The Redbirds made the long trek south to Massac County Friday night still in search of their first victory of the season, and received a punch in the mouth as their reward, falling to the Patriots by a lopsided tally of 82-26. Senior Ashten Ashtiani led the Redbird attack with nine points.
The Redbirds hung in there early, as junior Taylor Cash found classmate Dylan Vaughn inside for an easy bucket at the 5:48 mark in the first quarter for the Redbirds' first tally of the game. Cash found himself open in the lane at the 4:10 mark to pull the Redbirds within four, 8-4. Ashtiani converted a pair of free-throws and dropped in an inside bucket as the quarter wound down, but Massac County, propelled by a strong interior presence and employing a full-court press to force Redbird miscues, went on a 15-4 run to close out the first frame and take a 23-8 lead into the first intermission.
Ashtiani converted on another interior field goal at the 6:23 mark in the second, and senior guard Kyle Weeks converted a pair of attempts from the stripe with 5:00 left to aid West Frankfort's cause. Senior Preston Filkins scored on the ensuing possession, but the Redbird mini-run was not enough to slow the Patriots, as they outpaced the 'Birds 22-8 over the remainder of the half en route to a 45-16 advantage.
A Vaughn triple at the 5:54 mark accounted for the Redbirds' sole scoring possession of the third, as both teams substituted freely throughout the remainder of the game and the Patriots continued to pull away for the 82-26 victory.
The Redbirds will attempt to break into the win column during next week's MidWinter Classic, facing Johnston City in their opening contest.
FCHS: 8 16 19 26
MCHS: 23 45 72 82
West Frankfort: Tharp: 1 0 0 0 2, Vaughn: 1 1 0 0 5, Weeks: 0 0 0 2 2, Ashtiani: 3 0 6 3 9, Filkins: 1 0 0 0 2, Cash: 2 0 0 0 4.
