Vikings top Warriors

Adams covered the D district at Owen-Gage on Friday night.
Here is his report...

OWENDALE — A lot has happened since 1991.

The country has had four presidents, including a pair of Bushes. The average price of gas was $1.14 per gallon, and it was the last time Akron-Fairgrove won a boys district championship.

The Vikings ended the drought Friday night with a hard-fought 48-44 victory over nemesis North Huron.

“There was three things motivating us,” said Akron-Fairgrove coach Adam Moore. “No. 1, it would be our first district championship in 20 years. The second one was going home to the regionals. The third one was redemption on how they beat us last year in the finals and how they beat us two times this year.

“I don’t know what to think, it’s just sinking in right now. The kids feel very privileged. They are very excited right now. I think it will start to sink in tomorrow.”

Akron-Fairgrove led 44-42 with 1:33 to play, but Erik Dhyse tied the game with a driving layup with just over a minute left.

The Warriors had a chance to take the lead with less than 30 seconds to play, but turned the ball over. It allowed the Vikings to set up the eventual game-winning play.

With 19 seconds to go, senior Joey Dybilas drilled an open jumper.

“In our first two meetings, he had 13 and 17, we viewed him as just as much of a threat a (Tyler) Crane,” said North Huron coach Dave Toner. “We were sagging inside to help and he drilled a couple crucial baskets.”

Added Moore: “He made the play. I’m happy that he stepped up as a senior to make a couple of big plays.”

Still, the Warriors had a chance to tie or win the game, but Crane came through with a steal with 3.5 seconds to play. He made a pair of free throws to seal the game.

North Huron led 23-20 at the half, and extended it to 27-22 in the first three minutes of the third quarter. From there, both teams went cold from the field until Crane finally hit a triple with 3:45 left in the period.

“We had that five-point lead, but we just couldn’t build on it,” Toner said. “We couldn’t get the shots to fall when we needed them to. If we could have built a little lead there, we would have tried to slow it down. 

“We wanted to attack the middle and we had trouble getting the ball inside all night. We just weren’t flashing the middle real well.”

Dybilas had 16 points to pace the Vikings while Brett Stockton added 11 points.

Dhyse led North Huron with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Rice added 13 points and five boards. Mike Schramski had six points and eight rebounds.

Toner was happy with the defense his team played, but thinks it may have come at the cost of some offense.

“We wanted to push it against them, but we exerted a lot of energy on defense,” he said. “For the most part, we did play some pretty decent man-to-man defense out there.

“We did want to push, but we were tired a little bit.”

Akron-Fairgrove will return home to host Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary on Monday in the regional semifinals.

“Playing at Akron-Fairgrove in the regionals is going to be packed,” Moore said. “I hope we have the mindset of going to win, not just being happy with this district championship.”

North Huron finishes 13-9.

North Huron’s Forrest Maxwell is fouled by Akron-Fairgrove’s Archie Naert (42) during the second half of the Vikings’ 48-44 win on Friday night in the Class D district championship at Owendale. 

FRIDAY FINALS

A-FAIRGROVE 48, NORTH HURON 44

A-F                    10-10-11-17--48

North Huron     09-14-10-11--44

A-F SCORERS: T. Crane 0 2-2 8, J. Dybilas 5 3-9 16, M. Sabo 0 2-2 2, B. Stockton 3 5-6 11, A. Naert 3 1-3 7, T. Sabo 1 2-2 4

TOTALS: 12 (3) 15-24 48

NORTH HURON SCORERS: K. Rice 5 0-0 13, M. Schramski 3 0-0 6, F. Maxwell 1 1-4 3, Ev. Dhyse 2 0-0 4, Er. Dhyse 6 1-2 16, E. LesPerance 1 0-0 2

TOTALS: 18 (2) 2-6 44

THREE-POINTERS: A-F – T. Crane 2, J. Dybilas 1; North Huron –  K. Rice 1, Er. Dhyse 1

