On the Map: Lake Leelanau St. Mary looking to follow up historic boys basketball season

Dec. 2—LAKE LEELANAU — When Lake Leelanau St. Mary made it to the Final Four last season, the map in the state finals program had the Eagles nesting about 350 miles to the southeast. But after a historic effort in 2021-22, everyone certainly knows now where St. Mary calls home.

"I told these kids that they definitely have a big target on their back this year," St. Mary boys basketball head coach Matt Barnowski said. "They have to work twice as hard because everyone is gunning for us, now. Those teams playing us are going to want to make a statement and try to prove that last year was just a fluke."

And they want to prove that it wasn't.

No Lake Leelanau St. Mary boys basketball team had ever earned a trip to East Lansing and the Breslin Center until last season. Before that, the last time the Eagles had even won a regional championship and advanced as far as the state quarterfinals was back in 1950. Unfortunately, their history-making run ended prematurely with a 62-56 loss to Ewen-Trout Creek in the Division 4 state semifinals.

Dylan Barnowski, who returns for his senior season with St. Mary, said after the loss that E-TC provided some motivation for this year.

"We were in the locker room and could hear (Ewen-Trout Creek) cheering," Dylan said. "We want to be that team that's cheering in a Breslin locker room and hopefully winning a state title."

But even in defeat, that semifinal loss to E-TC was one to remember.

St. Mary made a remarkable comeback after being down 17 in the third quarter to tie the ballgame at 56-56 in the waning minutes of the hard-fought contest. The fight they showed should not have been a surprise after the Eagles came back from down 18 to win a district championship against Buckley and then overcame a 12-point deficit with five minutes left in the regional title bout against then-undefeated and No. 1-ranked McBain Northern Michigan Christian.

The Eagles are not shying away from the competition or those teams that might want some measure of revenge as both the Bears and the Comets are on the 2022-23 varsity slate. St. Mary has a home-and-home with Buckley Dec. 12 and Dec. 17, and then the Eagles battle McBain NMC at Traverse City St. Francis High School on Feb. 4.

So does this mean St. Mary is a program to watch this season?

"I would like to think so, but I wouldn't mind flying under the radar," Matt Barnowski said with a laugh. "We've strengthened our schedule after having a tough one last year; and because of the success we've had the last couple years, we've got teams from downstate that are going to play us."

The Eagles' difficult lineup includes the likes of Adrian Lenawee Christian, Ubly and Reese along with an always-competitive Glen Lake team and an "up-and-coming" Gaylord St. Mary squad that Barnowski said gave his team a good run in the regular season last year.

"There's a lot of team chemistry, right now," Barnowski said. "They've been working hard in practice and that camaraderie seems to be there already."

The two-headed monster of Shawn Bramer and Dylan Barnowski return to anchor the team. They also will get big contributions from Luke Bramer and Jerry Schaub as well as a couple of players who have moved up from the JV squad to add more size to the roster after losing August Schaub and Matthew Kohler to graduation. The Eagles will also have the services of Drew Thompson, a transfer from Traverse City West who sat out last season and should "add a little firepower on the offensive side of things," according to the head coach.

"We return a good group of kids," Barnowski said. "We lost a little bit from last year, but we're gaining, too."

This year's team might also benefit from some rest after a longer-than-normal break between football and basketball. For the first time in four years, the Suttons Bay football team — which co-ops with St. Mary — did not make it to the 8-player state finals. Both Bramer and Barnowski were key elements to the Norsemen roster.

"Our crew has been hitting the weights pretty hard since football got over with, and even during football," Matt said. "Unfortunately, they weren't able to make a run this year; but for us, we've been able to heal up some injuries."

Barnowksi said Dylan is healing up from a groin injury and should be good to go, but Bramer is "touch and go" and dealing with a knee issue that has limited him in practice.

"We're hoping to let him ease into the season," Barnowski said of Bramer. "I don't think you're going to see a whole lot of him at the beginning of the year. We'll kind of ramp up toward the end of February to get a long run in March."

The injuries, Barnowski said, will allow some of the younger players on the roster to get live-game experience.

"It might actually help us out in the long run," the head coach said.

That long run hopefully includes another trip to the Breslin.

"It's going to take some dedication and, honestly, a little bit of luck," Barnowski said. "As long as we stay focused and stay humble, God willing, we should be able to make another run."

AREA PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wyatt Nausadis, Sr., Traverse City St. Francis — The 2021-22 Record-Eagle Player of the Year averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals. Shot 56% from the field and hit 31 3-pointers.

Dylan Barnowski, Sr., Lake Leelanau St. Mary — Last season, he led the Eagles to the school's first state semifinals berth and first regional title since 1950. Averaged 21.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks. Played big during the regular season, and kept that up in the postseason.

