Hurons topple Cards on hardcourt; face Newberry Friday
The game wasn?t always pretty but the results were beautiful for the Hurons in a 57-48 win over the Onaway Cardinals Tuesday. Both teams scrapped for the ball, often going to the floor for loose balls, and played end-to-end defense in a hotly contested game at RCHS. Rogers City showed patience on offense, cutting down on the number of turnovers, while spreading the ball around. Four Hurons hit for double figures as Kyle Greene and Isaac Momrik had 12, Tim Cercone scored 11, and Adam LaLonde had 10.
?We are playing good team ball right now. We are getting together as a team with better communication,? said coach Karl Grambau.
ROGERS CITY started off by jumping out to an 8-3 lead, following a driving lay up by senior Brandon Kania off a Cercone pass. The lead reached 10 as Momrik hit a drive at the 1:36 mark of the first quarter. Then Onaway, largely on the broad shoulders of senior forward Jay Diller, closed the gap to 17-12 at the end of quarter.
Diller?s three-pointer, and two free throws a few seconds later, kept the margin at five points at 24-19 with six minutes left in the half. A swarming half court zone made Onaway move the ball outside, forcing long shots.
Aaron Smuda and Momrik each made two free throws to build the lead to eight at 32-26, but Onaway scored the last four points of the half to make it 33-30 at intermission. Charley Smolinski?s three, and Greene?s two driving baskets were the only Huron points in the first seven minutes of a dry third quarter. That drought allowed the Cards to tie the game at 40-40 with 1:41 left in the third quarter.
Then Cercone nailed a jumper, and Trace Kieliszewski hit a basket, and a free throw to give the home team a 45-40 lead going into the fourth quarter.
PATIENCE PAID off for the Hurons as they looked for good shots and made the Cards foul in the waning moments. Diller led all scorers with 27 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
LAST WEEK Rogers City lost a heartbreaker to Newberry, 71-62. The Hurons led 34-27 at halftime but the Indians came back strong in the second half. Greene scored 30 while Momrik added 19 for the Hurons. Rogers Cit
IN JV ACTION, coach Jason Wenzel?s squad squeaked by the Cardinals 54-52. The score was tied at 27-27 at halftime in a seesaw contest. Clay Hilla led the attack with 23 points while Chris Paschke added 11. The results were not as favorable last week as Newberry took a 76-66 win. The Indians led 34-18 at halftime and held off the Hurons in the second half. Hilla scored 23 in the contest while Paschke added 15 and Justin Senff scored 14. The Hurons host Hillman Tuesday as the season enters the final weeks of play.
(For photos from the game, see our picture gallery.)