Anytime the Redbirds and cross-county rival Rangers clash on the hardwood, win-loss records are thrown out and fans packs the seats in hopes of another classic tilt.
And Friday night did not disappoint. For the fans clad in red, at least.
The Redbirds upended the Rangers 45-41, claiming their first victory of the 2009-2010 campaign in the process.
"It feels fantastic," iterated Redbird head coach Kevin Toney. "It's good to the kids' efforts finally rewarded. We've had some chances in several other games and it's disappointing when that kind of effort goes unrewarded, but it certainly is gratifying to have those efforts rewarded in a big way tonight."
After the third quarter ended in a 27-27 tie, the Rangers threatened to pull away late in the fourth frame after a conventional three-point play by Benton's Kyler Smith extended the Ranger lead to 41-36 with two minutes remaining in the contest.
However, the Redbirds had other ideas, reeling off a 9-0 scoring run over the game's final 1:45, highlighted by a pair of clutch free throws by senior forward Ashten Ashtiani with less than 30 ticks left to take a 42-41 lead and hold on for the 45-41 victory.
"We have all the confidence in the world in our shooters in the last two or three minutes of a game," said Toney of Ashtiani's pressure-packed foul shots. "In that situation, we're not thinking about him making or missing them. We just want our guys to follow through and give our kids a chance at a rebound in case of a miss, but fortunately, Ashten stepped up and knocked down both shots."
The Redbirds will look to make it two in row Saturday night when they travel to Johnston City to take on the Indians.
FCHS 11 24 27 41
BCHS 11 20 27 45
Ashtiani, 5 0 8 5 -15; Simelton, 5 0 2 1 -11; Vaughn, 2 1 2 0 -7; Weeks, 0 2 0 0 -6
