Cardinal boys sweep Central Lake to stay in SVC hoops race

Joe O’Bradovich scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Carlos Bautista scored 24 points and had eight boards, as the Onaway High School varsity boys’ basketball team defeated visiting Central Lake Wednesday, 73-61.

SENIOR CHRIS Cleaver brings the ball across center court in Wednesday’s win over Central Lake. The Cards are on the road for the next two. Tonight they are in Gaylord taking on the Snowbirds. Wednesday they are in Mancelona. (Photo by Peter Jakey)

 

The Trojans, lingering near the bottom of the Ski Valley Conference, gave the Cardinals everything they could handle – and were within four points with six minutes left to play – but the home team pulled away down the stretch.

The win improved Onaway’s record to 11-2, including 9-1 in the SVC – keeping the Cards firmly entrenched in a three-way battle for the conference with Bellaire and Mancelona.

OHS jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Central Lake, but the Trojans responded with a 10-0 run to go up 10-5. Onaway trailed 20-16 after one quarter, but tightened up the defense in quarter two, outscoring CL 11-4 to lead 27-24 at the half.

A pair of baskets by Joe Sigsby, a Bautista drive, and an O’Bradovich jumper keyed an 8-2 Cardinal run to open period three, stretching Onaway’s lead to 35-26. But the Trojans responded with a 10-2 run to cut the gap to 37-36.

The lead was 46-44 before O’Bradovich hit a jumper, then scored on a putback at the third-period buzzer, putting his team up 50-44. Sigsby scored on a putback to open quarter four, stretching the lead to 52-44.

A pair of threes helped the Trojans cut the gap to 54-50, but Bautista took over from there, scoring 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. An O’Bradovich three with four minutes left stretched the lead to 63-53.

The Trojans never got any closer than seven after that, with Bautista scoring his team’s final seven points. Sigsby and Andrew Prow, who hit three three-pointers, both finished with nine points for Onaway.

Earlier in the evening, the OHS JV improved to 7-6 with a 44-31 win over Central Lake. The Cardinals led 8-5 after one quarter, 17-10 at the half, and 32-18 through three frames. Derick Wregglesworth and Andrew Haske scored nine points apiece.

Two days earlier, in a make-up game, the varsity defeated Central Lake at its place, 72-53. Onaway led 15-5 after one quarter, 31-16 at the half, and 54-32 through three quarters.

O’Bradovich scored 20 points, Prow scored 18 (on six three-pointers), Bautista scored 12, and Cody Morell scored eight.

The JV also had an easier time with the Trojans at their place, winning 68-43. Onaway led 27-2 after one quarter, 46-13 at the half, and 55-31 through three quarters. Wregglesworth scored 24 points and Bradley Brewbaker had 23.

Last Friday, the varsity won an exciting game at St. Ignace, 68-62. Onaway led 17-10 after one quarter, but the Saints battled back to tie things at the half

, 27-27. The Cards went up 41-35 through three, then held on.

Bautista led the way with 21 points. O’Bradovich scored 12 points, Prow had 11 (with nine of them coming on a trio of trifectas), and Sigsby had nine.

The JV dropped its game with the Saints, 53-40. OHS led 9-8 after one, but trailed 27-20 at the half and 33-30 through three. Wregglesworth scored 15 points, while Brewbaker scored 13.

The boys’ basketball teams were scheduled to play at Gaylord St. Mary tonight (Friday), at Mancelona (in an enormous SVC tilt) on Wednesday, and home against Inland Lakes next Friday.