Posen girls keep rolling with win over Rogers City

A tall and talented Posen Viking girls? basketball team ran to a 61-18 win over the Rogers City Hurons Monday.

?We knew it was going to be tough. They have got some height and size that we don?t. The girls came out a little flat, especially offensively. We didn?t hit a lot of shots,? said Rogers City coach David O?Bryant. ?We weren?t defending their outside shots. That was really the only hope we had was to defend those outside shots, force them out and hope that they didn?t hit all the outside shots.? Outside shooting, great ball movement and a pesky press powered Posen to a big lead.

AFTER A three-pointer from Huron sophomore guard Nikkie LaLonde gave Rogers City a brief 3-2 lead, Posen ran off the next 11 points. A jumper by Posen sophomore guard Anna Couture came after a basket from the corner by senior Lindsay Ponik and freshman center Korynn Hincka?s rebound and bucket. Turnovers set up possessions that ended up with two free throws from Hincka and one from Lindsey Bartz. A short jumper from the corner by Huron forward Kelleigh Lamb ended the run with 1:35 left in the first quarter. That would be the last Huron basket until Becky Talaske?s two baskets, which opened the third quarter. In-between time, Posen built its lead to 38-5 at halftime and led 51-11 after three quarters.

O?Bryant had no explanation for his team?s lack of scoring in recent second quarters. Both at Cheboygan last Friday and home against Posen on Monday were scoreless for the Hurons. ?The second half of both games we came out shooting better, not great, but better offensively. We are getting a little tired. I know that with just eight players, it really wears on them,? O?Bryant said. On the other bench, Viking coach Karl Momrik used a press to pressure the Hurons into mistakes, and effectively used his bench to keep all nine players fresh.

?THE GIRLS are working hard. We shuffle in all nine players and there isn?t a bad one in the bunch. They all have things that they offer. It is a lot of fun. The girls are happy that way and it is a good situation to be in,? said Posen coach Karl Momrik. Balanced scoring has been important to the success of Posen. Couture scored 15 points while Bartz, Hincka and Ponik each had 10. Only three players scored for the Hurons with Talaske leading the way with 11, with all those coming in the second half, while Lamb had four and LaLonde scored five.

?It makes it hard for teams to key on us. They really don?t know who to stop. There are so many good shooters and they pass the ball so well. I think that is the key to our team. There are no selfish players on the squad,? Momrik said. Posen took a convincing 65-33 win at Hillman last Friday in North Star League action. Posen increased its 16-12 first quarter lead into a 30-15 margin at halftime. Hincka scored 18 points, Bartz and Ponik added 10 and LeAnn Strzeleski scored eight.

THE JUNIOR varsity contest between Rogers City and Posen Monday came down to the final shot, a long three-pointer by Bev Bednarski with five seconds showing on the clock. She had 19 points to pace a 33-32 Posen win over the Hurons. Courtney Streich had 10 points to lead Rogers City, who led 21-16 heading into the fourth quarter. Lindsey Claus added eight points for RC. At Hillman last Friday, the Posen junior varsity won another close contest, coming out on the good side of a 31-28 contest. Bednarski had 15 for Posen while Austin Sharpe added 10. Posen took the lead on a three-pointer by Kendall Hirschman at the halftime buzzer.

LAST FRIDAY the Hurons lost 40-21 in

Cheboygan. Rogers City trailed 16-6 after the first quarter and 26-6 at halftime after a scoreless second quarter. LaLonde?s 14 points, scoring all 10 Huron points in the fourth quarter, led the team. Talaske added five points. Rogers City hit on 4-of-7 from the free throw-line. The junior varsity Hurons made a furious comeback attempt, but fell on the short end of a 32-30 score. The team trailed 26-15 at the end of the third quarter, but put up 15 points in the final frame, keyed by a pressing defense and eight points from Megan Quaine in the frame. She finished with three, three-pointers for a team-high 11 points.

Rogers City hosts Rudyard Friday then is off until they visit Sault Ste. Marie Jan. 28. Posen host Mio tonight (Thursday) and hosts AuGres Monday.

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