Mickael Cantin (24) drives in the lane to score two points for the Panthers in the first half. Saints Boys Coach Marshall Earns First Victory

St. Ignace Saints boys' basketball team earned its new head coach, Jason Marshall, his first victory, with a 77-55 win against the Pickford Panthers in a nonleague game in St. Ignace Tuesday, December 16, and provided him with his first winning streak, as well, downing the Rogers City Hurons 71-60 in a Straits Area Conference match-up Friday, December 19.

"We played well as a team and the balanced scoring proved the difference," said Coach Marshall. "I was pleased with the overall effort by the entire team."

Anthony Lester and Austin Louis scored 10 points each in the first half as the Saints held a 23-14 lead after the first eight minutes, and St. Ignace outscored Pickford 21-12 in the second quarter for a 44-26 halftime lead.

The Saints on the season held a 16-point scoring edge in the third quarter for a 60-38 lead. Both teams scored 17 points in the final eight minutes.

Gunnar Zipp (20) scored 12 points in the Saints' win over Pickford Tuesday, December 16. Saints statistics: Anthony Lester, 16 points; Austin St. Louis, 14 points; Tyler Mapes, Gerrit Mortensen, 13 points; Gunnar Zipp, 12 points; Kevin Guillard, five points; Evan Everson, Mike Barthelemy, two points.

Panthers statistics: Mckinley Portice, 24 points; Mickael Cantin, 13 points; Jamie Nettleton, nine points; Nathan Gregg, seven points; Dylan Rye, two points.

Saints 71, Hurons 60

Gerrit Mortensen scored 33 points to lift the Saints to an SAC win over Rogers City.

The junior guard was held to one point in the first eight minutes before scoring 14 points in the second quarter, eight in the third, and 10 in the final period.

St. Ignace took a 10-9 lead on a three-point field goal by Anthony Lester in the closing seconds of the first quarter and the Saints turned three Rogers City turnovers into six points for a 16-9 lead at the 6:55 mark of the second quarter.

Rogers City answered with seven consecutive points to notch the score at 16. During the remaining three minutes of the first half, the teams traded leads 14 times. The Hurons scored with four seconds left to establish a 32-31 halftime lead.

St. Ignace opened the second half with 10 unanswered points and established a 41-32 lead at the 5:30 mark, but, again, the Hurons tied the game, notching the score at 47-47 with 1:26 left in the third quarter.

Mortensen scored two field goals and Rogers City missed the opportunity to tie the score before the end of the third quarter by missing four consecutive free throws in the closing 15 seconds. The Saints then took a 51-47 lead into the final quarter.

St. Ignace opened with a 12-3 scoring run for a 63-50 lead and held on for an 11-point road win.

"We played with a lot of passion in the second half and that, along with our overall effort, was the difference. This was a good win on the road," said Coach Marshall.

The Saints will host their holiday tournament with the Gaylord Blue Devils and Escanaba Eskymos, playing in the first game at 6 p.m. Monday, December 29, with the Saints and Sault High Blue Devils competing in the nightcap. The consolation and championship games will be Tuesday, December 30.

Saints statistics: Gerrit Mortensen, 33 points; Austin St. Louis, 14 points, Anthony Lester, 10 points; Tyler Mapes, five points; Gunnar Zipp, Kevin Guillard, four points; Evan Everson, one point.

10 Athletes To Be Inducted Into LHS Hall of Fame

Ten members will be inducted into the first LaSalle High School Hall of Fame Sunday, December 28, with the social hour beginning at 4 p.m., followed by the dinner and induction ceremony at the Driftwood Restaurant in St. Ignace.

Tickets are still available from Doug Ingalls. Call 643-8587.

The inductees will then be introduced between the two games of the holiday tourney Monday, December 29.

Balanced Scoring Key in Bulldogs' Win Over Indians

Four players scored in double figures for Rudyard Bulldgos boys basketball Coach Grant Ross as his team defeated the Newberry Indians 74-44 during a Straits Area Conference (SAC) win Friday, December 19.

