Boys Basketball
Saints Record Wins Over Panthers, Hurons
By David Latva

Cody Sturm (22) of St. Ignace drains a three-pointer during the third quarter of the Saints conference win over Rogers City Friday, January 25.

The St. Ignace Saints boys basketball team cruised to a 74-39 non-conference win over Pickford at Pickford Wednesday, January 23, and remained in a tie for first place in the Straits Area Conference after a 71-57 win over Rogers City at St. Ignace Friday, January 25.

Saints Kick Offense Into

High Gear Against Panthers

St. Ignace held an 18-14 scoring edge after the first eight minutes and led 24-21 at the fiveminute mark of the second quarter before scoring 14 unanswered points to end the first half with a 38-21 halftime advantage against Pickford.

Gerrit Mortensen scored 13 points, James Peterson added eight, and Anthony Lester chipped in six during the first two quarters for the Saints, while McKinley Portice scored 10 for the Panthers.

The Saints' offensive blitz, coupled with the Panthers' shooting woes, allowed St. Ignace to open the third quarter by scoring the first 16 points to extend the lead to 54-21 during the first three minutes, cruising to the road win.

Nick Montie (32) of St. Ignace battles inside against Kevin Fairbanks (44) of Rogers City for two first-half points.

"Everyone played solid, especially the bench," said Saints Coach Doug Ingalls. "Cody Sturm put his time in and has practiced for 10 weeks before playing in his first game, and the senior responded with a good effort."

The coach also credited Jamin Corwin, Tyler Mapes, Martin Beaudoin, and Andy Mullins for a strongly played game.

He pointed out the Saints freethrow shooting needs improvement, as the team made only seven of 25 attempts (28%).

Saints statistics: Gerrit Mortensen, 20 points, five rebounds, three assists; James Peterson, 19 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, five assists; Anthony Lester, nine points, six assists, four rebounds; Nick Montie, eight points, three rebounds; Cody Sturm, seven points, four assists, three rebounds, three steals; Jamin Corwin, three points, four deflections, two steals; Martin Beaudoin, three points; Tyler Mapes, two points, four rebounds, three assists.

Jason Duncan Cedarville

Panthers statistics: McKinley Portice, 10 points; Burton Gough, nine points; Jamie Nettleton, six points; Mickael Cantin, five points; Josh Kibble, Dylan Rye, four points; Pat Savoie, one point.

Saints Remain Tied

in SAC AfterWin

St. Ignace scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed, but it took a 16-2 scoring run in the fourth quarter to put away the stubborn Rogers City Hurons, to remain tied in the SAC with a 6-1 record.

The Cheboygan Chiefs are on top in the league after earning a 73-47 win over Sault Ste. Marie Friday, January 25.

The Saints (9-3 overall) used a 9-0 scoring run to open the game, and established a 17-9 lead after the first eight minutes before the Hurons held a 17-15 scoring edge in the second quarter to cut the St. Ignace margin to 32-26 at halftime.

Rogers City senior Bret Karsten set an individual mark with his 1,000th career point at the 7:00 mark of the second quarter with a three-point field goal, and was presented a cap from girls coach Dorene Ingalls and congratulated by the entire Saints varsity team and coaching staff.

Jordan Duncan Cedarville

Gerrit Mortensen and Nick Montie scored eight points each in the first half for the Saints and Karsten answered with seven for the Hurons.

St. Ignace took a 49-41 lead with a 17-15 scoring advantage in the third quarter, but Rogers City scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to slice the Saints' lead to 49-45 with 7:07 left in the game.

The Saints responded with a strong offensive effort, outscoring the Hurons 16-2 to build the advantage from four points to 65- 47 with 2:47 on the clock as Gerrit Mortensen scored eight points, Anthony Lester added six, and Kyle Smock chipped in two. The Saints went on to earn a 14-point win.

"I was pleased with our start against Rogers City," said Saints Coach Doug Ingalls. "I felt the Hurons would come back and they did, but we responded well at both ends of the court. We rebounded well against a taller team."

Kyle Smock, James Peterson, Cody Sturm, and Nick Montie combined for 28 rebounds during the game.

The Comets' Adam Alexander (24), defended by Burton Gough (45) of Pickford, scores a field goal that gives Mackinaw City the lead for good at 55-53 with 3:47 left in the game. Remaining players in the picture include Logan Paquet (10), Klaus Jaggi (left side of court), Mickael Cantin (24) and Jamie Nettleton (10) of Pickford, and, inside, McKinley Portice (22) and Pat Savoie (42) of Pickford and Austin Martin (14) of Mackinaw City.

