THREE RIVERS — Three Rivers’ boys’ basketball season cam e to an end Monday night, losing in the opening round of Division 2 District 48 play to Vicksburg at home 58-28, their third loss to Vicksburg this season.
Vicksburg took a 10-8 lead after the first quarter, then exploded for 20 more points in the second quarter to take a 30-16 halftime lead. The Bulldogs would cruise the rest of the way, holding Three Rivers to single-digit scoring in all four quarters.
Three Rivers was led on the day by Matheus Pontes with eight points, Jace Gray with seven points and five rebounds, Brayden Carpenter with six points and four rebounds, Max Burg with four points, six rebounds and two assists, and Zander Barth with three points.
No stats were provided for Vicksburg. The Bulldogs would go on to lose in Wednesday’s semifinals to Marshall 63-55.
With the loss, Three Rivers ends its season with a record of 7-15, while Vicksburg ends its season 11-13.
Sturgis out in district semis
BATTLE CREEK — Sturgis was eliminated from the postseason Wednesday night, losing to Loy Norrix in the MHSAA Division 1 District 10 semifinals 67-32.
No stats were reported by press time Wednesday night.
In opening round district play Monday, the Trojans stopped Battle Creek Central, 49-37. The win was the third in four games for Sturgis, and advanced them to the district semi-finals.
Gavin Lewis put in 13 points to lead the offense, followed by Lukis Bir, who had 12. Wyatt Miller also scored in double-figures, as he added 10 points in the win. The Trojan defense came up strong, allowing only one three-pointer from the Bearcats, who also did not hit a single free throw in the contest.
The Trojans held a 9-7 lead after one, and a two-point edge at halftime, 23-21. Central only put in four points in the third quarter, while Sturgis scored 11, as they moved into a nine-point lead going into the last period. The last eight minutes of the game saw the Trojans put up 15 points, while the Bearcats managed 12, giving Sturgis the victory.
Also helping out for the winners was Dawson Miller, who finished with eight points, while teammate Carson Eicher tossed in six.
In other games for Sturgis, last week the Three Rivers Wildcats topped the Trojans, 46-31. Carson Eicher led the Trojan offense with nine points. Jace Gray paced the Wildcats with 15 points, while Max Burg added 11. Brayden Carpenter finished with nine points, and Matheus Pontes finished with six.
Against Colon, Sturgis came up with a win, defeating the Magi, 51-33. Lukis Bir popped in 16 points, while teammate Gavin Lewis added 12. Leading the Colon Offense was Dom Mock and Dalton Williams, who both scored 13. A big first quarter keyed the Trojan victory, as they outscored the Magi 17-4.
Sturgis finishes their season with a record of 7-16.
Centreville, Schoolcraft to vie for district title
QUINCY — The biggest district finals matchup on Friday night may just be in the village of Quincy, as both Centreville and Schoolcraft won their respective MHSAA Division 3 District 80 semifinals Wednesday night.
Centreville won the late matchup Wednesday night in a tight 54-49 win over Union City. No stats were reported at press time Wednesday night.
Schoolcraft won its semifinal earlier Wednesday night with a comfortable 69-28 victory over host Quincy. Kodee Bienz led the way for the Eagles with 16 points, followed by Tucker Walther with 15 points, Luke Rykse with 11 points, and Jimmy Miller with nine points. Jaden Reiber and Ty Goddard had seven points each, and Ryley Bruner finished the scoring with four points.
The Bulldogs and Eagles will square off Friday night in Quincy for the district title. Whoever wins will take on the winner of Bridgman and defending Division 3 champ Niles Brandywine in the Region 20 regional semifinals Tuesday, March 4 at Schoolcraft High School.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Centreville notched their fourth Southwest 10 Conference championship in six years Friday, Feb. 21 with a 56-52 win over Cassopolis. Swanwick had 30 points to lead the way, followed by Truckenmiller with 11 points and Ethan Miller adding eight points.
White Pigeon bows out in district semis to Niles Brandywine
CASSOPOLIS — White Pigeon’s season came to an end in the MHSAA Division 3 District 79 semifinals Wednesday night, losing to Niles Brandywine 57-45.
Despite the loss, Ty Strawser was money from beyond the arc, leading the team in scoring with 21 points, all on three-pointers. Jordan Pisco scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Mekhi Singleton scored seven points.
Niles Brandywine had two players score 20 points or more – Elijah Burt led their team with 21 points, while Nylen Goins had 20 points.
The White Pigeon boys played a pair of games last week, with the Chiefs winning against Cassopolis on Wednesday, and then defeating Bangor on Friday.
