We are chest deep in the high school basketball playoffs. The quarterfinals are this week and the finals are next weekend. A week from Sunday morning there will be four new state champions for the 2012/2013 season. There isn’t much left this year, so go catch a game or make a plan to be at the Jack Breslin Center on Michigan State’s campus next weekend. Let’s look at the action from last week.
Low Score of the Week Part One
Baldwin 38 Manistee Catholic Central 35 (73 points)
It was a close one in the Class D district final. The difference between the win and loss was the shooting of Manistee. The shots weren’t falling (9 of 36) while Baldwin made the plays needed to win. Brandon Childress led all scorers with 23 points on the night that helped his squad to victory. For Manistee CC, Zach Bialik scored 16 and teammate Andrew Perry chipped in five points and nine rebounds.
Low Score of the Week Part Two
St. Clair 40 Richmond 33 (73 points)
It took 11 year, but St. Clair is once again district champs. The first quarter was slow, with a 9-8 score after the first period and 18-11 in St. Clair’s favor at the break. It was still tight with St. Clair holding a 25-24 lead going into the fourth quarter. A little run to start the quarter didn’t allow Richmond to get that close again. Josh Barnes scored a game high 12 points in the winning effort. Clarke Lamb scored nine and Nolan Young scored seven. For Richmond, Jake Schmidt scored 10. Dan Fistler and Kennan McCloskey both scored six points.
Low Score of the Week Part Three
Stevensville-Lakeshore 37 Sturgis 36 (73 points)
It was a very close game. The Lancers of Stevensville-Lakeshore are ranked #2 in Class B and have an undefeated record. Sturgis’ forward Chance Stewart and his teammates almost gave them their first blemish on the season. He scored a game high 30 points (the rest of his team chipped in seven points.) That includes a clutch three pointer with a defender in his face with only 5.7 seconds left to play. They never got the ball back and lost. In the victory, Keith Brushwyler scored 16 for his Lancers.
High Score of the Week
Cedarville 92 Hillman 85 (2OT) (177 points)
These two teams were having such a great time; they decided to play a little longer. A huge third quarter from Cedarville gave them a good chance to win, but it wasn’t easy. Leading all scorers was Hillman’s Tyler Jones who scored 26 points. Mason VanPamel scored 17 and tossed nine assists. Michael Klein scored 20 and grabbed three steals. Michael Olshanski only scored ten, but grabbed 14 boards and blocked a shot. For the victorious Cedarville squad, Josh Hester scored 23 points. Dan Stenbeck scored 19. Keith Bouschor chipped in 21 points.
Coach Cottrell’s BLOWOUT of the Week
Jackson Lumen Christi 75 Olivet 28 (47 points)
This game was up in the air. It was anyone’s for the taking. Then they decided it was time to start the game and Jackson Lumen Christi ran Olivet off the court. Twelve different played scored for Jackson Lumen Christi. They were led by Matt Bullinger who scored 15. Amani Bass scored 10. For Olivet, Nick Coolidge scored 11.
