By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
MENDON — The old adage says the third time is a charm.
Colon’s boys’ basketball team knows that all too well, especially playing against intra-county rival Mendon. The two played in the first game of the season, in which Mendon pulled away in overtime to win 80-73, and then did the same again on Jan. 15, with the Hornets notching an 85-77 win over the Magi in overtime.
This time, however, a stingy defensive effort against Mendon’s two best players, as well as a huge final two minutes, helped Colon turn the tables against Mendon – in regulation this time – to win the MHSAA Division 4 district title with a 54-47 victory Friday night.
“We felt the first two times we played them, it was such an even contest, and we felt we had at least one of them slip away from us,” Colon head coach Steve Vinson said. “Tonight, the guys were laser-focused, and that was the big part.”
Colon dominated the early part of the game, with Dalton Williams making his presence felt early and often. Williams scored eight of the Magi’s first 10 points in the first quarter, including four points off turnovers, to go up 10-4 with three and a half minutes to go. Mendon would claw their way back to make it close at the quarter break, with Ryder Gorham scoring on a long two-pointer, adding a free throw, and then Owen Gorham hitting a three-pointer with less than a minute to go to make it 12-10. The two teams would trade buckets in the last 15 seconds, with Williams scoring a bucket with 15 seconds left and Ryder Gorham following a missed shot for a putback with five seconds left to make it 14-12 for the Magi at the end of the first quarter.
No team would have more than a four-point lead in the second quarter as the game tightened from there. Mendon would get its first and only lead on the day after Ryder Gorham made all three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt to go up 15-14 less than a minute in. Colon’s Quincy Blair would put the Magi back in front in the next couple of minutes with a free throw and a bucket of his own to go up 17-15. After a Williams free throw, Mendon’s Ky Truckey would launch a three-pointer to tie the game at 18 with three and a half to go in the half. Williams would get a bucket and a free throw on the next two possessions to put Colon back up 21-18, but a bucket and free throw by Dante Goto tied it back at 21. Blair would make two free throws with 58 seconds left in the half and Williams would make a baseline runner with 29 seconds left to put the Magi up 25-21 at the half.
The third quarter would see Colon hold on to their lead, but still keep it fairly close. Colin Trattles would get a breakaway bucket over a minute in to make it 27-21 Magi, with Colon responding back with a Tristin Wood bucket in the paint and a couple free throws by Carter Huston to make it 27-25. Williams and Ryder Gorham would trade buckets the next to possessions to make it 29-27, and Williams hit a step-back jumper to make it 31-27 with three and a half minutes left. Ryder Gorham would get a bucket and a free throw off a foul to bring Mendon back within one, 31-30, but Colon would outscore them 5-2 the rest of the quarter with a three-pointer by Brennan Morrell and a bucket by Jeremiah West in the paint to make it 36-32 entering the fourth quarter.
Both teams would start quickly in the fourth quarter, with Owen Gorham hitting a bucket down low and Williams hitting a couple free throws to keep it a four-point game, 38-34 just 34 seconds in. Williams then hit a baseline layup, with Ryder Gorham following with a three-pointer to make it 40-37. Following a Mendon timeout, Ryder Gorham hit another three to tie the game at 40-40 with 5:13 to go in the game. Blair hit a baseline layup for the Magi and Goto followed with a rebounding layup to keep it a 42-42 tie. Williams and Wood would then trade baskets to make it 44-44, and that’s when Colon turned on the afterburners.
With 1:38 left in regulation, Trattles hit a three-pointer from the right wing to put the Magi up 47-44, which started an 8-0 run to essentially put the game away. After a timeout by Colon, Blair hit a bucket down low to make it 49-44, and then after getting the ball back with less than a minute left after an inbounds was mishandled by Ryder Gorham, Blair hit a bucket down low, drew a foul, and sent the Colon fans into a frenzy, putting them up 52-44 with just 42 seconds left.
Mendon played the free-throw game from there on in, but weren’t able to make their shots down the stretch, mustering just a free throw and a Ryder Gorham bucket with three seconds left, giving Colon the district title.
Vinson called winning the district title in Mendon “sweet.”
“Feels really good to come over here and beat a really quality basketball team. That’s a good basketball team. To be able to come into their house and take care of business, that feels really great,” Vinson said.
Williams had a big game for the Magi in the victory, leading all scorers with 28 points to go along with five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Williams said after the game he credited his teammates for his monster performance.
“This is all the team; I was just the one who happened to be scoring the points,” Williams said. “Ever since we lost to them the first game of the year, this is the one we’ve been circling, and every day at practice, we were like, we’ve got to work for this. This is what we’ve worked for all year.”
Blair had a double-double for the Magi with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. West had six points, six assists and five rebounds, Trattles had five points and two steals, and Brennan Morrell had three points and four rebounds.
As for Mendon, they were led by Ryder Gorham with 22 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Owen Gorham was held to nine points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Wood added six points and three rebounds, Goto had five points and three rebounds, Truckey had three points and a steal, and Huston chipped in with two points and an assist.
Mendon head coach Matt Gorham said afterwards that giving Colon second chances on offense was what cost his team the game.
“They out-rebounded us, that’s the name of the game right there. I told them yesterday we need to either match their rebounds or out-rebound them in order for it to be in our favor,” Matt Gorham said. “They got more offensive rebounds, and that’s what it came down to.”
Overall, Matt Gorham reflected on his team’s efforts, one that resulted in a record, 22-2, that had the most wins in school history.
“Obviously, it’s going to hurt more for me, just because I can’t coach my two [kids] anymore, so that part sucks. … To have everybody give me everything they’ve had all year, the results speak for themselves,” Matt Gorham said.
Colon will move on to play New Buffalo in the regional semifinals Tuesday night at Marcellus High School, which begins at 5:30 p.m. The Bison defeated Eau Claire 69-63 in Friday’s district finals at Three Oaks River Valley to make it to the regional round. The winner of that match will take on the winner of Lawrence and Battle Creek St. Philip in the regional finals March 5 at 7 p.m. in Marcellus.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
