Saints Open Season

Dan Olsen St. Ignace on Positive Note

By David Latva

The St. Ignace Saints boys basketball team’s 69-58 win against East Jordan Tuesday, December 12, at LaSalle High School erased any questions Saints Head Coach Doug Ingalls may have had coming into the new season.

"I was pleased with our overall effort for our first game," said Coach Ingalls. "The veterans played well and our younger players did a good job. “

Coach Ingalls stated that free throw shooting is one area the team needs to improve, as the Saints shot 11-of-29 (38 percent) from the line.

The Saints started the game as if they were in mid-season form, jumping out to a 11-2 lead at the 5:26 mark of the first eight minutes, however, the Red Devils cut the margin to 15-14 before Nick Montie made three of four free throws and Anthony Lester made one charity shot, for a 19-14 advantage.

St. Ignace drained four triples in the second quarter and Jake Weiss answered with 15 points as the Saints outscored East Jordan 22-14 for a 41-28-halftime lead.

Kyle Barry Pickford The Red Devils opened the second half with a three-point bucket before Lewie Mullins, James Peterson, and Dan Olsen scored field goals as St. Ignace extended the lead to 47-31 for their largest lead of the game, with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter.

East Jordan, of the Lake Michigan Conference, closed out the quarter with a 10-4 score to cut the Saints lead to 51-41, and, early in the final period, the Red Devils took advantage when three of St. Ignace’s starters (Weiss, Peterson, and Mullins) were benched with four fouls, which allowed them to slice the Saints’ lead to 60-56 with 3:19 left in the game.

The Red Devils were unable to continue the comeback, as Montie scored off a bounce pass from Peterson, Lester made one free throw, and Weiss hit his fourth three-pointer of the game for a 66- 56 lead, securing the win for St. Ignace.

Saints Stats: Jake Weiss, 21 points, four triples; Dan Olsen, 11 points, nine rebounds, three steals; Nick Montie, eight points, three steals; Gerrit Mortensen, seven points, nine assists, three steals; James Peterson, seven points, six rebounds, three steals; Lewie Mullins, six points, five rebounds; Anthony Lester, six points; Ben Matelski, three points.

Trevor Closs Mackinaw City Jeff Keyser and Adam Daneff led the East Jordan Red Devils team with 21 points each.

The Saints made 25 field goals, eight treys, and shot 11-for-29 from the free throw line. The Red Devils scored 16 field goals, 10 triples, and shot 16-for-22 (73 percent) from the free throw line.

East Jordan, 2-1 on the season, after wins over Boyne Falls and Mancelona, is coached by Darrin Weber, a former Manistique High School standout who also has a Class D Coach of the Year award on his resume, an award he received in 2001 while coaching at White Pine High School.

Saints Upend Panthers

The trio of Dan Olsen, Jake Weiss, and Gerrit Mortensen combined for 64 points to lead St. Ignace to a 86-58 non-conference win over Pickford Friday, December 15.

Olsen scored 26 points, and Weiss added 20, while Mortensen scored 18 points. The Panthers were led by Kyle Barry’s 16 points.

The win improved the Saints’ record to 2-0 on the season.

The Saints led 18-11 after the first eight minutes and outscored the Panthers 18-6 in the second quarter to increase the margin to 36-17 at halftime.

Justin Baker Cedarville Pickford held a 25-24 scoring edge in the third quarter for a 60-42 score, before St. Ignace closed out the game with a 26-16 advantage in the final period.

St. Ignace shot much better from the free throw line than in previous games this season, connecting on 19 of 28 for 67 percent shooting. Dan Olsen went eightfor eight at the line for the Saints.

Saints Stats: Dan Olsen, 26 points, six assists, four steals, four assists, two blocked shots; Jake Weiss, 20 points, eight rebounds, four steals, four assists; Gerrit Mortensen, 18 points, seven assists, four steals; James Peterson, eight points, six rebounds, six steals, three assists; Anthony Lester, seven points, two steals; Nick Montie, four points; Ben Matelski, two points; Jamin Corwin, one point.

P a n t h e r s Stats: Kyle Barry, 16 points; Jamie Nettleton, 11 points; McKinley Portice, 10 points; Pat Savoie, seven points; Clayton Peffers, five points; Matt Rose, four points; Paul Walsh, two points; Nathan Miller, one point. Three Conferences Featured

in LaSalle Holiday Tourney

The Straits Area Conference (SAC), Big North Conference, and Great Northern Upper Peninsula Conference will have teams competing in the holiday tournament at LaSalle High School Thursday, December 28, and Friday, December 29.

Gaylord, from the Big North Conference, and Escanaba, of the Great Northern U.P. Conference, will open varsity play at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by the Saints and Sault High of the SAC.