Saints statistics: Gerrit Mortensen, 20 points, four assists, two steals; Anthony Lester, 17 points, three assists, two steals; James Peterson, 11 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, two assists; Nick Montie, eight points, three rebounds; Cody Sturm, seven points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals; Kyle Smock, four points, 10 rebounds, four steals, two assists; Austin St. Louis, Jamin Corwin, two points.

Coaches vs. Cancer

To Wear Tennis Shoes

Coaches throughout the country are being asked to wear tennis shoes during boys and girls basketball games during the week of Monday, January 28, to Saturday, February 2, to represent a united fight against cancer.

The energetic and outstanding sound of the Mackinaw City Comets pep band, directed by Eric Klose, was enjoyed by spectators. The band performs before and at halftime of the boys and girls varsity basketball games during the season.

"This started last year and the coaches hope it will catch on to all levels of basketball," said Saints Coach Doug Ingalls.

Saints Hoops Trivia

Who was ranked 10th, 15th, and 22nd in the career scoring records for LaSalle High School boys varsity basketball players? The answers will be in February 7 issue.

Saints Post Win in JV Game

The St. Ignace junior varsity boys team defeated Pickford 37- 30 Wednesday, January 23, but lost to Sault Ste. Marie 54-48 Friday, January 18, and Rogers City, Friday, January 25.

The Saints will entertain Newberry Thursday, January 31, and travel to Manistique Monday, February 4, before hosting Rudyard Friday, February 8.

Michael Gamble Mackinac Island

Saints statistics vs. Pickford: Evan Everson, Gunnar Zipp, 10 points; Kevin Guillard, seven points; Cole Christiansen, five points; Grant Simmons, four points; Jimmy Campbell, one point.

Saints statistics vs. Sault: Evan Everson, 18 points; Gunnar Zipp, 13 points; Kevin Guillard, nine points; Landon Marshall, four points; Jake Gustafson, Grant Simmons, two points.

Saints statistics: Gunnar Zipp, 29 points; Cole Christiansen, 12 points; Evan Everson, 10 points; Kevin Guillard, seven points; Jimmy Campbell, three points; Jake Gustafson, one point. Cedarville Clinch EUPC Title

With Win Over Eagles

The Cedarville Trojans clinched the boys basketball championship of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference with a 72-37 win over the Engadine Eagles Friday, January 25.

The Trojans, with remaining league games against Brimley and DeTour, improved to 12-0 overall and 6-0 in the league.

The Eagles fell to 2-4 in the conference and 5-7 on the season.

Joe Patrow Engadine

The Trojans led 59-12 at halftime before the Eagles held a 25- 23 scoring edge in the second half.

"Everyone played well and one of our goals is to win the league," said Trojans Coach David Duncan.

Trojans statistics: Kevin Thompson, 14 points; C.J. Paquin, Sheldon Tassier, 11 points; Jordan Duncan, 10 points, seven steals, three assists; Jason Duncan, eight points, eight rebounds, four assists; James Mitchell, seven points; Matt Nelson, Taylor Smith, three points; Luke Murray, Alex McMaken, two points; Scott McGreevy one point.

Eagles statistics: Devon Derusha, 11 points; Joe Patrow, seven points; Phillip Hood, six points; John Troyer, four points; Michael Bennett, three points; Joel Van- Hise, Nathan Butkovich, Ryan Draper, two points.

Cedarville travels to Brimley Thursday, January 31, and Harbor Springs Tuesday, February 5.

Trojans Welcomes Flint

International to UP

The Trojans will entertain Flint International Academy Friday, February 8. The independent Class D school (144 students) will make its first trip to the Upper Peninsula. Mackinaw City Boys Posts

Chastin McKelvie Rudyard

3-0 Record During Week

By David Latva

The Mackinaw City Comets boys basketball team enjoyed a successful week on the hardwood with a 3-0 record after a 67-60 non-conference win over the Pickford Panthers Monday, January 21, and Northern Lakes Conference (NLC) victories over Vanderbilt, 68-33, Wednesday, January 23, and Wolverine, 54-51, by a buzzer-beating shot Friday, January 25.

Free Throws Lift

Comets Over Panthers

The Panthers outscored the Comets 60-57 from the field, but Mackinaw City held a 10-0 scoring advantage from the free throw line en route to the win.

The Comets (7-1 in the NLC and 9-2 overall) scored 26 field goals, five triples (57 points), and connected on 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, while the Panthers made 27 field goals, six treys (60 points), and 0-3 from the free throw line.

