Pioneers hang on to beat Auburn

The Fort Chiswell Varsity Boys Basketball Team built a 12 point lead in the fourth quarter before hanging on late to defeat the Auburn Eagles on Tuesday night at FCHS 68-62. The Contest was back-and-forth with eight total lead changes. The Pioneers led at the half 36-28 and it stayed a double digit deal throughout the rest of the game until the end where FC had some uncharacteristic free throw woes.

Owen Jackson led Fort Chiswell with 36 points, nine rebounds, and shot 3 for 7 from behind the arc but he struggled heavily from the foul line, only going 9 for 17. However, teammates Eli Armbrister, Ty Crockett, and Kenton Sutphin played very strong games and picked Jackson up when he needed it most. Armbrister tossed in 12 big scores with one being a three while Crockett notched 11 points going 2 for 3 from behind the arc and Sutphin sank two long bombs, tallied 9 points, and finished with six assists. These four Pioneers also played well on the defensive end as they all combined for nine total steals.

Auburn was paced by Mathew Altizer who put up a solid night with 16 points while teammate Brody Hansel added 14 and Cam Brach finished with 10. With the win the Pioneers improve to 10 wins and 5 losses on the year with Bland County coming to town on Friday.