The Gladstone High School girls basketball team had a rough first quarter in Thursday night's Class B regional championship game against Ludington. But after falling behind, 15-6, the girls ramped up the defensive intensity and overwhelmed the Orioles, 65-54, in Gaylord. Jammie Botruff scored 21 points, including 14 free throws, and Katie Becker added 16 as the Braves won their second straight regional title.
The Gladstone High School boys basketball team had a poor first quarter, falling behind, 15-4, and was eliminated by the Menominee Maroons, 60-50, in the Class B district semifinals Wednesday in Gladstone. The Braves gave up too many offensive rebounds, and the quick Maroon guards were able to get numerous steals that were turned into baskets at the other end of the court. Jared Vuksan led the Braves with 19 points, and his team closed to within seven points on several occassions in the fourth quarter. But Menominee's Jared Rivard nailed long jumpers on all three occassions to hold Gladstone at bay, finishing with 16 points. Bryan Hines had 14 points for the Maroons.
The Escanaba High School boys basketball team did not roll over and let the highly ranked Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils dominate them. Despite the amount of youth on the floor Wednesday night, Eskymo Coach Tracy Hudson and his boys executed a strong game plan and nearly set the U.P. basketball world on its ears. Escanaba led for most of the game but lost to the Blue Devils, 64-58, in overtime. The Eskymos led early, 15-5, and had a 35-27 lead at the half. The EHS lead was 51-42 with six minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but the Sault Ste. Marie defensive pressure eventually took its toll. The Soo finished the game on a 22-7 run.
The Gladstone Braves got off to a good start Tuesday night and kept on rolling throughout the game, turning back the Gladwin Flying G's, 72-44, in the Class B regional semifinals in Gaylord. Jammie Botruff scored eight of her game-high 24 points in the first quarter, and Erin Boddy also scored eight points in that first quarter as the Braves built a 17-7 lead. The lead grew to 39-17 at the half, and 51-19 in the third quarter, and the girls were on cruise control from there.
The Rapid River High School boys basketball team opened the post-season Monday with a workmanlike 68-50 win over the Engadine Eagles. Sophomore Jake Pearson scored 26 points to lead the way for the Rockets (12-9). Senior Connor Frisch led Engadine (3-18) with 18 points, including four three's, all in the second half. The two teams were tied at 17 in the second quarter when the Rockets went on a 9-0 run to take control. The lead grew to 33-22 at the half, and 53-37 in the fourth quarter.
The Gladstone Braves repeated as Class B District Champions on Saturday, beating the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils, 61-39, at the Gladstone High School. In Friday night's Class B semifinal against the Escanaba Eskymos, the Braves built a 32-17 lead at halftime, but had to hang on at the end as Escanaba had several chances to score.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association's wrestling state finals wrapped up on Saturday at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Eskymo 285 pounder Dalton Spear (pictured below on the podium, third from left) won his first two matches, but then lost his last three matches. Spear ended up finishing sixth in the state. Esky sophomore Travis Heller won two of his first three matches, then lost twice on Saturday and finished eighth at 135 pounds. Gladstone's Josh Kadish won one match and lost two others, and did not place.
Somewhere, Mark Bruce is smiling. All Eskymo hockey fans remember Bruce (also known as "Pudge") who scored a goal in overtime to help the Eskymos beat the Marquette Redmen in a 2007 playoff game. That goal was waived off, incorrectly, by the on-ice officials at Lakeview Arena. Marquette ended up winning that 2007 game in triple overtime, 4-3. But Thursday night, six years later, the Escanaba Eskymos finally got one for "Pudge", and for all of the Eskymo hockey players who served as Marquette's punching bag on the way to long tournament runs.
The plan didn't work exactly the way Phil Griebel wanted it to work. But in the end, it worked. Griebel started several players who normally do not see much playing time on "Senior Night" and the Braves fell behind the Manistique Emeralds, 14-0, halfway through the first quarter. The team pulled together to get to within one point at halftime, and went on a 25-2 run in the second half to close the regular season with a 71-59 win. Four Gladstone Braves scored in double figures, and a couple of guys took turns at helping the team dig out from underneath that 14-0 hole.
Finally, the road show is over for the Escanaba Eskymo hockey team. After nine straight games away from home. After traveling a total of 1,911 miles from one end of Michigan to the other. After late-night bus rides, hotel check-ins and check-outs, and 30 days since their last home game, the Eskymos beat the Negaunee Miners, 3-0, Monday night, in their playoff opener at Negaunee Arena.
The Hannahville High School boys basketball team won the Northern Lights Tournament championship on Saturday, beating regular season co-champ Maplewood Baptist, 57-51, in overtime in Hannahville. Martin Thorbahn nailed four three-pointers, including the game-winner in the extra session. Alec Wandashega and Seth Williams both added a dozen points, with Williams scoring two overtime baskets. The Eagles also beat Beaver Island, 74-23, in a tournament semifinal.
