A late night phone call was about the end of coach TJ O'Connor's celebratory stretch.
“I get to enjoy it for about 10 more minutes,” he said Tuesday night.
The coach's Fort Calhoun boys basketball team had just defeated preseason Class C1 No. 1 Omaha Concordia, 53-46, but parental duties and future game preparation were already on deck.
“I thought the kids played a pretty smart game,” O'Connor added.
The Pioneers improved to 3-0, using strong perimeter defense on their home floor to help best the Mustangs for four quarters. FCHS led 16-12 after one period, 28-25 after two and 37-34 through three.
Senior brothers Carsen and Zane Schwarz led the upset bid with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Sophomore Grayson Bouwman added 10 for the Pioneers, while Owen Newbold — who had two fourth-period 3-pointers — had nine.
O'Connor noted his Fort Calhoun team's ability to hit big shots in Tuesday's key moments, too. The makes were the kind of shots the Pioneers may have not made a year ago with a similar lineup.
The coach credited clutch play on a team-first culture, explaining that it “doesn't guarantee wins, but it makes it hard not to be successful.”
But O'Connor couldn't celebrate the win against No. 1 too long. He had to be a father Tuesday night and had to prepare for Douglas County West, Thursday's opponent, the next day.
“We don't get to carry points over into the next one,” he said.
Thursday night's results will appear in next Tuesday's Washington County Pilot-Tribune.
FCHS girls fall to Concordia
Before the Fort Calhoun boys beat Concordia, coach Marty Plum's girls squad came up short, 42-37.
“Tough loss,” he said. “Missed a bunch of shots that we normally make.”
Bria Bench led the Pioneers in defeat with 17 points. Maddy Tinkham added 12 and Tess Skelton scored eight.
“Kids showed a lot of resolve and fight to come back after being down 10 in the second half,” Plum said. “But we just didn't finish enough plays.”
