Upset! Defense fuels Cheboygan girls basketball to first win over St. Ignace since 2015
CHEBOYGAN – Jan. 22, 2015. That’s the last time the Cheboygan Chiefs defeated the St. Ignace Saints in girls basketball. Since then, the powerhouse Saints have overwhelmed the Chiefs time and time again.
But Thursday night was different. For the first time in more than nine years, the Chiefs one-upped their rivals from across the bridge with a 33-30 home victory. It was a monster win for a Cheboygan program that continues to show progression under coach Walter Hanson. Here’s some takeaways from Thursday.
One clutch fourth quarter
Cheboygan (5-8, 1-3 Straits Area Conference) suffered from a lackluster third-quarter stretch and saw itself trailing 26-23 heading to the fourth. But instead of falling further behind, the Chiefs upped their intensity and opened the period on a 7-0 run that was finished off by a basket from freshman Cloee Rupp. The Saints (11-4, 2-2) came back to tie the game at 30, but Cheboygan countered with a clutch 3-pointer from senior Bella Ecker to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. One last 3-point heave from the Saints rang off the iron, setting off a joyous Cheboygan celebration.
“I’m very, very proud of our team,” Hanson said. “To go against St. Ignace – legendary coaches, multiple state titles – it’s good to see us come out there and not be intimidated. I think for many years we were worried about always playing St. Ignace, and tonight we weren’t. We were ready.”
Igniting Cheboygan’s offense was Rupp, who led with 14 points. Ecker scored eight.
CLOEE RUPP: Only a freshman, Cloee Rupp already a major contributor for Cheboygan girls basketball
NEWBERRY RECAP: Cheboygan girls fight back in fourth quarter, but fall short against Newberry at home
JAN. 31 ROUNDUP: Third period sinks Cheboygan hockey; Mackinaw City, Onaway, Inland Lakes basketball win
CHEBOYGAN BOYS: Smith, Cheboygan boys erupt with clutch fourth quarter, earn thrilling victory over Onaway
Carpenter spearheads outstanding Cheboygan defense
The Chiefs were sensational all night defensively, being led by senior forward Kinsey Carpenter, who blocked several St. Ignace shots and held her own against some solid frontcourt opponents.
For Carpenter, being the defensive tone setter was something she thoroughly enjoyed on Thursday.
“It’s my favorite, I love it,” Carpenter said. “I told (Walter) Hanson that they should just leave me on the defensive end and I won’t go on offense. I’ll just stay there. It was fun. This feels so good. Our last couple of games we haven’t been communicating, but our communication was very much there tonight, and we outran them so much, they looked so tired, and we just hustled.”
Carpenter finished with four points, while Jaelyn Wheelock, Olivia Patrick and Emily Clark each had two. Jordan Ashley recorded one.
St. Ignace offense goes quiet
Meanwhile, it was a tough offensive night for the Saints, who struggled to find consistency. While junior Addison Cullen tallied 16 points, no other St. Ignace player reached double figures.
“We just weren’t taking time on our shots, and then our free throws were just way off,” St. Ignace coach Dorene Ingalls said. “We just didn’t put the ball in the hole, but kudos to Cheboygan. They played hard, they did what they needed to do, and I just thought we got caught up on not boxing out well enough here and there. In a close game like that, everything comes down to that.
“It’s early February, we’ve still got time to improve, but we didn’t deserve to win that game with the way we played.”
Jillian Frasier finished with eight points for St. Ignace.
A landmark win
Thursday marked the first signature win of the Hanson coaching era. The last time the Chiefs topped the Saints came when St. Ignace was the No. 1-ranked team in Division 4.
“It’s big,” Hanson said of the win. “I think I’ve been trying to prove to our team that I think we’re better than we are. We’re trying to prove to them that if you keep working hard and chipping away and doing all the little stuff, you’re going to slowly get better and be where we want to be at the end of the season.”
In the junior varsity game, Cheboygan earned a 31-25 victory. Addison Ptasnik and Amber Gahn led the Chiefs with seven points each, Briahna Campbell tallied five, Isabella Hingston had four, Caleigh Easter recorded three, and Elise Markham, Mackenzie Stockman and Kyleigh Burt chipped in with two apiece.
Cheboygan travels to Pickford on Monday, Feb. 5.
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: Cheboygan girls basketball captures first victory over St. Ignace since 2015