Arik Hesselink led the team with 16 points, followed by Drew Otten with 15, Scott Coffey, 12, and Davin Salo, who finished with 10 points.

The Bulldogs led 15-3 after the first eight minutes before the Indians held a 15-13 scoring edge in the second quarter for a 28-18 halftime score.

Rudyard dominated the second half, outscoring Newberry 49-26, which included a 19-10 run in the third quarter and a 30- 16 run in the final eight minutes.

Rudyard, 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the SAC, will entertain Brimley Tuesday, January 6, and travel to Cheboygan Thursday, January 8.

Bulldogs statistics: Arik Hesselink, 16 points; Drew Otten, 15 points; Scott Coffey, 12 points; Davin Salo, 10 points; Chastin McKelvie, eight points; Rick Gear, four points; Keifer McCollum, Daine Pavloski, three points; Jacob McDonoff, two points; William DeYoung, one point.

Comets 2-1 on Early Season

Mackinaw City Comets boys basketball team is 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Northern Lakes Conference (NLC) so far this season, after defeating Alba Wildcats 57-53 Thursday, December 18, and Alanson Vikings 65-43 Tuesday, December 16, in league competition.

The Comets' first loss came at the hands of the Pellston Hornets, who won 62-29 in a non-conference season opener Tuesday, December 9.

Mackinaw City 57, Alba 53

The Comets and Wildcats battled to a 25-25 at halftime before Mackinaw City outscored Alba 32-28 in the second half to post the Northern Lights Conference (NLC) win.

Comets statistics: Adam Alexander, 22 points, eight rebounds, eight assists; Willie Vieau, 11 points, eight rebounds; Luke Alexander, nine points; Brandyn Clemens, seven points, three steals; Justin Campbell, five points, seven rebounds; Tate Paquet, three points.

Mackinaw City 65, Alanson 43

Mackinaw City held a 26-21 scoring edge at halftime, establishing a 39-22 scoring advantage in the second half to record the conference win.

Comets statistics: Adam Alexander, 28 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five steals; Luke Alexander, 12 points, 14 rebounds; Tate Paquet, eight points; Willie Vieau, eight points, six rebounds; Justin Campbell, five points, seven rebounds; Brandyn Clemens, four points, nine rebounds.

Pellston 62, Mackinaw City 29

The Comets struggled offensively in the opener at Pellston, trailing 25-9 at halftime, and were outscored 37-20 in the second half.

Comets statistics: Justin Campbell, 10 points, 19 rebounds; Willie Vieau, eight points, four steals; Adam Alexander, five points, 11 rebounds, five assists; Luke Alexander, three points, 13 rebounds, five steals, three assists; Brandyn Clemens, three points.

Mackinaw City will travel to Vanderbilt Tuesday, January 6, and entertain Wolverine Thursday, January 8.

Panthers Outlast Raiders in EUPC Matchup

The Pickford Panthers outlasted the DeTour Raiders 77-66 during a boys Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference basketball match-up Thursday, December 18.

Six players scored eight or more points and four recorded double figures as the Panthers held a 22-16 lead after the first eight minutes and increased their to 40-32 at halftime with an 18-16 scoring edge in the second quarter.

The Panthers extended their lead to 63-49 with a 23-17 scoring advantage in the third quarter before the Raiders completed the league contest with a 17-14 run.

Panthers statistics: Mickael Cantin, 19 points; Nathan Gregg, 13 points; Burton Gough, 12 points; Mckinley Portice, 11 points; Jamie Nettleton, Josh Kibble, eight points; Dylan Rye, six points.

Raiders statistics: Thomas Worden, 20 points; Ian Burton, 17 points; Josh Wilson, 17 points; Teryn Miller, six points; Tyler Anderson, Kaleb Barbeaux, two points.