Petoskey skiers impress at Nub's Nob; Alanson, Harbor Light earn NLC wins
HARBOR SPRINGS — In a sport that’s reliant on outside factors as much as anything, taking advantage of opportunity is everything in alpine ski racing.
And the opportunity to welcome Big North Conference teams to their home hill came for the Petoskey ski teams Monday, which they didn’t take lightly.
While it was the Traverse City programs claiming the team wins again, Petoskey did pull in six top 10 finishes between the boys and girls races.
Petoskey’s boys placed third as a team, while the girls were fourth.
In the girls race, Petoskey’s Marley Spence stepped up on her home hill for a pair of first place finishes between the giant slalom and slalom events. In fact, Spence earned wins in three of her four runs as well.
A battle throughout the year with TC Central’s Quinn Gerber and Cadillac’s Onalee Wallis, it was Spence’s day from the start, as she claimed a first place 1 minute, 15.29 second slalom time in the morning.
When the sun came out in the afternoon, Spence shined with a blazing 49.76 combined time in the giant slalom.
She was the lone girls racer sub 50 seconds in the GS and one of just two on the day, along with West’s Caleb Lewandowski on the boys side.
Also within the slalom race for the Petoskey girls, Sara Hasse placed 21st (1:45.50); Paige Hubbard was 23rd (1:51.62); Sydney Hoffman, 24th (1:53.48); and Kenli Lowery, 25th (1:54.78).
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In the slalom race, Hoffman then placed 20th behind spence in 55.36 seconds, Addie Schultz placed 23rd (1:02.47); Hasse, 24th (1:03.66); and Hubbard, 26th (1:07.17).
Petoskey’s boys were again led by Gavin Galbraith in both races, as he came through with two of his best performances on the home hill.
Galbraith started out with a second place finish in the giant slalom race in the morning, claiming a time of 51.26 seconds. He then didn’t drop far down the lineup in the afternoon slalom, taking a fourth place finish in 1:15.96.
Along with Galbraith, Taylor Keiswetter showed off on the day with a pair of top 10 performances as well.
Keiswetter earned a fifth place time of 51.76 seconds in the giant slalom, his best of the season, then claimed an eighth place time of 1:20.01 in the slalom.
Also within the giant slalom race, Carter Walkerdine tied for 11th in 52.72 seconds, Mike Galbraith was 13th (53.40); Carter Cook, 18th (55.53); and Aiden Cleary, 20th (55.78).
In the slalom race, Walkerdine placed 12th in 1:23.73; Mick Galbraith, 13th (1:24.07); Cook, 18th (1:32.08); and Liam Cleary, 23rd (1:48.22).
The Nub’s race wraps the week of skiing for Petoskey – weather forecasts ahead likely would have if the schedule didn’t – making the next time out on the hill Monday, Feb. 12 for the Division 2 regional race.
Regionals will take place at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville, with the likes of Harbor Springs, Petoskey St. Michael and the Lake Michigan Ski Team also attending.
If Petoskey can make it through as a team on either side – or send individuals through at regionals – the Division 2 state championships will then take place back at Nub’s Nob on Monday, Feb. 26.
AOTW: Vote for the Petoskey News-Review Athlete of the Week: Jan. 26–Feb. 2
BOYS BASKETBALL
Harbor Light 83, Burt Lake NMCA 35
HARBOR SPRINGS — The Harbor Light Christian boys’ basketball team earned a 12th consecutive victory Monday with an 83-35 final against Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian.
The Swordsmen pulled out to a 56-18 lead at the break, again getting it done defensively.
“We brought great intensity for 32 minutes while playing a mix of guys,” Harbor Light coach Jason Roussin said. “They settled in on defense and had another strong night.”
Landon Jakeway led with 26 points, Corin Paulus had 14 points, five rebounds and six steals, Truett Kruger had 11 points and Kirk Rose scored 10 points.
Harbor Light (14-2, 8-1) will put their win streak up against Gaylord St. Mary at home next on Friday, Feb. 9. They’ll also welcome Harbor Springs on Monday, Feb. 12 and head to Alanson for a key NLC game on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Alanson 72, Boyne Falls 37
BOYNE FALLS — Coming off a massive win late last week, the Alanson boys’ basketball team returned to the court to earn another behind a 72-37 victory over Boyne Falls Monday.
“We are currently in preparation for districts mode, trying out some new defensive schemes, knowing that we will see some scorers in our district,” Alanson coach Brian Kujawa said. “Overall, not a performance I’d say any of the players are looking to write home about, but they will be challenged with different defensive assignments moving forward, keeping their minds moving, and our opponents guessing.”
The Vikings picked up 20 points, five rebounds and five assists from Christian Silveus, Owyne Greenier had 11 points, Matthew Peters scored 10 and Donovan Honeysette had eight. Troy Johnson and Mason Weidenhamer also each had seven.
For Boyne Falls, Bryce Tonsor had 12 and Keaton Matelski scored 10.
Alanson (11-4, 6-2) next travels to Ellsworth on Friday, Feb. 9. Boyne Falls (3-12, 1-10) will next head to Alba on Thursday, Feb. 8.
Mackinaw City 63, Engadine 31
ENGADINE – The Mackinaw City boys basketball team traveled to Engadine and earned a 63-31 victory on Monday night.
“We had an opportunity to try some new things tonight. Different combinations of players and different looks on both ends,” Mackinaw City coach John Martin said.
Lucas Bergstrom scored 19 points and Myran Thompson tallied 18 for the Comets (10-6), who received 16 from Trystan Swanson, six from Jared Wiertalla, three from Nick Vieau, and one from Braylon Currie.
Mackinaw City hosts Wolverine on Friday, Feb. 9. (Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Tribune)
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Mackinaw City 43, Mackinac Island 36
MACKINAW CITY — Mackinaw City’s girls had to battle to hold onto their undefeated title Monday as they squeezed out a 43-36 win over visiting Mackinac Island at home.
“This was a great game for us to pick up against a potential district opponent,” Mackinaw coach Jake Huffman said. “Mackinac Island does a lot of basketball things well and they play a physical style of basketball on both ends of the court.”
Jersey Beauchamp led the way with 16 points and three steals, Gracie Beauchamp had 13 points, 13 rebounds, seven steals and five assists and Kerry-Ann Ming had six points and seven rebounds.
Mackinaw City (14-0) will next host Rudyard in a non-conference meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
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: Petoskey skiers show off on home hill; Alanson, Harbor Light boys win
