Fenton Regains Control of Metro

The basketball team looked noticeably different without starting point guard Eric Mowery on the court last week.

In Mowery's return to action Tuesday, he looked like he'd missed no time at all.

Mowery, who sustained a , missed Fenton's game last Friday, a that dropped Fenton into a tie with Holly for first place in the Metro League prior to the showdown with the Bronchos.

Fenton coach Tim Olszewski wasn't sure if Mowery would be back for the Holly game, but he was glad to have him: Mowery scored 15 points and finished with 12 assists. He also helped lead a perimeter defense that held Holly's leading scorer Josh Fugate to just eight points through three quarters in Fenton's 55-44 win to reclaim sole possession of first place.

"Eric's the best true point guard in the league," Olszewski said. "When he's on the floor, there's just a sense of calm."

Mowery, who is not typically known for his scoring, picked his spots against Holly.

"I go with the same mentality every game, if the shot is there, I try to take it," said Mowery. "I know my role, if the shot's there I'll take it, but if not, I've got everyone else (to get the ball to)."

Holly held an early one-point lead in the first quarter, but Fenton's defense propelled them to a 9-0 run at the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter to give them a lead they would not relinquish.

Charlie Herzog, who had six blocks and eight rebounds, took a lot of pressure off of the perimeter defenders. His ability to challenge Holly's shots when they got inside allowed Fenton's guards to close out tightly on Bronchos shooters.

"When Charlie is playing like that, we're a completely different team," Mowery said.

Holly, one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the Flint area, didn't hit their first three until midway through the fourth quarter.

"Our best offense is our defense," Olszewski said.

Fenton built its lead to as many as 16 points and Holly didn't get it closer than eight the rest of the way.

Fenton's leading scorer, Ryan Hickoff, only had nine points, but he made several contributions that didn't show up in the stat sheet. They did, however, show up on him.

Hickoff had to leave the game bleeding twice, once after busting open his hand in a scrum for a loose ball and once taking an inadvertent shot in the chin going for a rebound. Hickoff didn't often look for his shot, instead deferring to teammates and making hustle plays, diving on the floor and collecting offensive rebounds.

"You just have to keep going at it," Hickoff said. "They're a pretty physical team. But when I went out, my teammates came in and did a good job."

Eight different Fenton players scored, led by Mowery's 15. Dylan Hickoff had 10, Ryan Hickoff had nine and Herzog had seven.

Although Fenton once again leads the league, the road gets no easier. The Tigers travel to Swartz Creek Friday. Swartz Creek handed Fenton one of its two league losses and only trails the Tigers by one game in the standings.

After Friday's loss to West, Olszewski was glad to see his team back nearing full strength.

"We've had a couple of losses, but we've also had a couple of guys injured, a couple of guys sick," Olszewski said. "I give a lot of credit to the team. The energy from the bench is phenomenal."