Saturday, January 31. 2009
Friday's Scores... Bogan's New Top 10s.
Friday, January 30. 2009
We pick the Super Bowl...
Friday, January 30. 2009
Growing up Green & White... Gardy follows his father
Second in a series about young area coaches who have come back to their schools and help with the athletic programs.
PIGEON — Eric Gardy can't remember a time when he wasn't involved in some way with Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port athletics.
"I started coming to football and basketball practices when I was a little kid — I grew up with it," Gardy explained. "Every single day I would come out."
And back then, in the 1980s, the Laker athletic program was the Thumb's best.
"Some of the guys I grew up watching, like Kendall Wertz and Reggie Ignash, that was the big time," Gardy said. "Watching them back then, I was in awe of all those guys. I didn't know anybody bigger than that. You lived and died on every shot and every play.
"The gym was packed. The stands were packed. When you were at school with your buddies, that was all you talked about. You just wanted to grow up and play like they did."
Gardy, a 1996 EPBP graduate, has progressed from Laker ball boy, to standout player, to now part of the school's coaching staff, having a hand in the basketball and football programs since 2001.
Gardy's interest in coaching and Laker athletics is natural. His father, George Jr., has been coaching basketball and football at EPBP for over 30 years. And his grandfather, George Sr., is a prominent Laker booster and a fixture at nearly every athletic event.
Gardy started as junior varsity football coach, becoming part of the varsity staff when his father took over the program a few years ago. In basketball, he started as freshmen coach, taking over the junior varsity team from his father a couple of seasons ago.
"Mr. (Dick) Pauly (former athletic director) gave me my first coaching job here, I was fortunate," Gardy said. "I just like working with the young guys and teaching them. I had a taste of success in athletics. I want these guys to get that chance, too."
Gardy has really enjoyed the past few seasons coaching football with his father. As an assistant, he's in communication from the booth with his father and fellow assistant, Mark Manenti.
"What I like about it is that I am 100 yards away from (my dad)," Gardy joked. "Mark, me and him, we're on the headsets talking all the time. It's been a lot of fun."
And successful.
The Lakers finished 6-4 overall this season, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2002. The highlight of the year was a thrilling 34-27 win over Cass City, giving EPBP the Greater Thumb West championship.
Gardy had a hand in one of the biggest possessions of that game. After the Lakers forced a turnover deep in their own territory late in the first half, Gardy, the father, wanted to just sit on the ball and be satisfied with a 14-13 lead.
No way, said Gardy, the son.
"He wanted to kneel the ball — I almost went through the glass up in the booth," Gardy said. "I told him, 'This is a championship game. Let's go. Let's air it out.'"
A few plays later, the Lakers scored, turning a one-point lead into a 21-13 halftime advantage.
Unfortunately, the coaching profession has a way of getting even.
A few weeks later in their opening-round playoff game with Saginaw Nouvel, the Lakers had a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the opening half.
Four straight quarterback sneaks resulted in a one-yard loss and a shift in momentum.
Gardy, the son, takes the blame.
"That was me," Gardy said. "When we ran that quarterback sneak four times on the goal line, that was me. After a while, you just get stubborn. I thought we could get it in. I guess you have to take the good with the bad."
Though the Lakers hung tough for the better part of three quarters, the Panthers eventually captured a 24-7 win.
Gardy has had to deal with a second type of father figure in basketball, coaching alongside Bill McLellan.
"He's someone I have known my whole life," Gardy said. "Every year our communication has gotten better. You can watch us sometimes on the bench, we're laughing... I have learned a lot from him and my dad."
McLellan's son, Bill Jr., coached junior varsity football with Gardy a few years ago.
"Our kids grew up together — they're like family," McLellan said. "With my son and Eric, they are two kids who have been sitting around and talking sports and coaching with their dads for years.
"I hope (Eric) sticks with the coaching profession. He's done a great job."
Gardy went through a range of emotions on the bench Wednesday night during EPBP's junior varsity basketball game with Vassar.
The Lakers led by double digits early in the second half, only to see the lead evaporate. The game eventually went into overtime, with the Vulcans pulling out a 47-45 win.
"As long as they work hard, that's all you can ask for," Gardy said.
Coaching, his main job at Wallace Stone Quarry, along with wife, Jennifer, and 14-month-old daughter, Ava, certainly don’t leave Gardy with much free time.
But that doesn't matter.
"You definitely don't coach for the money — you do it because you want to," he said.
And, if the opportunity presents itself, Gardy would jump at the chance to become a varsity coach.
"I would hope I at least get the chance," he said. "When my dad and Bill are both out of coaching, it's going to be strange around here. They've been around here forever. One is my dad and one has been like my dad. They are the ones who have built the programs.
"I'd like to keep it going. But if it doesn't happen, hey, the sun will come up the next day."
PIGEON — Eric Gardy can't remember a time when he wasn't involved in some way with Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port athletics.
"I started coming to football and basketball practices when I was a little kid — I grew up with it," Gardy explained. "Every single day I would come out."
And back then, in the 1980s, the Laker athletic program was the Thumb's best.
"Some of the guys I grew up watching, like Kendall Wertz and Reggie Ignash, that was the big time," Gardy said. "Watching them back then, I was in awe of all those guys. I didn't know anybody bigger than that. You lived and died on every shot and every play.
"The gym was packed. The stands were packed. When you were at school with your buddies, that was all you talked about. You just wanted to grow up and play like they did."
Gardy, a 1996 EPBP graduate, has progressed from Laker ball boy, to standout player, to now part of the school's coaching staff, having a hand in the basketball and football programs since 2001.
Gardy's interest in coaching and Laker athletics is natural. His father, George Jr., has been coaching basketball and football at EPBP for over 30 years. And his grandfather, George Sr., is a prominent Laker booster and a fixture at nearly every athletic event.
Gardy started as junior varsity football coach, becoming part of the varsity staff when his father took over the program a few years ago. In basketball, he started as freshmen coach, taking over the junior varsity team from his father a couple of seasons ago.
"Mr. (Dick) Pauly (former athletic director) gave me my first coaching job here, I was fortunate," Gardy said. "I just like working with the young guys and teaching them. I had a taste of success in athletics. I want these guys to get that chance, too."
Gardy has really enjoyed the past few seasons coaching football with his father. As an assistant, he's in communication from the booth with his father and fellow assistant, Mark Manenti.
"What I like about it is that I am 100 yards away from (my dad)," Gardy joked. "Mark, me and him, we're on the headsets talking all the time. It's been a lot of fun."
And successful.
The Lakers finished 6-4 overall this season, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2002. The highlight of the year was a thrilling 34-27 win over Cass City, giving EPBP the Greater Thumb West championship.
Gardy had a hand in one of the biggest possessions of that game. After the Lakers forced a turnover deep in their own territory late in the first half, Gardy, the father, wanted to just sit on the ball and be satisfied with a 14-13 lead.
No way, said Gardy, the son.
"He wanted to kneel the ball — I almost went through the glass up in the booth," Gardy said. "I told him, 'This is a championship game. Let's go. Let's air it out.'"
A few plays later, the Lakers scored, turning a one-point lead into a 21-13 halftime advantage.
Unfortunately, the coaching profession has a way of getting even.
