Rambler boys beat Sault, Harbor girls move to 4-0 behind Flynn's 30
SAULT STE. MARIE — After topping St. Ignace in the opener, the Boyne City boys’ basketball team kept things rolling against another team out of the Eastern U.P. Friday, when they traveled to Sault Ste. Marie and returned with a victory.
Lopsided at times, including at the half, the Ramblers finished with a 51-38 victory that brought them to 2-0 on the season.
“The first half we looked tough,” said Boyne City coach Randy Calcaterra. “We were hitting shots, we were tough defensively. Then we have to learn how to play with that kind of lead, staying in the system that got us there. Why are we forcing shots that aren’t there? We were making the extra pass in the first half. That’s stuff that needs to be worked on.”
Boyne City led by a 30-11 halftime score, while leading by 20 points most of the way, though Calcaterra felt his team could have controlled things better in the second half.
“It was just one of those games where it never felt like you were in control as much as the score showed,” he said.
Alex Calcaterra led Boyne with 23 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists, while others showed up as well, including Jack Neer with 13 points and five rebounds and Mason Wilcox with eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
“(Alex’s) put an enormous amount of time in and it’s showing,” added Calcaterra. “But, we’re playing as a team. It’s not just one guy. They’ve got to respect Mason, they’ve got to respect Jack.”
Boyne City (2-0) will next get Lake Michigan Conference play started with a trip to East Jordan on Thursday, Dec. 16 to meet the rival Red Devils.
NON-CONFERENCE
Harbor Light 56, Atlanta 52 (OT)
ATLANTA — David Chamberlin had a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Harbor Light Christian boys’ basketball team as the Swordsmen battled for an overtime victory over Atlanta Friday.
After a 20-6 first quarter lead for the Swordsmen, things turned tight with a 22-22 tie at half and 33-32 lead for Atlanta after three. Regulation then closed in a 47-47 game, before Harbor Light pulled out the win in OT, 56-52.
“It was a good environment in Atlanta,” Harbor Light coach Jason Roussin said. “It’s the first time we’ve played them in a while. The kids battled hard for four quarters, plus overtime to get the win.”
Truett Krugger added 13 points for Harbor Light, Andrew Stahl had eight points and Kirk Rose had 14 rebounds.
Harbor Light (1-1) will next meet Ellsworth in a Northern Lakes Conference opener on Tuesday, Dec. 21, which will come as the league opener.
GIRLS
LAKE MICHIGAN
Harbor Springs 81, Grayling 30
HARBOR SPRINGS — Four games into her high school basketball career and Olivia Flynn already has a pair of 30-point games for the Harbor Springs girls’ basketball, with the second coming Friday in an 81-30 win over visiting Grayling.
The Rams topped the Vikings behind a 30-point night from Flynn, though her ability to create is also opening up opportunities for others around the Harbor Springs lineup, which Sierra Kruzel again took advantage of with a 23-point night.
The Rams led 25-5 after one quarter, then 47-16 at the half. They also led 67-23 after one.
The 81 points scored by the Rams are the most in over 15 years, with just one other game of over 70 points in that stretch, which came in 2017.
Harbor Springs (4-0, 1-0) will try to keep the good start rolling when they meet Harbor Light Christian on Monday, Dec. 13 at home, then close up December ply when they host Kalkaska on Friday, Dec. 17.
Elk Rapids 57, East Jordan 21
EAST JODAN — The East Jordan girls’ basketball team knew the kind of challenge they were up against Friday night when they welcomed in Elk Rapids to begin Lake Michigan Conference play.
The Red Devils were just hoping things would go better on the court.
East Jordan took a third straight loss in a 57-21 final against the reigning LMC champion Elks, while going scoreless in the third quarter of an offensively challenged night.
“That’s three games in a row that we’ve played really good teams and we went almost went two quarters without scoring a basket,” East Jordan coach Tim Smith said. “I’ve just got to do a better job getting us prepared and we’ve got to move on.”
The Elks led 13-7 after one, then 30-13 at the break, before a 13-0 advantage in the third quarter widened the game even more.
Grace Nemecheck led East Jordan with six points, while for Elk Rapids, Morgan Bergquist had 16, Logan Reisner scored 15 and Lilly Morton had 10 points.
East Jordan (1-3, 0-1) will try to snap the three-game skid when they welcome in Cheboygan on Wednesday, Dec. 15 for a fourth straight home game.
NON-CONFERENCE
Harbor Light 52, Atlanta 24
ATLANTA — Jade Evoy led the Harbor Light Christian girls’ basketball team to a victory over Atlanta, leading the Lady Swordsmen with 20 points.
Harbor Light coach Jeff Jakeway has liked some of the connections he’s seen this season in a now 2-1 start to the year.
“Jade did a great job reading the defense and controlling the fast break,” said Jakeway. “The girls continue to form bonds on and off the floor, resulting in some very unselfish basketball.”
Along with Evoy, Alaina Roush scored 11 points, had eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals, Laney Jakeway had seven points, five assists and four steals and Ava Kenwabikise had seven points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Evoy also added three steals.
Harbor Light (2-1) will next head to Harbor Springs for a non-conference game on Monday, Dec. 13, then head to Alba on Thursday, Dec. 16.
Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Rambler boys beat Sault, Harbor girls move to 4-0 behind Flynn's 30