Landon Kulawiak, So., Buckley — Finished his freshman campaign averaging 16.5 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals. He had a three-game run last season in which he scored 31, 23 and 29 points and hit 19 of 26 from 3-point land in that span. He knocked down 69 of 148 triples for the season (46.6%).

Shawn Bramer, Sr., Lake Leelanau St. Mary — Interior force helped lead the Eagles last season to the school's first state semifinals berth and first regional title since 1950. Averaged 20.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.2 blocks. Added to his perimeter game this season.

Anthony Ribel, Jr., Traverse City Central — Ribel really broke out as a sophomore, averaging 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals (53.6 2FG%, 42.9 3FG%). Made 51 3-pointers in 20 games. He has made the All-Big North team twice already and looks to do so again as a junior.

Luke Hazelton, Sr., Glen Lake — The tall and powerful forward with range averaged 17.1 points, 8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 59% from the line, 50% field goals, 38% from 3-land as a junior. Scored over 800 points in three seasons on varsity which resulted in a 48-13 record.

Jaxon Childers, Jr., Benzie Central — Comes into his junior year after a great sophomore season in which he averaged 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 4.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game to earn first-team All-Northwest Conference honors. Without Quinn Zickert and Nate Childers around, he will be counted on to make bigger contributions this year.

Alex Calcaterra, So., Boyne City — Averaged 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and really grew in his second varsity season as a starter and became the team's best defender as well. He earned an Honorable Mention All-State pick and also made BCAM's Best.

Kelan Pletcher, Sr., Ellsworth — He was good as a sophomore, but Pletcher really came on as a junior, erupting for 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.2 steals a game. He's a First-Team All-Northern Lake Conference pick who can create his own shot and finish in traffic. Shot 53% from the field and 70% at the line.

Gavin Bebble, Sr., Gaylord St. Mary — He led the Snowbirds with 18.9 points a game, adding in 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. He took on a bigger role after injuries last year, and Bebble now steps into an even greater spot in his final season.

Garrison Barrett, Jr., Central Lake — He was one of the area's biggest secrets as a sophomore last year. He was one of the top scorers in northern Michigan and should be a playmaker in his final two years as a Trojan. He averaged 22.0 points a game along with 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 3.2 steals.

ROAD TO THE FINALS

First official games — Dec. 5

District Tournaments — March 6-10

Regionals Tournaments — March 13-15

State Quarterfinals — March 21

State Semifinals — March 23-24 at the Breslin Center

State Finals — March 25 at the Breslin Center

FIRST GAME TIP-OFFS

Traverse City Central — v. Dearborn, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 10

Traverse City Christian — @ Harbor Light Christian, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Traverse City St. Francis — v. Canton, 7 p.m. Dec. 10

Traverse City West — @ Bay City Central, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Grand Traverse Academy — @ Suttons Bay, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Bear Lake — v. Mason County Eastern, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8

Bellaire — at Inland Lakes, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16

Benzie Central — v. Ravenna, 7 p.m. Dec. 9

Boyne City — @ St. Ignace, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Brethren — @ Mesick, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8

Buckley — v. Mesick, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Cadillac — v. Midland, 7 p.m. Dec. 13

Central Lake — @ Ellsworth, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Charlevoix — v. East Jordan, 7 p.m. Dec. 15

East Jordan — @ Mancelona, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Elk Rapids — v. Glen Lake, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Ellsworth — v. Central Lake, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Forest Area — @ Leland, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Frankfort — @ Onekama, 7 p.m. Dec. 9

Gaylord — v. Hillman, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13

Gaylord St. Mary — v. Hillman, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Glen Lake — @ Elk Rapids, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Grayling — @ Lake City, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Johannesburg-Lewiston — v. Roscommon, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Kalkaska — @ Lake Leelanau St. Mary, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Kingsley — @ Manton, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Lake City — v. Grayling, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Lake Leelanau St. Mary — v. Kalkaska, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

Leland — v. Forest Area, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Mancelona — v. East Jordan, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Manistee — v. Mason County Central, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Manistee Catholic Central — v. Onekama, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6

Manton — v. Kingsley, 7 p.m. Dec. 5

McBain — v. Manton, 7 p.m. Dec. 9

McBain Northern Michigan Christian — @ Beal City, 7 p.m. Dec. 9

Mesick — @ Buckley, 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Onekama — @ Manistee Catholic Central, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6

Petoskey — v. Tawas, 7 p.m. Dec. 9

Suttons Bay — v. Grand Traverse Academy, 7 p.m. Dec. 6