A few weeks later in their opening-round playoff game with Saginaw Nouvel, the Lakers had a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the opening half.
Four straight quarterback sneaks resulted in a one-yard loss and a shift in momentum.
Gardy, the son, takes the blame.
"That was me," Gardy said. "When we ran that quarterback sneak four times on the goal line, that was me. After a while, you just get stubborn. I thought we could get it in. I guess you have to take the good with the bad."
Though the Lakers hung tough for the better part of three quarters, the Panthers eventually captured a 24-7 win.
Gardy has had to deal with a second type of father figure in basketball, coaching alongside Bill McLellan.
"He's someone I have known my whole life," Gardy said. "Every year our communication has gotten better. You can watch us sometimes on the bench, we're laughing... I have learned a lot from him and my dad."
McLellan's son, Bill Jr., coached junior varsity football with Gardy a few years ago.
"Our kids grew up together — they're like family," McLellan said. "With my son and Eric, they are two kids who have been sitting around and talking sports and coaching with their dads for years.
"I hope (Eric) sticks with the coaching profession. He's done a great job."
Gardy went through a range of emotions on the bench Wednesday night during EPBP's junior varsity basketball game with Vassar.
The Lakers led by double digits early in the second half, only to see the lead evaporate. The game eventually went into overtime, with the Vulcans pulling out a 47-45 win.
"As long as they work hard, that's all you can ask for," Gardy said.
Coaching, his main job at Wallace Stone Quarry, along with wife, Jennifer, and 14-month-old daughter, Ava, certainly don’t leave Gardy with much free time.
But that doesn't matter.
"You definitely don't coach for the money — you do it because you want to," he said.
And, if the opportunity presents itself, Gardy would jump at the chance to become a varsity coach.
"I would hope I at least get the chance," he said. "When my dad and Bill are both out of coaching, it's going to be strange around here. They've been around here forever. One is my dad and one has been like my dad. They are the ones who have built the programs.
"I'd like to keep it going. But if it doesn't happen, hey, the sun will come up the next day."
Eric Gardy gets his point across to his Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port junior varsity basketball team during a timeout this past Wednesday in a game with Vassar. A 1996 Laker graduate, Gardy is now part of the school’s coaching staff.
Thursday, January 29. 2009
Thursday Night Hoops: Reese Nips EPBP
PIGEON — Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port coach Todd Comment couldn’t ask for much more from his team.
The Lakers (9-3, 4-2) held Greater Thumb West-leading Reese (10-1, 6-0) in check Thursday night. The Rockets were contained to a season-low in points, their leading scorer Amber Gotham had to work for everything she got, and their press was easily broken.
Still, it wasn’t enough for EPBP to earn the win as Reese came away with the 51-47 victory.
“I thought our defense was good enough to win the game,” said Comment. “It was turnovers, and we missed shots. We didn’t shoot the ball like we can.
“Usually it’s about defense, but our offense didn’t click tonight.”
Twice, the Lakers got within a point late in the fourth quarter only to turn the ball over.
“The effort was there right until the end,” Comment said.
Reese coach Dennis Gruber didn’t downplay the importance of the win.
“We beat (Unionville-Sebewaing Area) on the road, and got this one on the road, so that’s huge,” he said. “We turn around next week and start over again, so we can’t take anything for granted.”
The Rockets came in as the area’s top scoring team.
A good deal of those points have come off the suffocating full-court press.
Against EPBP, the press wasn’t very effective as the athletic Laker players were able to routinely break it in the first half.
“They did a good job preparing for our press. We had to take it off. I wasn’t going to give up layups on it,” Gruber said. “It’s been our bread and butter, so we had to go play No. 2.”
Reese still led 24-20 at the half, but was forced to play a half-court defense in the second half.
“I thought our half-court in the second half was good,” Gruber said of the adjustment.
EPBP also did a nice job disrupting Gotham, who ended with a quiet 17 points while Jade Ackerman added 15 points.
“We wanted somebody else to handle the ball and be their playmaker, and we did a good job doing that,” Comment said about the effort on Gotham. “(Megan) Sweeney and (Jamie) Kohr were assigned to her. We rotated them and they did their job.”
Added Gruber: “I told Amber that’s a tribute to her. She’s a good player — that’s going to happen.”
After staying within striking distance, trailing just 39-37 heading into the fourth, EPBP’s offense went cold for nearly six minutes.
Reese began the fourth on a 7-0 run to take a 46-37 edge with 2:20 to play.
However, the Lakers put together a run of their own to close it to 46-45 with 1:30 to go.
They were within 48-47 with 22 seconds left.
The Rockets are a young, but experienced group, and the experience showed during the final two minutes.
“They’re a good close-knit unit,” Gruber said. “They’ve gone through some tough times, but I told them to use their experience at the end. And I thought they did.”
Comment is happy with the way his team played, but knows the chances of capturing a piece of the GTW championship are slim.
“We played them hard. We may not be quite with USA or Reese, but we’re close,” he said.
Along with the loss, EPBP was dealt another blow as second-leading scorer Shelby Pietruck injured her left ankle during the final minute.
Comment said the ankle was swollen, and Pietruck would be getting X-rays done on it.
Stephanie Maxwell and Ashley Hatfield each had 14 to lead the Lakers while Pietruck added nine.
Roundup
Girls Basketball
Cass City 46, Bad Axe 41
CASS CITY — Cass City outscored Bad Axe 10-5 in the first quarter, and it proved to be the difference here Thursday night.
The Red Hawks led 19-14 at the half, and 36-29 heading into the fourth.
Cass City only committed six turnovers.
Jennica Richards had a game-high 19 points to lead the Red Hawks while Logan Rowell added eight points and eight rebounds.
Taylor Breault led Bad Axe with 14 points.
Ubly 57, Deckerville 40
DECKERVILLE — Ubly led 17-0 after one quarter en route to the win over Deckerville.
The Bearcats stretched the lead to 30-2 at one point of the opening half, settling for a 30-9 cushion at the break.
Alicia Leipprandt continues to light up the scoreboard, pouring in 31 points for the Bearcats. Nicole Franzel added 11 points.
Deckerville had Tiffany Smith with 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
Sandusky 63, Harbor Beach 50
SANDUSKY — Marissa DeMott dropped in 21 points, including five three-pointers, in Sandusky's win over Harbor Beach.
The Redskins led 22-10 after one quarter and 33-22 at the half.
Besides DeMott, Sandusky had Maddie Hale with 11 points and Katelyn Ruggles with nine points.
The Pirates had Kaylee Lochrie with a season-high 20 points while Tori Kraft and Hannah Wilson each had seven.
Mayville 52, Marlette 41
MAYVILLE — Mayville outscored Marlette 28-18 in the second half en route to the win.
Bri Summersett and Chelsea Roehl each had 10 points for the Wildcats while Tessa Buhl and Rachel Pyles added nine apiece.
Amara Wilson had 12 points and Jenna Thompson 11 for the Raiders.
USA 64, Saginaw Buena Vista 50
SEBEWAING — A big second half lifted Unionville-Sebewaing Area over Saginaw Buena Vista.
The Patriots actually trailed 27-25 at the half, but used a 19-12 third-quarter edge to take the lead. They finished BV off with a 20-11 fourth-quarter charge.