The Hannahville Soaring Eagles girls basketball team won their first Northern Lights Tournament championship Saturday afternoon, topping Grand Marais, 41-33, in the title game. Hannahville also beat Maplewood Baptist, 41-31, in a semifinal match-up Saturday morning, and beat Mackinac Island Friday.
The Gladstone Braves have played with most of the top teams in the Upper Peninsula this season, but have ended up on the short end of the stick more times than not. But Friday night in Escanaba, the Braves finally got a break from the gods who look down on high school basketball. Blake Ballard's leaping rebound and shot off a Jared Vuksan miss as time ran out gave the Braves an emotional 66-65 win over an Escanaba team that left it all on the court. The buzzer-beater capped a game that saw both teams go on offensive spurts, but neither could pull away from the other.
The Gladstone High School wrestling team bolted to a 28-0 lead Wednesday, but the Roscommon Bucks rallied to post a 38-32 win in the Division Three regional championship match in Manistique. Chris Walters (171), Jack Kronick (215), Tommy Bailey (285), and Jake Kujala (103) all posted pins, and Jake Kronick (189) posted a major decision win as the Braves built that 28-0 lead. After Roscommon took a 32-28 lead, Braves freshman Keenan Barron won a 9-1 major decision from Bradley Briggs to tie the match at 32-32. That left a trip to Battle Creek on the line for the final two matches.
The Escanaba High School wrestling pulled out an emotional 39-36 victory over Bay City Western in the Division Two Regional semifinals Wednesday night in Bay City. Eskymo senior Jake Drage won the match by pinning his opponent with his team trailing by three points. Sophomore Travis Heller had another Eskymo highlight by winning a marathon match that went into triple overtime. But in the end, the wrestling powerhouse Greenville eliminated the Eskymos again in the final, 49-6. Heller had Escanaba's only victory in the regional championship match.
The Kingsford High School wrestling team got off to a good start Wednesday night, taking a 24-3 lead over the Roscommon Bucks in the Division Three regional semifinals in Manistique. But the Bucks had too much firepower and the Flivvers had to give away a few forfeits, and Roscommon won the semifinal match, 51-24.
The Gladstone Braves got six pins and posted a 45-33 win over the Benzie Central Huskies in the Division Three regional semifinals Wednesday night in Manistique. Chris Walters (171), Jake Kronick (189), Jack Kronick (215), Tommy Bailey (285), Sam Taylor (135), and Josh Kadish (145) all earned six points.
Bark River-Harris High School started its wrestling program this school year, and became the smallest program in the Upper Peninsula. The team lost to powerhouse Iron Mountain in the first round of the MHSAA team districts last week, but there was still the individual district tournament to be held over the weekend in Munising. And BR-H freshman Curtis Labadie became the school's first-ever regional qualifier by finishing fourth overall in his weight class at districts. Labadie will represent himself, and his school, at the Division Four Individual Regional tournament next Saturday in downstate Manton.
After the Gladstone Braves finished off a 62-46 win over the Big Bay deNoc Black Bears Tuesday night, it was hard to tell that they had won the game. Nobody seemed to be happy about the performance, in which the Braves built a 33-point lead and then cruised to the victory. Why? Well, shooting 14-for-40 from the free throw line is not very encouraging. And a slew of turnovers and missed lay-ups didn't exactly excite the guys, or a glum Coach Phil Griebel after the game.
For most of the night, not much went right for the Rapid River Rockets basketball team. The boys couldn't pass, couldn't shoot, and they were trailing their arch-rivals by 15 points with just 5:46 left in the game. But the Rockets stayed composed and put on an improbable late-game run to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Rapid River scored the final 19 points of Friday night's game and beat the Mid Peninsula Wolverines, 47-43, at the Rapid River High School Gym. "I told the guys that we had nothing to lose," Rapid River Coach Craig Carter said. "I told them that I'm not gonna get mad if they go for a steal and miss. And the guys came up big. But in Mid Pen's defense, they had some shots that went in in the first half that didn't go in the second half. They weren't taking bad shots. And they were protecting the ball decently." Click the above headline to read the rest of the story and see photos and video highlights.
The Gladstone Braves scored 25 points in the fourth quarter and turned back the Mid Peninsula Wolverines, 52-41, in a non-conference game Tuesday night in Perkins. The game was sloppy at times, especially in the first quarter, when there were almost as many turnovers as points on the scoreboard. Mid Pen led, 9-8, after the first quarter, and Gladstone led, 23-22, at halftime. The game stayed close throughout the third quarter, as the teams managed to score just four points apiece. Leading 27-26 entering the fourth quarter, the Braves went on a 12-2 run. Click the above headline to see the whole story, and for more pictures.