Class A

District Final

District 1

Kalamazoo Central 50, Benton Harbor 43 

District 2

Jackson 68, Holt 50 

District 3

Lansing Eastern 64, Okemos 62 

District 4

East Kentwood 64, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 51 

District 5

Hudsonville 63, Grandville 42 

District 6

Muskegon 53, Grand Haven 36 

District 7

Grand Rapids Northview 60, Greenville 58 

District 8

Clarkston 64, Grand Blanc 45 

District 9

Flint Northwestern 72, Davison 62 

District 10

Saginaw 74, Flint Northern 64 

District 11

Bay City Western 51, Saginaw Heritage 40 

District 12

Petoskey 63, Traverse City Central 54 

District 13

Ypsilanti 50, Monroe 33 

District 14

Trenton 54, Taylor Kennedy 42 

District 15

Romulus 62, Belleville 47 

District 16

Lincoln Park 67, Allen Park 47 

District 17

Ann Arbor Huron 71, Ann Arbor Skyline 32 

District 18

Detroit Catholic Central 43, Canton 38 

District 19

Livonia Stevenson 67, Redford Thurston 58 

District 20

Detroit Southeastern 77, Detroit King 65 

District 21

Detroit Cody 68, Detroit Pershing 66 

District 22

Eastpointe East Detroit 44, Detroit Finney 42 

District 23

Detroit U-D Jesuit 33, Detroit Mumford 30 

District 24

Southfield 67, Detroit Renaissance 55 

District 25

Orchard Lake St. Mary 43, North Farmington 38 

District 26

Hartland 65, Walled Lake Northern 58 

District 27

Birmingham Brother Rice 47, Southfield Lathrup 42 

District 28

Warren De La Salle 59, Roseville 47 

District 29

Pontiac 63, Auburn Hills Avondale 60 

District 31

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 51, Utica Ford 49 

District 32

Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse 43, St. Clair 41 

Class B

District Final

District 33

Dowagiac Union 72, Buchanan 56

 District 34

South Haven 47, Parchment 44 

District 35

Sturgis 57, Battle Creek Harper Creek 47 

District 36

Olivet 73, Jackson Lumen Christi 55 

District 37

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 56, Milan 36 

District 38

New Boston Huron 51, Carleton Airport 42 

District 39

Dearborn Divine Child 63, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 53 

District 40

Detroit Douglass 68, River Rouge 39 

District 41

Detroit Community 70, Detroit Central 69 

District 42

Detroit Osborn 63, Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy 52 

District 43

Detroit Country Day 98, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 55 

District 44

Marysville 50, Algonac 48, OT 

District 46

Williamston 73, Lake Fenton 48 

District 47

Lansing Sexton 65, Lansing Catholic 52 

District 48

Charlotte 76, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 65 

District 49

Holland Christian 57, Wayland 54 

District 50

Grand Rapids Christian 49, Wyoming Godwin Heights 46 

District 51

East Grand Rapids 57, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 50 

District 52

Hudsonville Unity Christian 39, Allendale 38 

District 53

Muskegon Heights 82, Spring Lake 42 

District 54

Howard City Tri-County 73, Morley-Stanwood 45

 District 55

Saginaw Swan Valley 55, Chesaning 45

 District 56

Flint Powers 84, Otisville Lakeville 52 

District 58

Bridgeport 72, Bay City John Glenn 53 

District 59

Hemlock 70, Freeland 43 

District 60

Fremont 50, Reed City 41 

District 61

Cadillac 61, Ludington 57 

District 62

Standish-Sterling 56, West Branch Ogemaw Heights 37 

District 63

Grayling 54, Houghton Lake 40 

District 64

Kingsford 53, Sault Area 42 

Class C

District 65

Bridgman 65, Niles Brandywine 41 

District 66

White Pigeon 54, Cassopolis 39 

District 67

Hillsdale 55, Union City 40 

District 68

Addison 51, Sand Creek 33 

District 69

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 58, Dundee 41 

District 70

Manchester 29, Napoleon 26 

District 72

Detroit Allen 69, Detroit Loyola 64 

District 73

Detroit Consortium 78, Detroit Midtown 38 

District 74

Madison Heights Bishop Foley 71, Warren Michigan Collegiate 68 

District 75

Hanover-Horton 48, Vandercook Lake 43 

District 76

Albion 62, Homer 43 

District 77

Schoolcraft 78, Lawton 42 

District 78

Fennville 51, Covert 48 

District 79

Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 46, Wyoming Lee 24 

District 80

Laingsburg 61, Bath 45 

District 81

New Haven 66, Vassar 45 

District 82

Flint Beecher 75, Burton Bendle 38 

District 83

Ithaca 65, St. Louis 38 

District 84

Muskegon Western Michigan Christian 68, North Muskegon 63 

District 85

Clare 58, White Cloud 42 

District 87

Elk Rapids 44, Traverse City St. Francis 31 

District 88

Saginaw Nouvel 52, Beaverton 40 

District 89

Saginaw Buena Vista 70, Reese 65 

District 91

Lincoln-Alcona 71, Indian River-Inland Lakes 31 

District 92

Harbor Springs 49, Boyne City 37 

District 93

Rudyard 77, St. Ignace LaSalle 51

 District 94

Negaunee 35, Ishpeming 33 

District 95

Norway 64, West Iron County 57 

District 96

Ironwood 53, Calumet 38 

Class D

District 97

St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran 88, St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 52 