Dani Gremel had 17 points for USA while Estey Ruppal added 16 and Jillian Williamson 12.
Champagne Arthur had 18 points, Nitashia Williams 16 and Marissa Akins 13 for BV.
Boys Basketball
North Huron 87, Dryden 62
DRYDEN — North Huron busted open a close game with a fourth-quarter explosion here Thursday night.
The Warriors led 60-52 heading into the fourth, but outscored the Cardinals 27-10 to pull away for the win.
Sean Clancy had a season-high 33 points to lead North Huron while John Iseler added 16 and Kevin Rice had 13.
CPS 47, Owen-Gage 29
CARSONVILLE — Carsonville-Port Sanilac outscored Owendale-Gagetown 29-13 in the second half on its way to an impressive win here Thursday night.
The Tigers led 11-2 after the first quarter, but the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 18-16 by halftime.
Brent Reil led Owen-Gage with 16 points.
Kingston 67, Port Hope 28
KINGSTON — Kingston had an easy time with Port Hope.
The Cardinals led 27-7 after one quarter and 54-16 at the half.
Jordan Pennington had 21 points for the Cardinals while Joe Strauel added 10.
Port Hope’s tandem of Alex Lackowski and Trevor Phillips had six points each.
The Lakers (9-3, 4-2) held Greater Thumb West-leading Reese (10-1, 6-0) in check Thursday night. The Rockets were contained to a season-low in points, their leading scorer Amber Gotham had to work for everything she got, and their press was easily broken.
Still, it wasn’t enough for EPBP to earn the win as Reese came away with the 51-47 victory.
“I thought our defense was good enough to win the game,” said Comment. “It was turnovers, and we missed shots. We didn’t shoot the ball like we can.
“Usually it’s about defense, but our offense didn’t click tonight.”
Twice, the Lakers got within a point late in the fourth quarter only to turn the ball over.
“The effort was there right until the end,” Comment said.
Reese coach Dennis Gruber didn’t downplay the importance of the win.
“We beat (Unionville-Sebewaing Area) on the road, and got this one on the road, so that’s huge,” he said. “We turn around next week and start over again, so we can’t take anything for granted.”
The Rockets came in as the area’s top scoring team.
A good deal of those points have come off the suffocating full-court press.
Against EPBP, the press wasn’t very effective as the athletic Laker players were able to routinely break it in the first half.
“They did a good job preparing for our press. We had to take it off. I wasn’t going to give up layups on it,” Gruber said. “It’s been our bread and butter, so we had to go play No. 2.”
Reese still led 24-20 at the half, but was forced to play a half-court defense in the second half.
“I thought our half-court in the second half was good,” Gruber said of the adjustment.
EPBP also did a nice job disrupting Gotham, who ended with a quiet 17 points while Jade Ackerman added 15 points.
“We wanted somebody else to handle the ball and be their playmaker, and we did a good job doing that,” Comment said about the effort on Gotham. “(Megan) Sweeney and (Jamie) Kohr were assigned to her. We rotated them and they did their job.”
Added Gruber: “I told Amber that’s a tribute to her. She’s a good player — that’s going to happen.”
After staying within striking distance, trailing just 39-37 heading into the fourth, EPBP’s offense went cold for nearly six minutes.
Reese began the fourth on a 7-0 run to take a 46-37 edge with 2:20 to play.
However, the Lakers put together a run of their own to close it to 46-45 with 1:30 to go.
They were within 48-47 with 22 seconds left.
The Rockets are a young, but experienced group, and the experience showed during the final two minutes.
“They’re a good close-knit unit,” Gruber said. “They’ve gone through some tough times, but I told them to use their experience at the end. And I thought they did.”
Comment is happy with the way his team played, but knows the chances of capturing a piece of the GTW championship are slim.
“We played them hard. We may not be quite with USA or Reese, but we’re close,” he said.
Along with the loss, EPBP was dealt another blow as second-leading scorer Shelby Pietruck injured her left ankle during the final minute.
Comment said the ankle was swollen, and Pietruck would be getting X-rays done on it.
Stephanie Maxwell and Ashley Hatfield each had 14 to lead the Lakers while Pietruck added nine.
Roundup
Girls Basketball
Cass City 46, Bad Axe 41
CASS CITY — Cass City outscored Bad Axe 10-5 in the first quarter, and it proved to be the difference here Thursday night.
The Red Hawks led 19-14 at the half, and 36-29 heading into the fourth.
Cass City only committed six turnovers.
Jennica Richards had a game-high 19 points to lead the Red Hawks while Logan Rowell added eight points and eight rebounds.
Taylor Breault led Bad Axe with 14 points.
Ubly 57, Deckerville 40
DECKERVILLE — Ubly led 17-0 after one quarter en route to the win over Deckerville.
The Bearcats stretched the lead to 30-2 at one point of the opening half, settling for a 30-9 cushion at the break.
Alicia Leipprandt continues to light up the scoreboard, pouring in 31 points for the Bearcats. Nicole Franzel added 11 points.
Deckerville had Tiffany Smith with 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers.
Sandusky 63, Harbor Beach 50
SANDUSKY — Marissa DeMott dropped in 21 points, including five three-pointers, in Sandusky's win over Harbor Beach.
The Redskins led 22-10 after one quarter and 33-22 at the half.
Besides DeMott, Sandusky had Maddie Hale with 11 points and Katelyn Ruggles with nine points.
The Pirates had Kaylee Lochrie with a season-high 20 points while Tori Kraft and Hannah Wilson each had seven.
Mayville 52, Marlette 41
MAYVILLE — Mayville outscored Marlette 28-18 in the second half en route to the win.
Bri Summersett and Chelsea Roehl each had 10 points for the Wildcats while Tessa Buhl and Rachel Pyles added nine apiece.
Amara Wilson had 12 points and Jenna Thompson 11 for the Raiders.
USA 64, Saginaw Buena Vista 50
SEBEWAING — A big second half lifted Unionville-Sebewaing Area over Saginaw Buena Vista.
The Patriots actually trailed 27-25 at the half, but used a 19-12 third-quarter edge to take the lead. They finished BV off with a 20-11 fourth-quarter charge.
Dani Gremel had 17 points for USA while Estey Ruppal added 16 and Jillian Williamson 12.
Champagne Arthur had 18 points, Nitashia Williams 16 and Marissa Akins 13 for BV.
Boys Basketball
North Huron 87, Dryden 62
DRYDEN — North Huron busted open a close game with a fourth-quarter explosion here Thursday night.
The Warriors led 60-52 heading into the fourth, but outscored the Cardinals 27-10 to pull away for the win.
Sean Clancy had a season-high 33 points to lead North Huron while John Iseler added 16 and Kevin Rice had 13.
CPS 47, Owen-Gage 29
CARSONVILLE — Carsonville-Port Sanilac outscored Owendale-Gagetown 29-13 in the second half on its way to an impressive win here Thursday night.
The Tigers led 11-2 after the first quarter, but the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 18-16 by halftime.
Brent Reil led Owen-Gage with 16 points.
Kingston 67, Port Hope 28
KINGSTON — Kingston had an easy time with Port Hope.
The Cardinals led 27-7 after one quarter and 54-16 at the half.
