Onekama senior Levi Capper stole the ball at midcourt, raced the length of the floor and laid it in off the glass.

However, the basket was waived off by the referees, who determined the clock had run out in the first quarter before Capper got the shot off.

Not enough time.

It was a sign of things to come for Onekama.

The Portagers pressed, generated turnovers, scored some big baskets and closed the gap in the fourth quarter, but didn’t have enough time to mount a comeback.

Onekama (3-1, 3-1) dug itself too big of a hole, and the Cardinals (3-1, 3-1) were more than happy to provide the shovel.

In dealing West Michigan D League-rival Onekama its first loss of the season, MCE used full-court pressure and a half-court trap to force the Portagers into 21 turnovers.

“It was a huge part of the game,” MCE coach Dave Purple said of his team’s pressure defense. “That’s the best we’ve pressed all year. We were able to put pressure on them all night long.”

It was only a 55-second slice of the game, but enough to tell the story.

Early in the third quarter, three straight Onekama turnovers led to seven Mason County Eastern points, and a 24-point lead.

“That was rough,” Onekama senior guard Levi Capper said of his team’s inability to take care of the ball. “We weren’t patient at all. Instead of looking forward or back, we just pushed it and didn’t reverse the ball. That was definitely our downfall.”

Kyle Purple led MCE with 20 points, Josh Bonnett had 17 and Eric Purple 12.

The Portagers shot just 48 percent (13-27) from the free throw line, while the Cardinals made the best of their few opportunities, finishing 8-11.  “We didn’t shoot good from the free throw line,” said Onekama coach Roger Smith.

Onekama held an early 6-4 lead before the Cardinals closed the first quarter on an 11-3 run for a 15-9 lead. It was just the start of a huge push by MCE, which took advantage of the Portagers’ miscues and turned them into points.

At one point in the second quarter, Onekama had five straight turnovers as the Cardinals went on an 11-0 run for a 31-14 lead, and 36-17 advantage at halftime. “It turned around real quick,” Smith said. “The second quarter killed us.”

After trailing by as many as 24 points at 45-21, the Portagers began to cut into MCE’s lead and finished the third quarter trailing, 53-36.

Onekama’s full-court press in the fourth quarter generated turnovers which led to some easy points, as the Portagers continued to whittle down the deficit, and trailed by just six points at 61-55, with 2:43 left to play.

“We made a nice comeback,” Smith said. “We didn’t quit.” But, that was as close as Onekama came down the stretch as the Cardinals closed the game on a 10-1 run, which included going 6-8 from the free throw line.

“Anytime we come to Onekama and get a win, I’m always happy with that,” coach Purple said.

Onekama’s Joe Kosiboski finished with eight points, Ryan Miller had four and a team-high nine rebounds, Jake Matthews scored three and Hunter Slade had one.

“We had a chance with a couple minutes to go, we just couldn’t make some of the shots that we should of,” Smith said. “We didn’t get beat by a slouch, that’s a good team.”