Hurons open basketball season with win at Indian River
The Hurons got things rolling on a new basketball season by avenging a season-ending loss to Inland Lakes in last year’s district tournament. Rogers City took a 47-38 win over the Bulldogs Tuesday at Indian River. The Hurons host Hillman tonight in the first home game of the season. When the Huron offense had trouble getting on track Tuesday, the girls worked hard on the other end of the court, putting the clamps down on the Bulldog offense in the second quarter.
LEADING 12-8 after one quarter of play, the Bulldogs scored on their first possession of the second quarter. But that would be all for the home team as the Hurons’ swarming defense shut down the Bulldogs the rest of the way to take a 21-14 halftime lead. Senior forward Becky Bruning, left all alone under the basket, laid in the shot which tied the game at 14-14 with 5:29 left in the second quarter. Center Ashley Fleming, who sets a new all-time scoring mark with each basket she makes, picked off a rebound and hit a shot to give the Hurons their first lead at 16-14 at the 4:13 mark.
She took a soft pass over a defender by Jess Konieczny for the next Huron basket moments later. IN THE second half, the Hurons and Bulldogs picked up the pace, with the Bulldogs going on a 6-0 run midway through to cut the lead to 25-22. Sophomore forward Dana Fairbanks ended the run with a short jumper. Fleming and Bruning added buckets as the Hurons led 31-24 after three quarters. Pressure by guards Megan Hanson and Sara Dove and forward Lindsey Fleming kept the Bulldogs off guard as the fourth quarter began. But the Bulldogs rallied behind a pair of three-point plays, one from a long shot and the second on three free throws, to tie the score at 33-33.
When sophomore forwar
“IT WAS A good win for us. I’m really, really proud of the way we played defense in the second quarter and then in the second half I thought we played good defense after they had a little spurt,” said coach Karl Grambau. The Hurons’ motion offense and the play of the defense were keys to the win. “I’m really happy with the way we communicated on the court,” Grambau said. Ashley Fleming led the Hurons in scoring with 21 while Fairbanks scored seven and Bruning added six.
THE JV team got off on the right foot, coming away with a 35-32 win in an exciting finish. Rogers City trailed 6-4 after the first quarter but led 17-14 at halftime. Afters losing the lead in the third quarter, the Hurons pressured the Bulldogs into mistakes and hit the shots they needed to regain the lead. Jenny Fleming led the team in scoring with 16 points. Chelsie Brege scored six while Heather Kowalski added four points.