RC gets in gear for semifinals by topping Oscoda in first round
by Richard Lamb, Advance Editor
The Huron girls? basketball team took a two-game winning streak into Wednesday?s district tournament semifinal game with Alcona. (The game was played after press time. For results see PIAdvance.com).
Rogers City defeated Oscoda 47-36 behind 16 points from junior guard Greta Grambau. Oscoda trailed 32-27 at the end of the third quarter after the Hurons had jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
Grambau took charge in the Owls? first two possessions of the fourth quarter, stealing errant passes and going all the way for lay-ups. The Hurons maintained at least a six-point lead the rest of the way.
TURNOVERS HELPED the Owls stay close through the third quarter, keeping the hometown team in the game. Rogers City committed 28 turnovers in the game but had 13 steals against Oscoda.
?The big plays were the steals by Greta that turned the tide early in the fourth quarter and that put them back on their heels. After that we got some good play out of everybody I sent in the game and I?m proud of their effort?and we get home game,? said Huron coach Paul Stempky.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is experimenting with the concept of a non-traditional district in certain areas this season. Although Hale is the official host of the district tournament, and the final will be played there, other teams have a chance to host, depending on how they were drawn in the bracket. A win Monday gave the Hurons a home game Wednesday.
ALTHOUGH THE Hurons won just one game coming into last Thursday?s regular season finale at Oscoda, Stempky said the district tournament has been a target all year. Rogers City defeated Oscoda 44-33 Thursday to bring a head of steam into the rematch in the district tournament.
?I told them before the game that you can forget about Thursday because this will be a whole different game,? Stempky said. ?They felt they had the confidence against us. We only beat them by 11 last time and they gave us everything we could handle all the way through.?
Stempky and assistants Karl Grambau and Emily McLean hoped the team didn?t have too much confidence going into the rematch. The Hurons only other win came over Hillman at home in the second game between the two teams.
?They had some confidence built up in a good way. We came out 7-0 and then kind of stalled for a couple of minutes. I kept telling them they couldn?t stop, because Oscoda will keep coming after us. They play in a tough conference too, like we do,? Stempky said.
A GREAT start set the tone of the game. Baskets by Leann Knopf and Anna Wickersham, sandwiched around a triple by Grambau gave the Hurons a 7-0 lead in the game?s first 90 seconds. Wickersham hit a short jumper one minute later to increase the lead to 9-0 with 5:21 left in the first quarter.
Sara Carpenter?s basket as a trailer on a fast break, off Grambau?s assist, made the score 15-8 after one quarter. The Owls cut the lead to four points at 20-16 midway in the second quarter before baskets by Wickersham, Grambau and Sam Hall got the lead back up to eight points. Rogers City led 24-20 at halftime.
Grambau added four rebounds and four steals to go with her team-high 16 points. Knopf added nine points, seven rebounds and four steals. Wickersham scored six points while Logan Schuiteman added five. ?I think we are peaking at the right time. I told them a long time ago that this is a district we have an op
The Hurons closed the regular season with a 44-33 win over Oscoda. Rogers City led 11-7 after the first quarter and 18-14 at halftime. Grambau and Knopf each scored 12 points while Schuiteman had eight and Jordyn Lamb added five. THE HURON JUNIOR varsity finished the season with a 6-14 record, winning their final game in Oscoda Thursday, 27-11. Rogers City led 12-2 at the end of the first quarter, 19-5 at halftime and 20-9 after three quarters. Shelby Schleben scored 14 to lead the team in scoring.
Wednesday?s game at Rogers City is against Alcona. The winner of the Rogers City vs. Alcona game plays Friday at 7 p.m. in Hale against the winner of the Inland Lakes or Whittemore Prescott vs. Hale game. That game was played Wednesday.