Wyatt Appel capped a career night with a two-handed jam.
The 6-foot-5 Fort Calhoun senior rattled the rim with less than a minute left Friday as the Pioneers won their season opener at Fremont Bergan, 53-47.
“I was just glad that he was able to put it away and not get fouled,” FCHS coach TJ O'Connor said, smiling in the aftermath.
The host Knights scored twice to start the fourth period, tying the game at 35-all before Glenn Hunter's 3-pointer handed the lead back to his Pioneers squad. From there, junior Grayson Bouwman and Appel scored the next 15 Calhoun points to hold off Bergan and close out the victory.
“This is not an easy place to win and coach (Ryan) Mlnarik does a great job,” O'Connor said, prideful of his team's effort.
Bouwman scored just six first-half points on a pair of 3-point baskets, but finished with a game-high 20. The Class C1 All-Stater was 9-for-10 from the foul line.
Appel, meanwhile, scored 16 points during his first opportunity in a prominent varsity role at FCHS. The senior starter played as a backup on last season's state tournament team, averaging just 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in 18 appearances.
“I'm just happy for him,” O'Connor said. “He's been through a lot. He's had some injuries.”
Appel missed last spring's track season to surgery, but played football in the fall and scored seven first-period points against Bergan as his teammates dumped the ball off to him in the lane.
The Pioneers led 14-12 after 8 minutes, but trailed 22-21 to the Knights at halftime. Hunter scored a Fort Calhoun lead with a bucket to open the third period, but freshman Adam Elofson's 3-pointer only tied it, 28-28, later in the quarter.
Bouwman's third and final 3-pointer, however, gave O'Connor's team a 32-30 advantage. Though Bergan would even the game at 35, the Pioneers would ultimately earn the win.
Pioneers beat Syracuse
Fort Calhoun won at Syracuse on Saturday, too.
Bouwman and Hunter delivered at the foul line during the fourth period as the Pioneers moved to 2-0 with a 42-32 victory. FCHS won the final quarter 15-7 to hold off the Rockets.
Bouwman finished with 24 points overall, while Hunter had seven and Appel scored six. Their team led 20-19 at halftime and 27-25 after three periods before the game ended in their favor.
Coach O'Connor's squad next competes tonight at Omaha Concordia.
