Jan. 23: Blue Water basketball roundup
What a week, huh?
Upsets, winning streaks, and a 3-point frenzy highlight some of the excitement in Blue Water Area basketball:
Upsets in the BWAC
The reigning BWAC boys and girls champions each suffered their first league losses in years as Richmond defeated Croswell-Lexington 53-44 in boys basketball and the North Branch girls topped Imlay City 46-31. Richmond now stands 4-0 atop the conference while North Branch is 7-0.
Senior Karl Stevens led the Blue Devils in the win with 17 points while senior Bailey Gormley led the Broncos with 23 points.
In other BWAC basketball news:
Algonac’s Alex Schweiger put up 32 points – including six threes – against Almont Thursday night. Despite the senior’s impressive performance, the Raiders still topped the Muskrats 63-59, picking up their first league win of the season. Senior Clay Rozczewski rivaled Schweiger with an impressive performance of his own at 25 points. The two teams combined for 17 threes in the game.
Yale and Armada’s girls played Friday to decide who would secure the No. 3 spot in the BWAC standings, each with a 4-2 record. Armada’s 18-17 lead at the half was just barely extended by the end of the game as the Tigers edged the Bulldogs, 40-38.
Armada junior Sydney Upton had 10 points and senior Meya Drob had eight points, while the freshman-senior sister duo of Sadie and Abbi Dykstra had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Following the girls game, the boys took the court and the Tigers would top Yale again, 51-36, led by seniors Andrew Sniesak with 14 points and Justin Schapman with 11. The win puts them at 4-1, tied with Cros-Lex in the conference standings.
Streaks stay alive in the MAC
Port Huron Northern’s boys team took care of two state-ranked opponents en route to the No. 1 spot in the MAC-White with a spotless 10-0 record. The Huskies defeated New Haven 74-55 Wednesday and Grosse Pointe North 64-54 Friday.
Both the St. Clair girls and boys teams are enjoying momentum in conference play. After falling to Marine City on Jan. 11, the girls have gone on to win their last three MAC-Gold games on average 52-25. Similarly, the boys have won their last three MAC-Silver games, including two wins over local rivals, Marine City and Marysville.
And after starting the season 1-2, the Marysville girls have won 10 of their last 11 games, including all seven in MAC-Blue play. They’ve clinched the league title, ahead of 4-3 South Lake, who the Vikings defeated 52-41 last Tuesday.
They led 25-23 at the half and outscored their opponent 16-7 in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Seniors Kara Miller and Ava Grant posted 14 and 11 points, respectively, while junior Avery Wolters led with 16.
Key rematches this week:
Port Huron at St. Clair on Thursday, Jan. 26 (Boys)
The two teams met on Jan. 10 in Port Huron when the Big Reds pulled off a 58-53 victory over the Saints. Port Huron maintains a 4-1 record, tied for first in the MAC-Silver, while St. Clair is tied for third at 3-2.
Armada at Cros-Lex on Friday, Jan. 27 (Boys)
When the Pioneers traveled to Armada in December, the defending conference champions got a scare as the Tigers sent the game into overtime. Cros-Lex would still pull off a 54-51 victory, however.
Armada has won its last four league games and is now 4-1, tied with Cros-Lex which just suffered its first loss to Richmond.
Imlay City at Almont on Friday, Jan. 27 (Boys)
The last time these two teams played, the final score was decided by a last-second layup. It was the first league game of the season and the Spartans won 49-47. This time, however, the Raiders will have home-court advantage and extra motivation as they look to even the score.
Marine City at St. Clair on Friday, Jan. 27 (Girls)
The Mariners hosted St. Clair on Jan. 11 and won 41-36, securing the top spot in the MAC-Gold while the Saints fell to second place. Both teams have won three straight since then and will play once more before Friday. Should they win, Marine City will enter the matchup 8-0 and St. Clair 7-1, ready to battle for the title.
SEE THE LATEST BWAC STANDINGS.
--
For in-game updates and other news, follow Calli on Twitter @ newberry_calli
To receive notifications about new stories from The Sports Report, subscribe for free.