by Austin Davidson’s eight points, accumulated 25 turnovers, shot 32.4 percent from the field and converted 5-of-11 foul shots.

Talawanda tallied two points in the second period and trailed 32-10 at halftime. Kreke cleared his bench midway through the third quarter.

“I’ve been there,” Kreke said of the Braves’ struggles. “They’ve got young talent and a coach trying to instill his stamp on the program. It’s just going to take some time. They do play hard defensively.”

First-year Talawanda coach Bobby Lipps was clearly discouraged by Tuesday’s showing.

“We have to get back to the fundamentals of basketball, and the attitude has to change,” Lipps said. “I’m never going to be a coach that just accepts something like this.”

Asked if he saw any bright spots, Lipps replied, “We have a game Saturday (at Eaton). That’s the bright spot.”

Kreke liked most of what he saw Tuesday. One negative was 7-of-16 free-throw shooting.

Catrine ran off seven straight points during a span of 54 seconds in the opening stanza. Jeff Klaas had six points and five rebounds for the Falcons, who will visit defending Division I state champion La Salle on Friday night. John Luke Arrington added six points and five steals.

“These two games helped get our self-esteem up, but we know how good La Salle is,” Catrine said. “We’re going in hoping for the best.”

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