District 98

Climax-Scotts 42, Martin 35 

District 99

Kalamazoo Phoenix 72, Marcellus Howardsville Christian 59 

District 100

Hillsdale Academy 62, Litchfield 52 

District 101

Adrian Lenawee Christian 30, Jackson Christian 29 

District 102

Ann Arbor Central Academy 69, Saline Washtenaw Christian 37 

District 104

Detroit Westside Christian 62, Plymouth Christian 37 

District 107

Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 56, Waterford Our Lady 39 

District 108

Lansing Christian 68, Portland St. Patrick 50 

District 109

Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 61, Hudsonville Freedom Christian 24 

District 110

Muskegon Catholic Central 65, Kent City Algoma Christian 45 

District 111

Fulton-Middleton 61, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 48 

District 112

Big Rapids Crossroads Charter Academy 60, Mason County Eastern 42 

District 113

Burton Genesee Christian 65, Burton St. Thomas More 41 

District 114

Carsonville-Port Sanilac 59, Deckerville 36 

District 115

Akron-Fairgrove 48, Kinde-North Huron 44 

District 116

Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 64, Au Gres-Sims 48 

District 117

Manistee Catholic Central 41, Frankfort-Elberta 38 

District 119

Leland 55, Lake Leelanau St. Mary 41 

District 121

Rogers City 67, Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian Academy 53 

District 122

Posen 58, Fairview 51 

District 123

Pellston 73, Allanson-Littlefield 24 

District 124

Cedarville 75, DeTour 49 

District 125

Eben Junction Superior Central 64, Munising 35 

District 126

Powers North Central 74, Iron Mountain North Dickinson 66 

District 127

Ewen-Trout Creek 50, Ontonagon 30 

District 128

Baraga 63, Lake Linden-Hubbell 48

Update on district final games – HB-USA postponed

Hey all,
Just got off the phone with the Harbor Beach athletic director, who told me tonight's Class C district final between the Pirates and Unionville-Sebewaing Area has been postponed.
The roads apparently are not very good on the east side of the county.
The game will be played tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. at Harbor Beach.

As of 2:30 p.m., the Class D game at Owen-Gage between North Huron and Akron-Fairgrove is still on, as is the Class D game at Deckerville between the Eagles and CPS.

C Notebook: HB and USA ready for finals

HARBOR BEACH — Ron Wruble finally got a chance to relax — a little.

The Harbor Beach coach has endured quite a week. After his team lost out on the Greater Thumb East championship last Thursday with a home setback to Sandusky, he had to re-energize his Pirates for a rematch with the Redskins in the first game of the district tournament Monday.

After that revenge win, the Pirates had to gear up for a district semifinal showdown with rival Ubly.

And after his team’s 57-46 decision over the Bearcats here Wednesday night, Wruble finally took the time to enjoy the scenery.

“I’m going to sit back, watch and eat some popcorn,” Wruble said prior to Wednesday’s second semifinal game pitting Unionville-Sebewaing Area and Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port.

Wruble’s Pirates will take on USA in Friday’s district championship game after the Patriots earned a 44-29 win over the Lakers.

Harbor Beach and USA split games this season, with each winning on their home floors. The Pirates picked up a 50-46 decision in the opening game of the season while the Patriots came back with a 79-47 victory during the middle part of the year.

“We beat USA early, and then they came back and smoked us over there, so...” Wruble said. “We weren’t playing great ball at that point, but... I expect it to be another battle. It won’t be easy.”

USA coach Mark Gainforth has the same outlook for the finale.

“We’re extremely happy to be in the finals, but we have to take it up another notch,” he said. “Harbor Beach is a good, physical team that plays solid defense. We can’t let them get off to a good start like they did against Ubly. Playing catch up against them will not be good for us.”

***

Ubly first-year coach Ken Pichla led the Bearcats to an impressive 17-5 mark this season.

He had nothing but good things to say about his entire roster.

