Whipkey, Mackinaw City make statement, stun Onaway in 76-70 victory

MACKINAW CITY – It didn’t feel like an early-December basketball contest inside Mackinaw City’s gymnasium on Thursday night.

It felt like the postseason – like a district final.

As the host Comets and visiting Onaway Cardinals battled and battled in what was a highly-intense and physical game, only one team ended up emerging victorious.

And, probably surprising to many, it ended up being the feisty Comets, who made an early statement of sorts by earning a hard-fought 76-70 victory over the Cardinals in a thrilling non-conference clash.

After it was over, Mackinaw City coach John Martin – someone who rarely ever gets animated, but was extremely animated on Thursday – couldn’t have been prouder of the gritty performance by his players.

“I’m pretty excited for my kids – they played their hearts out tonight,” said Martin. “They deserved it tonight. It was a great win.”

Ignited by a loud and energetic home environment, the Comets (2-0) – fueled by the stellar 3-point shooting of senior guard Cooper Whipkey – held off the Cardinals on an electric night in Mackinaw City.

More importantly, it was a statement of intent made by Whipkey and the Comets.

“This definitely proved a point that we are the team to watch out for in our region and our district and just our area,” said Whipkey, who finished with a game-high 27 points and eight made threes. "I was just doing my best to stay open. I just did my best, all the chemistry was there, and it just worked out.”

After a slow start for both teams, the Comets and Cardinals (0-1) began to drain long-range baskets, which resulted in a 15-15 tie after one quarter.

Whipkey, who nailed three 3-pointers in the first, followed it up with three more in the second to help the Comets build a six-point lead. Right before the half, though, the Cardinals cut their deficit to three after sophomore Mason Beebe connected on a three before the buzzer sounded.

While the three was falling in the first half, the Comets showed they were able to punch the ball inside for critical buckets in the second, as senior Noah Valot and junior Lucas Bergstrom each came up with crucial key baskets to help extend Mackinaw City’s lead to eight by the end of the third.

“We worked hard – they worked all summer long – and we put those two in some pretty tough situations through our scrimmages and team camps, and we actually found people who had big guys who were going to be physical with, and obviously it’s paying off,” Martin said of his two post players. “They have been men amongst boys down there and hopefully it just gets better.”

Bergstrom made another basket midway through the fourth to help give the Comets a 12-point advantage, their biggest of the game, but the Cardinals fought back and cut the deficit to five with a run of their own.

In the end, though, the Comets made pivotal free throws down the stretch and held on for a thrilling triumph over last season's Division 4 regional finalists.

On the Onaway side, it was a frustrating evening all the way around as the Cardinals could never quite get into a rhythm due to the aggressive and physical play of the Comets’ defense.

“I thought we looked terrible tonight,” said Onaway coach Eddy Szymoniak. “Honestly, I was very disappointed, and I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have a scrimmage. I thought we would be ready, but I’d say this one falls on me. I obviously didn’t have these guys ready like I should have. From the looks of it in practice, I thought we’d be OK, but there were so many things wrong that we did tonight. It looked like we needed to get a game under our belts.”

Bergstrom finished with 19 points for the Comets, who received 16 points and solid defense from senior guard Lars Huffman. Valot tallied nine points, Sabastian Pierce added three, and Trystan Swanson chipped in with two.

The Cardinals were led by 16 points from junior Jadin Mix, and 15 points apiece from senior Bridger Peel and junior Austin Veal. Justin Kramer-St. Germain scored eight, Jackson Chaskey and Beebe each tallied seven, and Luke Lovelace registered two.

“This is their first game without Jag (Mix) and obviously his presence, having that bigger body down low with the size, it was a little different tonight,” Szymoniak said. “I thought our weak side (defense) tonight was extremely lazy. Everything we talk about, fronting from the weak side and getting over, and we didn’t do anything. It looked like it was our first practice. Last year we lost to a (Johannesburg-Lewiston) team that we played worse than we did tonight, and we made an adjustment and we turned it around.”

Martin still couldn’t quite believe the overall game atmosphere, which resembled a postseason clash in March.

“Was that not fun?” Martin asked. “Me being animated was a part of that and it just gets in your blood, and you’ve got to be a part of it. The fans on both sides were great. It was a fun atmosphere, and you talk about a district final, if everything plays out, this may be the regional matchup. That’s a possibility, and we actually have them again at the end of the year.

“It’s fun to be a part of a game like this, 100 percent.”

Mackinaw City returns to NLC action when it hosts Ellsworth on Monday, Dec. 12.

Onaway begins its defense of the Ski Valley Conference title when it takes on Pellston at home on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Mackinaw City boys basketball stuns Onaway in 76-70 victory