Caro’s Sarah Brown puts up a floater in Monday’s game against Millington. Brown would finish with 17 points in the victory.
By Tom Gilchrist and Mike Gallagher
Advertiser Staff
MILLINGTON — Plenty rested on Sarah Brown’s shoulders Monday night when she stepped to the foul line repeatedly, and the Caro senior guard delivered big dividends.
“Sarah was 9-for-11 from the line in the game and just knocked down free throws when we really had to have them,” said Caro coach Jeff Sauser, whose Tigers held off Millington, 55-45, in both teams’ Tri-Valley Conference East Division opener.
“If we miss those free throws, it’s a totally different ballgame,” said Sauser, whose Tigers improved to 3-1 overall with the victory.
Millington jumped out to a 10-8 lead after one quarter. Caro, however, kicked its offense into gear in the second quarter, taking a 23-17 lead at intermission.
“I thought it was the best game that we’ve played so far this year,” Sauser said. “We played really well start to finish, though we had a little lapse late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.
“Give Millington credit. They hit three or four 3-point shots in a row to get back in the game, and took a three-point lead in the second half to cap a 13-0 run against us. We then finished on a 13-0 ourselves.”
Brown scored 17 points and senior guard Melissa Cockerill added 16 for Caro. Cockerill and senior guard Micaylee Root led the Tigers in rebounds.
Molly Wolfington poured in 22 points for Millington and grabbed nine rebounds. Hailey Murray scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Cardinals, who fell to 0-4 overall on the season. Jenna Meacham pitched in with 11 rebounds for Millington while Sydney Olmstead scored five points and collected five rebounds.
“We’ve struggled at finishing close ball games in the last couple years, and this is one that we didn’t let get away,” Sauser said. “I was really proud of the girls and the way they responded with that 13-0 run.”
Millington hosts Essexville Garber on Thursday while Caro plays host to LakeVille.
Pinconning 66, Akron-Fairgrove 46: The visiting Spartans jumped out to a 33-24 halftime lead and outscored Akron-Fairgrove 13-6 in the third quarter to help put the game away Monday night. The Vikings were led by Emily Wagner with 22 points and Leslie Hutchinson with nine. Though Pinconning boasts more students than Akron-Fairgrove, coach Andrew Beauvais of the Vikings said “It was less the size of the school and more the size of the girls that hurt us — we had a tough night on the boards.” The Vikings did a “decent job” of blocking out the Spartans in the first half, Beauvais said, though he added that “they just kept outjumping us and getting over top of us and getting rebounds.” Pinconning scored most of its points after grabbing offensive rebounds and popping second or third shots through the basket, according to Beauvais. Coach Mindy Stokoszynski’s Spartans were taller than the Vikings, but Beauvais added that “They’re tough — they work hard at rebounding.” Akron-Fairgrove, 1-2 overall, pays a visit to Mayville on Friday.
Kingston 66, Mayville 15: The Cardinals jumped out to a 23-0 lead in the first quarter, and didn’t look back, earning their third conference win Tuesday night. Kingston held a 35-7 halftime lead. Four Cardinals reached double digits, with Cassidy MacGuire leading the way with 15 points. Jenna Boyl scored 14, Sara Savage added 12, and Kali Powell chipped in 11. Mayville was led by Larissa Drozdowski with five points, and by Lauryn Frenzel and Jimi Harris with three points apiece. Jenna Franks made three steals and grabbed six rebounds for the Wildcats. Kingston (4-1, 3-0) will play at Marlette on Friday, and Mayville (0-4, 0-3) hosts Akron-Fairgrove.
Vassar 35, Cass City 34: The Vulcans won a back-and-forth game Tuesday night, picking up their first conference victory in the process. The game was close throughout, with Vassar leading 17-15 at the half, and Cass City outscoring the Vulcans 19-18 in the second half. With under 30 seconds to play, Rebecca Huizar sprung free for the game-winning basket. “We had a couple chances to take the lead at the end, but couldn’t get the shot to fall,” stated Cass City coach Clarke Haire. Alliah Riddle led the Red Hawks with 16 points, and Sayge Cuthrell added eight. Vassar (2-4, 1-0) will be off during the holiday break, but returns to action on Jan. 6 against Harbor Beach. Cass City (2-3, 0-1) will play at home versus USA on Thursday.
Frankenmuth 57, North Branch 26: The Eagles rolled to their fourth victory of the season, beating the Broncos on the road Tuesday night. Frankenmuth ran out to a 34-10 halftime lead, and were led by Kendra Kujat who scored a game-high 21 points. Brayene Benner and Lindsey Mertz each had eight points for the Eagles. Aerial Skinner scored 10 for North Branch, and Lauren Bickel added eight. Frankenmuth (4-1, 1-0) will play Bridgeport on Thursday in conference action, and North Branch (0-4, 0-1) travels to Birch Run.