Harbor Springs boys open things up in second half of hall of fame night
HARBOR SPRINGS — When mistakes happen, sometimes the best way to fix them is to just figure it out all by yourself.
As his team’s lead collapsed from 18-2 after the opening quarter to a tied 23-23 game in the second quarter Friday night, Harbor Springs boys basketball coach John Flynn wasn’t calling a timeout to stop the bleed.
No, they needed to figure it out against visiting Kalkaska.
“We’ve got to learn to not only play fast, but play smart,” Flynn said. “When (Kalkaska) went on that run, I didn’t want to call a timeout. They’ve got to figure that out on their own and learn.”
And, a young Harbor team did.
After a close halftime, crisper play came in the second half from the Rams in an eventual 71-55 victory over the Blazers.
Harbor Springs improved to 7-5 overall with the win, along with 4-3 within the league.
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Play fast, play smart
Playing fast is nothing new for a John Flynn coached team.
Flynn has always been high on an uptempo game – much like how he played years back – but fast doesn’t mean forgetting the fundamentals.
“Our big thing is to just bring energy and just play faster,” said Flynn. “That’s been a big point of emphasis. Play fast, play with tempo. Sometimes you get the good and the bad with that. Obviously you score more points, but you’re prone to more turnovers.”
That’s where Harbor ran into issues in the second quarter, though a 13-point third quarter from Rider Bartel and nine-point quarter from Braeden Flynn helped push the lead out to 21 after three.
Bartel finished the night with 31 points, Flynn scored 16 and Collin Lang and Gavin Ellis each scored six.
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Hall of Fame night
On top of the victory, the night also came as the annual Harbor Springs Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony, with a host of Ram greats entering the hall.
The 2024 class included Gary, Glen and Geoff Morse, Lyn Wenz and the 1929 Harbor Springs state champion boys basketball team.
Flynn, having grown up in Harbor, knows the Morse family well and was happy to see them honored, along with the others.
“Gary coached both of my sisters growing up, so I’ve known him and he was always really good to me as a kid,” Flynn said. “Then Geoff Morse was my seventh grade coach at Harbor, so I had him when I first started organized basketball. I’ve known the Morse family my entire life, so it was good to see them get recognized. It was good for that team too.”
The 1929 team – with family on hand to see their loved ones honored – was made up of Kendall Grimes, Charles McBride, Harold Campbell, Elwood Windegarden, Elmer Linehan, Douglas Cornell, Howard Taylor, L. Dale Founce, Douglass Hill, Maxwell Booth and coach Arden McClain.
LMC round two ahead
With seven league games in the book, things start right back up again for the Rams next, as they’ll begin round two of league play next week against rival Charlevoix at home on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Flynn is looking forward to making some changes and seeing how teams play his own a second time around.
“We’ll see how team adjusted and how we’re going to adjust,” he added. “We’ve got a big week next week hosting Charlevoix, so that should be a good one. They’re the front runner right now in the league and we know we can play with them if we play the right way and the way we’re capable of.”
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: Harbor Springs boys run away from Kalkaska in second half for win
