Click the thumbnails to see videos from the game. Click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from Kyler Sager, William Kelley, and Coach Matt Johnson. Also click to hear Emerson Droubie's player spotlight interview.
ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse men's basketball team pulled out an intense 89-84 win over the Delta College Pioneers Saturday afternoon, as the Norse fended off an offensive onslaught from the Saginaw-area team in the second half.
Delta (4-12 overall, 1-4 MCCAA North) scored 55 points in the second half, more than the least two Bay opponents scored in the entire game. And the Pioneers were led by the nation's leading scorer, Sir Real Smith, who poured in 40 points, 26 in the second half.
But the Norse found a way down the stretch with several guys coming up clutch, helping Bay to improve to 14-4 on the season (4-1 MCCAA North).
“It was just enough,” Norse Coach Matt Johnson said. “It wasn't the prettiest of things, but our guys continued to compete. They played hard, and got a really big win. That's a good team, with probably the best player I've seen in this league (Sir Real Smith).”
Bay made 13 triples in the game, both helping to build a lead early, and then after that lead evaporated, helping to salvage the win in the final moments.
Kyle Hustrulid, who played tough defense in the first half on Smith, got a key “hustle basket” down the stretch with 1:42 left, giving Bay an 81-80 lead. Delta's Deontey Gray replied with a basket with 1:11 to play, putting the Pioneers ahead, 82-81.
Then after a Norse stop, Emerson Droubie knocked down his fifth triple of the game with 1:01 to play, giving Bay an 84-82 lead. The Norse got a big turnover at the other end, and then, with time winding down, made a key play on offense.
The Norse worked the ball inside to Hustrulid, but he missed the lay-up. Ziad Abouali got the rebound, and shoveled it back to William Kelly for a wide-open three-pointer with 7.1 seconds to play. That gave Bay an 87-82 lead.
Delta scored quickly at the other end to make it 87-84 and fouled Kelley. The only sophomore in uniform for the Norse calmly knocked down the two free throws to ice the game. The Florence High School graduate had a team-high 20 points, making all six of his free throws. He also nailed four triples, including the big one at the end.
“I looked up at the shot clock and there was seven left,” Kelley said. “You're not going to get any more open than that. They collapsed on Z, and I was wide open on the wing for three. We could have done anything with that. We could have swung it back on top, or got another look down low. But with that much time on the clock, I just had to shoot it. Hitting that three, in a big game, is huge for me.”
Marquette High School graduate Kyler Sager came off the bench to sink three big triples, and they came at times when Smith and Gray were pushing the Norse to the brink.
“It's nice to just get out there and do what I do best,” Sager said. “Just helping the team to get wins. We went down at times (defensively), but at the end, we buckled down. I mean, we practice that every single day. It's our main focus always.”
The Norse jumped to a 15-5 lead out of the gate on Droubie's first triple, along with inside baskets by Savion Johnson and Taveon Vann. Bay held the lead throughout the entire first half, with a Savion hoop making it a 32-20 game for Bay's biggest lead.
Bay led, 39-29, at halftime, but the Pioneers came back in waves, led by their All-American. Smith had been “held” to 14 points in the first half, but quickly took over the game, more than matching his nation's-best 34 points per game scoring avaerge.
Smith and Gray combined to score 41 of Delta's 55 second-half points, and the Pioneers took a small lead going down to the final minutes. But the Norse had an answer, with Trey Frye scoring on three inside dribble drives, the last coming with 2:57 left to tie the game at 78-78, setting up a fantastic finish in a foul-filled contest.
Delta had three players foul out of the game, and there were a total of 40 fouls called in the game, with a combined 45 free throws shot.
Beside Kelley's 20 points, Bay also got 15 points from Droubie, 14 from Frye, and 12 from Johnson. Droubie also led the Norse in rebounding with eight boards.
For Delta, Smith's 40 points came on 17 of 25 shooting from the floor, and he pulled down eight rebounds, as he played all 40 minutes of the game. Gray added 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Those two took 40 of Delta's 66 shots, and scored 60 of its 84 points.
But, somehow, the Norse found a way to win a war on their home court.
“It was tough guarding him,” Sager said about Smith. “He's a really good player. Forty points don't lie. We held our own and found a way to get a win. It's a big one. I mean, every conference game counts.”
“He's as good as we've seen, and is probably as good as we will see,” Johnson said. “I would love to have him wearing a Bay Norse uniform, I can tell you that. He's not fun to prepare for. He's not fun to try to guard.”
Bay College is back in action Wednesday night with a game in Grayling against Kirtland Community College. The game will start at 7:30 and it can be heard live on Maverick 106,3 FM.
