Boyne City's Alger stepping up as Ramblers continue to grow
BOYNE CITY — Some players claim their real estate on the court, put up a fence and don’t let anyone else in.
Early in the 2023-24 season, Boyne City’s Jaden Alger has done just that, placing numerous no trespassing signs inside the post for the Rambler boys basketball team.
And on Tuesday night in Boyne City, when the Ramblers welcomed Cheboygan, Alger was back commanding his area with another double-double night in a 63-36 victory.
“Jaden is becoming super dominant down low,” Boyne City head coach Robby Jensen said. “He’s averaging 13 or 14 rebounds a game and giving us 15 points. He’s just been a monster. He’s stepped up mentally and physically he’s put on a lot of muscle from football and bringing it to the basketball court. I couldn’t ask for a better start for him.”
Alger came through with an 18-point, 11-rebound game against the Chiefs, while coming off a 19-point, 19-rebound performance just last Friday.
Knowing how much the Ramblers lost from a year ago after his sophomore season, Alger himself knew some stepping up was needed this year.
“We lost a lot of seniors, so we’ve had a lot of guys that have needed to step up,” said Alger. “Last year, I was more of a role player, but this year I’ve had to step up a lot and be big on the boards and scoring a couple points.”
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It’s been one big night after another for Alger this season, though it hasn’t necessarily translated to wins so far.
Boyne moved to 2-3 overall with Tuesday’s victory, though they’ve met some tough squads, including a 5-1 St. Ignace team and 4-0 McBain, along with a hot shooting Harbor Springs team.
“It’s had its challenges,” said Jensen, who is in his first season leading the team. “We graduated all five starters from last year, seven out of 12, then we only had eight guys try out for the team. We only have two seniors this year, so we’re just trying to figure things out. We’re finally starting to click a bit the last few games. Dropped a close one to Harbor.”
Cheboygan headed in 5-0 against the Ramblers, though Boyne played confident from the start Tuesday night, building an 11-point halftime lead behind 12 first half points from Ryan Spate and a six-point second quarter from Alger.
Boyne City then pulled away in the third and Alger and many of the Rambler starters sat much of the fourth as the lead continued to grow.
“The guys executed the gameplan really well, got the ball inside and we made our shots,” Jensen said. “It always helps when you’re making your buckets.”
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Alger credits his jump in production on the court and buckets to the work in the offseason.
“AAU helped a lot and is playing a big role,” Alger said. “It’s just translated down to the high school level.”
Along with Alger’s solid night, Spate added six rebounds to his 12 points, then Owen Hewitt scored eight and added four steals in his first varsity game. A total of 10 players also scored for Boyne on the night.
Cheboygan freshman Gavin Smith led the way for the Chiefs with 10 points.
While there’s plenty of work to do, both Alger and Jensen were happy to get back into the win column before a trip to Sault Ste. Marie ahead on Thursday, Dec. 21.
In Jensen’s eyes, little things are beginning to fall into place and the necessary steps of building a team are underway. The next big one? Finding some vocal energy to go with the guys like Alger who are delivering the points and extracurriculars.
“We can find a leader anywhere, but a vocal leader, right now we’re trying to figure that one,” Jensen added. “We could see some people tonight stepping up and vocally leading, which was really good to see.”
While just a junior, Alger is one of those players who can also fill that void. Despite the strong start, he knows he’s still got some gains to make, but the potential is certainly there for himself and these Ramblers.
“Lots of potential for this team,” he aded. “I’m still growing. I’m trying to stay humble, so we’ll see.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Boyne City's Jaden Alger lifts Ramblers past Cheboygan