Jordan Pennington had 21 points for the Cardinals while Joe Strauel added 10.
Port Hope’s tandem of Alex Lackowski and Trevor Phillips had six points each.
EPBP coach Todd Comment talks to his team during a timeout in the second half.
Chelsea Dubey drives to the basket for the Lakers in the first half.
EPBP's Stephanie Maxwell (21) puts up a shot in the second half.
EPBP's Shelby Pietruck (13) avoids a Reese defender and puts up a shot during the second half.
Ashley Hatfield goes for two in the second half for the Lakers.
Thursday, January 29. 2009
Updated standings, schedule...
Thursday, January 29. 2009
Lakers shoot down Vassar... Other Scores...
PIGEON — All Bill McLellan could do was sit back and enjoy the show.
He knows when a team shoots the ball like his Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port squad did in this Greater Thumb West matchup with Vassar, there isn't a whole lot of coaching involved.
And he knows it doesn't happen too often.
It certainly did here Wednesday night. The Lakers buried a season-high 11 three-pointers, including seven in an electrifying third-quarter outburst, highlighting a convincing 58-42 decision over the Vulcans.
Grant Gnagey led the beyond-the-arc assault, burying seven three-pointers en route to a season-high 24 points.
"Gnagey's streaky, but the poor guy had a stretch in a few games early on where he just couldn't make a basket," McLellan said. "He's been putting a lot of extra time in. He's even been coming in on Sundays and doing some extra shooting."
It's paying off for the senior sharp-shooter, who had 21 points in the Lakers' three-point loss to GTW-leading Bay City All Saints last week.
"It was just a little thing where he was pulling the ball back too far," McLellan said. "He's been working on it and making it a mental thing in practice.
"Now, when he's in the game, he's not thinking about it too much and it's been working for him."
Nearly everyone who stepped on the floor for the Lakers had it working here Wednesday night.
Kevin Dubs chipped in three three-pointers of his own en route to his nine points while Shay Wruble came off the bench and scored nine points, as well, knocking down the Lakers' other three-pointer.
McLellan has been pleasantly surprised with Wruble's play in recent games.
"Shay Wruble has come on and done a nice job for us," he said. "There were some games early in the year when he didn't play at all. He's not only a three-point threat, but he can take the ball to the basket with his left-hand and score inside. He's helping us."
Vassar was paced by Troy Hecht, who poured in six three-pointers for his 18 points. Zach Germain was next with six points for the Vulcans, who have lost three straight GTW games after opening the season 5-1.
After yielding a season-high 64 points to BCAS, McLellan was happy to see his team's defense rebound.
"We scrapped really well in our zone," he said. "Defensively, we've had to adjust to what teams have been throwing at us.
"Hecht got hot and knocked down a few shots for them. We then switched it up and went to a triangle-and-two and that helped us out."
McLellan also was put at ease with the way the Lakers handled Vassar's pressure defense.
"Their pressure kind of scared us," he said. "I was afraid of them getting steals and getting easy layups. But we handled the ball pretty well."
EPBP stretched a six-point halftime edge to 21 after three quarters. Gnagey knocked down five three-pointers in the eight-minute span, including one with two seconds to play to give the Lakers a 48-27 advantage.
The teams combined for nine three-pointers in the third quarter, including six in the first few minutes.
At one point, the Lakers were knocking down three-pointers so quickly they even fooled their coach. McLellan turned around to talk with assistant Eric Gardy for just a moment, then wheeled around and called timeout.
Problem was, the Lakers had already drained a three-pointer and were on defense. The referees were even fooled, awarding the timeout to EPBP. Both teams went to their benches, but were quickly ushered back on the floor by the officials.
Vassar, now 5-4 overall, 1-3 GTW, hosts first-place BCAS on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 6-3 overall, 2-1 GTW. They travel to Reese on Friday in another important league matchup.
"The league is pretty well balanced," McLellan said. "We had a chance to steal one at All Saints, but we just have to keep winning at home. Nobody is going to walk away with it."
ROUNDUP
Reese 73, Cass City 69 OT
CASS CITY — Reese's Jock Pickell scored eight of his team-high 14 points in the overtimes to help the Rockets beat Cass City.
The Red Hawks used a 14-10 fourth-quarter to force the first extra session, getting six critical points from Austin Babich in the final period.
Both teams scored eight points in the first OT, heading to double overtime tied at 58. The Rockets then used a 15-11 outburst to secure the win.
Morgan Walter and Mike Herbolsheimer both added 13 points for the winners.
Chris Summersett scored 22 points for the Red Hawks while Babich added 21 and Brent Doerr 16.
USA 71, Bad Axe 37
SEBEWAING — Unionville-Sebewaing Area had little trouble with Bad Axe.
USA led 18-8 after one quarter and 40-17 the half.
Jacob Holland led three Patriots in double figures with 17 points while Scott Fletcher added 12 and Ryan Willard 10.
The Hatchets had Luke Flannery with 13 points and Nick Wehner with 12.
BCAS 56, Marlette 43
BAY CITY — Bay City All Saints beat Marlette in this GTC crossover contest.
The Cougars led from the start, opening up a 23-12 first-quarter lead.
Aaron Janer had 16 points and DeMario Walker 13 for BCAS.
Mike Armstrong had a season-high 21 points for Marlette.
CPS 58, Kingston 31
CARSONVILLE — Carsonville-Port Sanilac's James Lusher had 17 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Tigers over Kingston in a North Central Thumb League makeup game.
CPS led just 19-14 after one quarter, but used a 17-3 second-quarter flurry to take control.
Besides Lusher, CPS had Eric Taylor with 10 points while Todd Albrecht had eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Wrestling
Hatchets beat Sandusky
SANDUSKY — Bad Axe's wrestling team picked up its third win of the season with a 66-18 decision over Sandusky.
Winners for the Hatchets included Lizzy Elenbaum, Dave Siev, Jessie Carter, Adam Sroka, Brittany Clark, Matt Watkins, Quinn Bairski, Shawn O'Connor, Brad Farlow, Brody McDowall, Lynn Boyce and Curtis Brown.
He knows when a team shoots the ball like his Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port squad did in this Greater Thumb West matchup with Vassar, there isn't a whole lot of coaching involved.
And he knows it doesn't happen too often.
It certainly did here Wednesday night. The Lakers buried a season-high 11 three-pointers, including seven in an electrifying third-quarter outburst, highlighting a convincing 58-42 decision over the Vulcans.
Grant Gnagey led the beyond-the-arc assault, burying seven three-pointers en route to a season-high 24 points.
"Gnagey's streaky, but the poor guy had a stretch in a few games early on where he just couldn't make a basket," McLellan said. "He's been putting a lot of extra time in. He's even been coming in on Sundays and doing some extra shooting."
It's paying off for the senior sharp-shooter, who had 21 points in the Lakers' three-point loss to GTW-leading Bay City All Saints last week.
"It was just a little thing where he was pulling the ball back too far," McLellan said. "He's been working on it and making it a mental thing in practice.
"Now, when he's in the game, he's not thinking about it too much and it's been working for him."
Nearly everyone who stepped on the floor for the Lakers had it working here Wednesday night.
