Scott was sitting at 3-11 after their sixth straight loss to Harrison County on January 5.
Eagles coach Steve Fromeyer knew something needed to be changed and it wasn’t necessarily with the kids on the team.
“I just think that the adults we’ve changed, our expectations or whatever and I don’t think anybody forgets how to coach I just think sometimes that we we lose focus of what we need to coach. I definitely felt like having a lot of these kids back, that they would understand things but you know, it just is what it is and they’ve embraced it,” Fromeyer said. “After the Dixie game (Dec. 28), we scrapped everything that we were doing and we just started going completely different and they embraced it. People say that the kids have changed, I don’t think the kids have changed.”
Whatever they’ve changed has started to click, winning their fifth straight game on Friday in a 81-75 victory over Brossart. Maybe it was everyone getting healthy, finally at full strength since the first game of the season when Nolan Hunter returned on Friday. Maybe it’s the offense finding their rhythm, averaging 81.4 points per game during this five game stretch.
Fromeyer points to something else.
“They’re really good teammates. This is as fun of a group that I’ve coached since I’ve been at Scott High because you know, they’re all for one guys,” Fromeyer said.
Keep in mind Fromeyer led the Eagles to the Final Four in 2017.
“They go do things on their own together and we didn’t have that last year. You can kind of see that way that bonding has been helping,” Fromeyer added.
A quick start on Friday certainly helped, entering hostile territory against one of their 37th District rivals. The Eagles jumped out 10-0 and built a 23-9 lead after a quarter of play. The lead blossomed to as much as 20 after a Xarek Sarakatsannis 3-pointer making it 30-10 in the early stages of the second. The Eagles would take a 40-26 lead into halftime.
“We got three days to prep for this one and knew we needed to start fast. We just kind of honed in on the little things,” Fromeyer said.
Scott knew a run was coming, Brossart wasn’t going to fold, something they’ve struggled with this season when things started to turn sour in the process of a game.
A four-minute stretch had the Mustangs with a 12-3 run to get within 51-42 after a Logan Woosley layup.
“First time since I’ve been here when we get down that big and we kept fighting and we made it a game and didn’t fold. I was proud of our guys tonight for that,” Mustangs coach Ben Franzen said.
But Dylan Giffen responded with a 3-pointer to end the quarter and keep Scott up double-digits, 54-42 headed into the fourth. Giffen would finish with 19 points, one of three Eagles in double figures.
“This team is amazing. We’re going to keep fighting and fighting no matter what,” Giffen said. “We lost our head a little bit in the third, but we regained, kept our composure and kept going.”
Giffen opened with two more free throws to open the fourth and get the lead back to 14, but back came Brossart. A 12-4 run got them within six after a Mason Sepate layup with 4:33 to play. Scott kept responding, but Brossart kept punching back, extending the game as much as possible in the final two minutes with a full court pressure and making the Eagles earn the victory at the free throw line.
The strategy got the Mustangs all the way within two after two Sepate free throws to make it 75-73 with under a minute to go. Brayden Howell hit two clutch free throws to make it 77-73 with 33 seconds left, the Mustangs unable to get any closer after two missed free throws and a technical foul issued to Logan Woosley after a foul off a rebound.
“We were able to adjust to what they came in knowing about us and we made those adjustments offensively. Our guys started taking to the hole strong. They came together a little bit more and didn’t hang their heads. They were shot ready, took some gutsy shots that went in our favor. Just too little, too late,” Franzen said.
The win for the Eagles sets up a marquee matchup next Friday with Campbell County. At stake? The No. 1 seed in the 37th District and avoiding this pesky Brossart team in the first round of the district tournament in a win or go home game.
“Nothing needs to be said there. We know what’s at stake and I’m sure Campbell will say the same thing. I assure you nobody wants to play that team tonight in the other locker room in the first round of district. They play very well together when they’re making shots. They play with high energy and are dangerous,” Fromeyer said.
Carter Eten led the Eagles with 21 points and helped the Eagles own the paint for the majority, grabbing double-digit rebounds.
“First want to thank my guards for getting it to me. Our gameplan was to attack the middle on them and felt like we could do what we wanted offensively,” Eten said. “Quick start definitely helped and our defense.”
Connor Griffin added 11, Howell and Jon Evans with nine apiece. Scott has a quick turnaround, facing Western Hills at noon on Saturday at Nicholas County in the Auto Owners/GCH Insurance Classic.
Brossart was led by Woosley’s 26 points, Sepate with 21, Brandon Bezold adding 15. The Mustangs will get one more tough test before the 10th Region All “A” champs head to Richmond for the All “A” state tournament, facing Highlands on Tuesday before they open state tourney play with Hazard on Thursday.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of some very good teams and you want to hit your stride coming up. Don’t want to peak too early, don’t want to peak too late or not peak at all. We feel like we can build on tonight with how we fought back. Very important next couple of weeks with very good teams on our schedule and an opportunity to pick up some big wins. It’s our job to continue to work and get better and hopefully come up on the other side of these,” Franzen said.
SCOTT — 23-17-14-27 — 81
BROSSART — 9-17-16-33 — 75
Scott (81) – Eten 21, Giffen 19, Griffin 11, Howell 9, Evans 9, Sarakatsannis 5, Coleman 4, Hunter 3
Brossart (75) – Woosley 26, Sepate 21, Bezold 15, Kruse 6, Schumacher 3, Mulberry 2, Gulley 2