The junior varsity games at the St. Ignace Middle School will feature the Saints and Blue Devils in the first game and Gaylord and Escanaba in the nightcap. The consolation game will be played Friday at 6 p.m., while the championship games will follow for both varsity and junior varsity matchups.

Closs Brothers Combine for 54 in

Comets’Win

By David Latva

Brothers Trevor and Chase Closs combined for 54 points to lead Mackinaw City to a 76-60 non-conference win over Pickford Tuesday, December 12. The Comets also opened up Northern Lakes Conference play with a victory, beating Vanderbilt 61-52 Friday, December 15.

Trevor, a freshman, scored 28 points in his third varsity game, with 17 points coming in the first half. Chase, a senior, added 26 points, scoring 16 of them in the second half. The pair combined for 16 field goals, four triples, and shot 16-for-22 from the free throw line.

Mackinaw City led 19-13 after the first eight minutes and increased the margin to 33-21 at halftime with a 14-8 advantage in the second quarter.

Both teams scored 19 points in the third quarter before the Comets edged their opponent in the final period, with a 24-22 scoring advantage.

"Our pressure defense caused turnovers and that was the difference as Pickford out-rebounded us," said Comets Coach Garth Law. "Trevor was in a groove and came through with his best game in his young career."

C o m e t s Stats: Trevor Closs, 28 points, five steals, four r e b o u n d s ; Chase Closs, 26 points; Barry Paquet, eight points, five rebounds; Devin Darrow, six points; Zach Milholin, four points, three assists; Austin Martin, four points, five steals; Klaus Jaggi, two points, four rebounds.

Panthers Stats: Paul Walsh, 13 points; Pat Savoie, 12 points; McKinley Portice, 10 points; Kyle Barry, nine points; Jamie Nettleton and Clayton Peffers, six points; Matt Rose, two points.

Comets Open League Play

With Win Over Yellowjackets

The trio of Trevor Closs, Chase Closs, and Kevin Darrow combined for 48 points to lift Mackinaw City to the road win at Vanderbilt.

Trevor Closs scored 22 points, Chase Closs added 14, and Kevin Darrrow chipped in 12, but the Mackinaw City defense was also a key.

"Our pressure defense continues to be a positive part of our game," said Coach Law. "Zach Milholin and Barry Paquet continue to play strong defense against much bigger teams."

The host Yellowjackets held a 14-13 scoring edge after the first eight minutes before the Comets outscored Vanderbilt 19-11 in the second quarter, for a 32-25-halftime lead.

Vanderbilt cut the Mackinaw City lead to 47-41 with a 16-15 score in the third quarter, but the Comets completed the league win with a 14-11 advantage in the final period.

Mackinaw City made 18 of 23 free throws for 78 percent and held a 31-25 rebounding edge on the Yellowjackets.

Comets Stats: Trevor Closs, 22 points; Chase Closs, 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals; Kevin Darrow, 12 points, six rebounds, three steals; Klaus Jaggi, six points, eight rebounds; Austin Martin, four points, five rebounds; Barry Paquet, two points; Zach Milholin, one point.

Trojans Use 3rd Quarter Offense to

Down Black Bears

Cedarville senior Justin Baker’s 32 points, 16 rebounds, and four steals and a 31-5 third quarter scoring run helped the Cedarville Trojans defeat Big Bay de Noc 83-57 in a nonconference road win Tuesday, December 12.

Cedarville, 3-0 on the season, was tied with Big Bay 33-33 at halftime, but took control of the game by doubling up the Black Bears with a 50-24 second-half scoring run.

Baker’s 32 points for the game was a career high.

"I am pleased with our balance on this team," said Trojans Coach David Duncan.

"Justin had an outstanding game and each night we could have a different player step up."

The host Black Bears held an 18-16 scoring edge after the first eight minutes before the Trojans sent the game into halftime tied at 33 with a 17-15 margin in the second quarter.

The Trojans offense exploded in the third quarter, outscoring Big Bay de Noc by 26 points to build a 64-38 lead going into the fourth quarter before both teams scored 19 points in the final period. Cedarville made 14 of 21 from the free throw line.

Trojans Stats: Justin Baker, 32 points, 16 rebounds, four steals; Matt Hansen, 17 points, 13 rebounds, five steals; Jordan Duncan, 11 points; Jordan Sweeney, seven points; C.J. Paquin, six points, seven assists; Cody Thompson, four points; Jason Duncan, Jim Eberts, Kevin Thompson, two points.

Trojans JV 3-0

Cedarville junior varsity is 3-0 on the season after defeating Big Bay de Noc 64-50. Taylor Smith scored 21 and James Mitchell added 16 for the Trojans.