Monroe, Dundee, SMCC, Carlson, Summerfield earn victories
MONROE – Monroe’s boys basketball lost its first six league games of the season.
The Trojans have suddenly figured out how to win in the Southeastern Conference Red.
They made it three straight league wins Friday, beating Ann Arbor Skyline 53-42.
“I don’t remember the last time we beat an Ann Arbor school,” Monroe coach Larry Middleton said.
The Trojans have won their last three games against Dexter, Bedford and Skyline to improve to 7-12 overall and 4-9 in the league.
“Our team has grown up so much in the last three weeks,” Middleton said. “Our defense has been outstanding and our big guys are finishing around the rim. This was a huge win for us. … I couldn’t be more proud of the guys tonight.”
Lukas Johnson led Monroe with 21 points.
“Lukas Johnson is playing at another level right now,” Middleton said.
Lucis Rzepa added 15 points and Teegan Simmons 9.
Dundee 61, Hillsdale 49
DUNDEE – Dundee’s boys basketball players probably expected to be chewed out at halftime Friday night as they came to the locker room trailing Hillsdale 32-20.
The Vikings didn’t get that.
Instead, coach Jay Haselschwerdt was calm.
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“I didn’t yell or get crazy,” Haselschwerdt said. “I just said, ‘Hey, we have to play up to our potential.’ I felt like the guys were a little soft defensively and tentative offensively.”
Ryan Zanger started the comeback with four 3-pointers in the third quarter, then Ethan Layton netted 9 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t think we could have played any worse offensively or defensively in the first half and I don’t think we could have played any better in the second half,” Haselschwerdt said.
Braiden Whitaker led the 15-5 Vikings with 24 points and Zanger finished with 16.
SMCC 60, Huron 41
NEW BOSTON – St Mary Catholic Central’s defense set the tone holding Huron to a single bucket in the opening period.
The falcons jumped out to a 10-2 lead after one, extending their advantage to 33-15 at the intermission.
“SMCC came ready to play from the opening tip,” Huron coach Ted Tackett said. “We came out flat and never responded.”
Guards Brady Hines and Ian Foster each dropped 10 points and Buddy Snodgrass added nine for SMCC, which avenged an earlier loss to Huron and improved to 11-8.
Chad Martin led Huron (12-9) with 14 points.
Gibraltar Carlson 62, Taylor 38
TAYLOR – A big fourth quarter lifted Gibraltar Carlson.
The Marauders (6-13) took a slim 38-34 lead into the final period, but outscored the Griffins 23-4 to close out the game.
Eight different Marauders scored during the 23-point quarter while the defense held Taylor to just a single field goal.
Jackson Zachary led Carlson with 13 points.
Summerfield 62, Sand Creek 54
PETERSBURG – Summerfield pulled into a tie for second place in the Tri-County Conference with Whiteford at 8-4.
Lenawee Christian has wrapped up the league title at 11-1.
The Bulldogs (16-4 overall) trailed 27-25 at the half, but took control by scoring 24 points in the third quarter.
Jha Jha Hornbeak led the attack with 16 points and Tyler Dafoe added 10.
“Jha Jha Hornbeak had probably one of the most complete games I have ever coached,” Summerfield’s Phil Schiffler said.
Saline 81, Bedford 48
SALINE – Saline’s 3-point shooting doomed Bedford.
The Hornets knocked down 15 3-pointers, including 10 in the second half.
“Our guys played hard, but couldn’t muster enough offense to keep up,” Bedford coach Jordan Bollin said.
Kason Snyder and Noah Colon led the Mules, each scored eight points.
Riverview 79, Jefferson 45
RIVERVIEW – Riverview’s Evan Gallimore slashed the Jefferson defense for 28 points to lead a Pirate offense that never scored fewer than 16 points in any quarter.
The Bears trailed 39-24 at the half and fell further behind after being outscored 24-8 in the third quarter.
“Not a good effort tonight,” Jefferson coach Corey Wiley said. “We have to make some adjustments to who we are and get ready for the next few games.”
Gabe Gelso scored 13 points for Jefferson (9-11) and Trey Oldenburg added 12.
Clinton 68, Ida 55
CLINTON – Clinton knocked down 10 3-points in the first half, then thwarted an Ida comeback bid.
“We battled back to get the deficit to 2 midway through the second half, but a very poor defensive effort caught up to us,” Ida coach Jared Karner said.
AJ Schrader scored 19 points and Shay Schoenberg added 10 for the 12-7 Blue Streaks.
Luke Hennessey scored 15 points as Ida won the junior varsity game 45-38.
Britton Deerfield 64, Erie Mason 43
BRITTON – Erie Mason never recovered after falling into a 37-21 halftime hole.
Logan Goodin scored 13 points and Jackson Icoangeli added 12 for the Eagles, who fell to 5-15 with their eighth loss in their last nine games.
State Line 54, Community Saginaw 50
TEMPERANCE – Cooper Worley’s 24-point performance propelled State Line in the quarterfinals of the Michigan Association of Christian Schools State Tournament.
Worley was 9-for-11 from the free throw line, shooting 5-for-6 in the final period to help the Patriots squeeze out a narrow victory.
Ethan Rains added 14 points for State Line (10-15).
“Cooper (Worley) and Ethan (Rains) had some big plays down the stretch,” State Line coach Nathan Nash said.
State Line, the tournament’s defending champions, returns to the semifinals against a team that has yet to be determined.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Boys Basketball: Monroe finds winning formula; Dundee comes back
