Can't take the fight out of Ross boys basketball
Fremont Ross dug a hole for itself this season.
The Little Giants fought back and showed heart Tuesday as they fell 73-58 to Napoleon. After a disastrous first quarter where Ross trailed 23-6, the Little Giants managed to outscore the Wildcats 52-50 in the final three quarters of play.
“At the beginning of the year, we were picked to finish last in our league,” Ross coach John Cahill said. “We’re not last in the league. We battled back [Tuesday]. There are positives.”
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The Little Giants are 5-10, including 2-4 in Northern Lakes League play. Five of Ross’ final seven games are in the NLL as it looks to make a late push up the standings.
The Little Giants travel to Whitmer on Friday.
“Our guards [Dekentre Hardin and Makai Lee] played well with Dontrell [Heard] out,” Cahill said. “This is really last year’s JV team who won seven games. They worked hard and it’s not easy, we’ve had some bumps in the road at times but we’re battling.”
The Little Giants were led by Hardin with 24 points and Lee with 18, including nine in the second quarter. The pair combined for more than 70% of the team’s points.
“When I was a sophomore, my role was just to play defense, get rebounds and help my team win,” Lee said. “Now, I’m one of the main guys and it feels great.”
Lee leads the team averaging double digits for points.
Ross sits in seventh place in the NLL, but it doesn’t let that number define it.
“I want to get a few more wins to end this season but my main goal is to cut down a net,” Lee said of sectional. “This team gets out and hustles and fights better than anyone else.”
Napoleon (11-4, 4-2) visits Perrysburg on Friday. Tuesday’s loss makes three in a row for Ross.
The Little Giants continue to prove they won’t go down easy. Ross lost only three games by 10 or more points this season.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Fremont Ross OHSAA boys basketball
