Rayders, Ramblers, Rams and Red Devils all win openers; Swordsmen drop to Brimley
CHARLEVOIX — Jack Gaffney might have only finished with four points for the Charlevoix boys’ basketball team Tuesday, though no points came bigger than his final two.
Tied in a 39-39 game at home in the season opener against Gaylord, Gaffney grabbed a rebound with the final seconds ticking off the clock and got a putback that fell as the final buzzer rang and gave the Rayders a 41-39 victory on opening night.
When the shots weren’t falling throughout the lineup, resiliency paid off in the end for Charlevoix.
“We just struggled shooting the ball,” said Charlevoix coach Matt Stuck. “We got good looks, it was just one of those things. Gaylord plays hard. They’ve got a few good athletes.”
Charlevoix led by a 14-7 score after one, then again 25-15 at the break and 33-28 after three.
Caleb Stuck finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five steals, Evan Solomon had 14 points and Gaffney had the four points and three offensive rebounds.
Charlevoix (1-0) will have a week off before getting back to the court on Tuesday, Dec. 14 against Traverse City St. Francis at home, which will come as the Lake Michigan Conference opener.
Boyne City 68, St. Ignace 50
BOYNE CITY — The season opened with a strong start for the Boyne City boys’ basketball team Tuesday when they welcomed in St. Ignace and earned a 68-50 non-conference win.
Five different players scored in double figures for the Ramblers, led by Alex Calcaterra’s 16 points.
Mason Wilcox also scored 14 for Boyne City, Scotty Haley and Gavin Hewitt each had 11 and Jack Neer added 10 points.
The Ramblers (1-0) will return to the court against another U.P. team on Friday, Dec. 10, when they head to Sault Ste. Marie.
East Jordan 58, Mancelona 48
EAST JORDAN — While Mancelona may have lost one of the top players in Northern Michigan in Jayden Alfred, East Jordan fully expected the Ironmen to come out strong still Tuesday in the opener.
And that’s exactly what they did, though so too did the Red Devils.
East Jordan built a 21-13 advantage then added another big quarter in the fourth to come away with a 58-48 victory in the opener.
“They’re still big, strong and physical and they’re still athletic and they play hard,” East Jordan coach Nate Dzwik said on the Ironmen. “We’re trying to play a little faster and it’s a big adjustment for these guys and the first game jitters were there. You could tell the guys were excited about (the start).”
Things tightened up at the half in a 31-27 advantage for the Red Devils, which was then 42-37 after three, before a 16-12 advantage in the fourth for EJ.
Preston Malpass finished with 20 points – while adding four dunks on the night – Ethan Antaya had 14 points, JJ Weber scored 11 and Mason Malpass had nine points.
East Jordan (1-0) next hits the road for a non-conference matchup with Gaylord St. Mary on Thursday, Dec. 9.
Harbor Springs 65, Inland Lakes 25
INDIAN RIVER — The John Flynn era with the Harbor Springs boys’ basketball team got off to a strong start against an old rival Tuesday, as the Rams visited Inland Lakes and returned home with a 65-25 win.
Heading into Tuesday’s game, Flynn didn’t know what he may see out of his team, but he knew he wanted to see two things that he had been stressing in the preseason.
“I was really proud of my guys with the way they came out,” said Flynn. “I didn’t know what to expect. They’re still trying to figure me out, I’m still trying to figure them out.
“The big thing I was preaching was just effort and energy. Tonight, I thought that was the big takeaway and I think we did that. I was really happy to see them apply what we’re teaching. That was a big step in the right direction.”
The Rams pulled out to a 15-10 advantage early then led 33-10 at the half, part of a 31-5 run between the first half and third quarter for Flynn’s team.
Jude Proctor led Harbor with 21 points, Jack Clancy scored 15 points and Cassidy Gudakunst had 10 points. Aaron Iafolla also had eight and Flynn was impressed with James Robson’s play inside.
Harbor Springs (1-0) will next head to Cedarville for a non-conference game on Thursday, Dec. 9.
Brimley 81, Harbor Light 55
HARBOR SPRINGS — When it comes to season openers and tests at the Division 4 level, they don’t get much tougher than Brimley to begin the season.
Harbor Light Christian can attest to that after opening the year with Brimley and taking an 81-55 loss, which the Swordsmen found themselves in early.
Down just 23-16 after one and 34-26 at the half, Brimley began lighting up the scoreboard with 3-pointers to take a 61-38 lead after three and roll to the win.
“It was a hard fought game for us,” Harbor Light coach Jason Roussin said. “I’m very proud of the kids, as we’re sophomore heavy, but thankfully we have everyone returning this year but one senior from last year.”
David Chamberlin led with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Swordsmen, Andrew Stahl had 14 points and Quintin Gahn had eight points and eight rebounds.
Perry LaBlanc scored 30 points to lead Brimley.
Harbor Light (0-1) will get a little over a week off before returning to the court at Alba on Thursday, Dec. 16.
Mackinaw City 70, Pellston 65 (OT)
MACKINAW CITY — Always season-opening rivals, the Pellston and Mackinaw City boys’ basketball teams got in an extra quarter Tuesday in their start.
After the Comets built an early lead, Pellston found their way back in during the second half to eventually push the game to overtime, where Mackinaw then came away with just enough in the tank for a 70-65 win.
Mackinaw City led 30-15 after one quarter, then 45-30 at the half, before the Hornets slowly worked their way back in with a 50-40 end of three score.
A 19-9 advantage in the fourth from Pellston then pushed the contest to OT in a 59-59 game.
Lars Huffman led Mackinaw with 28 points, Lucas Bergstrom scored 17 and Sebastian Pierce had 10 points.
Pellston (0-1) will next travel to Harbor Springs for a non-conference game on Monday, Dec. 13, while Mackinaw City (1-0) will head to Boyne Falls 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: Rayders, Ramblers, Rams and Red Devils all win openers; Swordsmen drop to Brimley
