The 1969-1970 St. Ignace Saints is the first boys basketball team to be inducted into the LaSalle High School Sports Hall of Fame after recording a 21-2 season and earning the Class C state runner-up title. Team members include (front, from left) Ed Lester, Rick Holle, Mike Bishop, Lynn Closs, Paul Davis; (back) Howard Gustafson, Bob Taylor, Roger Schlehuber, John McKinnon, Coach Gene Shank, Leo Donovan, Jeff Savard, John St. Louis, Brian Stark. Missing from photograph are Rick Powers and Don Erno. (Photograph courtesy of Gene Shank) The St. Ignace Saints 1969-70 boys basketball team will be inducted into the 2010 LaSalle High School Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, January 8, at Kewadin Shores Casino.

The 1969-70 team was the first St. Ignace team to advance to the state final four basketball tournament. The Saints fell to Muskegon Christian in the Class C finals.

The team was coached by Gene Shank, who was hired in 1965. The Saints lost in the Class C quarterfinals in the 1967-1968 campaign and fell in the regional finals the next year.

In 1969-70, the team earned 13 consecutive victories before its first loss, but captured the Michigan Huron Shores Conference (MHSC) championship with a 15-1 overall record. St. Ignace scored 1,187 points during the regular season for an average of 74.1 points per game and allowed 945 points for a 59 point average.

The Saints defeated the Rudyard Bulldogs, 89-54, and downed the Munising Mustangs, 79-58, for the district crown, upended the Houghton Gremlins, 78-60, and Bessemer Speedboys, 74-67, to take the regional championship.

In St. Ignace’s third game against Charlevoix, the Saints downed the Rayders, 80-70, for the first quarterfinal win in school history. In the final regular season game at Charlevoix, St. Ignace won, 81-61, and Coach Shank said, "We have found out what the word team means."

Leo Donovan scored 28 points, John McKinnon 24, Jeff Savard 11, Roger Schlehuber nine, and Lynn Closs eight.

At the Lansing Civic Center, St. Ignace defeated the heavily-favored Pontiac Catholic Titans, 76-72, with four Saints scoring in double figures: Leo Donovan had 32 points, Jeff Savard had 16, Roger Schlehuber had 12, John McKinnon had 11, and Lynn Closs had 5.

The Saints made the short trip from Lansing to Jension Fieldhouse at Michigan State University in East Lansing for the Class C championship game against the Muskegon Christian Warriors.

The title game was a true classic, with the Warriors edging the Saints, 52-51, in a controversial finish. Before more than 12,000 fans, the Saints took possession at midcourt with six seconds left in the game.

The inbound pass went to Leo Donovan and the senior dribbled toward the basket, but suddenly fell down as the clock ran out. Opponent Tom Vanderlaan later admitted tripping Donovan, but a foul was never called.

Leo Donovan scored 15, Jeff Savard and Ed Lester got nine, John McKinnon got eight, Lynn Closs and Roger Schlehuber added four, and Mike Bishop got two.

St. Ignace received the first George Rudness Trophy as the Upper Peninsula Team of the Year, the MHSC title, and the Class C district, regional, and state runner-up trophies.

Individual Honors: Leo Donovan, 22.0 points and 14.6 rebounds was named to the Class C All-State, Upper Peninsula, and MHSC teams; and John McKinnon (13.3 points, 16.2 rebounds), Jeff Savard (13.0 points, 10.1 rebounds), Lynn Closs (11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds) received Upper Peninsula and MHSC honors. Remaining members of the team included Roger Schlehuber (6.0 points, 10.0 rebounds), Mike Bishop (5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds), Ed Lester (3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds), Rick Powers (2.6, 3.0 rebounds), Don Erno (2.0 points, 4.0 rebounds), Paul Davis, Rick Holle, Howard Gustafson, John St. Louis, Bob Taylor, and Brian Stark.

The St. Ignace News will feature individuals that were voted into the hall of fame in the coming weeks.