Akron-Fairgrove’s Austin Carter works the ball up the floor in Monday’s game against Bay City All Saints.
Tom Gilchrist and Mike Gallagher
Advertiser Staff
FAIRGROVE — Adam Moore was pinching himself Monday night when his Akron-Fairgrove boys basketball team — playing without point guard Jarod Ruiz — led Michigan Summit League power Bay City All Saints late in the first quarter.
“We were leading, 13-12, and we were hot,” Moore said. “But they have just too many athletes.”
Such as Justin Bates, who scored 19 points in the second quarter to help power the Cougars to a 71-33 road victory.
“I was a little worried in the first quarter because in the last game we gave up 22 offensive rebounds and in the first quarter tonight, we gave up six,” said All Saints coach Jason Brzezinski , whose team moved to 4-1 in the league and 7-4 overall. Akron-Fairgrove fell to 1-3 in the league and 7-3 overall.
International Academy of Flint leads the MSL with an unbeaten record in league play.
“I was a little concerned early because we had a good practice yesterday, and brought the effort in practice, but it didn’t carry over into that first quarter,” Brzezinski said.
Bay City All Saints picked up the offense in the second and third quarters against Akron-Fairgrove, outscoring the Vikings 41-10 in those two periods to put away the game.
Bates “struggled in the first quarter and he struggled in the last game, but he started attacking the basket a little more and getting some easy buckets,” Brzezinski said.
Bates finished the game with 21 points for the Cougars, with Trevor Ambroziak adding 17, Jacob Lesniak scoring 13 and Josh Dorion pitching in with 12.
Austin Carter led Akron-Fairgrove with 13 points, while Jeremy Verhelle and Dylan Polk scored eight apiece.
With Akron-Fairgrove point guard Ruiz absent due to the flu, “we had a lot of guys playing different positions tonight,” Moore said.
“Adrian Vliet, who usually plays in the post, was playing wing,” Moore noted.
The Vikings committed 19 turnovers in the first half, as All Saints employed several different defensive schemes. A ballhandler such as Ruiz could have reduced the turnovers.
“Jarod (Ruiz) is one of those kids who says ‘I don’t think I’m very valuable,’ but I say ‘Oh yeah, you are,’” Moore said.
The Vikings play at league-leading International Academy of Flint on Friday.
“I call this ‘Hell Week,’” Moore said.
Alma 85, Millington 70: It was another eventful game for Austin LeVan, but the Cardinals fell to the Panthers, who are ranked ninth in Class B and who sit in first place in the Tri-Valley Conference Central Division. LeVan grabbed his 500th career rebound in the loss. The first quarter hurt the Cardinals, as Alma jumped out to a 22-8 lead, but Millington kept it close in the three remaining quarters. LeVan scored 31 points while shooting 50% from the field, and added 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals. Shawn Pardee scored 24 points for Millington, and Caleb Wascher contributed six points and six rebounds. Konner Vedrode scored 27 points for Alma. Millington (9-2, 6-1) plays at Caro on Friday.
North Branch 54, Chesaning 47: The Broncos picked up their fifth win of the season Tuesday night, defeating the Indians on the road in a TVC Crossover game. North Branch trailed 31-26 at halftime, but stepped up the defensive intensity in the second half, holding Chesaning to only 16 points, and outscoring the Indians 15-7 in the third quarter to grab the lead. Curt Garza and Zach Fish led the Broncos with 14 points each, with Fish knocking down four 3-pointers. North Branch (5-7, 2-5) will play Frankenmuth on Friday at home.
Mayville 53, Memphis 44: The Wildcats never trailed in a non-conference victory over the Yellowjackets. Mayville held a slim 8-6 lead after one quarter, but used a 20-12 run in the second to build a comfortable lead going into halftime. Dillon Pollard scored a game-high 16 points for the Wildcats, and grabbed seven rebounds. Mayville juniors Andrew Morrison and Dalton Bailey combined for 21 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocks, while Craig Shaver contributed six rebounds and five assists. Mayville (3-4, 2-4) plays Carsonville-Port Sanilac on Friday in a North Central Thumb League matchup.
Michigan Lutheran Seminary 62, USA 42: It was a tale of two halves Monday night, as the Patriots lost their second game of the season, dropping a non-conference game against the Cardinals. USA was behind 17-11 after the first quarter, but charged back in the second, outscoring MLS 22-16 to tie the game at 33 at intermission. In the second half, though, the Patriots were held to four points in the third quarter, and five in the final quarter. MLS outscored USA in the second half, 29-9. USA was led by Dominic Guardian, who scored 14 points, and Aaron Saenz added eight points. MLS was led by Casey Williams, who scored a game-high 22 points. USA (6-2, 2-1) plays at Bad Axe on Friday.
Frankenmuth freshman Mario Whitley scored a career high 23 points in a win against Flint Powers. Whitley grabbed a game high 15 rebounds as well in the victory.
Frankenmuth 56, Flint Powers Catholic 47: The Eagles used a 20-11 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to knock off the Chargers in a non-conference matchup on Saturday. Frankenmuth led the game 28-21 at halftime, but was outscored 15-8 in the third quarter. The score in the final quarter was tied 43-43 with about three minutes left, before Frankenmuth senior guard Aaron Krafft hit a 3-pointer to give the the Eagles the lead. Frankenmuth held the lead for the remainder of the contest, going on a 13-4 scoring run to end the game. Frankenmuth freshman Mario Whitley scored a career-high 23 points, while grabbing 15 rebounds. Krafft scored six points and added nine rebounds.
SASA 69, Owen-Gage 56: Jacob Wright’s game-high 30 points weren’t quite enough as the Bulldogs fell to 0-4 in conference play. Owen-Gage led 29-27 at halftime, but a 24-6 run in the third quarter put SASA up 51-35. The Bulldogs outscored SASA 21-18 in the final quarter. David Binder scored 12 points for Owen-Gage, and Dan Good added 11. Dre Allen scored 21 points for SASA Owen-Gage (2-9, 0-4) plays Bay City All Saints on Thursday.