Cedarville Downs St. Ignace in Showdown of Undefeated Teams
By David Latva

Gerrit Mortensen fires up a 3-pointer for the Saints against Cedarville.

In a battle of undefeated basketball teams, Cedarville versus St. Ignace, it was the home team that came out on top as the near-capacity crowd at Cedarville's John Duncan Gymnasium watched its Trojans defeat the St. Ignace Saints 83-67 during a non-conference match-up Tuesday, January 9.

The Trojans, 7-0 on the season, received the number one ranking in the Class D Upper Peninsula poll. The Saints, 7-1, were ranked number two in Class A-B-C.

The teams battled from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, with the second half being the key turning point for the Trojans' victory.

"I was pleased with our secondhalf effort," said Trojans Coach David Duncan. "This a very unselfish team and the play was evident in the third and fourth quarters."

"James Peterson played probably his best varsity game and was active at both ends of the court," said Saints Coach Doug Ingalls

Jason Duncan scored at the buzzer to end the first eight minutes for a 13-12 Trojans lead before the Saints answered with the first seven points of the second quarter. Dan Olsen hit a triple and Nick Montie and Ben Matelski notched two-point field goals for a 19-13 Saints lead at the 6:42 mark.

James Peterson St. Ignace

Cedarville bounced back with a 10-2 offensive run to take a 23-21 advantage with 3:27 left in the first half on the strength of triples from Justin Baker and Jordan Duncan.

St. Ignace took control during the final three minutes of the first half, outscoring Cedarville 13-3 to take a 34-26 halftime lead.

Dan Olsen scored five points, including a trey at the buzzer, James Peterson tallied four, and Garret Mortensen and Nick Montie chipped in two for the eight-point lead.

The Trojans came out of the halftime break and played with renewed effort, scoring 30 points while the Cedarville defense held the Saints to 13 points for a 56-47 margin.

In the opening minutes of the final quarter, Cedarville continued to build on its 66-49 lead with a 10- 2 advantage, clinching the victory.

Cedarville made 30 field goals, five triples, and shot 18 of 24 from the free throw line and St. Ignace scored 27 field goals, six treys, and made seven of 15 free throws.

Matt Hansen (left) and Justin Baker were among Cedarville's leaders on offense in their win over St. Ignace.

Trojans Stats: Justin Baker, 31 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists; Matt Hansen, 20 points, nine rebounds; Jordan Duncan, 15 points; Jordan Sweeney, 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists; Jason Duncan, five points, three assists, three steals; C.J. Paquin, two points, four assists, three steals.

Saints Stats: James Peterson, 16 points, 14 rebounds; Gerrit Mortensen, 15 points, Dan Olsen, 12 points, eight assists; Nick Montie, nine points; Jake Weiss, five points; Ben Matelski, Lewie Mullins, and Anthony Lester, four points.

The teams will battle in a return match at LaSalle High School Tuesday, February 6, when the Saints celebrate parents night.

Trojans JV Team

Remains Unbeaten

Cedarville junior varsity basketball team remains undefeated after a 75-40 win over St. Ignace.

Trojans Stats: Taylor Smith, 25 points; Andrew Jaroche, 16 points; James Mitchell, 12 points; Luke Murray, 10 points; Scott McGreevy, seven points; Matthew Nelson, three points; Wade Autore, two points.

Saints Stats: James Halberg, 12 points; Tyler Mapes, 11 points; Pat Schlehuber, five points; Kevin Guillard, Matt Taylor, and Martin Beaudoin, four points. Straits Area Conference

League Standings
                    Conf.     Overall
St. Ignace       3-0         8-1
Sault               3-1         6-3
Rogers City     2-1         3-2
Cheboygan     2-1         2-5
Newberry       1-3         2-6
Rudyard         0-5         3-6