Against Bangor, White Pigeon recorded a 78-57 victory. Josh Davidson led three Chiefs in double-figures, scoring 23 while adding seven assists. Ty Strawser put in 17 points and grabbed four steals, while Jordan Pisco notched 16 points and hauled in 12 rebounds.
In the Cassopolis game, the Chiefs picked up the 17-point win, 69-52. Josh Davidson had the hot hand for the winners, as he fired in 31 points as well as grabbing eight rebounds. Wes Roberts had 10 points and four boards, followed by Jordan Pisco, who finished with nine points and 12 rebounds. Teammate Mekhi Singleton tossed in nine points as well, followed by Ty Strawser with six, and Brody Block, who added four points.
With the results, White Pigeon finishes the season with a record of 16-6.
Burr Oak advances to district finals
BURR OAK — A huge fourth quarter by Burr Oak, along with some tough Bobcat defense in the first eight minutes keyed a 78-67 district semifinals win over Mendon on Wednesday night.
The Bobcats raced out to a quick 8-0 lead, and it wasn’t until the 2:18 mark of the first quarter that the Hornets scored their first two points, with Talan Buchanan putting in a bucket. Burr Oak was leading 9-4 with the clock running out in the first, when Kayden Cole nailed a triple with two seconds left to give the Bobcats the lead at 12-4. At one point in the second quarter, Burr Oak was up by 12, 20-8, but the Hornets managed to pull within nine at the half, 30-21.
That would set the stage for Mendon to really put the heat on Burr Oak. The lead was cut to six, but Austin Cole hit a triple for the Bobcats, making the score 37-28. Kayden Cole would then hit a bucket, was fouled, then hit the free throw, giving Burr Oak the 40-28 lead. That’s when the Hornets really caught fire, scoring 13 points to close out the third quarter, and pulling to within seven points of the Bobcats. Huge factors for Mendon in that third period were Owen and Ryder Gorham. They combined for all of the Hornets points, with Owen putting in 12, while Ryder scored eight. With the clock winding down in that third quarter, Burr Oaks Austin Cole nailed a two-point shot at the buzzer, moving the lead to 48-41, Bobcats.
The final eight minutes was frenzied, to say the least. The teams traded baskets nearly every time down the court, and in an almost unbelievable display of scoring, the Bobcats and Hornets combined for an eye-popping total of 56 points. During that torrid scoring spree, Mendon was able to cut the lead to six with 27.2 seconds to play, 73-67, but when the clock hit zeros, it was Burr Oak that would be moving on to finals.
Austin Cole had 13 points in that quarter, while Braxton Boyles added 10. For Mendon, Ryder Gorham fired in 13 points, while brother Owen had nine. Mendon was forced to start fouling, and Burr Oak benefitted from that, hitting nine free throws in the fourth.
Austin Cole led the Burr Oak offense, as he fired in a game-high 26 points. Braxton Boyles added 23 points to the scorebook, while Ethan Boyes scored 15. Kayden Cole chipped in with 11 points, and Kaynen Ledyard helped out in the win with three points. For Mendon, Ryder Gorham led the way with 25 points, followed by brother Owen, who finished close behind with 23. Mason Wilczynski, Talan Buchanan and Carter Huston all added five points, and Tristan Wood finished with four.
“Always tough ending a season. I’m so proud of these boys and all of their hard work and effort this year. I am a better person after being able to coach them,” Mendon head coach Matt Gorham said. “As far as the game, we got out of the gate slow but found our groove in the second half. They got to the free throw line and did what they had to do to win. Hats off to them.”
The victory gives the Bobcats a chance at revenge against their long-time nemesis, the Colon Magi. Colon defeated Burr Oak back on Jan. 31, 62-59 in a game played at Colon High School. The district finals game will be played in Burr Oak, with the tip scheduled for 7 p.m.
Mendon boatraces Pansophia Academy
BURR OAK — Prior to their semifinal loss to Burr Oak, the Mendon Hornets had little trouble advancing to district semi-finals play, trouncing Pansophia on Monday, 73-25.
Ryder and Owen Gorham combined for 43 points, with Ryder scoring 22 and Owen tossing in 21. Mason Wilczynski added 11 points in the victory. Also getting into the act, Ben Iobe finished with eight points, Carter Huston scored four, while Talan Buchanan, Jayden Haigh and Tristin Wood all added two points. Buchanan and Owen Gorham, who also had nine steals, both grabbed eight rebounds, while Huston pulled down six missed shots.
