Onaway, Inland Lakes boys basketball cruise; Mackinaw City gets tested at Burt Lake NMCA

ONAWAY – The Onaway boys basketball team has lit up many of its opponents in recent years.

But as terrific as the Cardinals have been offensively, it all starts with defense.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals used their ferocious defensive attack to stymie Central Lake and move to 3-0 with a 65-27 home victory.

“Our defense leads the way,” Onaway coach Eddy Szymoniak said. “We only gave up double-digit points in one quarter, so our guys really got after it defensively, which was great to see.”

The Cardinals (3-0, 3-0) were lifted by a team-high 18 points from Austin Veal and 15 from Jadin Mix, but arguably the top performance of the night came from junior Luke Lovelace, who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 points in the opening quarter.

“Luke was a monster in that first quarter,” Szymoniak said. “Austin (Veal) and Jadin (Mix) were dealing with foul trouble, but Luke really stepped up and helped us keep that lead. Jackson Chaskey did a nice job of controlling things when Jadin and Austin were out, and Brendon Brewbaker was an animal defensively."

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Chaskey finished with seven points for Onaway, Justin Kramer-St. Germain scored three, and Trenton Soik, Mason Beebe, Cole Selke and Levi Zampich chipped in with two apiece.

Onaway hosts Johannesburg-Lewiston on Thursday.

Wallace nets career-high 33 points, Inland Lakes rolls

INDIAN RIVER – A monster scoring night from senior guard Connor Wallace lifted the Inland Lakes boys basketball team to an 87-50 victory over Forest Area at home on Tuesday.

Wallace poured in a career-high 33 points for the Bulldogs (2-2, 2-1 Ski Valley Conference), who built a 47-25 lead by halftime.

Also for Inland Lakes, Sam Schoonmaker tallied 22 points, Aidan Fenstermaker scored 11, and Jake Willey, Kiontae Mund and Noah Shugar each added six. Payton Teuthorn chipped in with three.

“The kids had a lot of fun tonight and I was happy with the performance,” Inland Lakes coach Lee Nash said. “I was happy to see the increase in the basketball IQ, more movement on offense, and Connor (Wallace) got into the lane and to the rim consistently. The kids are starting to play better together.”

Inland Lakes travels to Pellston on Thursday.

Bergstrom, Mackinaw City battle back to beat NMCA

BURT LAKE – The Mackinaw City boys basketball team was up against it at halftime against Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian Academy.

But the Comets, behind a game-high 18 points from senior Lucas Bergstrom, avenged an eight-point deficit and earned a 56-42 road victory over the Eagles on Tuesday.

“Another conference battle that was anything but easy,” Mackinaw City coach John Martin said. “Coach (James) Brabson does a great job putting together a competitive team with limited resources. Those kids played their hearts out tonight, hats off to their efforts. We made a couple adjustments in the locker room at half, closed the gap early in the third, tied it at 36 with four minutes to go and was able to hang on from there.”

The Comets (3-1, 2-0 Northern Lakes Conference) received 13 points from Trystan Swanson, while Myran Thompson scored nine, Nick Vieau tallied six, and Tyler Hingston added five.

For the Eagles (3-2, 1-1 NLC), Josh Ferraiuolo led with 14 points and five assists, Josiah Brabson finished with 12 points and four assists, and Derek Vest chipped in with six points and six rebounds.

“It was a clear tale of two halves,” Coach Brabson said. “Going against John (Martin) as a coach, I knew they (Mackinaw City) would make halftime adjustments and he hit on some good ones. If there was one good thing, (it was) that this game gave our young guys more floor time in a big game, and these games help reveal what you need to work on over the long haul of the season.”

On Monday, NMCA suffered a close 50-44 road loss at Rogers City. Josiah Brabson’s 20 points and six rebounds paced the Eagles, who received 10 points and four assists from Ferraiuolo, nine points, four rebounds and four steals from Jeremiah Tucker, and five points, seven rebounds and three assists from Vest.

“In a lot of ways, we showed our youth tonight with some decision making that just has to improve,” Coach Brabson said. “Rogers City’s length compared to us really exposed us too. Big credit to them for taking advantage of it.”

Alanson boys earn close win at Cedarville

CEDARVILLE – Four players scored nine or more points for the Alanson boys basketball team, which improved to 3-1 overall after earning a 50-46 victory at Cedarville on Monday.

Owyne Greenier led the Vikings with 11 points, three rebounds and one steal, while Mason Weidenhamer had 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, Donovan Honeysette added 10 points and 12 rebounds, Corbin Cousineau recorded nine points, six rebounds and six assists, Troy Johnson notched five points, nine assists and three rebounds, and Isaac Bowman chipped in with five points, three rebounds and one steal.

“We got a quality win over a physical team in the (Upper Peninsula),” Alanson coach Brian Kujawa said. "We came into the game tonight down two starters, one being our leading scorer (Christian Silveus) and found a way through grit and guts to get a victory. We finished the game tonight like we had something to prove to ourselves, that determination along with our mental toughness showed me a lot about our guys.”

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Basketball roundup: Onaway, Inland Lakes, Mackinaw City earn victories