‘We out-played them’

Posen saved its best tournament game for Cedarville, and it still wasn?t enough to overcome one of the Upper Peninsula?s best Class D basketball programs. The Vikings certainly made a strong statement about who is the best in Class D in northern lower Michigan.

Posen had a five-point lead with about 1:30 left in regulation, and a three-point advantage with 1:36 left in overtime, but Cedarville made some clutch shots when they needed, to keep the 23-2 Vikings from their third regional title since the 1960s. Cedarville?s center Connor McLeod, who had a game-high 33 points, fired in a huge three-pointer with 30.6 seconds to tie the game.

Following a Posen timeout to set up a play, senior Shane Hentkowski found junior David Kerr cutting to the basket along the baseline, but the open pass just went off his fingertips and out of bounds. If he didn?t score, there?s a possibility Posen?s best free-throw shooter could have gone to the line. Junior Jerome Ciarkowski?s two field goals in overtime, and a free throw from Kerr, put the Vikes back out on top 62-59, but Cedarville got an easy bucket in transition to make it a one-point ballgame, and a few moments later, McLeod got open to the right of the basket and put up an easy layup.

Posen couldn?t convert on a

nymore of its chances, although there were some plays under the Posen basket where it got very physical, with Posen bodies on the floor, but no whistles from the officials. ?We outplayed them,? said Posen head coach Steve Hentkowski. ?This one really stings, really, really bad.? Hentkowski said a few free throws made here or there, ?we?re the ones holding that trophy,? motioning toward the Cedarville team as they posed with the trophy near center court. Posen had its problems at the free-throw line, making only 6-of-14 in the fourth quarter. ?We just came up a little short at the free-throw line,? said Hentkowski.

Ciarkowski had a team-high 23, while Hentkowski fired in 14, including six in the fourth. Kerr finished with 13.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.