During the non-league contest between Mackinaw City of the Northern Lights League and Pickford of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference, the Panthers controlled the tempo in the first half with a 22-17 lead after the first eight minutes, and a 20-16 scoring advantage in the second quarter for a 42-33-halftime lead.

Mickal Cantin scored 15 points and McKinley Portice and Pat Savoie added 10 for the Panthers in the first half. Logan Paquet and Adam Alexander scored seven points for the Comets.

Pickford built its lead to 50-39 at the 4:40 mark of the third quarter before Mackinaw City scored eight unanswered points to end the quarter, slicing the Panthers' lead to 50-47.

Logan Paquet made one of two free throws and knocked down a triple during the first minute of the fourth quarter to give the Comets a 51-50 edge.

Burton Gough scored a threepoint field goal for a 53-51 Pickford lead, but the Comets went on a 9-0 scoring run, giving Mackinaw City a 60-53 lead with 2:36 left in the game.

Cantin scored for Pickford before Logan Paquet drained his second trey of the quarter, and Barry Paquet added a two-point field goal to ice the win for the Comets.

Comets statistics: Logan Paquet, 25 points, eight steals, eight assists; Barry Paquet, 13 points, four steals; Adam Alex- ander, nine points; Austin Martin (four steals), Klaus Jaggi (four steals, eight rebounds), Nick Dullack, six points; Zack Milholin, two points.

Panthers statistics: Mickael Cantin, 19 points; McKinley Portice, 17 points; Pat Savoie, 14 points; Burton Gough, Jamie Nettleton, five points.

Four Score in Double Figures

During Win at Vanderbilt

Balanced scoring was the key for the Comets as four players scored in double figures during the NLC win over Vanderbilt.

Mackinaw City took charge with a 15-5 lead after the first eight minutes and increased its lead to 29-13 at halftime with a 14-8 scoring advantage in the second quarter.

The Comets outscored the Yellowjackets 39-20 in the second half to post the league win.

Comets statistics: Logan Paquet, 18 points, six steals, six assists; Luke Alexander, 16 points, 14 in the fourth quarter; Austin Martin, 11 points, seven rebounds, four steals; Klaus Jaggi, 10 points, six assists, four rebounds; Adam Alexander, seven points; Nick Dullack, four points; Barry Paquet, two points, Zach Milholin, six steals.

Comets Remain a Game

Behind in NLC Race

The combination of Zach Milholin and Barry Paquet lifted the Comets to a home decision over Wolverine. Milholin stole the ball with 30 seconds on the clock and Paquet drained a three-point field goal at the buzzer for the NLC win.

"We trailed for most the game," said Comets Coach Garth Law. "We tied the game at 51 before Zach and Barry combined on key plays."

Mackinaw City led 16-11 after the first eight minutes, but Wolverine outscored the Comets 17-5 for a 28-21-halftime lead.

The Comets slowly cut into the lead with a 15-14 scoring edge in the third quarter for a 42-36 score, and closed out the game with an 18-9 scoring advantage in the final eight minutes.

Comets statistics: Logan Paquet, 23 points, six assists, four steals; Barry Paquet, 11 points; Adam Alexander, eight points; Luke Alexander, six points; Klaus Jaggi, three points, five rebounds; Austin Martin, two points; Zach Milholin, one point, four steals.

Mackinaw City will travel to Pickford Thursday, January 31, and host Engadine Monday, February 4.

Panthers Win JV Game

Pickford defeated Mackinaw City 34-29 in the junior varsity game.

Panthers statistics: Nathan Gregg, 16 points; Josh Reid, seven points; Paul Morrison, four points; Dylan Rye, three points; Tim Gough, Cody Becks, two points.

Comets statistics: Justin Campbell, 11 points; Brandyn Clemens, eight points; William Vieau, six points; Tate Paquet, three points; Micah Vieau, Kyle Weatherwax, one point.

Comets JV Downs Alanson

Mackinaw City defeated Alanson 54-29 in the junior varsity game Thursday, January 10.

Comets statistics: William Vieau, 18 points; Tate Paquet, 11 points; Justin Campbell, nine points; Kyle Weatherwax, eight points; Micah Vieau, six points; Brandyn Clemens, two points.

Mackinac Island Boys Clinch

NLL Championship

The Mackinac Island Lakers boys basketball team clinched its third consecutive Northern Lights League (NLL) title with a weekend sweep of the Paradise Rockets, winning 73-52 Friday, January 25, and 66-43 Saturday, January 26.

