Bayani Collins' late 3-pointer propels Charlevoix to district semifinal victory over JL

JOHANNESBURG ― We've reached the final stretch of the winter high school sports season in Northern Michigan.

Girls basketball districts began on Monday, March 4, meaning it is now win-or-go-home time for area teams. And, as the Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals hosted the Charlevoix Rayders in an MHSAA Division 3 district semifinal on Wednesday, one team was set to move on to the finals while one was set to go home.

Thanks to a last-minute 3-pointer from Bayani Collins, it'll be Charlevoix moving on and JoBurg going home.

With nearly 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Collins launched a shot from the left wing and turned a one-point deficit into a two-point Rayder lead. One stop later and Charlevoix survived a 29-27 battle to advance to the D3 district finals.

Here are the key takeaways from the Charlevoix victory:

Collins's shot keeps Rayders district dreams alive

Neither JoBurg nor Charlevoix found much rhythm on offense throughout the low-scoring game. Multiple key players are held well under their season averages (Anna Kemp 2 points, Jayden Marlatt 0 points) as the teams stayed tied and the end of the first three quarters.

That made each possession that much more important in the fourth, and the Rayders had just one more go their way.

After trading buckets to start the quarter, JoBurg took a late lead on a Brittney Fox basket at the rim. As time wound down under a minute, Charlevoix was patient enough to find an open shooter, and it just happened to be their leading scorer Bayani Collins.

The dagger 3-pointer gave the senior a team-high 11 points as the Rayders sealed the win on the defensive end, sending Charlevoix into the district finals and ending JoBurg's season.

Karlee Eaton and Ava Boss had six points each while Abbey Wright had four points.

Last ride for JoBurg senior class

JoBurg outperformed expectations this season after losing multiple key players from last year's district title team, finishing with a 17-6 overall record and tied for second in the final Ski Valley Conference standings.

The loss marks the end of the JoBurg basketball careers for the Class of 2024 seniors, including Jayden Marlatt, Emerson Wertman, Shyla Rahn, Cassie Tallman and Rosie Gascho.

Marlatt, one of the top players in JoBurg history, wraps her basketball career with over 1,000 career points and her name stamped all over the Cardinals record books. Marlatt, Tallman and Rahn will all have one more season together on the JoBurg softball team this spring following last year's run to the state semifinals.

Charlevoix will meet district favorite Elk Rapids

The Rayders move on to the D3 district finals on Friday, March 8 as they'll take on the favorite to win the bracket, Elk Rapids.

The Elks have a 21-2 record this season with wins over larger schools like Gaylord, Petoskey and Alpena. Elk Rapids won both times these teams met in the regular season, winning a 45-33 battle on the road on Jan. 18 before a 70-17 blowout win at home on Feb. 9.

It's hard to beat a good team three times, but the Elks may be up to that challenge.

The finals will tip off at 7 p.m. in Johannesburg on Friday.

Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Bayani Collins' 3-pointer helps Charlevoix beat JoBurg in district semifinal victory