Marlette’s Emily Schaub sets up for a jumper in a game against Brown City. Schaub would finish with eight points in the victory.(photo by Kevin Gregory)
Tom Gilchrist and Mike Gallagher
Advertiser Staff
BROWN CITY — Marlette girls basketball coach Cathy Storm said she didn’t make a commotion at halftime here Thursday night, but she did make some tweaks.
And the changes spoke volumes in the second half for her Red Raiders, who came from behind to defeat Brown City, 44-37, in a Greater Thumb Conference East Division matchup.
“We just kind of talked about a few things we needed to improve on,” said Storm, whose Red Raiders trailed by eight points at intermission but outscored Brown City 27-12.
“Defensively, we just talked about not giving up those easy buckets and making sure we box out,” Storm said. “Offensively, the goal was just to attack.”
Marlette, which moved to 7-1 in the conference with the win, pumped up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, holding Brown City scorers Skye Willer and Kristie Wheeler to a total of four points.
A three-pointer by Marlette’s Emily Schaub tied the game at 27-27 with 4:59 remaining in the third quarter. A layup by Haley Cross gave the Red Raiders a one-point lead about three minutes later, and Cross scored a basket six seconds before the buzzer to give the Red Raiders a 35-32 lead after three periods.
Marlette moved to 12-3 overall, while Brown City fell to 8-5 overall and 4-3 in the GTC-East.
“We just quit moving in the second half,” said Brown City coach Cindy Burton. “They flat out outhustled us in the last two quarters. We didn’t do anything different, other than not moving.
“We just got stagnant. We didn’t take care of the ball. It’s the story of our season.”
Burton said her Green Devils “came out with a lot of energy” to start the game.
During the second quarter, a layup by Wheeler, along with putback baskets off rebounds by Riley Pavel and Taylor Pitts, helped Brown City take the halftime lead. Wheeler scored nine points in the game for the Green Devils, with Willer tallying a game-high 16.
Caitlin Quade scored 11 points to lead Marlette, while Schaub, Cross and MacKenzie Kelly adding eight points apiece.
Marlette, in second place in the league, awaits a Feb. 19 rematch with Sandusky, unbeaten in the GTC-East. The Red Raiders host that battle.
“We need to come ready to play (against Sandusky),” Storm said. “The first game, we didn’t do that, but hopefully we’ll be better.”
Reese’s Reyna Frost grabs a rebound against USA in a game earlier this season. Frost got her 1,000 career rebound this week against Lakers.(photo by Dave Wohl)
Reese 53, Laker High 20: After scoring her 1,000 career point earlier this season, Reyna Frost grabbed her 1,000th career rebound Thursday night in a home win against Laker High. According to Michigan High School Athletic Association statistics, only 20 other players have achieved 1,000 career rebounds in girls basketball history. Frost scored 26 points and had 11 rebounds and five blocks in the win over the Lakers. The double-double was Frost’s 14th of the season. Brittany Hatfield led Lakers with 10 points. Reese (12-3, 6-0) visits Vassar on Thursday.
Frankenmuth 46, Ithaca 40: In a battle of the leaders of the Tri-Valley Conference East and West divisions on Thursday, Ithaca — the No. 9-ranked team in Class C — traveled to Frankenmuth, the No. 9-ranked team in Class B. It was a close game throughout, with Frankenmuth leading 24-22 at intermission and holding a 33-30 lead after three periods. The Eagles built a six-point lead at the beginning of the fourth before Ithaca came back to take a one-point lead with less than two minutes to go. That was when Frankenmuth’s Kendra Kujat found Madison Walter under the bucket for the go-ahead score. Frankenmuth would hit five of five free throws in the final minute to seal the win. Walter led the Eagles with 12 points, and Kujat scored 11. Brayene Benner contributed 11 rebounds and blocked eight shots for the Eagles. Frankenmuth (13-2, 9-0) visits Bridgeport on Tuesday.
Millington 51, St. Charles 35: The Cardinals build a big first-half lead and cruised to a Tri-Valley Conference crossover victory Thursday night. Millington outscored the Bulldogs 18-2 in the first quarter and led 26-6 at intermission. Hailey Murray led the Cardinals with a game-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds. Haley Trickey scored 11 points and Sydney Olmstead contributed eight points and six rebounds for Millington. Audrey Pumford led St. Charles with 16 points. Millington (7-7, 5-4) visits Essexville-Garber on Tuesday.
Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy 62, Akron-Fairgrove 48: Katelyn Smith tallied 14 points for Akron-Fairgrove and Emily Wagner added 12, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the host Dragons from prevailing in this game Friday night in Saginaw. “We turned the ball over too many times in the first half and gave up too many offensive rebounds,” Akron-Fairgrove coach Andy Beauvais said. SASA led 41-22 at halftime and, by winning, remained tied for the Michigan Summit League lead with Bay City All Saints.
Saginaw Valley Lutheran 47, Caro 41: The Tigers, at home, played the Chargers tough Thursday, but couldn’t stop a fourth-quarter comeback by Valley Lutheran. Caro had a 19-12 lead at the half, and led 26-23 after three, but were outscored by the Chargers 24-15 in the final quarter. Sarah Brown scored a game-high 18 points for Caro, and Melissa Cockerill added nine. Caro (7-6, 6-3) travels to LakeVille on Tuesday for a Tri-Valley Conference East Division matchup.
Kingston 48, Imlay City 31: The Cardinals went on the road Wednesday night, and picked up a non-conference victory over the Spartans, earning their 12th win of the season. Kingston held a 27-14 lead at the half, after outscoring the Spartans 12-2 in the second quarter. “We had a strong defensive effort in the two middle quarters,” stated Kingston coach Jay Green. Kingston was led by Jenna Boyl, who scored a game-high 21 points, while Cassidy MacGuire chipped in with nine. Abby Schefla scored 10 points for Imlay City. Kingston (12-2, 9-0) hosts Akron-Fairgrove on Monday.