Portland St. Patrick gets revenge on Fowler, takes control of CMAC race
PORTLAND – Portland St. Patrick's girls basketball program had been rolling — winners of its past eight games heading into a rematch with 11-2 Fowler on Friday evening.
The Division 4 No. 2-ranked Eagles, who have been the standard in the CMAC for the past few seasons, handed the Shamrocks one of their two defeats in mid-December, but both came into Friday's contest with a 9-1 league record.
Division 4 No. 7 St. Patrick showed that it was up to the test, making life difficult for Fowler on the offensive end en route to a 45-30 win, putting the Shamrocks in the driver's seat of the CMAC and in control of its fate for a league crown.
"Defensively I thought we stayed in front of them and didn't let them get running," St. Patrick coach Al Schrauben said. "I don't believe either side was happy with the defense the first time we played, but this win puts us in a better position after a big week with rivalry games.
"We'll enjoy this one for a day or so, but then we'll go back to work," Schrauben added.
St. Patrick led by six points at halftime but limited Fowler to just 10 total points in the second half to run away with a double-digit victory.
Forward Gracelyn Rockey had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead St. Patrick, while guard Laynie Meredith added 12 points and had six steals.
Guard Katie Spicer led the Eagles with 10 points.
"We've played pretty well and we've played some good ballclubs," Schrauben said. "Hopefully they'll continue to see their hard work pay off."
St. Patrick (12-2) will face Morrice on Monday, while Fowler (11-3) will look to bounce back Wednesday on the road at Pewamo-Westphalia.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Portland St. Patrick girls basketball top Fowler in CMAC showdown