Kevin Dubs chipped in three three-pointers of his own en route to his nine points while Shay Wruble came off the bench and scored nine points, as well, knocking down the Lakers' other three-pointer.
McLellan has been pleasantly surprised with Wruble's play in recent games.
"Shay Wruble has come on and done a nice job for us," he said. "There were some games early in the year when he didn't play at all. He's not only a three-point threat, but he can take the ball to the basket with his left-hand and score inside. He's helping us."
Vassar was paced by Troy Hecht, who poured in six three-pointers for his 18 points. Zach Germain was next with six points for the Vulcans, who have lost three straight GTW games after opening the season 5-1.
After yielding a season-high 64 points to BCAS, McLellan was happy to see his team's defense rebound.
"We scrapped really well in our zone," he said. "Defensively, we've had to adjust to what teams have been throwing at us.
"Hecht got hot and knocked down a few shots for them. We then switched it up and went to a triangle-and-two and that helped us out."
McLellan also was put at ease with the way the Lakers handled Vassar's pressure defense.
"Their pressure kind of scared us," he said. "I was afraid of them getting steals and getting easy layups. But we handled the ball pretty well."
EPBP stretched a six-point halftime edge to 21 after three quarters. Gnagey knocked down five three-pointers in the eight-minute span, including one with two seconds to play to give the Lakers a 48-27 advantage.
The teams combined for nine three-pointers in the third quarter, including six in the first few minutes.
At one point, the Lakers were knocking down three-pointers so quickly they even fooled their coach. McLellan turned around to talk with assistant Eric Gardy for just a moment, then wheeled around and called timeout.
Problem was, the Lakers had already drained a three-pointer and were on defense. The referees were even fooled, awarding the timeout to EPBP. Both teams went to their benches, but were quickly ushered back on the floor by the officials.
Vassar, now 5-4 overall, 1-3 GTW, hosts first-place BCAS on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 6-3 overall, 2-1 GTW. They travel to Reese on Friday in another important league matchup.
"The league is pretty well balanced," McLellan said. "We had a chance to steal one at All Saints, but we just have to keep winning at home. Nobody is going to walk away with it."
ROUNDUP
Reese 73, Cass City 69 OT
CASS CITY — Reese's Jock Pickell scored eight of his team-high 14 points in the overtimes to help the Rockets beat Cass City.
The Red Hawks used a 14-10 fourth-quarter to force the first extra session, getting six critical points from Austin Babich in the final period.
Both teams scored eight points in the first OT, heading to double overtime tied at 58. The Rockets then used a 15-11 outburst to secure the win.
Morgan Walter and Mike Herbolsheimer both added 13 points for the winners.
Chris Summersett scored 22 points for the Red Hawks while Babich added 21 and Brent Doerr 16.
USA 71, Bad Axe 37
SEBEWAING — Unionville-Sebewaing Area had little trouble with Bad Axe.
USA led 18-8 after one quarter and 40-17 the half.
Jacob Holland led three Patriots in double figures with 17 points while Scott Fletcher added 12 and Ryan Willard 10.
The Hatchets had Luke Flannery with 13 points and Nick Wehner with 12.
BCAS 56, Marlette 43
BAY CITY — Bay City All Saints beat Marlette in this GTC crossover contest.
The Cougars led from the start, opening up a 23-12 first-quarter lead.
Aaron Janer had 16 points and DeMario Walker 13 for BCAS.
Mike Armstrong had a season-high 21 points for Marlette.
CPS 58, Kingston 31
CARSONVILLE — Carsonville-Port Sanilac's James Lusher had 17 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Tigers over Kingston in a North Central Thumb League makeup game.
CPS led just 19-14 after one quarter, but used a 17-3 second-quarter flurry to take control.
Besides Lusher, CPS had Eric Taylor with 10 points while Todd Albrecht had eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Wrestling
Hatchets beat Sandusky
SANDUSKY — Bad Axe's wrestling team picked up its third win of the season with a 66-18 decision over Sandusky.
Winners for the Hatchets included Lizzy Elenbaum, Dave Siev, Jessie Carter, Adam Sroka, Brittany Clark, Matt Watkins, Quinn Bairski, Shawn O'Connor, Brad Farlow, Brody McDowall, Lynn Boyce and Curtis Brown.
EPBP’s Luke Voelker drives to the hoop against Vassar’s Trent Bellamy.
Battling for a rebound are Vassar’s Troy Hecht (21), EPBP’s Grant Gnagey and EPBP’s Don Schember (54).
EPBP’s Grant Gnagey swats a shot away from a Vassar player in the opening half Wednesday night.
Thursday, January 29. 2009
Brown City clips Ubly again; Soucie delivers BIG
UBLY — Brown City’s Cory Soucie can be easy to miss on the basketball court.
The junior guard stands just 5-foot-5, and is the shortest player on the team.
Wednesday, he turned in his largest contribution of the year with a season-best 17 points, leading the Green Devils (10-1, 4-0) past Ubly, 56-49, in this Greater Thumb East showdown.
“Cory Soucie is one of our best shooters, we see it every day in practice,” said Brown City coach Tony Burton. “When he gets an open look, he can knock it down. Tonight, he got his confidence.”
Ubly’s defensive plan was simple, contain the duo of A.J. Burton and Jack McPhail, who, combined, came in averaging nearly 40 points per game. It worked as they combined for just 25 points as McPhail had 15 and Burton 10.
However, Soucie found the open looks in the Bearcats’ zone — and made them pay.
“The chance you take with a team like that is their other guys don’t step up — and the did. (Soucie) really stepped up big,” said Ubly coach Joel Leipprandt.
The contest was tight throughout the first half and early in the third quarter as Ubly led 28-26 at the break, and 32-31 with 4:41 to play in the third.
With 3:03 left, Josh Moffitt converted a jumper, and Brown City never trailed again.
The Bearcats (8-2, 1-1) put together a final run midway through the fourth to get to within 45-43 with 3:12, but the Green Devils responded with a 7-0 run to put the game away.
They also converted 9-of-11 free throws in the final two minutes.
“A two-point game went to an eight-point game in the blink of an eye,” Leipprandt said. “If we could have got the lead back, we could have played things a lot differently.
“We had to come out and play straight man-to-man on them. They’re just too good of a team to get behind on. They control the ball and they execute very well.”
Brown City, like most teams that play Ubly, was at a size disadvantage.
“We were undersized, so we knew we had to lock down defensively,” Burton said. “It was really tough because of the size differential. We were working so hard on the defensive end for position.
“Our philosophy all night is that we had to do it from the defensive end.”
Jordan Kaufman was the only Ubly player in double figures with 16 points while Justin Cleary added nine and Tyler Kubacki had eight.
With a nearly filled gym, the game had a playoff atmosphere to it, but both coaches know there’s a long way to go before anything will be decided in the GTE.
“This is just one out of 12 (league) games,” Burton said. “Obviously, it’s a big game, but there’s a lot of season to be played. The league season is a marathon, and we’re not even to the halfway point of this race yet.”
Ubly has no time for a letdown as it plays back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday with Deckerville and Sandusky — two more GTE opponents.
“They all count the same, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” Leipprandt said. “I’ve never had a team here that lost and buried their heads in the sand.
“We’ve always come out with a little fire in our eyes and ready to play hard. I don’t think these kids are going to give up either.”
