Essexville
- Team, School
and City pride are
what matters most
when you step onto
the Hardwood but
this game had an
added incentive,
Conference bragging
rights. Top
top echelon of teams
from the Tri-Valley
Central and East
hooked up in a game
that would send the
winner to the
Regional
Semi-Finals.
From the early
going, Frankenmuth
controlled the game
and specifically the
inside. They
clogged up the
middle on defense
and dominated the
glass with a ton of
2nd and 3rd chance
opportunities.
If it wasn't for
Kate Gricar's 6
points, out of her
team's 8, 6 minutes
into the opening
quarter, it could
have been
disastrous, instead
the Falcons were
able to stay afloat.
It got worse before
it got better
however, with 28
seconds to play in
the quarter,
Frankenmuth's
McCauley Mossner
nailed a three ball
to push the lead to
15-8. The
Falcons then started
to wake up and not a
moment too soon.
With just 6 seconds
to play in the
quarter, Freeland
hit on a three point
play, getting them
to within 4 after
the first quarter.
Freeland nailed a
three ball to open
the 2nd quarter and
set the tone and was
a preface for what
was about to come.
The Lady Falcons
outscored
Frankenmuth 18-5 in
the 2nd period.
Frankenmuth didn't
get a field goal
until there was 3:18
remaining in the
half.
At the end of the
first half, Freeland
was up 9, 29-20.
The lead ballooned
to double digits in
the third quarter
with the Falcons
pushing it up to 12
points. The
fourth didn't start
any better for the
Lady Eagles, with
5:47 to play in the
game, Freeland
expanded the lead to
16 and the season
appeared to be over
for Frankenmuth.
They didn't pack it
in however and came
up with a nice rally
and continued to
fight back until the
final bell.
With just 47 seconds
to go in the game, a
Kelsey Ritter 3
pointer cut the lead
to just 8 at 50-42.
Gricar was then
fouled but the
Falcons were still
in a 1 and 1
situation, putting
imense pressure on
her to sink the
first. Gricar
nailed not only the
front end but the
back end as well.
With 22 seconds to
go, Jenny McCain
scored on the other
end to cut it back
to 8 but that was as
close as they would
come and it would be
the last basket of
the season for
Frankenmuth.
Freeland hit two
more free throws to
make the lead and
the score final at
54-44.
Freeland was led by
Gricar's 18 points
and 10 boards.
She couldn't have
done without a
strong supporting
cast (on this night)
however, as Ashley
Beyer, Jenni
Jankowski and
Britnie Bell all had
solid games on both
sides of the ball.
I say 'on this
night' because each
time I have either
covered or read
about the Lady
Falcons, they have
had someone new step
up and take charge
in the leading
scorer's column.
Frankenmuth was led
by Kelsey Ritter's
13 points and 11
from Jenny McCain.
Freeland moves on to
battle
intra-conference
rival Chesaning in
the Regional Semis
next Tuesday @ Alma.
The two have already
had two classics,
with Freeland
winning by 4 back in
late January and
Chesaning splitting
the series with a 1
point dramatic win
on the last night of
the regular season.
What a way to settle
the rubber match.
Carrollton
- Jenny Ryan and
Jessi Franz started
off the game with
back to back
buckets, then Katie
Pett answerd for
Valley Lutheran,
that was what
everyone had
expected. The
big names to slug it
out and go back and
forth. What
transpired in the
first quarter caught
most by surprise.
Pett's basket was
only 1 of 2 1st
quarter baskets for
the Chargers.
Nouvel went on to
ring up 25 points to
4 for VL in the
opening quarter.
It could of been
more damaging.
Nouvel missed a
handful of free
throws and had 4
shots go in and out.
It was not the start
that Valley Lutheran
had hoped, by any
stretch of the
imagination.
Most of the damage
occured in the final
four minutes as
well. Up 8-2,
the Panthers went on
a 17-2 run over the
last 3:34 of the
quarter. The
waning moments of
the quarter did get
a little scary for
Nouvel, however, as
their Senior Center,
Kelsey Palmer went
down in anguish,
clutching at her
injured knee.
Thankfully, it was
not as bad as we had
initially thought
and she went back to
the bench, mainly on
her own power.
She retured in the
2nd quarter, hardly
missing a beat.
Up big, the Panthers
slowed it down and
started to milk the
clock to speed up
the game and keep
Valley Lutheran from
getting too many
posseisions.
The longer they
could stay on
offense, the longer
they could keep the
three ball threats
partially grounded.
Although the Lady
Panthers put up 25
in the first, it was
their defense that
propelled the
opportunities and
led to
some easy transition
buckets. Even
more importantly for
the cycle.
Nouvel was able to
set up their press
because of the
inbounds passing
after a score.
Valley Lutheran had
a whale of a time
getting the ball
into their halfcourt
offense but as the
game wore on, they
looked smoother.
The fast moving
quarter only yielded
a combined 16 points
from both teams.
