Reese’s Jared Schrader goes up for the bucket in Friday’s game against USA. Schrader would finish with 13 points.
Tom Gilchrist and Mike Gallagher
Advertiser Staff
SEBEWAING — Reese handed Unionville-Sebewaing Area its first conference loss here Friday night, coming from behind to nip the Patriots, 59-56.
The Patriots led 17-14 after the first quarter and 29-27 at halftime, but Reese took the lead 45-41 after three quarters.
With coach Brian Kern’s Rockets clinging to a three-point lead as time ticked away in the fourth quarter, USA couldn’t connect on several shots in an attempt to tie the contest before the buzzer.
Jared Schrader scored 13 points to lead Reese, with Drew Brechtelsbauer and Jake Galsterer adding 12 points apiece for the Rockets.
USA was led by Dominic Guardian who scored a game-high 17 points, while Aaron Saenz added nine.
“Both teams played with great intensity,” said Reese coach Brian Kern. “It was a great atmosphere, and USA really made us earn it,” he added.
Reese moves into second place in the Greater Thumb Conference West Division, while USA drops to third.
Reese (6-4, 2-1) plays at Bay City All Saints Friday, while USA (6-1, 2-1) looks to rebound against Michigan Lutheran Seminary on Monday.
Birch Run 82, Millington 77:Birch Run “controlled the glass big-time,” said Millington coach Shane LeVan, whose Cardinals suffered their first defeat of the season in a loss on the road Friday night. “Their bigs dominated us tonight,” LeVan said. “They had three of them, and two of them hurt us bad.” LeVan referred to Peyton Miller, who led the Panthers with 25 points, and Kevin Hahn, who added 14. Birch Run guard Andrew Thompson scored 18. Millington trailed 26-6 in the first half but cut the margin to six points at halftime. Austin LeVan poured in 36 points for Millington, while Shawn Pardee scored 20.
Millington’s Jimmy Reed goes up for the layup against Birch Run
Cass City 57, Bay City All Saints 38: The Red Hawks won their second game of the week on Friday, knocking off the Cougars at home in a non-conference matchup. Cass City outscored All Saints 25-16 in the first half, and then outscored the Cougars 32-22 in the second half. Three Red Hawks scored in double digits, with Sawyer Cuthrell netting a game-high 15 points. Kyle Ross scored 14 and Mason Erla added 12. Cass City held All Saints star Justin Bates (24.7 ppg) to his lowest point total of the season, only allowing him to score 11 points. Cass City (3-6, 1-1) will return to action Friday at home versus Vassar.
Caro 46, Bridgeport 44: The Tigers came from behind in the fourth quarter at home to beat the Bearcats, who missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer to try to tie the game. Alex Phillips scored 14 points to lead Caro, while Brandon Tomlinson added nine and Bailey Krueger and Tanner Tysick pitched in with seven apiece. Brennan Burks led the Bearcats with 12 points, but Caro outscored the visitors 32-24 in the second half.
Kingston 65, Carsonville-Port Sanilac 26: The Cardinals rolled to their seventh conference win. defeating the Tigers at home. “We got off to a good start,” said Kingston coach Dave Lester. Kingston jumped out to a 26-11 lead after the first quarter, and allow CPS to score only five points in each of the last three quarters. The Cardinals outscored the Tigers 26-10 in the second half. Kylan Pennington led the way for Kingston, scoring 18 points and grabbing five rebounds. Clay Daily and Travis Tucker each scored seven points, and Aaron VanHorn had seven points and seven assists. “Everyone contributed and scored tonight,” stated coach Lester. Kingston (8-3, 7-0) will travel to Deckerville on Friday in North Central Thumb League action.
Akron-Fairgrove 56, Owen-Gage 46: The Vikings grabbed their first Michigan Summit League victory of the season, beating the rival Bulldogs on the road. “Owen-Gage came out strong, and was up 21-9 at one point, but we just clawed our way back,” said Akron-Fairgrove coach Adam Moore. “We really wore them down throughout the duration of the game.” Jeremy Verhelle led all scorers with 20 points for Akron-Fairgrove, and Adrian Vliet added 13. Jacob Wright and David Binder both scored 16 points for the Bulldogs. The Vikings held a slim 37-36 lead going into the final quarter, but went on an 18-9 run to seal the victory. “It was an overall team win, and a great win especially on the road,” stated Moore. Akron-Fairgrove (7-2, 1-2) will be at home against Bay City All Saints Monday, and Owen-Gage (2-8, 0-4) will be at SASA on Tuesday.
Frankenmuth 57, LakeVille 25: The Eagles put their balanced scoring attack on display in the victory over the Falcons. Ten players scored for Frankenmuth, with Grant Bronner leading the way with 11 points. Brady Wood added 10 for the Eagles. Frankenmuth started slowly, holding only a 7-6 lead after the first quarter, before outscoring LakeVille 17-7 in the second. The Eagles went on a 12-5 run in the third quarter, before putting the game away in the fourth quarter, with a 21-7 advantage. Frankenmuth (7-1, 6-1) will be playing today against Flint Powers, in a non-conference showdown.
Essexville-Garber 77, North Branch 56: The Broncos played close against the Dukes, but ultimatly couldnt keep up in a conference matchup on the road. North Branch only trailed 26-25 at the half, and were down only 47-44 after the third quarter. The Dukes however outscored the Broncos 30-12 in the fourth quarter to grab the win. Curt Garza scored a game high 20 points for North Branch. Five players scored in double figures for the Dukes, and they were led by Blake Oakes’ 19 points. North Branch (4-7, 2-5) will be playing at home Friday against Frankenmuth.
Deckerville 57, Mayville 30: The Wildcats dropped a conference game on the road against the Eagles. Deckerville jumped out to a 34-17 halftime lead, and used solid defense to keep Mayville out of the game in the second half. Dalton Bailey led the Wildcats with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Andrew Morrison contributed eight points and six rebounds. Mayville (2-4, 2-3) will be at home Tuesday against Memphis.
FROM WEDNESDAY
USA 53, Vassar 51: Junior Brodie Wesolowski’s 3-pointer with about 10 seconds left in the game proved to be the game-winner for the visiting Patriots. Junior guard Aaron Saenz led USA with 31 points. Vassar senior guard Blake Ruppal popped in 17 points, with junior Tyler Humpert scoring 16 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Vassar led 42-39 heading into the final quarter.
Bad Axe 67, Reese 54: Tommy Morneau powered the Hatchets at home with a game-high 26 points, with teammate Mason Krug adding 14. Reese was led by Jared Schrader with 13 and Kyle Gnatkowski with 12. “They outplayed us, they worked harder than we did, they got to all the loose balls,” said Reese coach Brian Kern. “They deserved to win. We didn’t.”
Owen-Gage 51, Caseville 34: The Bulldogs picked up a non-conference victory Wednesday night against the Eagles. Owen-Gage held a 28-15 halftime lead, after a 13-5 scoring run in the second quarter. David Binder led all scorers with 21 points, while Jacob Wright scored 20 and Dan Good added 10. Mason Kozfkay led Caseville with nine points.
Cass City 47, Laker High 42: The Red Hawks earned a conference win against the Lakers. Mason Erla Cass City with a game-high 20 points, and Dakota Valentine led Lakers with 16. Cass City built a 24-16 halftime lead, and held off a Laker comeback in the second half.