The junior guard stands just 5-foot-5, and is the shortest player on the team.
Wednesday, he turned in his largest contribution of the year with a season-best 17 points, leading the Green Devils (10-1, 4-0) past Ubly, 56-49, in this Greater Thumb East showdown.
“Cory Soucie is one of our best shooters, we see it every day in practice,” said Brown City coach Tony Burton. “When he gets an open look, he can knock it down. Tonight, he got his confidence.”
Ubly’s defensive plan was simple, contain the duo of A.J. Burton and Jack McPhail, who, combined, came in averaging nearly 40 points per game. It worked as they combined for just 25 points as McPhail had 15 and Burton 10.
However, Soucie found the open looks in the Bearcats’ zone — and made them pay.
“The chance you take with a team like that is their other guys don’t step up — and the did. (Soucie) really stepped up big,” said Ubly coach Joel Leipprandt.
The contest was tight throughout the first half and early in the third quarter as Ubly led 28-26 at the break, and 32-31 with 4:41 to play in the third.
With 3:03 left, Josh Moffitt converted a jumper, and Brown City never trailed again.
The Bearcats (8-2, 1-1) put together a final run midway through the fourth to get to within 45-43 with 3:12, but the Green Devils responded with a 7-0 run to put the game away.
They also converted 9-of-11 free throws in the final two minutes.
“A two-point game went to an eight-point game in the blink of an eye,” Leipprandt said. “If we could have got the lead back, we could have played things a lot differently.
“We had to come out and play straight man-to-man on them. They’re just too good of a team to get behind on. They control the ball and they execute very well.”
Brown City, like most teams that play Ubly, was at a size disadvantage.
“We were undersized, so we knew we had to lock down defensively,” Burton said. “It was really tough because of the size differential. We were working so hard on the defensive end for position.
“Our philosophy all night is that we had to do it from the defensive end.”
Jordan Kaufman was the only Ubly player in double figures with 16 points while Justin Cleary added nine and Tyler Kubacki had eight.
With a nearly filled gym, the game had a playoff atmosphere to it, but both coaches know there’s a long way to go before anything will be decided in the GTE.
“This is just one out of 12 (league) games,” Burton said. “Obviously, it’s a big game, but there’s a lot of season to be played. The league season is a marathon, and we’re not even to the halfway point of this race yet.”
Ubly has no time for a letdown as it plays back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday with Deckerville and Sandusky — two more GTE opponents.
“They all count the same, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” Leipprandt said. “I’ve never had a team here that lost and buried their heads in the sand.
“We’ve always come out with a little fire in our eyes and ready to play hard. I don’t think these kids are going to give up either.”
Ubly's Steven Weber (52) splits a pair of Brown City defenders, including Tom Reintjes (3) and Stewart Peterson (13) in the second half.
Ubly's Jordan Kaufman (24) makes a move to the basket in the first half as Brown City's Dylan Mason (23) defends.
Ubly's Mitchel Cleary is fouled in the first half.
Tyler Kubacki (44) puts up a shot for the Bearcats in the second half over Brown City's Jack McPhail (5).
Tuesday, January 27. 2009
Tuesday Night Hoops: Brown City knocks off Ubly
Ubly suffered its first GTE loss to Brown City 65-52. The Green Devils led throughout, and withstood a couple of Bearcat runs in the second half. In the third, Ubly got within 38-31, and again cut the deficit to seven at 50-43 with 2:55 remaining in the game. Brown City hit its free throws down the stretch as it made six of seven in the final two minutes to close out the game. The area's leading scorer Alicia Leipprandt was held in check with 19 points. The loss leaves the GTE wide open with Ubly, Brown City, Sandusky and Harbor Beach all battling for the title.
The Tribune will have a full report on this game in Wednesday's paper. Until then, here are some photos from the game.
The Tribune will have a full report on this game in Wednesday's paper. Until then, here are some photos from the game.
Ubly's Alicia Leipprandt (32) takes a shot over Brown City's Kari Burton (2) in the first half.
Nicole Franzel puts up a triple for the Bearcats in the first half.
Ubly's Lyndsay White (11) battles for a loose ball with Brown City's Alena Sanson (3) in the first half.
Ubly's Camay Messing and Brown City's Katlyn Petitpren go for a rebound in the first half.
Ubly's Kayla Gentner (55) takes a shot over Brown City's Kristen Greene (10) in the second half.
Jennifer White drives to the basket for the Bearcats in the second half.
Tuesday, January 27. 2009
Bad Axe has to forfeit football, basketball victories
Tuesday, January 27. 2009
Ubly, Brown City hook up in 2 important games...
Monday, January 26. 2009
Dumars has plenty on his plate...
Monday, January 26. 2009
Gusa putting up big numbers at Delta College...
UNIVERSITY CENTER — Rhonda Gusa has never doubted her choice to attend Delta College to play basketball.
And the season the 2007 Harbor Beach graduate is having for the Pioneers has only reinforced her decision.
Gusa enters this week as the No. 3 scorer in the entire National Junior College Athletic Association at around 23 points per game. She also ranks among the leaders in rebounds at over 11 per game, as well as field goal percentage (59 percent) and free throw percentage (75 percent).
"Honestly, I thought that the small school was the perfect fit for me," Gusa said. "And after these first two years, I am really glad that I picked Delta.
"It's kind of like I wasn't exactly thrown into college. Delta's actually kind of like a high school, but just a bit bigger."
The 2006 Girls Player of the Year in the Thumb as selected by the Thumb Sportswriters Association, Gusa averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3.1 steals for Harbor Beach her senior season.
In Gusa's first year at Delta in 2007-08, The Pioneers finished 14-15 overall. Gusa managed to average around 10 points and 10 rebounds as a freshman, though she admits it took her some time to settle into the college game.
"Last year was a little hard to adjust to just because I wasn't used to the people that I was playing with and the style," she said. "College basketball is so much faster than high school — there is a lot more talking and communication going on than in high school."
Like most players who make the jump from high school to college, Gusa said defense has been the biggest challenge.
"Just the way I played defense, I had to adjust," she said. "My coach would always be yelling, 'Don't play behind, get in front.' It was something I had to work at."
Delta enters this week at 10-6 overall, 8-2 in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association's Eastern Division. Saturday, Gusa had 10 points and seven rebounds in a 62-44 victory over Wayne County Community College, Delta's fourth straight win. The Pioneers are in second place in the MCCAA East, tied with St. Clair County Community College, but two games behind Schoolcraft College. This Wednesday, Delta travels to SC4 in a battle for sole possession of second place.
"The season is going good," Gusa said. "We lost a few that we shouldn't have lost early on, but other than that we are right up there."
Because Delta is a two-year community college, Gusa plans on transferring after this season, but isn't sure where just yet.
For now, though, she's making the most of her final year at Delta — on and off the basketball court.
"I think that starting off at Delta has helped mold me into the person that I am — both in athletics and academics," Gusa said. "In academics, there are only about 20 people in a classroom, so you get help when you don't understand things.
“Last year (on the basketball court), we had a pretty decent team, and with hard work and dedication (we've improved). All we do is work hard and leave it all on the floor. It's just been a lot of fun."