At the half, Nouvel
led by 19 and seemed
in total control.
Things got
interesting in the
early moments of the
3rd quarter however.
Pett got a quick
basket and then
Maureen Yurgens
nailed a three ball,
chopping the lead
down to 14, just
like that. On
queue, the Lady
Panthers summoned
their strength and
went on another wild
run, effectively
putting the game out
of reach. Up
just 32-18, Nouvel
finished the third
quarter on a 16-5
run. After
three, the lead was
back up to 25
points.
The fourth quarter
went much like the
2nd but with more
points being scored.
Nouvel shuffled in
re-inforcements and
with just under
three minutes to go,
brought every
starter out of the
game to enjoy the
rest of it from the
bench. It was
Valley Lutheran's
best scoring quarter
but it came too
little, too late as
the Lady Chargers
scored 14 and made
the score a bit more
respectable at
58-37.
Jenny Ryan finished
with 20 points, with
a lot of help from
Kelsey Palmer's 16
and Jessie Franz's
11. While the
scorers got the job
done, it was the
team effort and
orchestration led by
Jenny Ryan on
defense and running
the offense that
made it complete.
Each and every
player on the floor
played a big part in
the score, even if
they didn't get too
many through the
hoop. Mary
Dijak is one
example. The
team veteran, like
most of her
teammates, scrambles
for every loose
ball, hustles for
every rebound and
just does what it
takes. Just
one of many reasons,
why Nouvel is a
heavy contender for
their third straight
crown, is that they
just don't give up
on anything.
Carrollton will see
this on the court,
face to face as the
two local teams will
square off Friday
night. Like
Nouvel, Carrollton
has cruised through
the first two games
as well.
Valley Lutheran was
led by Katie Pett's
12 points and Kayla
Engehard's 11
points.
Congrats to the Lady
Chargers, who had
one heck of a season
and will return many
core players next
season.
Dukes
33
Final
1
2
3
4
OT
F
(16-5)
Arthur
Hill
18
7
14
19
0
58
(17-4)
Flushing
8
18
17
18
0
61
Saginaw,
MI
Cardinals
20
LaDuke, Raiders Knock Off SVL
Champion, Arthur Hill
Saginaw
- The Lady Jacks
got off to a quick
start against
Flushing and led by
10 after 1 quarter,
18-8. As much
as Arthur Hill
dominated in the
opening quarter,
Flushing gave it
right back in the
2nd. Juanita
Cochran and
Corie Buchanan were
setting the tone
early but Flushing's
star Jordan LaDuke
took over in the 2nd
quarter, scoring 15
of her team's 18,
getting to the line
early and often.
After 1 half,
Flushing had swung
the table in their
favor and led 26-25.
The Raiders held
serve in the third
and increased the
lead, leading by as
many as 7 points
before Arthur Hill
trimmed it back down
to 4 when the
quarter had ended.
The third set the
table for a frantic,
exciting and
memorable 4th
quarter.
The Raiders had
built up the lead
again early in the
fourth but the
Lumberjacks brought
the all out press to
get them back in it,
which they did,
getting to within
two points, several
minutes into the
final quarter.
Then slowly but
surely, the lead was
back up to 7 for
Flushing. With
about three minutes
to go, the Lady
Jacks had one last
push in them and it
almost got them over
the hump. In
just over a minute,
Arthur Hill erased
the 7 point lead and
had several chances
to take one for
themselves with
under 2 minutes to
play. Flushing
was out of their
game and were also
having trouble a the
line.
Sensing his team's
uneasiness, Flushing
Head Coach, Larry
Ford, started to
deploy timeouts to
settle his team
down. It
worked and the
Raiders stiffened up
on defense, not
allowing another
Arthur Hill point.
Heather Pratt went 1
for 2 from the line
with 1:17 to go,
giving the Raiders
the lead at 59-58,
which turned out to
be the game winner.
Arthur Hill got what
they wanted, several
good looks from the
perimeter but just
couldn't hit.
Arthur Hill finished
1-21 from behind the
three point line,
which ultimately led
to their demise.
LaDuke split her
attempts on two
straight visits to
the line, giving her
team a 3 point lead.
Her last missed free
throw, gave Arthur
Hill a glimmer of
hope but with only 5
seconds to go and no
timeouts, Arthur
Hill had to attempt
a half-court buzzer
beater. The
shot went sailed
high and bounced off
the backboard,
giving Flushing the
huge road win and
ticket to the
District Semis.
LaDuke, timely three
pointers and defense
are what will keep
the #7 Lumberjacks
from moving on and
with that an end to
their bid for a
fourth straight trip
to the Final 4.
Juanita Cochran and
Corie Buchanan
finished with team a
team high 14 and 25
points, just not
enough to overcome
LaDuke's 29.
Heather Pratt added
12 for the Raiders.
Flushing will now
take on Owosso on
Wednesday, with the
other Semi pitting
Saginaw High vs.
Clio.
