Roundup: Jonesville girls basketball takes down Columbia Central on senior night
HILLSDALE COUNTY — A senior night celebration helped fuel another strong defensive effort from the Comets that helped them take down the West leaders on Tuesday night. Across the County, though, it was a night of heartbreak for boys basketball teams.
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Comets take down Columbia Central
The resilient Comets won their third straight game, and it was a win over the Cascades West leading Columbia Central Golden Eagles.
Comet seniors Gracen Hager, Lyra Nichols and Morgan Baker got revenge against the Golden Eagles on senior night in front of their home crowd in a 34-32 final. The loss was payback for a disappointing 49-33 defeat on the road at the end of January.
It was another team defensive effort from the Comets that helped hold off a late comeback from the Golden Eagles to win their 11th game of the season.
It was tied for the lowest offensive scoring output for the Golden Eagles all season. The only other team to do that to Columbia Central this season is the D1 AP honorable mention ranked 14-3 Grand Blanc Bobcats.
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The game was not a traditional back-and-forth scoring contest for both teams. After leading 8-5 in the first quarter, the Golden Eagles were shut out in the second.
The Comet offense likes to push the tempo on transition opportunities, and while they weren't able to control the ball as efficiently as they could have, it did open things up for shots from deep, including a 3-pointer from Kira Van Kampen that tied the game at 8-all.
Nearly four minutes of back-and-forth defense followed before junior Comet Haley Mach drove to the basket for two points. The Comets held the lead at 14-8 heading into halftime.
Jonesville would allow Columbia Central to go on a 6-0 run in the third quarter to tie the game. The Comets matched the Golden Eagles with their own big time baskets in the third quarter, eventually gaining back the advantage heading into the fourth quarter up 26-21.
Jonesville was able to continue controlling the game up 30-24 with under six minutes left. However, the Golden Eagles were cooking from 3-point range in the fourth quarter. They hit two straight 3-pointers to tie the game. Their other early fourth quarter basket also came from the arc. The game was tied 30-30.
Senior Lyra Nichols would hit her own 3-pointer on senior night to give the Comets the lead again. The Golden Eagles got two points at the free throw line to answer, but they were unable to make anything happen in their ensuing offensive possessions.
Haley Mach led the Comets with 13 total points, three assists and three rebounds. Freshman Kira Van Kampen had eight points. Alexis Trine had six points and seven rebounds. Senior Gracen Hager had two points and seven rebounds. Senior Morgan Baker had a key steal. Senior Lyra Nichols had the key 3-pointer and three rebounds. Reese Stanton had two points and three rebounds. Korra Estel had two assists and Natalynn Beach had two rebounds. Karly Page had one assist and one steal.
Next up for the Comets is a road game at Homer on Friday, Feb. 16.
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Terriers and Hornets fall in close games
The Litchfield and Hillsdale varsity boys basketball teams lost heartbreakers Tuesday night. The Terriers lost at home to Burr Oak for their second straight loss by five points or less and their sixth overall loss by five or less on the season.
The Terriers found themselves back in the game against the Bobcats in the third quarter, keeping things even before a couple dagger triples extended the bobcat lead to 44-35 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Terriers were down 48-40 with just under six left to play when senior Simon Collins had a layup and sank a basket at the free throw line that brought the offense back to life. The ensuing Terrier possession saw senior Junior Alvarez, 3-point career leader in the school record books, sank a triple from deep for a 6-0 Terrier run. Two big baskets from Alvarez and fellow senior Tyler Bills would tie the game at 50-all with four minutes left.
The last four minutes of the game were a hard fought-chippy defensive battle. The Bobcats finally broke the scoreless minutes with a rebound-then-basket with just under a minute left to play, the score now 52-50. The game became a battle at the free throw line, with the Bobcats escaping with the 55-53 final.
Bills had 21 points and seven steals. Alvarez had 14 points, two rebounds and two steals. Collins had 11, two assists, two steals and seven rebounds. Senior Miguel Pedroza had two blocked shots and four rebounds. Senior Brandon Campbell had four points and two assists.
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The Terriers are 10-8 with three games remaining. They play North Adams-Jerome on Feb. 15 on the road.
The Hillsdale Hornets traveled to Ida looking to avenge their Dec. 12 loss and came up short in a 61-56 final.
The Hornets led the Bluestreaks 33-26 heading into halftime. The Hornets maintained their lead 42-39 heading into the final quarter of play. They built their lead all the way out to 50-42 with under six minutes left to play. The Bluestreaks would go on a 14-0 run to tie then take the lead at 56-50. Several of those points were gained at the free throw line as time began to tick away for the Hornets.
The Hornets managed to bring the game to within three, but time ran out on them, and the Bluestreaks added two more points at the line with less than a second left for the 61-56 final.
Jack Bowles had 26 points, three rebounds, two steals, two assists and two blocks. Brody Adams had nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. Casper Overbye had nine points and nine rebounds. Ethan Amburgery and Jace Lennox each had four. Lennox had two rebounds and two assists. Ryan Bernard had five rebounds.
This was the Hornets fifth straight loss and their third straight by five or less points. The Hornets are 8-10 overall. They face Dundee on Friday on the road.
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Other Scores
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Girls Basketball: Waldron 38, Pittsford 33
Waldron gained ground in the race for the SCAA East with a big win over the leading Wildcats. They are 12-5 overall this season. Pittsford drops to 12-4 overall. The Spartans were led by senior Morgan Burk who scored 13 points. Mackenna Burk had 12 points. Kailee Kurtz had eight points.
For Pittsford, senior Halle Clark had 15 points. Ava Mallar scored 11.
The two teams will have a rematch to end the season on Feb. 29. Pittsford travels to Waldron for the rematch.
Boys Basketball: Lenawee Christian 58, Hillsdale Academy 41
The Colts were unable to keep up with visiting D4 AP No. 1 LCS, who would continue to grow their lead heading into the later stages of the second half. Colts senior Dominic Scharer had 14 points. The Colts are 15-4 overall and still undefeated in SCAA East play. They face Jackson Christian on Feb. 15.
Boys Basketball: Concord 61, Reading 35
The Rangers were unable to end their losing streak. Brady Kling and Brayden Wright each had nine points. They will have a chance to end their losing streak with a home-and-home series against Maple Valley next.
Boys Basketball: Sand Creek 66, Camden-Frontier 44
Kaiden Conroy knocked down 18 points off of six triples to lead Camden-Frontier. Luis Castro-Thilo added eight points, including two triples. They head to Waldron on the 15th.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Roundup: Comet girls prep hoops defeats league leader on senior night
