Mackinaw City girls clinch sixth straight NLC title; Boyne boys, girls drop to Gaylord

HARBOR SPRINGS — The Mackinaw City girls’ basketball team had a lot of questions surrounding them entering the 2023-24 season.

So far, they’ve done nothing but give all the right answers.

And on Tuesday night, the Comets handed out another with a sixth consecutive Northern Lakes Conference championship clinched.

With a 45-24 win over host Harbor Light Christian, Mackinaw City improved to 11-0 within the NLC with a game to go, giving them the outright title in the bag.

“I am so proud of this group of ladies for their grit and determination,” Mackinaw City coach Jake Huffman said. “Harbor Light came out strong tonight and put up a strong fight.  This group is resilient and they support each other and play hard for one another regardless of the adversity they are facing.  They truly fit the definition of a team with heart, grit, and determination.”

Mackinaw City, ranked No. 9 in the latest Associated Press girls rankings, also improved to 17-0 on the season with the win.

Gracie Beauchamp led with 17 points, nine steals, eight assists and seven rebounds, while Jersey Beauchamp had nine points and six steals.

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Rian Esper also had seven points, Kenzlie Currie scored six and Kerry-Ann Ming had eight rebounds.

Mackinaw will next meet Alanson at home on Thursday, Feb. 15 to wrap up NLC play.

Gaylord 56, Boyne City 52

GAYLORD — The Boyne City girls’ basketball team was just a step behind Gaylord throughout their meeting this week, resulting in a 56-52 win for the Blue Devils.

The Ramblers trailed by no more than five points after each quarter break, including a 32-31 halftime.

Delaney Vollmer led with 15 points for Boyne, Addy Burns had 11, Elly Wilcox scored nine and Braydin Noble had seven.

Boyne City (8-10) will next head to Elk Rapids on Friday, Feb. 16.

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East Jordan 49, Kalkaska 38

KALKASKA — June Kirkpatrick led East Jordan’s girls with 15 points as the Red Devils got back on track with a 49-38 win over host Kalkaska.

Grace Nemecek also added 14 points and Lily Snyder scored 10 for EJ.

“We did a nice job getting the ball inside and scoring at the rim. Many girls made great passes and we played unselfish basketball,” EJ coach Tim Smith said.

East Jordan (9-8, 4-7) next makes their way to Charlevoix to meet the Rayders on Friday, Feb. 16.

More: Michigan AP girls high school basketball rankings, Feb. 13

More: Michigan AP boys high school basketball rankings, Feb. 13

BOYS BASKETBALL 

Gaylord 53, Boyne City 50

GAYLORD — A strong defensive night for the Boyne City boys’ basketball team wasn’t followed up on the other end of the court, as the Ramblers fell in a 53-50 final against host Gaylord.

“Tough game,” Boyne City coach Robby Jensen said. “We couldn't get much to drop in the first half. Defense played decent. Always a tough task to guard Luke Gelow. We managed to hold him to 17 points and we fought hard until the end and gave ourselves a shot to tie it and didn't work out.”

Jaden Alger finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for Boyne, Chas Stanek had nine points and Owen Hewitt added eight points.

Boyne City (12-8) has just two games remaining on the season, with a visit from Elk Rapids up next on Thursday, Feb. 15.

East Jordan 47, Kalkaska 30

EAST JORDAN — The much needed win the East Jordan boys’ basketball team was searching for came Tuesday night when the Red Devils hosted Kalkaska and earned a 47-30 victory.

“A great effort all night by the kids on the defensive end,” East Jordan coach Nate Dzwik said. “We really controlled the tempo all game. We had a lapse at the end of the third quarter but the kids really locked in.  Credit to the whole team who played with a ton of energy all night and the bench for never letting up all night.”

Korbyn Russell came through with a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead EJ, while Lucas Stone and Angel Delgado each had six points. William Webb also had 13 rebounds.

East Jordan (7-12) will next welcome in Charlevoix on Thursday, Feb. 15 in a rivalry meeting that closes up Lake Michigan Conference play.

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Alanson 51, Harbor Light 45

ALANSON — Things got a little muddied at the top of the Northern Lakes Conference on the boys side this week when Alanson welcomed league-leader Harbor Light Christian and earned a 51-45 win.

It made both the Vikings and Swordsmen 8-2 within the league, tied for the lead, while Mackinaw City sits just a half game back at 7-2.

“This is a different team than a month ago, these guys have been in tight games, and unfortunately were on the losing side of the majority of the games,” Alanson coach Brian Kujawa said. “Growth occurs only after failure. We’ve been knocked down and it hurts to get back up after losing close games, but now we are seeing the maturity of these players and their confidence in each other.”

Christian Silveus led with 19 points for Alanson, Owyne Greenier had 11 points and four rebounds, Mason Weidenhamer had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists and Troy Johnson had five points, seven assists and six steals.

Alanson (13-4, 8-2) will next travel to Mackinaw City on Friday, Feb. 16, while Harbor Light (15-4, 8-2) welcomes Brimley on Monday, Feb. 19.

Brimley 76, Mackinaw City 45 

BRIMLEY — It was a tough trip just north of the bridge for the Mackinaw City boys’ basketball team when they met Brimley and took a 76-45 loss this week.

The Comets knew the main focus was going to be to slow down Bays standout Perry LeBlanc, though he finished the night with 33 points.

For Mackinaw City, Lucas Bergstrom led with 24 and Trystan Swanson scored eight.

Mackinaw City (11-7) next hosts Alanson back in Northern Lakes play on Friday, Feb. 16.

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: Mackinaw City earns Northern Lakes title, Boyne City boys fall to Gaylord