The Lakers remain undefeated with a 16-0 overall record and a perfect 8-0 record in the NLL. The Lakers will finish out their season with a weekend series at Grand Marais and play at home against Beaver Island before the league tournament, in which Mackinac Island will be out to defend at Manistique.

Gamble Scores 31

in Friday's Win

Michael Gamble scored 31 points to lift the Lakers to the win Friday.

Mackinac Island held a 14-11 scoring edge after the first eight minutes before building the lead to 36-20 at halftime with a 22-9 second quarter scoring advantage. The Lakers outscored the Rockets 37-32 in the second half.

Lakers statistics: Michael Gamble, 31 points; Robert Chambers, Woody Beardsley, 14 points; Riley Chaffee, 12 points; Tyman Horn, two points.

Four Score in Double Figures

Four Lakers scored in double figures in Saturday's win as Mackinac Island held a 17-14 lead after the first eight minutes, increasing the lead to 42-22 at halftime with a 25-8 scoring advantage in the second quarter. Mackinac Island outscored the Rockets 24-21 in the second half to post the win.

Lakers statistics: Michael Gamble, 21 points; Riley Chaffee, 16 points; Woody Beardsley, 13 points; Robert Chambers, 10 points; Thomas Rilenge, four points; Paul Fisher, two points.

Engadine Boys Snap

Three-game Losing Streak

The Engadine Eagles snapped their three-game losing streak with a 62-44 non-conference boys basketball win over rival Newberry Indians Tuesday, January 22.

"We played hard from the opening tip to the final buzzer," said Eagles Coach Elmer Albright. "It was a maximum effort."

The Eagles trailed 18-17 after the first eight minutes before taking a 29-25 halftime lead with a 12-7-scoring run in the second quarter.

Engadine scored 12 unanswered points to open the third quarter and built the lead to 48-34, closing out the road contest with a 14-10 scoring edge in the final eight minutes.

Eagles statistics: John Troyer, 14 points, 11 rebounds; Joe Patrow, 13 points, three assists, three steals; Joel VanHise, 11 points, six rebounds, three steals; Phillip Hood, eight points, seven rebounds, four assists; Michael Bennett, seven points; Devon Derusha, six points; Killian Frisch, three points.

Engadine will travel to DeTour to battle the Raiders Wednesday, January 31, and face Mackinaw City Monday, February 4, and Pickford Thursday, February 7.

Rudyard Bulldogs Earn

Two Wins

The Rudyard Bulldogs boys basketball team earned a 60-41 non-conference win over the DeTour Raiders Wednesday, January 23, and took a 55-41 decision over the Newberry Indians in a Straits Area Conference (SAC) contest Friday, January 25.

In the home win over the Raiders, the Bulldogs (5-2 in the SAC, 10-2 overall) led 18-6 after the first eight minutes and held a 9-8 scoring edge in the second quarter for a 27- 14 halftime lead.

Rudyard outscored DeTour 19-12 in the third quarter to increase the lead to 46- 26. The Raiders closed out the game with a 15-14 scoring advantage in the final eight minutes.

Bulldogs statistics: Craig Wallis, 25 points, 12 rebounds; Arik Hesselink, 11 points, 10 rebounds; Chastin McKelvie, eight points; Kyle Jeffreys, six points; Isiah Otten, four points; Tom Hendrickson, Drew Otten, two points; James Perry, Kiefer McCollum, one point.

Raiders statistics: Josh Wilson, 15 points; Andy Dyal, 10 points; Teryn Miller, nine points; Tyler Anderson, three points; Nathan Klamerus, Ian Burton, two points.

Bulldogs One Game

Back in SAC

Arik Hesselink and Craig Wallis combined for 45 points to lead the Bulldogs against Newberry, as the road win puts Rudyard one game out from first place in the SAC .

The Bulldogs are without the services of Jeff Briggs, who broke his hand. He is expected to be out for another week.

"Losing Jeff has hurt us at both ends of the court," said Bulldogs Coach Grant Ross. "We need to have one or two players step up and take up the slack."

Rudyard led 10-5 after the first eight minutes and increased its lead to 29-19 by halftime, having enjoyed a 19-14 scoring advantage in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs held a 26-22 scoring edge in the second half, including a 12-8 run in the third quarter and 15-14 run in the final eight minutes.

Bulldogs statistics: Arik Hesselink, 24 points, eight rebounds; Craig Wallis, 21 points, eight rebounds; Chastin McKelvie, five points, nine rebounds, four steals, three assists; Kiefer McCollum, three points; Drew Otten, two points.

BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS

STRAITS AREA CONFERNCE

EASTERN UPPER PENINSULA CONF.