Historic Jonesville girls basketball playoff run ends at regional semifinals
LESLIE — The Jonesville girls' basketball team ran into a fellow Cascades team on Monday night in the basketball regional semifinals.
The Michigan Center Cardinals and Jonesville Comets met back in December, but Monday night's game would decide which team would compete for a regional championship later in the week.
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After a back-and-forth first half, Michigan Center pulled away with a strong third quarter that would eventually help them win 53-40, sending the Cardinals to the finals to face New Lothrop.
The Comets and Cardinals were tied at 11-11 all heading into the second. A couple timely turnovers helped propel the Cardinals to their big 18-8 third quarter run.
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The regional semifinal ends the Comets' best postseason run as a team since the 2010 season. The team ends the season with a 14-10 record. They beat county rival Hillsdale in the district semifinals 36-26, before beating former league rival Quincy 58-35 in the title game. The team had 10 threes in that championship game to help propel them to one of their best offensive performances of the season.
The loss on Monday night ends the careers of three senior athletes: Morgan Baker, Gracen Hager and Lyra Nichols. Nichols earned all-conference honors, second team, this year. Hager earned honorable mention honors. Coach Tom Dunn, who has been with the program for 10 seasons, credited all three seniors for their leadership and toughness this season.
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"Morgan Baker blows her ACL out and then she comes back in November and tears her meniscus in a 4-man workout. She says she still wanted to play," Dunn said. "She's just a super tough kid. Nichols is a street fighter. This is her third year on varsity. Hager is an overall super kid. Those kids left it out there tonight."
Dunn said that the team knew a tough battle lay ahead at the beginning of the year, but as long as the team could hang in and stay positive, he believed they would be rewarded for their efforts.
"It was a rough schedule all year, but I knew if we could hang in there, and keep the kids positive, that at the end of the year we would get a reward. And we did, winning that district on our home floor. That was the goal the whole year. Those kids hung in there and I'm just so proud of them for what they did."
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Senior Lyra Nichols thanked coach Dunn, her teammates and parents for her time with the Jonesville girls basketball program.
"I'd like to thank my parents and all the other parents that helped out and took care of us over the years," Nichols said. "(I want to thank) Tom Dunn for just coaching us and all of my teammates that I don't get to see anymore but I know are going to do great next year. I'm so proud of how we did. Playing with this team last year, we were learning how to play together. This year, we knew each other, we love each other. Its the best team I've ever played on."
Morgan Baker thanked her family for their support through her two knee injuries. Baker said that the key to their success, battling through years of dedication to the sport, was to keep their practices and energy alive and upbeat.
"I want to thank my family who supported me through both of my knee injuries," Baker said. "(I also want to thank) my teammates and my dad who coached us since we were little. I just want to say that we've all spent a lot of time in the gym and dedicated a lot to this sport. To keep it alive and upbeat, that's how you get through it. We've come a long way, and we ended on a good note."
Gracen Hager thanked coach Dunn and her teammates. Hager says that the team is successful because Dunn cares about each member of the team.
"Thank you to my teammates and thank you to Tom Dunn," Hager said. "One thing about Tom Dunn is he really cares about his players, and he'll make sure you know it. I'm grateful to be a part of this program with all the girls. I know (the district title) meant a lot to him. He's worked with us since we were in elementary school."
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The Comets will have several returning members to the team that made big impacts this winter. Junior Comet Haley Mach recovered from her own ACL tear in January of last year to become one of the leading offensive playmakers for the Comets this season. She earned first team league honors this year for her efforts. She will be joined by teammate Alexis Trine, who earned second team all-league this year.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Historic Jonesville girls basketball playoff run ends in regional semifinal
