Offensive struggles down Sturgis teams on Friday
STURGIS — It was a tough night for the Sturgis hoops teams on Friday from an offensive standpoint.
The boys fell to visiting Vicksburg 62-35, while the girls lost 57-24.
For the boys, Vicksburg raced out to an early lead. The Bulldogs had a 9-2 advantage after a couple of minutes and took an 18-7 edge after one quarter. That lead ballooned to 34-9 at the break.
Sturgis had its best two offensive quarters in the second half. The Trojans posted 15 in the third, but Vicksburg countered with 21. SHS held an 11-7 advantage in the final quarter.
The Trojans, who celebrated senior night for Matt Wickey, Gibson Cary, Grady Miller and George Bucklin, finished with just one player in double figures.
Miller put in 16 to lead the way. Lukis Bir and Carson Eicher each scored six points, and both Cary and Tanner Hickey added three. Dawson Miller connected on a free throw.
Mitchell Beyer led Vicksburg with 21 points in the win.
In the girls game, Vicksburg used its length and athleticism to beat the Lady Trojans. With the loss, Sturgis falls to 7-11 on the season.
"Girls played hard tonight," Sturgis coach Jeremy Bucklin said. "We struggled with ball control."
Angela Cary led Sturgis with six points in the loss. She added six rebounds while Madison Webb scored four points with five rebounds.
Kylie Brooks scored four points and tallied four rebounds. Yuri Villafuerte scored four points with two steals, and Rylee Carver connected for three points. Gabby Netke scored two points with two rebounds, Keyanna O'Tey finished with a made free throw and four rebounds.
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The Three Rivers basketball teams fell to Paw Paw on Friday night.
The boys dropped an 81-55 decision. Zander Barth led the Wildcat offense with 13 points and grabbed four rebounds while Heston Saunders scored 11 points and added six rebounds.
Mason Awe scored nine with three assists, Jace Gray finished with eight points and six rebounds. William Wardell tossed in six points, and Drake Garver added five. Max Burg scored two points while Lamonta Stone made a free throw.
The girls dropped a 71-42 decision to Paw Paw. Lanie Glass led the Cats with 14 points, and Allie McGlothlen scored 10.
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Other games Friday
The Constantine boys upended Kalamazoo Christian on Friday night, winning 39-35.
Caleb Bontrager led the Falcons with 14 points in the game. Isaac Moore chipped in with 12 points as well for the Falcons in the win.
Mendon won a county contest with Burr Oak in boys hoops on Friday, 71-45.
"Great team win tonight. We started off real slow, and just made some bad decisions offensively and they came with a lot of energy going up on us early," Mendon coach Danny Schragg said. "The third quarter we came out a whole new team, created turnovers off our press and got to the rim and finished plays instead of settling for jump shots. Huge third quarter for us, and we never looked back."
Ryder Gorham led the Hornets with 23 points. He also grabbed four rebounds with five assists, and Quincy Blair finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Brayden Crites scored 11 points while Owen Gorham connected for eight points with five rebounds and five assists.
Dylan Cupp scored five points, and Mason Wilczynski added three. Jack McCaw also scored three points with three rebounds and four assists.
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The White Pigeon girls beat Bloomingdale on Friday, 44-27. The victory pushes White Pigeon's record to 14-3 overall; the Chiefs are now 13-1 in league play.
"We were a little rusty the first half, but then the third quarter we went off," White Pigeon coach Brooke McClure said. "Traveling to Bloomingdale is always a long drive and a tough place to play, so I was proud of our girls' effort tonight to secure the win."
White Pigeon led 19-17 at halftime but outscored Bloomingdale 20-2 in the third quarter to build a comfortable lead.
Sydney McClure led the offense with 16 points, Leigha Shudell scored 12 and Sadie McDaniel added 10. Shelby McDaniel scored five, and Emily Miller scored two points.
Both McDaniels grabbed seven rebounds while McClure and Shudell each had six rebounds in the win.
The Centreville girls picked up a 36-21 victory over Comstock on Friday.
"Our girls played hard tonight in a game where baskets weren’t going our way," Centreville coach Jill Peterson said. "Our defense has consistently been tough as of late, and that proves to be extra important on the days the offense is struggling. I’m proud of the girls for their grit and mental toughness this season."
Kendalynn Bernheisel led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the game. Mara Webb and Mary Stears each scored six points, and August Blair scored five. Leah Roberts and Ellie Reed both scored three points.
Stears grabbed nine rebounds. Webb passed out four assists while Abbe Wherrett swiped three steals.
The Centreville boys beat Comstock on Friday, 59-29. Matt Swanwick led the Bulldogs in the game with 22 points, Ben Truckenmiller hit for 14, and Ethan Miller finished in double figures as well with 11. Declan Kane tossed in seven points.
Marcellus beat Bangor in boys hoops on Friday, 48-25. Nathan Mihills led with 13 points for the Wildcats, Beau Ferguson scored 10 and Dawsen Lehew added nine. Abram Coffey scored five, and Matt Lehew scored two.
Earlier games this week
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No. 2 Colon dropped a 70-44 decision to Division 3's No. 2 Niles-Brandywine on Thursday.
"We did not handle the defensive pressure well and didn’t do a great job taking care of the ball," Colon coach Beth Preston said.
Brandywine jumped out to a 20-5 lead after one and took a 33-18 edge at halftime.
Reese Williams led Colon with 15 points while Megann Mullins scored eight points with 10 assists. Kelsey Burgess scored seven points, Macey Burgess added six points with 10 rebounds and Lily Preston, Raegan Thaxton, Savannah Meyers and Allison Vinson each scored two.
On Wednesday, Colon beat Hillsdale Academy 57-38. Williams scored 34 points in that game with eight rebounds and four steals; Mullins added 10 with four steals. Thaxton and Kelsey Burgess both scored six, and Liv Johnson made a free throw. Colon is 16-2 overall.
The Centreville girls beat Hartford on Thursday, 38-32. Kendalynn Bernheisel tossed in eight points while Mary Stears added seven points and Drew Alexander chipped in five. Emmy Pritchard, Mara Webb and Paris Lugo each scored four points while Berkley Shingledecker and August Blair scored three points.
Mendon beat Burr Oak on Thursday, 38-19. Brianna Heitkamp led the way with 14 points and five rebounds while Makennah Mullin scored 10 points and 11 rebounds. Cienna Nightingale chipped in with eight points and 12 rebounds, and Gracie Schultz scored three points. Jadyn Samson scored three points as well. Burr Oak was led by Braylyn Hernandez with nine points and five rebounds. Elaine Holtom scored five, Saryia Cornejo added three with six rebounds and Cristal Hernandez scored two with nine rebounds.
On Wednesday, Burr Oak beat Litchfield. Hernandez scored 27 points in the game to lead the way while Cornejo added five with 13 rebounds. Inez Ultz scored three points with seven rebounds, Holtom added three with five rebounds and Cristal Hernandez scored two points.
Dowagiac beat Constantine 44-24 on Wednesday. Jaedyn Herlein scored nine points in the game, and Jaelyn Buglione scored eight.
The Colon boys beat Pittsford on Wednesday night, 48-40. Nic Mock led with 24 points, including 14 in the final frame. Dalton Williams finished with 19 while Maverick Downs scored three and Collin Trattles hit two free throws.
Centreville dropped a close one to Loy Norrix on Wednesday, 63-60. Matt Swanwick scored 29 points in the game, and Kobe Carpenter added 20. Isaak Miller scored eight.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sturgis drops home games to visiting Vicksburg
