Roundup: Colts boys hoops pull away from Pittsford; Comets eye Cascades West title
HILLSDALE COUNTY — A busy night of big conference showdowns crescendo on Thursday when Hillsdale Academy and Pittsford boys basketball battled in a division rivalry match.
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This was the third matchup this season between the two SCAA East rivals. Hillsdale Academy won the first matchup at Pittsford 55-35, and the Wildcats got their revenge in the consolation round of the Pat Paterson tourney with a 38-31 victory. That defensive slug fest is what the first three quarters of the Colts and Wildcats' battle at Hillsdale Academy looked like until the Colts pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 45-33 victory.
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Both teams combined for just 11 points in the opening quarter. Both teams struggled to penetrate the tough defenses of their opponents, with the Colts settling for points at the free-throw line. The Colts benefited from a technical foul that resulted in a large three-point swing, but the Wildcats answered back with a 3-pointer from senior Gavyn Carden.
The Colts held on to a slim 18-14 lead heading into the halftime period. The Colts put the pressure on Pittsford in the third quarter, but 3-pointers from senior Mason Payne helped the Wildcats stay in the fight despite the balanced scoring attack from the Colts. Four different Colts would score in the quarter, and despite the one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Colts' offense was beginning to open up on the transition opportunities.
The Colts expanded the lead to 33-27 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter and would continue to add to their lead with transition buckets and a big 3-pointer from senior Andrew Spiegel.
The Colts' transition offense was firing on all cylinders, taking advantage of every turnover and turning it into points. Dawson Scharer led the quarter with six of these points.
A lone 3-pointer from Carden gave the Wildcats life down 40-31, but the Wildcats could not get anymore clean shots until the buzzer sounded.
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The win marks the Academy's seventh in their last eight games. The team has a 13-3 overall record and is a perfect 10-0 in conference division play. The SCAA East championship looks to be favorably locked in for the Colts. A date with Litchfield and Waldron awaits at the end of the season, two teams that gave the Colts fits in their previous matchups, but that will be the last division tests for them.
The Colts will play two ranked teams in the coming two weeks. They face D4 AP No. 9 Bellevue Tuesday at home. They face No. 4 Lenawee Christian at home the following week. Any combination of wins against those two teams could put them on the map for AP voters.
The battled tested 8-7 Wildcats and coach Mike Burger played another impressive first half of basketball against one of the toughest defensive teams in the county. Things look to trend upward for Hillsdale Academy with games against two teams they have played already this season. They will look to get revenge against Reading for sending them home in the first round of the Pat Paterson tourney in December.
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Jonesville continues to put pieces together with another division win
Speaking of another team flying under the Associated Press rankings' radar, the Comet boys basketball team continues their impressive Cascades West debut with a 65-59 win over Addison on the road.
The Panthers put up a better fight than their 47-25 defeat to Jonesville in December, but it wasn't enough to take down the 13-4 Comets.
The final score doesn't accurately reflect the damage the Comets did to the Panthers in the first three quarters of action. The Comets led by as much as 21 heading into the fourth quarter before the Panthers dropped 26 in the closing period.
Senior Warrick Elder once-again had a strong night offensively, scoring 17 points. Freshman Caleb Blonde put in 15 to continue his impressive season. Senior Gavin Van Kampen continues to be one of the Comets' strongest offensive and defensive players, putting in 14.
Sword led Addison with 30 points.
Jonesville faces a trio of challenging games to end their season. They will match up with the two teams currently trailing the Comets in the Cascades West standings. They play Brooklyn Columbia Central at home on Feb. 5. The Comets fell to the Golden Eagles in a 50-43 final right before the Holiday season. They will then travel to Hanover-Horton for a rematch.
Comets control their conference destiny at this point, but it won't be an easy road in Week 10.
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Reading girls basketball nearly takes down Springport at home
The last time the Rangers and coach Kevin Bailey played Springport, the team could not find a rhythm offensively and dropped a 59-17 game on the road. It is a testament to the team and coaching staff that the team was able to bounce back and improve in a big way as the season has gone along.
The Rangers ended up on the losing side of a 44-41 battle to the Spartans at home, but the home crowd and band had the team energized in a defensive fight.
The Rangers led 26-18 at halftime, but an intense third quarter brought the Spartans back into the lead 33-31 heading into the fourth, where they would match Reading all the way to the final buzzer.
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Maggie Santure led the offense in the first half with 12 points, including three triples. Santure would add three rebounds and three assists to her final stats totals. Aubree Ervans took control of the offense in the second half, earning 20 points and five rebounds. Abby Affholter had an impressive defensive effort, grabbing six rebounds and blocking four shots. Ariana McDowell and Taylor Engel led the two with two steals each.
The Rangers look to keep improving each step of the way in February. They will face Union City on the road in a rescheduled game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
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Other Scores
Girls Basketball: Hillsdale 63, Onsted 43
The Hornets earned their fifth win of the year with a big 20-point differential over conference rival Onsted on their home court.
Boys Basketball: Litchfield 73, Camden-Frontier 44
Litchfield improved to 10-4 overall on the season and have won four of their last five games.
They have a big home rematch with Waldron on Feb. 8
Terriers: Junior Alvarez - 26 points, Tyler Bills - 18 points, Simon Collins: 12 points
C-F: Luis Castro Thilo - 15 points, Kaiden Conroy - 14 points, Darran Drake - 6 points
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Roundup: Academy boys basketball pulls away from Pittsford in classic rivalry showdown
