Hurons upset Alpena, 62-55
If you could take all of the missed opportunities and frustrations of the 2004-2005 Huron basketball season, roll them up into a wish, and have it come true, the Hurons might have wished for a win in Alpena Tuesday. Presto! Wish granted.
Struggling through a 3-15 season, Rogers City played the game of its season as the players rebounded, passed, and shot their way by a sluggish Alpena squad. Years of frustration against the Class A team came to an end on the Wildcats’ home floor before a stunned audience as the Hurons topped Alpena 62-55. “This is a huge win for us with the tournament coming up,” said an elated coach Karl Grambau after the game. “Tonight was our night. Our goal was to get a shot every time down and limit our turnovers.”
ROGERS CITY JUMPED out to a 5-0 lead and held on to a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Starting seniors Chris Paschke and Charley Smolinski with juniors Austin Fairbanks and Chris Santini, and freshman Bret Karsten, the Hurons came out with confidence. Smolinski’s three-pointer and Paschke’s lay-up got the Hurons going.
Good ball movement and solid rebounding gave the Hurons good shots on the offensive end while limiting the Wildcats’ chances on the other end. Frustrated with his team’s play midway through the first quarter, Alpena coach John Pintar pulled all five starters with his team trailing 10-6. That didn’t help cut the gap, as Justin Wilbert put the Hurons up by five as the quarter ended.
IN THE SECOND quarter, Rogers City’s lead faded as the Wildcats went on a 9-2 run in the first four minutes to go up 18-16. Derek McLennan’s three-pointer, and his feed, which set up Smolinski for a short jumper in the paint, regained the lead for RC.
“I’m really proud of the way we played even when the score was tied and then when we lost the lead,” Grambau said. Two free throws by Justin Senff capped a 6-0 run before a Wildcat basket with seven seconds left in the half made the score 27-23 at halftime. The Hurons, who also led Alpena at halftime in the teams’ first meeting earlier in the season, were determined not to lose the lead in this game.
Santini hit consecutive three-pointers as the Huron lead grew to 10 at 35-25 in the second half’s opening two minutes. When Karsten hit a jumper off a back door pass from Smolinski, the Hurons led 39-29 with 3:50 left in the third quarter. Then the Wildcats staged a rally, pulling to within four points at 41-27 with 1:49 left in the quarter. Again Santini would provide the spark, adding three more of his 11 points in the quarter on another bomb from three-point land, this one set up on an inbounds play. The Hurons led 44-40 with eight minutes left in the game.
FRESHMAN POINT guard Bret Karsten’s two three-pointers to open the quarter gave the Hurons another 10-point lead before the Wildcats cut it to four at 50-46 with 4:37 left. Alpena used a full court press on the Hurons for the first time in the game and narrowed the gap to 52-50 with 3:16 left and tied it at 52-52 one minute later. Another triple from Karsten, who finished with 24 points, started a 10-3 run to close the game.
LAST FRIDAY AT St. Ignace, the Hurons lost 56-50. The Hurons trailed 27-20 at halftime and 44-34 at the end of the third quarte
THE HURONS host Newberry in the last game of the season Friday with the JV contest tipping off at 6 p.m. Tuesday the varsity enters district play in Mio with an 8 p.m. game against Inland Lakes.