Beebe, Onaway boys erupt with monster second quarter, run past Mackinaw City

MACKINAW CITY – Over the last two seasons, a unique area basketball rivalry has formed between the Onaway Cardinals and Mackinaw City Comets.

Last campaign, the Comets won two out of three over the Cardinals, including a regional semifinal victory in Pellston.

On Wednesday, though, the Cardinals – who came into this week on the heels of a disappointing home loss to Bellaire – rediscovered their offensive mojo. They proved it in more ways than one as they cruised to a 92-66 victory in Mackinaw City on Wednesday.

With Onaway winning games on back-to-back nights, let’s break down Wednesday’s clash.

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Beebe keys Cardinals in second-quarter onslaught

Trailing early to start the game, the Comets (8-4) appeared to seize momentum by coming back and pulling to within two points at the end of one quarter.

But the Cardinals (8-3) went into another gear in the second, exploding with a 22-2 run and taking complete control of the contest. Fueling Onaway was junior Mason Beebe, who scored 15 of his 19 points in the period. During the stretch, he knocked down four 3-pointers and helped the Cardinals take a commanding 47-29 advantage into the break.

“Mason’s too good of a player, he’s put too much time in, and I think we had to find a little confidence in him,” Onaway coach Eddy Szymoniak said. “The last game, I kind of rode him a little bit and told him it’s time to go, it’s time to pick it up and be aggressive and gain that confidence. Everyone knows Austin (Veal) and Jadin (Mix) are scorers, but with Mason, we just add another threat to our game, and honestly, it’s the same thing with Jackson (Chaskey). Jackson’s been playing good and he’s been so consistent.”

Others leading the Cardinals were the senior duo of Veal and Mix, who scored 25 and 22 points respectively. Chaskey also hit double figures with 11 points, while Justin Kramer-St. Germain scored six, Brady Gapczynski had four, Trenton Soik netted three, and Luke Lovelace finished with two.

Defense lets Comets down for second straight game

Overall, it was a solid offensive night for the Comets. The problem was their defense was well below par against an Onaway attack that seemed to score at will. Just a couple nights ago, Mackinaw City had problems slowing down a potent Rudyard offense and was blown out in the process.

“Onaway’s experience – these guys have played together for a long time,” Mackinaw City coach John Martin said. “They’re a nice team. I think we did a nice job offensively. Defensively, we’ve got a lot of work to do against teams of this caliber. These last two teams we faced are two teams that are looking to make the regional finals, win a regional, and that’s what we want to get to. It’s a good opportunity to see where we’re at.”

Offensively, the Comets saw three players reach double figures, including senior Trystan Swanson, who finished with 19 points. Lucas Bergstrom scored 17 and Myran Thompson added 12. Tyler Hingston had eight, Sabastian Pierce netted seven, and Nick Vieau chipped in with three to round out Mackinaw City.

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Finding their groove

Even at 8-3, it’s been somewhat of a frustrating campaign for the Cardinals, who are likely out of the running for the Ski Valley Conference title. But after earning double-digit wins on back-to-back nights, it appears that Onaway is rounding back into form during a busy time of the season.

“After the Bellaire game, I put it on me – I don’t think I had them prepared enough,” Szymoniak said. “We’ve been basically doing the same thing for the last few years, and I told them it’s time to get serious right now. I’m not even worried about the conference at this point. We have to get better every game, every practice. It’s something we’ve talked about. No more funny business.

“It’s either going to be a disappointing year, they’re going to go out with their worst year in four years, or we’re going to turn it around and show everybody how good we really are."

Onaway plays its third game in three nights when it hosts Forest Area on Thursday, while Mackinaw City hosts Ellsworth on Friday.

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Onaway boys basketball clicks offensively, wins going away at Mackinaw City