“Getting to know these young men, knowing what kind of kids they are, and how they have been raised by their parents, that’s been special,” he said. “You understand what kind of character they have. They never gave me a cross look... They did everything I wanted of them.”

Ubly loses five seniors — Brandon Glaza, Tyler Peruski, Eric Booms, Nathan Sorenson and Lenny Nowicki. 

The Bearcats, though, have plenty of talent coming back.

“Next year should be a little easier,” Pichla said. “I have some things implemented now with the juniors and they will know what I want of them. It will come with time.”

***

Like Pichla, EPBP coach Jeremy Macejewski was in his first year with the Lakers.

But unlike Pichla, who was on the coaching staff for many prior seasons, Macejewski was new to the Laker district this year.

“The biggest thing is that I have had these seniors for just one year,” he said. “It’s taken us a while. You could tell that even tonight... It takes us a second to get on the same page. 

“I told the kids after that I probably learned more from them this year than they have learned from me. Cohesiveness takes time. 

“I’m excited about the future. We have some kids now that are going to be with us for a few years.”

The Lakers lose five seniors — Brody Lawrence, Sam VanTifflin, Chase Voelker, Tim Warack and Peter Mead.

Flying High: Pirates knock off Bearcats

HARBOR BEACH — A year ago at this time, Harbor Beach’s Eli Kraft was an eager eighth-grader, hoping he’d have a shot at earning a position on this season’s varsity roster.

Now, a year later, the Harbor Beach point guard has helped put the Pirates one win away from another district crown.

Kraft scored a team-high 19 points, including 10 in the all-important first quarter, and set the tone with his ball handling and defense, sparking Harbor Beach to a hard-fought 57-46 victory over Ubly here Wednesday night in the Class C district semifinals.

The 16-5 Pirates, the defending district champions, advance to Friday’s championship game against 13-9 Unionville-Sebewaing Area — a winner in Wednesday’s other semifinal matchup.

Here Wednesday night, the Pirates started strong and never really looked back against their Greater Thumb East rivals. Kraft keyed Harbor Beach’s early flurry, knocking down a pair of three-pointers in a 17-7 first-quarter spurt.

 Ubly coach Ken Pichla was impressed, for sure.

“The young Kraft boy, he’s a load to handle,” he said. “He’s very savvy at handling the basketball. He breaks people down. He’s a very nice player who can create for everyone. And he hit some shots tonight, too.”

The Pirates stretched their lead to 14 at one point in the third quarter. The Bearcats got to within eight with just over five minutes to play, but Harbor Beach put them away from the foul line, draining 10-of-14 over the final part of the fourth quarter.

“What’s the saying from last year, survive and move on? That’s kind of how we’re doing it again this year,” said Harbor Beach coach Ron Wruble. “The kids are playing hard, that’s the big thing. Hopefully, we can maintain it for a while.”

Wruble has watched Kraft go from a sometimes unsure freshman to confident court leader, running the Harbor Beach offense with plenty of guts and guile.

“Eli has a very high skill level, but the one other thing is that he’s as tough as nails,” he said. “Not only is he tough physically, but mentally. For a freshman, you don’t see that very often.

“Really, all of our young kids aren’t freshmen or sophomores any more — they are varsity players.”

Besides Kraft, Harbor Beach had Sean Sorenson with 13 points while Andrew Siemen notched 10.

The Pirates drained seven three-pointers, including five in the opening half when they took command.

“We told the boys before the game that all five of their (starters) can shoot it,” Pichla said. “We had to get up in their grill. On their home court, it seems like they shoot with so much more confidence.”

 As important as the Pirates’ outside shooting was, it was their perimeter defense which pestered the Bearcats much of the game. 

“There was a reason why we didn’t shoot well — their defense was pretty good,” Pichla said. “We didn’t have many wide open shots. They play very good defense. They are all on the same page and they all know where to recover to.”

Marshall Leipprandt led the Bearcats with 19 points, though even he struggled to find his shot. Josh White and Brandon Glaza chipped in six points apiece.

The Pirates stretched their lead to 31-19 at the half, though it was just 40-32 after three quarters. Harbor Beach opened the fourth period on a mini 7-2 spurt, good for a 47-34 edge with 6:30 left.

The Bearcats got to within eight twice, including 47-39 with 2:51 to play. But Kraft was 5-of-6 from the line in the fourth quarter while Siemen was 3-of-4.

