Cedarville Trojans Defeat Pickford Panthers To Capture Class D Districts
Cedarville Boys Capture Fourth Consecutive District Crown
By David Latva

The Cedarville Trojans defeated the Pickford Panthers 79-35 to capture the Class D district championship Friday, February 29. Team members include (front, from left) Alex McMaken, Matt Nelson, Taylor Smith, C.J. Paquin, Luke Murray, Andrew Jaroche, Zach McFarlane; (back) Assistant Coach Scott Barr, Manager Jason Nam, Sheldon Tassier, manager-statistician Adam Dingman, Jason Duncan, James Mitchell, Kevin Thompson, Jordan Duncan, Scott McGreevy, Cody Thompson, Head Coach David Duncan, and Assistant Coach Kurt Duncan. (Photographs by Tom Coyne of U.P. Photos)

The Cedarville boys basketball team took the first step toward defending its Class D state championship with a decisive 79-35 win over the Pickford Panthers during the District 123 title game in Pickford Friday, February 29.

"We will take one game at a time," said Trojans Coach David Duncan. "This is a tournamenttested team with plenty of experience."

Jordan Duncan injured his back early in the second quarter and sat the remainder of the game, but Coach Duncan expects him to be available in time for the regionals.

C.J. Paquin (30) and Jordan Duncan (23) of Cedarville put the pressure defense on Jamie Nettleton (10) of Pickford.

The Trojans took command early with a 9-0 lead before the Panthers scored five points, however, Cedarville outscored Pickford 23-4 to take a 32-9 lead after the first eight minutes. The Trojans continued their offensive barrage, extending the lead to 55-21 at halftime with a 23-12 scoring advantage in the second quarter. C.J. Paquin and Kevin Thompson scored 15 and Sheldon Tassier added 11 in the first half.

Cedarville established a 40- point lead early in the second half, 63-23, putting a Michigan High School Sports Association rule into effect that calls for the clock to continue running nonstop throughout the rest of the game.

Cedarville took a 71-29 lead into the fourth quarter and held an 8-6 scoring edge in the final eight minutes.

Trojans statistics: C.J. Paquin, 17 points; Kevin Thompson, 17 points; Sheldon Tassier, 15 points; Jason Duncan, nine points; Jordan Duncan, six points; Taylor Smith, Andrew Jaroche, five points; Cody Thompson, Luke Murray, two points; James Mitchell, one point.

Paul Walsh Pickford

Panthers statistics: McKinley Portice, 10 points; Mickael Cantin, eight points; Pat Savoie, six points; Paul Walsh, four points; Jamie Nettleton, three points; Dylan Rye, Nathan Gregg, two points.

Trojans Defeat Raiders

in District Semifinals

The Cedarville Trojans took control early with a 15-point advantage after the first quarter en route to a 67-46 win over the DeTour Raiders in the Class D districts Wednesday, February 27.

The Trojans led 23-8 after the first eight minutes and built a 41- 14 lead at halftime with an 18-6 scoring advantage in the second quarter.

Both teams used bench players in the second half, allowing DeTour to hold a 29-26 scoring edge.

Trojans statistics: C.J. Paquin, 22 points, six rebounds, seven steals, four assists; Jordan Duncan, 12 points, six rebounds, four assists; Kevin Thompson, 12 points, seven rebounds; Jason Duncan, six points, five rebounds, four assists; Sheldon Tassier, six points; Taylor Smith, four points; Luke Murray, Scott McGreevy, two points; James Mitchell, one point.

Teryn Miller DeTour

Raiders statistics: Nathan Klamerus, seven points; Teryn Miller, Thomas Worden, Ian Burton, six points; Josh Wilson, five points; Andy Dyal, four points; Zach Melvin, Kaleb Barbeaux, three points; Mathias Kristensen, Tyler Anderson, two points; Brandon Melcer, Harry Reinfelder, one point.

Panthers Down Lakers, Bays

in Class D Districts

The Pickford Panthers edged Mackinac Island 67-60 in the Class D district semifinals Wednesday, February 27. In the opener, the Panthers upended the Brimley Bays 73-66 Monday, February 25.

Despite an 18-0 regular season record and capturing the Northern Lights League title, Mackinac Island Lakers Head Coach Jimmy Fisher knew the post-season would not be as easy, especially without one of the team's best players, Robert Chambers, who broke his hand in the final game of the regular season against Beaver Island.

"Not having Robert was a big blow to our game plan," said Coach Fisher. "We needed to pick up the slack."

Sheldon Tassier (4) of Cedarville drives to the hoop against Dylan Rye (21) of Pickford during the first half of the Class D districts at Pickford Friday, February 29.

McKinley Portice was a oneman wrecking crew for Pickford, as the sophomore scored 35 points.

"Portice hurt us on the outside and inside. He was the difference," added Fisher.

Mackinac Island opened the contest with a 15-6 lead after the first eight minutes and maintained a 27-23 halftime advantage despite Pickford holding a 17-12 scoring advantage in the second quarter.

The turning point came in the third quarter as the Panthers outscored the Lakers 21-12 to take a 44-39 lead into the final period, completing the game with a 23-21 scoring edge in the final eight minutes.

Panthers statistics: McKinley Portice, 35 points; Dylan Rye, 12 points; Mickael Cantin, nine points; Jamie Nettleton, five points; Paul Walsh, four points; Pat Savoie, two points.

Lakers statistics: Woody Beardsley, 21 points; Tyler Mc- Lean, 14 points; Riley Chaffee, 12 points; Michael Gamble, 11 points; Paul Fisher, two points.

Cantin, Portice Combine for 46 Points With Win Over

Bays

Mickael Cantin and McKinley Portice combined for 46 points to lift the Panthers over the Bays in the district quarterfinals.

Cantin scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Portice added 19 points and hauled down 13 boards.

Pickford led 16-13 after the first eight minutes and increased its lead to 33-27 at halftime with a 17- 14 scoring advantage in the second quarter.

The Panthers held a 13-11 scoring edge in the third quarter for a 46-38 lead before Brimley cut the final margin to seven with a 28-27 advantage in the final eight minutes.

Panthers statistics: Mickael Cantin, 27 points, 16 rebounds; McKinley Portice, 19 points, 13 rebounds; Pat Savoie, eight points, nine rebounds; Burton Gough, seven points; Paul Walsh, five points.

Bays statistics: Ryan Freedman, 21 points; Jereme Daniels, 18 points; Nate Mills, 15 points; Corie Quinn, 10 points; Justin Lawson, two points.

Tourney Pairings

If the winner of the St. Ignace regionals is from the Upper Peninsula, the quarterfinal game will be in Escanaba against the winner from the Houghton regionals. If the winner is from the Lower Peninsula, the regionals will be in Sault Ste. Marie Tuesday, March 11.

The four teams that competed in the St. Ignace regionals were Cedarville, Mackinaw City, Superior Central, and Gaylord St. Mary.

The Escanaba-Sault Ste. Marie quarterfinal winner will take on the Traverse City West quarterfinal winner in the Class D semifinals Thursday, March 13, at 6 p.m. in the Michigan State University's Breslin Center.

The state finals are set for Saturday, March 15, at 10 a.m. The Class C game is set for noon, Class A at 4 p.m., and Class B at 8 p.m.