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Hoops Roundup: Colts defeat Bellevue 54-40; Pittsford gets revenge against Reading

joseph flaherty, hillsdale daily news
·6 min read

HILLSDALE COUNTY — Monday and Tuesday night prep hoops action saw the Wildcats take revenge against the Rangers and the Colts win a battle between two teams in the hunt for state ranking recognition. In addition, the WCA boys and girls basketball teams continued their winning efforts with a sweep of Marshall Academy.

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Hillsdale Academy continues to dominate their way through competition

The Hillsdale Academy boys basketball team is on a roll in 2024. After a disappointing finish to Battle Creek St. Phillip on Jan. 14, coach Zach Miller and the Colts have rolled their way through the competition. They can now add a 54-40 win over an AP recognized Bellevue team to their resume.

That marks six straight wins from the Colts that ended with double-digit leads. Their dismantling of the Broncos on Tuesday night might be their most impressive win since their December victory over Concord. They handed the Broncos their second loss of the season.

Senior Dominic Scharer continues to dominate in the paint, scoring 17 for the Colts. Mikey Plemmons dropped 11 on the Broncos. Jay Jenkins contributed 10 points.

Now 14-3, and still undefeated at 10-0 in the SCAA East, it should be smooth sailing for the Colts heading into their homecoming game this Friday against Tekonsha. After a more-than-likely win at home this Friday, things heat up in Week 11.

The Colts will host the Adrian Lenawee Christian Cougars. The 13-2 Cougars are No. 1 in the latest D4 AP polls. The Cougars are on a 10-win streak but have to play two more times before they face the Colts, including back-to-back games over this weekend. The Tuesday, Feb. 13 showdown starts at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on the NFHS Network.

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Coach Zach Miller and the Colts won their 14th game of the season against a Bellevue team that had just one loss before Tuesday night.
Coach Zach Miller and the Colts won their 14th game of the season against a Bellevue team that had just one loss before Tuesday night.

Pittsford rains 3-pointers on Reading in revenge win

Dec. 28, 2023. The Pittsford Wildcats head into the Pool A Pat Paterson tournament bracket after winning Pool B in their tournament debut the previous season. The Reading Rangers return to Pool A looking to win their fourth consecutive Pool A title. What transpired was a gritty defensive battle that saw the Rangers end the tournament hopes of the Wildcats in a 37-34 final.

Flash forward to Tuesday, Feb. 6. The Rangers, looking to end a three-game skid, host the Wildcats in a rematch non-conference battle. Pittsford looked to get revenge on the Rangers and to also bounce back from their loss to Hillsdale Academy in Week 9.

The Wildcats got their revenge in a 56-43 final. Hillsdale was able to build a strong first half lead, up 36-28. The Wildcats dropped nine 3-pointers in the first half. They then played solid defense in the third quarter, allowing just five points to the Rangers to help build their lead to seal the win.

It was an impressive night for Pittsford senior Gavyn Carden. The sharpshooter dropped 23 points on the Rangers, including a staggering five 3-pointers in the first half alone. He added two more triples in the final quarter to end the night with seven total. He wasn't alone in the big night from beyond the arc. Senior Mason Payne dropped two triples and had 10 points. Alex Logan had a triple and earned nine points. Jake Drawe had a triple and six total points.

The Rangers were led by Nate Robbins and Bradly Kling with 11 points each. Brayden Wright and Drew Elder had eight points each. Robbins, Kling, Elder and Marco Bailey each had a triple.

The 3-point shot has been one of the biggest strengths of this Wildcat team this season. With games against Waldron, Jackson Christian, Colon and Litchfield remaining on the schedule, the road is tough for the Wildcats, but they should be in play to have a strong finish to the regular season.

They play Camden-Frontier this Thursday, Feb. 8 at home.

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Pittsford senior Gavyn Carden had 23 points for the Wildcats on Tuesday night.
Pittsford senior Gavyn Carden had 23 points for the Wildcats on Tuesday night.

WCA basketball teams take down Marshall Academy

The Will Carleton Academy boys and girls basketball teams won by double digits in their matchups with Marshall Academy on Tuesday night.

The girls basketball team won 43-29. Kerington Ladd led the team with 13 points. Athlete of the Week winner Madison Recob had 10 points. Kristen Recob had eight points. Brilynn Padget earned seven points. Josie Moore had five points.

The boys basketball team won 72-55. Tyler Slade led the team with 22 points. Senior Tyler Barnes had 20 points. Thomas Maier contributed 15. David Maier had seven points. Will Thielen and Caleb Daniels had five and three points, respectively. Coach Lucas Westblade was proud of his team's ability to handle adversity with key players out sick.

WCA Senior Tyler Barnes (pictured here as Homecoming King with Homecoming Queen Vivian Tran) scored 20 points on Tuesday night against Marshall Academy.
WCA Senior Tyler Barnes (pictured here as Homecoming King with Homecoming Queen Vivian Tran) scored 20 points on Tuesday night against Marshall Academy.

"Marshall Academy is a young tough team," coach Westblade said. "We had a couple key guys out sick tonight as well so we knew this was going to be a tough game. Thankfully we were able to get out to a big lead in the first quarter and control the game."

The Cougar boys hoops team has now won 11 of their last 12 games. They carry a lot of momentum heading into a tough road matchup against the Waldron Spartans, who beat them in their last matchup during the Pat Paterson tourney. It will be their last game before the Crossroads Athletic Conference tournament.

The Cougar girls basketball team has now won two games in a row. They look to get revenge against Litchfield at home before heading to Waldron on Saturday.

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Feb. 5-6 Score Roundup

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  • Boys Basketball: Camden-Frontier 50, North Adams-Jerome 44

    • Camden-Frontier won their second game of the season in a classic rivalry showdown with the Rams. Camden led by double digits by the end of the first half and through the remainder of the game.

    • C-F: Kaiden Conroy - 15, Darran Drake - 9, Kenton Clark - 7, Ben Salyer - 6, Blake Bever - 6

    • NA-J: Conner Arsenault - 18, Nathan Todd - 11, Connor McKay - 9

  • Boys Basketball: Clinton 54, Hillsdale 52

    • Hillsdale drops to 8-9 overall on the season. Jack Bowles had 26 points and two steals. Jace Lennox had 11 points and four assists. Ethan Amburgey had six rebounds. Brody Adams had eight points and three steals. They face Adrian Madison next.

  • Girls Basketball: Leslie 50, Jonesville 36

    • The Comets drop to 8-7 have three losses in a row. Reese Stanton led the team with eight points and three steals. Gracen Hager had six points and four rebounds. Lyra Nichols, Korra Estel and Haley Mach each had five points. They face Manchester and then Hanover-Horton to end the week.

  • Girls Basketball: Bronson 51, Reading 13

    • The Rangers fall to 7-9 overall.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hoops Roundup: Colts run through Bellevue; Pittsford gets revenge against Reading