“The boys never quit — they kept scraping,” Pichla said. “We tried to up-tempo the game a little bit, but every time we did it seemed like we’d have a defensive breakdown and gave up some easy hoops.”

Ubly finishes 17-5.

Ubly’s Eric Booms takes a shot over Harbor Beach’s Aaron Ginther in the second half of the Pirates’ 57-46 win over the Bearcats in the Class C district semifinals Wednesday night.

Harbor Beach’s Eli Kraft drives the lane against Ubly’s Josh White.

USA takes care of Lakers

HARBOR BEACH — With points at a premium, Unionville-Sebewaing Area picked a good time for its best all-around defensive effort of the season.

The Patriots stymied Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port from the start here Wednesday night, using stingy defense and timely shooting en route to a 44-29 victory in the Class C district semifinals.

The 13-9 Patriots advance to Friday night’s district championship game against 16-5 Harbor Beach — a winner in Wednesday’s other semifinal matchup.

Here Wednesday night, USA limited the Lakers to just 10 first-half points, pressuring their guards from the start. After falling behind by double digits at the half, the Lakers were never able to recover.

“We struggled with their defensive pressure,” said EPBP coach Jeremy Macejewski. “And that’s nothing new this year. We just had a hard time getting into our offense because of the pressure.

“I give them credit. They had a real nice defensive game plan.”

USA’s previous defensive best was yielding just 15 points to Mayville back in the early part of the season. And while that effort’s impressive, Wednesday’s performance was better, coming at the right time of the season.

“Defensively, we just tried to take away their sets — and I think we did a nice job of doing that,” said USA coach Mark Gainforth. “We knew Lakers have had some trouble at  times scoring this season. We really wanted to push it into the 50s or 60s, but we weren’t able to get there.”

Indeed. USA didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but did enough to pull away. 

“Neither team had a really good flow to the game,” Gainforth said.

USA’s Sean McBrayer was the game’s best offensive player, knocking in a season-high 15 points. Andrew Botello added eight points while Dan Rieck and Dakota Gangler notched six apiece.

“Sean probably played his best game of the year,” Gainforth said. “I thought he did a nice job on both offense and on defense. I thought his play tonight was a real key for us.”

For the Lakers, Paul Zwemmer had nine points while Chase Voelker added seven and Brody Lawrence six.

USA led 20-10 at the half and 34-21 after three quarters. After EPBP cut the gap to 10 with 6:54 left, McBrayer and Botello recorded three-point plays, pushing the Patriots’ advantage to 17 with 3:09 to play.

“If you would have told me we would have held USA to 44 points, I would have said we’d have a chance to win the game,” Macejewski said. “We just weren’t able to score enough.”

The Lakers finish 5-16.

USA’s Dakota Gangler takes a hook shot over EPBP’s Paul Zwemmer.

USA’s Sean McBrayer goes up for two of his season-high 15 points for the Patriots in the second half of his team’s 44-29 win over Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port.

District Semifinals Are Tonight

Bogan will be at the Class C tourney at Harbor Beach.

Adams is at the D event at Owen-Gage.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Class C hosted by Harbor Beach

Monday’s Results

  Harbor Beach 51, Sandusky 32

Ubly 58, Cass City 39

USA 72, Bad Axe 35

Tonight’s Games

Games at Harbor Beach

Harbor Beach vs. Ubly, 6 p.m. 

EPBP vs. USA, 7:45 p.m. 

Friday, March 11

Championship, TBA

Winner advances to the Reese regional to take on the New Lothrop district winner.

Class C hosted by Brown City

Monday’s Results

Brown City 57, Memphis 48

Marlette 81, Mayville 47

New Haven 86, Dryden 48

Tonight’s Games

Games at Brown City

Vassar vs. Brown City, 6 p.m.

Marlette vs. New Haven, 7:45 p.m.

Friday, March 11

Championship, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to the Reese regional to take on the Merrill district winner.

Class D hosted by Owen-Gage

Monday’s Results

Owen-Gage 52, Caseville 48

Tonight’s Games

Port Hope vs. North Huron, 6 p.m.

Owen-Gage vs. A-Fairgrove, 8 p.m.

Friday, March 11

Championship, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to the Akron-Fairgrove regional to take on the Arenac Eastern district winner.

Class D hosted by Deckerville

Monday’s Results

Kingston 63, Kimball New Life 62 OT

Deckerville 43, Peck 38 

 Tonight’s Games

Deckerville vs. Kimball Landmark Academy, 6 p.m.