Gusa is the daughter of Al and Beverly Gusa of Harbor Beach.
And the season the 2007 Harbor Beach graduate is having for the Pioneers has only reinforced her decision.
Gusa enters this week as the No. 3 scorer in the entire National Junior College Athletic Association at around 23 points per game. She also ranks among the leaders in rebounds at over 11 per game, as well as field goal percentage (59 percent) and free throw percentage (75 percent).
"Honestly, I thought that the small school was the perfect fit for me," Gusa said. "And after these first two years, I am really glad that I picked Delta.
"It's kind of like I wasn't exactly thrown into college. Delta's actually kind of like a high school, but just a bit bigger."
The 2006 Girls Player of the Year in the Thumb as selected by the Thumb Sportswriters Association, Gusa averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and 3.1 steals for Harbor Beach her senior season.
In Gusa's first year at Delta in 2007-08, The Pioneers finished 14-15 overall. Gusa managed to average around 10 points and 10 rebounds as a freshman, though she admits it took her some time to settle into the college game.
"Last year was a little hard to adjust to just because I wasn't used to the people that I was playing with and the style," she said. "College basketball is so much faster than high school — there is a lot more talking and communication going on than in high school."
Like most players who make the jump from high school to college, Gusa said defense has been the biggest challenge.
"Just the way I played defense, I had to adjust," she said. "My coach would always be yelling, 'Don't play behind, get in front.' It was something I had to work at."
Delta enters this week at 10-6 overall, 8-2 in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association's Eastern Division. Saturday, Gusa had 10 points and seven rebounds in a 62-44 victory over Wayne County Community College, Delta's fourth straight win. The Pioneers are in second place in the MCCAA East, tied with St. Clair County Community College, but two games behind Schoolcraft College. This Wednesday, Delta travels to SC4 in a battle for sole possession of second place.
"The season is going good," Gusa said. "We lost a few that we shouldn't have lost early on, but other than that we are right up there."
Because Delta is a two-year community college, Gusa plans on transferring after this season, but isn't sure where just yet.
For now, though, she's making the most of her final year at Delta — on and off the basketball court.
"I think that starting off at Delta has helped mold me into the person that I am — both in athletics and academics," Gusa said. "In academics, there are only about 20 people in a classroom, so you get help when you don't understand things.
“Last year (on the basketball court), we had a pretty decent team, and with hard work and dedication (we've improved). All we do is work hard and leave it all on the floor. It's just been a lot of fun."
Gusa is the daughter of Al and Beverly Gusa of Harbor Beach.
During her senior season at Harbor Beach, Rhonda Gusa averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds, helping her earn Player of the Year honors as voted on by the Thumb Sportswriters Association.
Friday, January 23. 2009
Friday Night Trifecta...
I was all over the Thumb to take in three games tonight. The trip started at Caseville's 35-26 upset over Kingston in girls basketball. It continued to Marlette at Harbor Beach. The Pirates were up big at halftime, but we don't have a final on that one. Finally, I made it back to Bad Axe for Ubly's 76-48 victory.
Scores we have tonight:
Girls Basketball
Scores we have tonight:
Girls Basketball
Port Hope 35, CPS 33 — Kristen Smaglinski led the Bluestars with 11 points while Brittany Schave and Kayla Gust each added nine.
Memphis 46, Owen-Gage 34 — Samantha Radabaugh had a game-high 13 for the Bulldogs.
Caseville 35, Kingston 26 — Meaghan Fortsch dropped in 23 for the Eagles.
North Huron 50, Peck 43 — Sara Clancy had 22 to lead the Warriors.
Dryden 46, Akron-Fairgrove 28 — Sarah DeCeuninck had 18 points to lead the Cardinals.
Boys Basketball
USA 53, Reese 50 — The Rockets nearly came back from a 46-30 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
Mayville 47, Deckerville 43
Brown City 61, Sandusky 36
Cass City 38, Vassar 33
BCAS 64, EPBP 61
Photos from the games:
Caseville's Bethany Grates (44) pulls down a rebound.
Caseville's Maureen Fortsch looks for room to pass around Kingston's Abby Brzezinski.
Alyssa Mrozek puts up a shot for the Eagles.
Meaghan Fortsch drives to the basket for the Eagles.
Harbor Beach's Justin Braun (34) goes for a layup as Marlette's Andrew Huffman (45) attempts the block.
Harbor Beach's Jacob Murawski (32) drives to the basket past Marlette's Brandon King (44).
Harbor Beach's Travis Schock (10) puts up a shot over Marlette's Dillon Howe (4).
Shane Ginther puts up a triple for the Pirates.
Ubly's Branden Sorenson (20) puts up a shot over Bad Axe's Mitch Roth (21).
Ubly's Steven Weber is fouled by Bad Axe's Mitch Roth (21).
Ubly's Justin Cleary (10) drives to the basket on Bad Axe's Luke Flannery (12).
Tyler Kubacki puts up a shot for the Bearcats.
Friday, January 23. 2009
Homecoming for Owen-Gage coaches...
First in a series about young area coaches who have come back to their schools and help with the athletic programs.
OWENDALE — Derek Howard and Corbin Swiastyn have pretty much known each other their entire lives.
They’re cousins, they went to school together, and they played basketball together.
Now, they’re back coaching the varsity boys basketball team at Owendale-Gagetown together.
It almost didn’t happen, though.
Howard took over as the head coach in 2007-08 for his dad, Arnie Howard, but was looking for an assistant to help him.
Swiastyn attempted to contact Howard, but Howard was having problems with his cell phone.
“He didn’t pick up his cell phone, so I thought he was ignoring me,” Swiastyn joked. “Come to find out, he couldn’t work his voicemail.”
Since Howard didn’t return his calls, Swiastyn showed up to an early game last season — and has been on the bench ever since.
Howard is thankful Swiastyn didn’t give up after the unreturned calls.
“I needed the help, but I couldn’t figure out my voicemail,” said Howard. “Here, he had been calling me for a little over a month.
“The time that you have to put in to do it yourself is amazing. With Corbin here, he can do some of the things that might be time consuming to one person. But when you have two people working together, it’s a lot of help.”
Even when Howard was a player for numerous coaches, including Leon Westover, he knew he would eventually be on the other side.
“My dad and my uncle Dave (Fritz) are coaches, so it’s been in the blood. It’s something I always thought I would do,” he said.
Arnie coached the varsity to its first league and district championship in over 30 years in 2006-07, his last season as head coach. Derek was an assistant on that staff, and would like to experience that feeling of winning a championship as a head coach.
Coaching with his dad allowed him to learn the ropes, and develop his own style.
“He taught me the disciplinary side of things,” he said.
“I want the kids to have fun, but yet there has to be a balance. And that was something I learned from my dad.”
Howard, 26, graduated in 2000 while Swiastyn, 24, graduated in 2002.
They were teammates for many memorable moments, including Dec. 21, 1999 when they helped the Bulldogs score 41 points in a quarter against Port Hope.
The 41 points is tied for fourth all-time for points scored in a quarter, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association record book.
Both coaches say they would rather still be playing than coaching.
Most nights at practice, they get their chance to play as Owen-Gage only has eight varsity players. To help make a full team, Howard and Swiastyn, along with other former players, including Brandon Dubs and Eric Zaleski, take to the court.
