Mar 3, 2021 4 min read

PERRYOPOLIS – It didn’t take long for Eugene Briggs to get Fort Cherry’s boys basketball program headed in the right direction.

The Rangers took control with a 12-0 run to open the fourth quarter and went on to defeat host Frazier, 54-49, in a WPIAL Class 2A first round playoff battle Wednesday night.

It was Fort Cherry’s first postseason win in 23 years.

Briggs, who began his second stint at Fort Cherry this season after leaving Chartiers-Houston last year, was the coach of that 1998 team as well during a 12-year run at the helm of the Rangers that lasted until 2007.

Briggs was content to talk about his current players and their big win more than his past.

“They played a tremendous game,” Briggs said. “We showed a lot of heart in the second half. Our defensive intensity was unbelievable. That was the difference in the second half.”

Fort Cherry, the 11th seed, advances to the quarterfinals where it will play at third-seeded and section rival Sto-Rox at noon on Saturday.

Owen Norman led Fort Cherry (13-6) with 14 points and Maddox Truschel scored 13 but it was Lane Miller who turned the momentum in the Rangers’ favor.

Miller scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, including the first two baskets to put Fort Cherry ahead to stay and a three-point play shortly after. That helped the Rangers turn a 36-35 deficit after three quarters into a 47-36 lead while holding the Commodores scoreless for the first 5:24 of the frame.

“That’s hard to overcome,” Frazier coach Zach Keefer said. “We had a little spell there and just couldn’t get anything to fall. We turned the ball over and they were able to turn those into points at the other end. When you’re struggling to score, you better take care of the ball.”

Luke Santo finally broke Frazier’s drought with a basket to start a 7-1 run that got the Commodores within 48-43 with 1:44 remaining.

Fort Cherry spread the floor and worked the clock at that point, hitting six of nine free throws to offset 3-pointers by Frazier’s Owen Newcomer and Santo.

Fittingly, it was Miller who sank the final two foul shots with 16.3 seconds left that made it a three-possession game at 54-46 to all but clinch the victory.

Briggs commended his team’s offensive play down the stretch.

“We’re pretty good one-on-one going to the rack, so that’s what we did and tried to make them play us,” Briggs said. “You’ve got to realize, spread the floor, if there’s a layup, take it, if not you pull it out, and we really did that pretty well the last three or four minutes of the game.”

Newcomer led the sixth-seeded Commodores (17-4) with a game-high 16 points. Colton Arison and Kenny Fine, who made three 3-pointers, followed with 11 apiece.

The game was close throughout the first three quarters. The score was tied 15-15 after the first quarter, Frazier built a 27-21 halftime lead and clung to a one-point lead after three.

Like the Rangers, Frazier also ended a long drought by winning a section title for the first time since 1990. The Commodores’ season ended the same way it began, however. Fort Cherry beat Frazier on the same floor, 55-54, in both team’s season opener on Dec. 11.

“It was an eerily similar game,” Keefer said. “Give Fort Cherry credit. They threw a ton a different defenses at us tonight. Credit to Coach Briggs and his kids. They played hard. They’re scrappy. They came up with the plays down the stretch that were most important.”

Briggs didn’t want to look ahead to facing Sto-Rox just yet.

“We’ll enjoy this and figure out what’s next,” he said. “This was a fun win.”