Kingston vs. CPS, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 11

Championship, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to the Akron-Fairgrove regional to take on the Flint-Michigan School for the Deaf district winner.

Bearcats finish strong to knock off Red Hawks

Adams covered the Ubly vs. Cass City contest Monday night.

Here is his report.

CASS CITY — The only thing separating Ubly from a Greater Thumb East championship was a matter of a few minutes near the end of a couple of games.

Finally, though, the Bearcats (17-4) seem to have their late-game woes taken care of.

They closed out Cass City (9-12) to earn a 58-39 decision in the first round of the Class C district tournament on Monday night. 

Ubly entered the fourth quarter leading just 35-33, but opened on an 11-2 run — and the Red Hawks never recovered.

“With the way we’ve been playing, I thought we’ve been getting better all the time,” said Ubly coach Ken Pichla. 

“The four games we lost we had leads and didn’t finish what we started. Now, the boys are finishing well, they’re making good decisions at the end of games.”

Tyler Peruski opened the fourth quarter with a layup, followed by a Marshall Leipprandt step-back triple to make it 40-33 with 5:52 to play.

“We lost him on that,” said Cass City coach Jim Green. “That’s a credit to Leipprandt. He’s a good player, he didn’t force it. He played within himself. When his team needed a big shot, he stepped out and hit it.”

The Bearcats led 22-20 at the break, but the third quarter saw the teams exchange jabs and the lead with each other.

By the end of the period, the lead changed hands eight times and there was one tie.

Senior Cameron Dunnuck did his best to keep Cass City in it during the third, as he scored 10 of his team-leading 16 points.

“Dunnuck kept us in the game with some outstanding inside play,” Green said. “To Ubly’s credit, they adjusted and double-teamed him. After that, we weren’t able to find another option.”

The Red Hawks built their biggest lead of the game after Dunnuck split a pair of free throws to put them up 31-28 with 3:45 to play in the third.

Ubly responded with a 7-2 spurt to end the quarter, including a three-point play from Leipprandt.

After struggling with Cass City’s defense in the first half, Leipprandt was able to notch a game-high 20 points, including 12 in the second half.

“It was a nice game plan by coach Green, going box-and-one on him,” Pichla said. “It worked for a time, but then Marshall was able to break it down.”

Green knew coming in, his team was going to have its hands full with the Bearcats. 

“Ubly is a tough matchup, they’re big, strong and athletic,” he said. “They execute their game plan well. We knew we had to execute our game plan well. I thought we had a good effort, but there was a stretch that they stopped us a couple times.”

Lenny Nowicki and Josh White each added eight points for Ubly while Eric Booms and Brandon Glaza each chipped in seven points.

Justin Ketterer added 10 points for the Red Hawks.

Ubly advances to play its old rival, Harbor Beach, (15-4) at 6 p.m. in Harbor Beach on Wednesday. 

The teams split their regular season meetings, with each defending home court.

The Bearcats’ 55-48 loss at Harbor Beach on Feb. 4 was their last of the season. Including Monday’s win, they have won nine straight.

Pichla thinks his players learned a lot in that game.

“We had a lead with about a minute to go in the game,” he said. “But that was at a time of the year when we weren’t finishing well. 

“Give Harbor Beach credit, they’re a scrappy, well-coached basketball team. 

“Those were two completely different games. They played us different the second time, they went to more of a zone. They want to slow the game down and control the pace. 

“We like the up-tempo if we can get it, but we’re better at playing the slow down game than we were then. I think we will put on a better show than we did the last time.”

Cass City’s Cameron Dunnuck (21) attempts to block the shot of Ubly’s Brandon Glaza during the first half. 

Cass City’s Justin Ketterer is fouled by Ubly’s Josh White (52). 

Pirates get revenge vs. Redskins

“The best revenge is massive success.” 

– Frank Sinatra

HARBOR BEACH — While it won’t heal the still-smoldering wound of losing out on a conference championship, Harbor Beach made sure this time Sandusky didn’t spoil its early quest at post-season glory. 

The Pirates, whose loss to the Redskins last Thursday cost them a share of the Greater Thumb East title, went to work early in the opening round of the Class C district tournament. The defending champions put down the defensive clamps in the first half here Monday night en route to a comfortable 51-32 decision over the Redskins.

The 15-5 Pirates move on to Wednesday’s district semifinal matchup against GTE rival Ubly, which beat Cass City in another district opener.