“This was a good team win tonight,” stated Mendon coach Matt Gorham. “We kept our composure, pressured them into some turnovers, and attacked the rim well. We’re definitely playing for each other right now, and we’re excited for the next step in the tournament.” The Hornets will square off against Burr Oak in the district semi-finals Wednesday night.
The Mendon boys dropped a road game to Climax-Scotts last week, falling by the score of 57-37. Ryder Gorham was the leading scorer for the Hornets, pumping in 20 points. He also had five rebounds, four assists and five steals. Owen Gorham added five points, nine boards, and had an assist and a steal. Mason Wilczynski scored four and added two steals, while Carter Huston contributed three points, five rebounds and one assist.
Rounding out the Mendon effort, Talan Buchanan had two points and a rebound, James Lux scored two to go along with three rebounds, and Tristan Wood had a free throw and two rebounds.
“Tough loss to take,” stated Matt Gorham, Mendon coach. “Give credit to Coach Stattler and Climax. They played like they wanted it more than we did. We had some good looks, but couldn’t convert.” Gorham also said that “We’ll learn fast from this, and we’ll go into districts with a chip on our shoulder.”
Following their loss to Burr Oak, Mendon finishes the season at 12-11.
Colon punches ticket to district finals
BURR OAK — Colon secured its spot in the district finals Wednesday night, as they defeated the Athens Indians 42-26.
Dalton Williams led all scorers by tossing in 17 points. Dom Mock and Brennan Morrell also hit for double-figures, with Mock putting in 12 points, followed closely by Morrell, who had 11. Kayden LaClair was the only other Magi player to score, finishing with two points. Colon held Athens to a mere two points in the first quarter, and led 11-2 after one. The Indians came to life in the second period, as they came up with 12, however the Magi held the lead at the break, 22-14.
Both teams had a low-scoring third quarter, with Colon hitting for nine points, while Athens managed seven. The winners tossed in 11 points in the fourth, while holding the Indians to five to secure the victory. Kale Kiefer finished with 11 points to lead the Indians offense.
The Magi will square off against Burr Oak on Friday night to decide who moves on in regional play. The Bobcats stopped Mendon in the second contest of the evening, winning 78-67.
Colon travelled to Athens last week, and returned home with a 49-36 win.
Dalton Williams led all scorers with 18 points, as well as grabbing seven steals, four rebounds and handing out one assist. Dom Mock tossed in 17 points, had two rebounds, three assists and a steal. Brennan Morrell added eight points, six boards, three helpers, two steals and he also blocked two shots. Kayden LaClair scored four points, and Collin Trattles finished with two.
The Magi led 14-12 after one, and held the Indians to two points in the second quarter, which was a key in the victory. Kale Kiefer put in 10 points for Athens.
Marcellus stops Howardsville in district semis
MARCELLUS — District round host Marcellus moved on to the MHSAA Division 4 District 115 finals, winning a close game over Howardsville Christian 75-68 Wednesday night.
Marcellus was led in scoring by Parker Adams, who had a double-double with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Jamarion Robinson also notched a double-double scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 boards. Bo Ferguson had 10 points.
Howardsville was led in the scorebook by Kaden Sparks and John Paul Rose, who each scored 26 for the Eagles in their final high school game. Caden Grant added 11 points.
With the win, Marcellus moves on to face Kalamazoo Phoenix in the district finals, which take place Friday at 7 p.m. at Marcellus High School. Phoenix defeated Lawrence 71-30 in the other semifinal Wednesday night. The winner of that matchup will take on either Michigan Lutheran or New Buffalo in the Region 29 regional semifinals, which take place Tuesday, March 4 at Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian.
Prior to their district matchup, the Howardsville Christian lost to Benton Harbor Countryside to end their regular season, 53-36. Sparks had 15 points, Rose had 12 points, Sean Kimble had eight points, and Isaac Nagel had seven points.
With the losses, Howardsville Christian ends their season with a record of 8-16.
Constantine finishes winless season
CASSOPOLIS — A season to forget for Constantine’s boys’ basketball team came to an end Monday with a zero in the win column, following a 62-20 defeat to host Cassopolis in opening round play of the MHSAA Division 3 District 79 tournament.
Cassopolis led 19-2 after the first quarter, and 43-7 at the half.
Braden Bienz led the way for the Falcons with eight points, Riddikk Terry had six points, Josh Bontrager had four points, and Ivan Baker added two points to round out the scoring.
With the loss, Constantine finishes the season at 0-21.
Prior to their postseason appearance, the Falcons lost to Schoolcraft 73-16 Friday night. Ivan Baker and John Bontrager both scored five points in the loss.
