Reese’s Reyna Frost puts up a jumper in a game earlier this season. Frost had her ninth double-double Thursday night against Vassar.
Tom Gilchrist and Mike Gallagher
Advertiser Staff
REESE — Miss Basketball candidate Reyna Frost provided plenty of offense for Reese here Thursday night, but the Rockets proved strong as well on the defensive end.
Coach Denny Gruber’s Rockets held Vassar scoreless in both the second and third quarters en route to a 40-6 victory. Frost tallied 14 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks for her ninth double-double in as many games this season. Frost pushed her season averages to 20.6 points per game, 14.2 rebounds per game and 3.8 blocks per game. Carlee Selle had four points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, while seven others also scored on the evening. Reese (6-3, 2-0) will be on the road Tuesday against Bad Axe, while Vassar (3-6, 1-1) will be playing at Birch Run on Monday.
Owen-Gage 33, Alba 12: Owen-Gage’s girls and boys basketball team made the four-hour bus trip to Antrim County in the northwest Lower Peninsula for games against Alba on Friday, and the Owen-Gage girls beat the Wildcats, 33-12. Alyson Witzke and Courtney Wightman scored 12 points apiece to lead the Bulldogs to the win. Owen-Gage is 5-4 overall and 0-2 in the Michigan Summit League. “Every year our athletic director sets up a trip up north — last year we played at Mackinac Island,” said Owen-Gage coach Mike Sutherland. “It’s great for the kids because it gets them out and lets them see a different area and play somebody they’ve never played before.” Owen-Gage applied full-court pressure in the first half, compiling a 19-2 lead at halftime. “You have to take care of business, and then you can work on some things,” Sutherland said.
Frankenmuth 53, Millington 22: The Eagles shut out the Cardinals in the first quarter and held a 32-12 lead at the half in a Tri-Valley Conference East Division victory Thursday night. Kendra Kujat led Frankenmuth with a game-high 20 points, and added six rebounds and four steals. Frankenmuth’s Madison Walter chipped in with eight points for the Eagles. Ashlee Chema led the Cardinals with nine points, and Elizabeth Selich collected six points and eight rebounds for Millington. Millington had 24 turnovers on the night. Frankenmuth (9-1, 7-0) will be at home Tuesday night against Ortonville-Brandon, and Millington (4-5, 4-3) will play Birch Run at home Thursday.
Caro’s Nicole Parker grabs a rebound against Brich Run.
Caro 31, Birch Run 28: The Tigers won a conference game on the road Thursday. The Panthers held a 19-10 lead at the beginning of the third quarter, before Caro went on a 13-0 run to take the lead. The fourth quarter was closely contested, but Caro’s Sarah Brown pushed the Tiger lead to three points with a late free throw, and a Birch Run shot attempt fell short at the buzzer. Brown finished with five points, and Melissa Cockerill scored a team-high 10 points for Caro. Savannah Gibson scored a game-high 12 points for the Panthers. Caro (6-3, 5-2) will be playing at home Friday night against Bridgeport.
North Branch 41, Bridgeport 32: The Broncos picked up their first win of the season Thursday night, knocking off the Bearcats in conference action. Calla McNulty scored a season-high 22 points for North Branch, and the Broncos outscored Bridgeport 20-14 in the first half. Emma Brandt scored eight points, and Lauren Bickel chipped in six points for the Broncos. North Branch (1-8, 1-6) will be at home Thursday night against Essexville Garber.
USA 42, Laker 33: The Patriots won their third conference game Thursday night against the Lakers. USA held a 29-26 lead before it went on a 13-7 run in the fourth quarter. Sam Ewald led the Patriots with 11 points, and Marisa Morison had six. Mariah Cook led all scorers with 17 points for the Lakers. USA (5-2, 3-0) will be at Vassar on Tuesday night.
S.A.S.A. 51, Akron-Fairgrove 43: The Vikings dropped a conference game Friday night. Akron trailed 28-14 at the half before closing the gap in the second half. “It was a hard fought game,” said Akron coach Andy Beauvais. “We made it close in the second half, cutting the lead to five, but Saginaw is a good team,” he added. Ally Reif and Emily Wagner both scored 11 points for the Vikings, and Robyn Pruitt scored a game high 22 points for S.A.S.A. Akron-Fairgrove (2-5, 0-2) will be at home Tuesday night against Mt. Morris.