Here Monday night, Harbor Beach stormed out to a 17-5 advantage after one quarter, putting every starter in the scorebook. From there, the Harbor Beach defense came on, pitching a second-quarter shutout, good for a 26-5 halftime bulge.

“I think the effort was there Thursday, but I think we might have clutched up just a bit in that game,” said Harbor Beach coach Ron Wruble. “Tonight, we came out and we actually could have led by at least 10 more points at the half. We missed some easy shots in the middle (in the second quarter).”

No matter, the Pirates were never really threatened by the Redskins, who were ice cold from the floor for the better part of three quarters. By the time their three-point shooters found their range, Harbor Beach had all but put the game away.

The Pirates’ lead was never less than 13 in the second half.

“I was a little concerned about our emotional state coming into tonight,” Wruble admitted. “They answered that question in the first minute of the game.”

Seniors Scott Grekowicz and Sean Sorenson provided the early spark for the Pirates. After being held to a combined four points in Thursday’s loss, the duo surpassed that number in the first few seconds. 

Grekowicz wound up with a game-high 12 points, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the foul line, while Sorenson added nine points.

“Those two did a really nice job,” Wruble said. “In the practices since Thursday, we have been pretty upbeat, and those guys are the reason. They grabbed the bull by the horns and showed some nice leadership.”

Eli Kraft added 11 points for the Pirates while Andrew Siemen chipped in nine.

For Sandusky, Jordan Coats had 10 points while Kory McGuire netted nine. That twosome combined for six second-half three-pointers, though by that time Harbor Beach’s damage had been done. 

McGuire nailed his three three-pointers in the third quarter, pulling the Redskins to within 37-18. Coats drained his three threes in the fourth quarter, getting the Redskins to within 45-32 with 2:20 to play.

Harbor Beach, though, hit on 8-of-11 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. The Pirates were a nifty 14-of-16 from the stripe overall.

The Redskins finish 13-8.

Harbor Beach’s Jordan Booms hauls down a rebound for the Pirates in the opening half on Monday night. 

Harbor Beach’s Aaron Ginther battles Sandusky’s Chase Baysdell.

Day 1 of Districts– Results

BOYS BASKETBALL

Class C hosted by Harbor Beach

Monday, March 7

  Harbor Beach 51, Sandusky 32

Ubly 58, Cass City 39

USA 72, Bad Axe 35

Wednesday, March 9

Games at Harbor Beach

Harbor Beach vs. Ubly, 6 p.m. 

EPBP vs. USA, 7:45 p.m. 

Friday, March 11

Championship, TBA

Winner advances to the Reese regional to take on the New Lothrop district winner.

Class C hosted by Brown City

Monday, March 7

Brown City 57, Memphis 48

Marlette 81, Mayville 47

New Haven 86, Dryden 48

Wednesday, March 9

Games at Brown City

Vassar vs. Brown City, 6 p.m.

Marlette vs. New Haven, 7:45 p.m.

Friday, March 11

Championship, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to the Reese regional to take on the Merrill district winner.

Class D hosted by Owen-Gage

Monday, March 7

Owen-Gage 52, Caseville 48

Wednesday, March 9

Port Hope vs. North Huron, 6 p.m.

Owen-Gage vs. A-Fairgrove, 8 p.m.

Friday, March 11

Championship, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to the Akron-Fairgrove regional to take on the Arenac Eastern district winner.

Class D hosted by Deckerville

Monday, March 7

Kingston 63, Kimball New Life 62 OT

Deckerville 43, Peck 38 

Wednesday, March 9

Deckerville vs. Kimball Landmark Academy, 6 p.m.

Kingston vs. CPS, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 11

Championship, 7 p.m.

Winner advances to the Akron-Fairgrove regional to take on the Flint-Michigan School for the Deaf district winner.

UBLY 58, CASS CITY 39

Ubly     10-12-13-23--58

Cass City      11-09-13-06--39

UBLY SCORERS: B. Glaza 1 2-4 7, B. Cleary 1 0-0 2, A. Drake 0 0-1 0, E. Booms 2 3-4 7, M. Leipprandt 6 5-7 20, J. Kaufman 1 0-0 2, L. Nowicki 3 2-2 8, K. Booms 1 0-0 2, J. White 4 0-0 8

TOTALS: 20 (2) 12-18 58

CASS CITY SCORERS: C. Orban 0 0-0 3, A. Varney 2 2-4 6, C. Dunnuck 7 2-4 16, J. Ketterer 2 3-4 10, M. Erla 0 1-2 1, C. Israelson 1 1-5 3

