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By
MATT WENZEL Manistee News Advocate Sports Editor
Considering their close proximity
and cooperative effort in multiple sports, Bear Lake and Onekama make
for interesting rivals.
But, as far as the basketball
court is concerned, it’s been a rivalry dominated by the Lakers in
recent years, which made Onekama’s win even sweeter for the Portagers
who had never gotten the best of their West Michigan D League rival.
“It’s amazing,” said Onekama
senior Ryan Miller, who had 21 points and nine rebounds, while getting
his first taste of victory over the county rival in a 69-61 win on
Saturday night at Bear Lake. “It’s the best feeling of the year so far.”
Levi Capper turned in game-highs
of 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Portagers, who snapped a nine-game
losing streak against Bear Lake, a team they hadn’t beat since the 2004
district tournament. Since losing to Mason County Eastern on Jan. 9,
Onekama (6-1, 6-1) has won three straight games on the road, starting
with a 60-58 win over Manistee Catholic Central.
“I feel like we’re finally
starting to get a rhythm now,” Capper said. “Ever since we beat MCC, it
seems like our confidence has been at the right level. We haven’t been
knowing that we’re going to win, but knowing we can.”
On the other side, the Lakers
(1-6, 1-5) continue to look for a way to win close games with an
entirely new starting lineup from the team that won a district title
last season.
“I’ve got great kids,” said Bear
Lake coach Bryan Groenwald. “I’ve got just as hard-working kids as I’ve
ever had. But, we came up short.”
The Lakers had a balanced scoring
attack against Onekama, with four players in double figures, led by Cody
Reed, who had 18 points and six rebounds.
“We’re going to work on some
stuff, get to districts and show them what we’re made of,” Reed said.
Bear Lake sophomore Weston Brooks
had 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, Troy Rau had 12 points,
11 rebounds and five steals and Jaron Llewellyn had 10 points. |
Onekama’s Hunter Slade, who finished
with 10 points, scored four quick points as Onekama built a five-point
lead early in the first quarter, only to watch Bear Lake respond with a
10-4 run to take a 14-13 lead with 2:08 to play. But, the Portagers
closed the quarter on an 8-0 run, led by back-to-back 3-pointers from
Capper, for a 21-14 lead.
Bear Lake bounced back with a 9-0 spurt over the first 1:59 of the
second to take a 23-21 lead.
Over the rest of the quarter,
there were three ties and five lead changes as the teams went to
halftime knotted at 31.
In a back-and-forth third quarter
that featured four ties and five lead changes, Llewellyn knocked down a
3-pointer to give Bear Lake a 43-42 lead with 2:55 to play, but Onekama
closed the quarter on a 6-0 run for a 51-44 lead
"I think some of it is that I
think I need to get kids off the floor quicker,” Groenwald said of the
late breakdowns. “I think I sometimes use them like a piece of used
equipment, and think if I got them out at more opportune times and just
got them rested up better, I could get better mileage out of them.”
After falling behind by 11 points
early in the fourth quarter, Bear Lake’s Jaron Llewellyn knocked down a
3-pointer to pull his team within seven with 4:34 to play.
But, a basket by Miller and a
3-point play from Adrian Norman pushed Onekama’s lead to 12, and the
Lakers were never able to get any closer than six points down the
stretch.
Norman finished with seven points
and five assists, Joe Kosiboski had four points and nine rebounds,
Skyler Kimpel scored two and Jake Matthews had one.
“I’m pleased with the kids’
effort and attitudes,” said Onekama coach Roger Smith. “It’s not bunch
of individuals running around out here, we’re working hard as a team.
Bear Lake played a good game, they’re tough. We beat a good ball club on
their floor and I’m pleased to get out of here with a win.”
Bear Lake’s Patrick Spalding had
three points, five assists and four rebounds and Roger Mullet had two
points. |
