H.S. BOYS' BASKETBALL: Foster, Cora lead Floyd comeback win over Scottsburg

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Providence forward Dalton Duley and Floyd Central guard Travis Foster struggle for possession of the ball during their game at Floyd Central on Saturday. Providence won the game, 43-31. Staff photo by Christopher Fryer

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December 21, 2012

H.S. BOYS' BASKETBALL: Foster, Cora lead Floyd comeback win over Scottsburg

Reserve guards help Highlanders to 62-55 victory

By CHRIS STONER sports@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Fri Dec 21, 2012, 11:37 PM EST

FLOYDS KNOBS — A pair of Clark Kents found their phone booths at the right time for Floyd Central Friday night.

Reserve guards Travis Foster and Aiden Cora combined for 25 second half points as the Highlanders overcame a double-digit deficit to defeat Scottsburg 62-55 on Joe Hinton Court.

“What do you do when you’re number is called? Those guys off the bench really gave us a spark,” Highlanders head coach Randy Gianfagna said of Foster and Cora. “I thought they played really well. Cora came in and hit a couple of 3s and then knocked a ball out of bounds. We’ve been seeing it in practice and we saw it tonight. Travis hit a 3 and a big ‘and-one.’”

Floyd (2-4) trailed 43-31 with 1:19 left in the third period when Foster and Cora propelled their team to a game-changing 16-2 run. The combo scored 12 points in the spurt and Cora’s second triple of the game gave the host a 47-45 with 5:43 remaining in the game. It was the Highlanders’ first lead since they led 15-12 early in the second period.

“We were making some shots and we turned them over a bit,” Gianfaga said of the run.

The Highlanders wouldn’t relinquish their lead the rest of the way as they hit 9-of-11 fourth quarter free throws to secure their first win in three weeks.

“We’ve been very upset that we had only been getting to the line four times a game,” said Gianfagna, whose team has now beaten Scottsburg three straight times. “We got there more tonight and hit them.”

Early on Floyd rode the broad shoulders of Colton Kimm. The Green and Gold jumped to an 8-2 lead at 4:35 in the first. The Highlanders led 13-11 at the first stop. Kimm, who led all scorers with 15, had seven in the opening frame.

“Kimm dominated the first quarter,” Gianfagna said of his sophomore swingman. “He played really well tonight.”

Scottsburg (2-6), who has had just one winning season since 2007, bounced back and held Floyd to 4-of-15 shooting and forced five turnovers in the second quarter to post a 28-23 halftime advantage. The Highlanders shot just 32 percent in the first 16 minutes.

“They were getting a lot of offensive rebounds and easy points in transition in the first half,” Gianfagna said. “We just weren’t matching up.”

Floyd shot 57 percent in the second half including a scorching 7-of-10 in the fourth. The Highlanders forced six turnovers and held the Warriors to 4-of-12 shooting in the final eight minutes.

The Highlanders are back in action Dec. 27 at the annual Bob Wettig Tournament at Richmond.