The Reese girls basketball team clinched a share of the Greater Thumb West title against Cass City Thursday.
By Tom Gilchrist and Mike Gallagher
Advertiser Sports Staff
CASS CITY — Reese’s girls basketball team wasted little time claiming its share of the Greater Thumb Conference West Division title here Thursday night, jumping to a 30-2 lead after the first quarter en route to a win over the Red Hawks.
“I’m very proud of these girls. I just told ‘em that we just won our seventh Greater Thumb (Conference) West title in a row, so I’m very, very proud of the girls to continue that,” said Reese coach Denny Gruber, whose Rockets led 49-5 at halftime on their way to a 64-17 victory.
Reese shares the Greater Thumb Conference West Division crown with USA. Both teams end the regular season with 9-1 conference marks. Reese’s overall record is 15-5.
Reyna Frost led the Rockets with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals against Cass City. She added 10 rebounds and five steals.
Maddie Coulter added 11 points for Reese, including a trio of 3-pointers. Paige Smith scored eight points for Reese and teammate Katie DuRussel pitched in with seven.
Cass City freshman Sayge Cuthrell scored eight points to lead coach Clarke Haire’s Red Hawks. Teammate Alliah Riddle added four points.
Mayville 38, Owen-Gage 31: A 19-8 third-quarter scoring advantage fueled the Wildcats’ road victory Friday night. Trailing by only one point at the half 15-14, Mayville grabbed the lead in the third quarter, and held it for the remainder of the game. The Wildcats were led by Jimi Harris, who scored a game-high 16 points, and also grabbed nine rebounds. Miranda Zaremba scored 10 for Mayville, and added seven rebounds, while Jenna Franks hauled in 12 rebounds. Owen-Gage was led by Alyson Witzke’s nine points, while Courtney Southgate and Courtney Wightman scored eight apiece.
Frankenmuth 54, Millington 24: The host Eagles jumped out to a 16-2 first-quarter lead Thursday night and held a 28-8 halftime lead. Frankenmuth outscored the Cardinals 26-16 in the second half. Three Eagles scored in double figures, with Kendra Kujat scoring 11 points and Madison Wiskur and Madison Walter adding 10 apiece. The win caps an 18-2 regular season for Frankenmuth, which compiled a 14-0 conference record. The 14 conference wins extends the Eagles’ conference winning streak to 82 games, a streak that extends over seven seasons. Frankenmuth begins district play Monday at North Branch, playing Mount Morris.
The Frankenmuth Eagles wrapped up their season with a win over Millington. The Lady Eagles finish the year with a 14-0 conference, and now have a 82 game winning streak in Tri-Valley East conference play.
Unionville-Sebewaing Area 56, Marlette 39: USA went on the road Wednesday night and raced to a 33-14 halftime lead, then held off the Red Raiders. “We played really hard,” USA coach Lindsay Bitzer said of her Patriots. “I was a little worried about the game because it’s not a league game and there was no league anything on the line anymore.” Marlette’s Emily Schaub scored 12 points, while teammates Haley Cross and MacKenzie Kelly scored nine apiece. Cross and Kelly also grabbed eight rebounds each.
Peck 40, Mayville 38: Mayville took a 28-23 lead into the fourth quarter at Peck on Thursday, but the Wildcats couldn’t hold on in the final stanza. Jenna Franks scored 12 points and hauled down 15 rebounds for Mayville, while teammate Jimi Harris scored 14. Peck was led by Daleigh Bissett with 14 points and Alyissa VanConant with 10.