Friday Night Roundup: Prep Hoops Scores; middle school cheer teams take 1st and 2nd
HILLSDALE COUNTY — It was a busy weekend of sports action for Hillsdale County basketball teams, wrestling teams and middle school competitive cheer teams.
More: How Jonesville girls basketball dominated Addison to win their first Cascades League game
The biggest win of the weekend has to go to the Hillsdale Academy varsity boys basketball squad. They traveled on the road to face a Pittsford team that was on a two-game winning streak and had beaten those teams with 60-plus points of scoring on offense.
Coach Zach Miller and the Colts looked unphased by the rivalry matchup, beating the Wildcats 55-35, outplaying the Wildcats even as they drained shots from beyond the arc in the second half. The Colts' defensive effort suffocated many possessions the Wildcats had, preventing a shot at making a comeback run.
The Colts looked like they couldn't miss on an offensive possession, but much of the offensive production came from their leading scorer, senior Dominic Scharer. Scharer lit up the scoreboard with 25 total points.
More: Week in Review: Pittsford girls prep hoops rolls through early December schedule
Andrew Spiegel and Jay Jenkins each contributed nine points for the Colts. The Colts haven't been perfect on their 5-0 run to start the season. The offense looks to balance itself out as they head into Pat Patterson tournament time. That will be the true test to see if the Colts stand as one of the best units in Division 4 basketball heading into the New Year.
Right now, they have won every game by double digits, scoring at least 50 in their past three contests.
For Pittsford, senior Gavyn Carden led the team with 17 points. For coach Burger and company, they will have one more game to prepare for the Pool A tournament at the Pat Patterson Holiday Classic. The team is currently 2-4 overall, but they have a shot at entering the holiday tourney with a 3-4 record if they can beat Camden-Frontier on the road.
Flashing back to last year, coach Burger and the Wildcats virtually went uncontested in their Pool B trophy run. The Wildcat girls and boys hoops teams both won in their return to the annual tournament. Now, they move up into Pool A and will face even tougher in-county competition. The tournament starts on Dec. 27.
More: Brooke Smith and Thomas Holm named Cross Country Runners of the Year; 2023 Dream Team
Reading outscores Litchfield 26-1 in third quarter for boys hoops win
The undefeated Litchfield Terriers welcomed a Reading Ranger squad that was desperate for a win on a Saturday night matchup. The Terriers played without one of their starters and were coming off a Friday night rivalry win.
It was the perfect recipe for a win for the Rangers who were desperate to earn a bounce back win after two tough league losses.
After one half, the Rangers held onto a slim 19-17 lead over the Terriers. However, something clicked in the third quarter defensively for the Ranger defense that overpowered the Terrier offense.
The Terriers were nearly shut out of the third quarter, with Reading going on a 26-1 run to build a massive lead. Three pointers from Brady Kling and Nathan Robbins helped solidify the double-digit hole they put Litchfield in. Litchfield could not catch up after that.
Tyler Bills led the Terrier scoring effort with 10 points. Brandon Campbell had six. Simon Collins had seven.
Nathan Robbins led the Rangers with 18 points. Brady Kling had 14. Brayden Wright had eight.
Reading has another tough matchup with Colon before entering the Pat Patterson tournament looking to earn their fourth straight Pool A championship.
Middle school cheer teams win big at invitational
The Jonesville and Hillsdale middle school cheer teams came away with gold and silver at the annual Golden Eagles Middle School Invitational on Friday night.
The Comets took first place with an overall score of 368.34, earning the championship trophy. Hillsdale's middle school team finished just 10 points behind with a score of 358.30 to earn the second-place trophy.
Both teams celebrated their accomplishments together at the end of the invitational.
Basketball Scores
Jonesville 47, Addison 25
Coach Jeff Turner and the Comets win their first home game of the season
Comets improve to 4-2, 3-1 league play
Caleb Blonde - 11 points; Gavin Van Kampen - 11 points, 7 rebounds; Wade Sommers - 7 rebounds
Litchfield 60, Camden-Frontier 21
Coach Corey Bills and the Terriers remain unbeaten at 5-0
Tyler Bills hit four 3-pointers and had a total of 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals
Junior Alvarez - 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block; Miguel Pedroza - 11 points, 1 assist, 1 steal; Brandon Campbel - 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals
For Camden-Frontier, Zack Franks had six points, Ben Slayer had four points, Blake Bever had 3 points
More: Road Warriors: Jonesville boys hoops earns third road win of the year at Leslie
Other Scores
Boys Hoops: Waldron 51, Jackson Christian 36
Waldron improves to 3-3 (stats not available)
Boys Hoops: Jackson Prep 52, Will Carleton Academy 45
WCA falls to 1-4 (stats not available)
Boys Hoops: North Adams-Jerome 44, Tekonsha 22
North Adams-Jerome earns first win, now 1-4 (stats not available)
Girls Hoops: Hudson 30, Hillsdale 25
Hornets drop to 1-3 (stats not available)
Girls Hoops: Waldron 35, Jackson Christian 26
Spartans improve to 3-0
Play undefeated Litchfield on Dec. 19
Wrestling Highlights
The Jonesville wrestling team finished second at the White Pigeon team tournament. Going 5-0 on the day was Carson Playford, Austin Bowers and Isaac Shively. Ben Colbart and Evan McColley both went 4-1.
Two county wrestlers won first place at the Sand Creek Holiday Tournament. Reid Westfall of Reading won the gold at 106 pounds. Hillsdale junior John Petersen won at 215 pounds. More wrestling highlights will be featured in our top performers story.
Send stats, photos for free galleries and more to jflaherty@gannett.com
Roundup scores and stats may be updated as they become available
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This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Friday Night Roundup: Hillsdale Academy stays unbeaten with win over Pittsford