Being younger coaches allows them to still get out there and keep up.
“Numbers have always been a challenge, but that’s Owen-Gage basketball,” Howard said. “We’re not going to have a complete package. We’re always missing one thing or another.
“With us having to play, ideally, that’s not what you want. I can see more stuff when I’m sitting on the sideline.
“In order to get them a good look, we have to be out there.”
Still, during games it can be discouraging at times for Howard and Swiastyn when they see their players doing something wrong that they have worked to correct.
“You see something, and you might call a timeout, or grab a kid and pull them over and tell them what you see. Then, they do the exact same thing wrong again, so that can be frustrating,” Howard said.
“As a player, you can see something on the floor and adjust on the fly.”
Added Swiastyn: “I get more frustrated helping and coaching than I did when I played.”
For Howard, the players on this team have a special meaning to him.
He’s been with most of them for their entire careers, dating back to the elementary and junior high levels.
“A lot of these kids I’ve had since third grade,” Howard said. “I feel like they’ve put the time into me, and I know they know the time I’ve put into them. So I want to make sure that I see them through.
“They’re working hard for me — and I want to show them the same.”
Being an assistant coach allowed Swiastyn to be a part of a special moment earlier this season.
During an 82-49 win over Caseville in December, senior guard Devin Prich, who routinely stays after practice working on his long-range shots, was rewarded. He scored 29 points, and tied Swiastyn’s school record for triples in a game with nine.
Swiastyn said he was cheering for Prich the entire time, but it was still a bittersweet moment watching a player go after one of his records.
“It was one of those things you didn’t want to see go down,” he said. “But at the same time, the person that was going for it was a player that put in a lot of time to achieve that.”
Added Howard: “You see a kid put in so much time and effort and get rewarded by it. That’s what makes you proud.”
Howard and Swiastyn aren’t sure how long they’ll be coaching at Owen-Gage.
Swiastyn is set to be married in a little over a year, and may be moving out of the area. Howard and his wife have a baby on the way.
Howard did marvel at the careers of some area coaches, like Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port’s Bill McLellan and Unionville-Sebewaing Area’s Mark Gainforth.
“You see guys like McLellan and Gainforth who have been doing this for as long as we’ve been alive...” he said. “As far as coaching that long, probably not, but who knows.”
For now, the two former standouts are concentrating on helping the Bulldogs win another league and district title. Owen-Gage is 5-2 this season, and in the hunt in the North Central Thumb League North.
OWENDALE — Derek Howard and Corbin Swiastyn have pretty much known each other their entire lives.
They’re cousins, they went to school together, and they played basketball together.
Now, they’re back coaching the varsity boys basketball team at Owendale-Gagetown together.
It almost didn’t happen, though.
Howard took over as the head coach in 2007-08 for his dad, Arnie Howard, but was looking for an assistant to help him.
Swiastyn attempted to contact Howard, but Howard was having problems with his cell phone.
“He didn’t pick up his cell phone, so I thought he was ignoring me,” Swiastyn joked. “Come to find out, he couldn’t work his voicemail.”
Since Howard didn’t return his calls, Swiastyn showed up to an early game last season — and has been on the bench ever since.
Howard is thankful Swiastyn didn’t give up after the unreturned calls.
“I needed the help, but I couldn’t figure out my voicemail,” said Howard. “Here, he had been calling me for a little over a month.
“The time that you have to put in to do it yourself is amazing. With Corbin here, he can do some of the things that might be time consuming to one person. But when you have two people working together, it’s a lot of help.”
Even when Howard was a player for numerous coaches, including Leon Westover, he knew he would eventually be on the other side.
“My dad and my uncle Dave (Fritz) are coaches, so it’s been in the blood. It’s something I always thought I would do,” he said.
Arnie coached the varsity to its first league and district championship in over 30 years in 2006-07, his last season as head coach. Derek was an assistant on that staff, and would like to experience that feeling of winning a championship as a head coach.
Coaching with his dad allowed him to learn the ropes, and develop his own style.
“He taught me the disciplinary side of things,” he said.
“I want the kids to have fun, but yet there has to be a balance. And that was something I learned from my dad.”
Howard, 26, graduated in 2000 while Swiastyn, 24, graduated in 2002.
They were teammates for many memorable moments, including Dec. 21, 1999 when they helped the Bulldogs score 41 points in a quarter against Port Hope.
The 41 points is tied for fourth all-time for points scored in a quarter, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association record book.
Both coaches say they would rather still be playing than coaching.
Most nights at practice, they get their chance to play as Owen-Gage only has eight varsity players. To help make a full team, Howard and Swiastyn, along with other former players, including Brandon Dubs and Eric Zaleski, take to the court.
Being younger coaches allows them to still get out there and keep up.
“Numbers have always been a challenge, but that’s Owen-Gage basketball,” Howard said. “We’re not going to have a complete package. We’re always missing one thing or another.
“With us having to play, ideally, that’s not what you want. I can see more stuff when I’m sitting on the sideline.
“In order to get them a good look, we have to be out there.”
Still, during games it can be discouraging at times for Howard and Swiastyn when they see their players doing something wrong that they have worked to correct.
“You see something, and you might call a timeout, or grab a kid and pull them over and tell them what you see. Then, they do the exact same thing wrong again, so that can be frustrating,” Howard said.
“As a player, you can see something on the floor and adjust on the fly.”
Added Swiastyn: “I get more frustrated helping and coaching than I did when I played.”
For Howard, the players on this team have a special meaning to him.
He’s been with most of them for their entire careers, dating back to the elementary and junior high levels.
“A lot of these kids I’ve had since third grade,” Howard said. “I feel like they’ve put the time into me, and I know they know the time I’ve put into them. So I want to make sure that I see them through.
“They’re working hard for me — and I want to show them the same.”
Being an assistant coach allowed Swiastyn to be a part of a special moment earlier this season.
During an 82-49 win over Caseville in December, senior guard Devin Prich, who routinely stays after practice working on his long-range shots, was rewarded. He scored 29 points, and tied Swiastyn’s school record for triples in a game with nine.
Swiastyn said he was cheering for Prich the entire time, but it was still a bittersweet moment watching a player go after one of his records.
“It was one of those things you didn’t want to see go down,” he said. “But at the same time, the person that was going for it was a player that put in a lot of time to achieve that.”
Added Howard: “You see a kid put in so much time and effort and get rewarded by it. That’s what makes you proud.”
Howard and Swiastyn aren’t sure how long they’ll be coaching at Owen-Gage.
Swiastyn is set to be married in a little over a year, and may be moving out of the area. Howard and his wife have a baby on the way.
Howard did marvel at the careers of some area coaches, like Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port’s Bill McLellan and Unionville-Sebewaing Area’s Mark Gainforth.
“You see guys like McLellan and Gainforth who have been doing this for as long as we’ve been alive...” he said. “As far as coaching that long, probably not, but who knows.”
For now, the two former standouts are concentrating on helping the Bulldogs win another league and district title. Owen-Gage is 5-2 this season, and in the hunt in the North Central Thumb League North.
Former Owendale-Gagetown players Corbin Swiastyn (front) and Derek Howard have returned to their former school to coach varsity basketball.