TOTALS: 12 (2) 9-18 39

THREE-POINTERS: Ubly — B. Glaza 1, M. Leipprandt 1; Cass City — C. Orban 1; J. Ketterer 1

USA 72, BAD AXE 35

USA     21-14-17-20--72

Bad Axe     08-06-09-12--35

USA SCORERS: K. Comer 0 0-0 3, N. Fletcher 2 0-0 7, B. Little 0 0-0 3, A. Botello 2 2-2 6, K. Fletcher 2 0-0 4, S. Faber 0 0-0 3, S. McBrayer 0 6-6 6, J. Holland 10 4-5 24, A. Khoury 1 0-0 2, D. Gangler 5 1-2 11, H. Ewald 0 3-3 3

TOTALS: 22 (4) 16-18 72

BAD AXE SCORERS: A. Rifenbark 0 1-5 1, S. Krug 1 2-2 4, B. Braden 3 0-0 6, W. Sutton 0 0-2 0, B. Talaski 1 0-0 2, E. Sisco 1 2-2 4, J. Quinn 3 3-5 9, J. Pawlowski 1 2-2 7, S. Kelly 1 0-0 2

TOTALS: 11 (1) 10-18 35

THREE-POINTERS: USA — K. Comer 1, N. Fletcher 1, B. Little 1, S. Faber 1; Bad Axe — J. Pawlowski 1

OWEN-GAGE 52, CASEVILLE 48

Owen-Gage     10-12-17-13--52

Caseville     09-14-08-17--48

OWEN-GAGE SCORERS: C. Rhodes 2 2-5 6, A. Fahrner 1 2-2 4, E. Montreuil 6 9-10 24, H. Champagne 2 1-5 8, B. Good 2 1-5 7, E. Rievert 1 1-1 3

TOTALS: 15 (2) 16-28 52

CASEVILLE SCORERS: 0 1-2 1, C. Karafa 3 1-2 16, C. Louwers 0 0-3 6, T. Claydon 1 0-0 2, T. Kennedy 1 2-4 13, B. Sprague 1 3-6 5, M. Kurschner 2 1-2 5

TOTALS: 8 (8) 8-19 48

THREE-POINTERS: Owen-Gage — E. Montreuil 1, H. Champagne 1; Caseville — C. Karafa 3, T. Kennedy 3, C. Louwers 2

HARBOR BEACH 51, SANDUSKY 32

Harbor Beach      17-09-11-14--51

Sandusky       05-00-13-14--32

HARBOR BEACH SCORERS: S. Grekowicz 2 5-5 12, S. Sorenson 2 2-2 9, A. Ginther 0 1-3 1, J. Hanson 0 0-0 3, E. Kraft 3 2-2 11, J. Booms 2 2-2 6, A. Siemen 2 2-2 9

TOTALS: 11 (5) 14-16 51

SANDUSKY SCORERS: A. Alvirez 1 1-1 3, B. Ball 0 0-2 0, J. Coats 0 1-2 10, C. Baysdell 3 0-0 6, K. McGuire 0 0-0 9, C. Kursinski 1 2-2 4

TOTALS: 5 (6) 4-5 32

THREE-POINTERS: Harbor Beach – S. Grekowicz 1, S. Sorenson 1, J. Hanson 1, E. Kraft 1, A. Siemen 1; Sandusky – J. Coats 3, K. McGuire 3

KINGSTON 63, 

KIMBALL NEW LIFE 62 OT

Kingston  19-08-08-21-07--63

Kimball NL  13-10-14-19-06--62

KINGSTON SCORERS: T. Nicol 0 2-2 8, J. Barden 5 5-6 15, Z. Campbell 1 1-1 3, M. Hale 2 0-2 4, D. James 3 1-3 10, J. Wenzlaff 7 3-4 17, D. Pennington 2 0-2 4, E. Bootz 1 0-0 2

TOTALS: 21 (3) 12-19 63

THREE-POINTERS: Kingston – T. Nicol 2, D. James 1

Just a head's up

I just wanted to let everyone know that the sports department has been monitoring the blog this weekend and a certain thread we have going.
As of now, we are NOT going to shut it down, because it hasn't crossed my line - yet. And, I also think people have the right to express their opinions on the issue.

But if it does become inflammatory and/or libelous, we WILL shut down the comments part.
Thank you,
The Management.