Karsten scores 1,000th in Huron loss to Saints
As the Hurons suffered a tough 78-62 loss to conference rival St. Ignace, a four-year varsity starter moved up on the all-time scoring list, passing a significant milestone only reached twice before in Hurons boys? basketball history. At St. Ignace Friday, the Hurons (6-5) trailed 17-9 at the end of the first quarter, after falling behind 15-4 in the early going. The Saints led 32-26 at halftime. St. Ignace scored the first two baskets of the second half to go up by ten. Later, the Hurons were down 49-45 in the fourth quarter and then scored a basket to cut the lead to two. But Rogers City was called for a charging foul on the play, and St. Ignace went on a 7-0 run to go up by 11. ?We played much better than the first time we played the Saints, but we still need to be more consistent on both offense and defense. We need to play four full quarters of good basketball to beat a team like the Saints. I give St. Ignace credit as they are playing great ball this season. They are tied for first in the conference with Cheboygan,? said coach Karl Grambau.
ALSO ON FRIDAY, senior guard Bret Karsten eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career, moving into third place on the all time list behind Ben Taylor and Kyle Greene (see chart). Taylor continued his playing career at Adrian while Greene is completing his junior season at Northern Michigan University. Coming into the game with 997 points, Karsten hit a two-point shot with 4:07 left in the first quarter. Karsten reached 1,002 with a three-pointer from the wing with seven minutes showing on the clock in the second quarter. The St. Ignace crowd showed its respect as referees stopped the game at the next dead ball situation. St. Ignace boys? coach Doug Ingalls and his wife Dorene, coach of the St. Ignace girls? squad, presented Karsten with an embroidered hat in Huron colors to commemorate the occasion as the crowd gave Karsten a standing ovation.
?Congratulations to Bret. He is such a hard worker and he always tries to improve every day and get better,? said coach Karl Grambau. ?He has spent a lot of time on his game after practice is over. He is a great competitor. He has been a pleasure to coach, and he has a bright future ahead of him.?
Karsten has a shot at Greene?s record of 1,136 points, now just 129 points short of that mark. He will go down as the all-time leader in varsity boys? basketball games played for a career at RCHS, with 77 as of last Friday with at least 10 more games possible. Ashley Fleming, currently a junior on the Ferris State University team, is the scoring leader for girls with 1,756 points in 90 career games (19.5 average).
IN THE GAME, Justin Idalski paced the Hurons with 14 points while Karsten added 12 points and five assists. Scott Kowalewsky scored nine points and added 17 rebounds. Rogers City committed 20 turnovers while shooting 11-of-23 from the free throw line. The Hurons were 22-of-64 from the field including 2-of-12 from beyond the three-point arc. ?St. Ignace is a tough team to match up with,? said coach Grambau, ?They can shoot the three well and they have solid post play. They are also great on defense, forcing you into turnovers.” In spite of the loss, Grambau is optimistic about his team?s chances come playoff time.
?Our team reminds me of the team we had two years ago when we had some tough losses throughout the season that made us better when districts began. We won the district tournament at the end of the year and that is certainly our goal this year–to learn from these losses an
THE JUNIOR varsity improved to 10-1 with a 78-62 win over the Saints. Trailing 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, the Hurons put up quarters of 23, 20, and 23 points to power to a convincing win. Jordan Bellmore led a balanced scoring effort with 15 points while Pat Quaine added 14, with 12 coming in the third quarter. Tyler Szumila and Erik Meharg each scored nine. Rogers City hit on 9-of-21 from the free throw line as nine different players scored for coach Mike Grulke.
The Hurons had Tuesday?s game with Hillman cancelled due to poor road conditions. No make-up date was announced. Rogers City hosts Sault Ste. Marie tonight (Thursday) and play at Posen Tuesday.