Johnson becomes FHS all-time leading scorer in 74-60 win

FOSTORIA -- Machi Johnson only shot two free throws Saturday.He made both and they will likely be two shots he won't forget for a really long time.Johnson tied the school record for points in a career with the first make and then became the leader with the second make."It feels great," Johnson said. "Like I said when I scored my 1,000th point, I knew I could do it if I kept working. This? I didn't know I could be the all-time leading scorer, so it felt good to know everything I've done and everything I've been through to this point has paid off."Johnson finished with 27 points, leading Fostoria to a 74-60 non-league win over Van Buren."Pretty historical night in a lot of ways as we inducted Frank Ferguson into the hall of fame," FHS coach Thom Loomis said. "Machi is directly related to Mr. Ferguson, as is Jordan (Ferguson). We talked about history being made getting a legend into the hall of fame."I think there's probably another guy who is on his way."The senior passed Dan Hipsher's mark of 1,324 points that he finished with when he graduated in 1973."A record that's lasted for 51 years," Loomis said. "I think that really speaks to just how special it is for somebody to do what Machi has done. I had the pleasure of watching Dan Hipsher play his entire career and he was really special. To do what Machi did to break that record, he has put in a ton of time."Getting the record was great, but improving the Redmen to 15-4 overall with the win was more important."I think that speaks a lot to the quality of kid he is," Loomis said. "People don't get to see those things. He's just a special young man."The Black Knights (8-12) went toe-to-toe with Fostoria in the first quarter. The Redmen led 8-2 and 11-5, but Van Buren drew within 15-13 after eight minutes following a Brady Lance 3.A bucket by Parker Beilharz tied the game early in the second quarter, but Fostoria kicked it into another gear from there. The Redmen were up just 20-16 when Ferguson scored. Johnson hit a triple and Trenten Smith knocked down two free throws to make it 27-16."I didn't want to get in a track race and I think we got in a track race," Van Buren coach Mark Bunn said. "They're hot. They're good and they're athletic. They're long and lengthy. They're quick. They got everything."Van Buren sliced back within 27-20 following consecutive tallies by Beilharz, but Fostoria kept coming. Smith drilled a 3-pointer before scores from Ferguson and Ryan O'Neal pushed the Redmen lead to 34-22. Johnson hit a 3 and scored again as Fostoria surged to a 39-24 halftime lead."At the end of the first quarter, I walked to the end of the bench and told the assistant coaches that we only played six minutes that quarter," Loomis said. "The last two minutes of the quarter, our shot selection was poor and that led to a couple runouts."The second quarter, I thought we played a solid eight minutes."Needing just nine points to pass Hipsher, Johnson went to work in the third quarter. Fostoria was up 47-34 when he scored. He added a triple and score to be just a point away. He was fouled with 2:09 left in the third quarter and made both free throws to seize the record."Last year after the sectional final loss, he came to me and said it wasn't going to happen again," Loomis said. "Starting March 1, he was in the gym shooting. With very few exceptions, he's in there every day. Seven days a week."That's what it takes to set that kind of record - doing all the work when nobody knows and nobody is looking."While some in the gym knew, Johnson was surprised when the game was stopped. Loomis presented Johnson with the game ball to commemorate the moment.Johnson added the next two baskets too to finish his scoring. Fostoria led 66-46 after three quarters."We had some good looks," Bunn said. "They just weren't falling for us. We got behind and dug back a little bit. Then it got just a little too far away from us."After 15 points in the first quarter, the Redmen exploded for 51 in the middle two quarters."We had some sets and we were open," Bunn said. "We just weren't seeing it. Give credit to them. Their ball pressure and athleticism forced us to not see our open guards. That forced us into bad decisions."Ferguson added 18 points and nine rebounds for Fostoria."I don't think we're going to see anything athletic-wise as those two," said Bunn of Johnson and Ferguson. "They jump and attack the rack. We tried to match up as best as we could. We're going to see some good teams in the postseason because our district is loaded. This is a good opportunity for us to man up."Beilharz topped the Black Knights with 22 points and eight rebounds."He was the focus to try to limit him," said Loomis of the VB senior. "As I told him coming through the handshake line, he's a special player. He really works hard. He's really fundamental."The Redmen (9-3 Northern Buckeye Conference) have a huge contest Friday against Eastwood (10-8, 7-4) at home. It will be Senior Night for Fostoria's eight seniors, but more importantly, a huge contest in the Redmen's pursuit of a league title.Genoa (14-4, 9-3) is tied atop the league standings with Fostoria."As we said four or five league games ago, we control our own destiny," Loomis said. "That's all you can ask for. We stubbed our toe last time at Eastwood (66-64 overtime loss) and we know it. That loss may have been one of the best things we had happen to us so far this season. It was really a turning point." Fostoria 74, Van Buren 60Van Buren (8-12): Cole Bishop 0-0-0; Seth Gregory 1-3-6; Lucas Harrington 0-2-2; Parker Beilharz 9-2-22; James Homan 6-1-14; Alec Busey 2-0-4; Brady Lance 2-2-8; Alex Homan 1-0-2; Will Rampe 1-0-2. Totals: 22-10-60.Fostoria (15-4): Machi Johnson 11-2-27; Ryan O'Neal 2-0-4; Kristian Carter-Stokes 1-2-4; Jayceon Tucker 4-1-9; Jordan Ferguson 9-0-18; Trenten Smith 3-2-11; Lance Miller 0-1-1. Totals: 30-8-74.Van Buren 13 11 22 14 — 60Fostoria 15 24 27 8 — 74Field goals: Van Buren 22-53; Fostoria 30-55.3-point goals: Van Buren 6-19 (Beilharz 2, Lance 2, Gregory, J. Homan); Fostoria 6-21 (Johnson 3, Smith 3).Foul shots: Van Buren 10-17; Fostoria 8-10.Rebounds: Van Buren 29 (Beilharz 8); Fostoria 31 (Ferguson 9).Turnovers: Van Buren 9; Fostoria 7.