Balanced Portagers Edge Bobcats in Season Opener

By MATT WENZEL:  Manistee News Advocate's Sports Editor — After sitting out last year, Stacey Keith decided to return for her senior season with the Onekama High School girls’ basketball team.  The move paid instant dividends for the Portagers as Keith scored a game-high 20 points to lead Onekama to a 59-50 win over Brethren on Friday night in both teams’ season-opener.

“It’s good to have her back,” said Onekama coach Nathan Bradford, who recorded his first victory.

Keith led a balanced Onekama (1-0, 1-0) offense in the West Michigan D League matchup, as senior Chelsea Miller had 15 points and freshman Jennica Mathieu had 11 points and nine rebounds.

Brethren freshman Elana Hickok led the Bobcats (0-1, 0-1) with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while senior Gabby Regula had 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks. “There was nothing wrong with our effort, it was first-game stuff,” said Brethren coach Warren Ostrander. “

Onekama used full-court pressure to force the Bobcats into numerous turnovers as the Portagers built an early seven-point lead, paced by Keith’s 11 first-quarter points.  “I wasn’t expecting coming out to have so many shots, but I was happy about it,” Keith said.

However, Hickok countered with eight of her own in her first varsity game to keep the Bobcats close at 17-13 heading into the second quarter.  “She had no fear,” Ostrander said of Hickok. “She was open and she shot it.”

Brethren briefly took the lead in the third quarter, but Mathieu scored six straight points to put Onekama back in front.  “She did a good job,” Bradford said of Mathieu. “She stepped up pretty well for being a freshman.”

Heading into the fourth quarter with Onekama ahead 43-38, both teams were in the bonus, which put free throw shooting at a premium. Brethren didn’t shoot too well at 10-16 for the game, but the Bobcats were aided by Onekama’s 17-44 performance from the charity stripe.  “They made their free throws and we didn’t,” Bradford said.  After Onekama missed its last six free throws, Keith made a pair to put the Portagers ahead, 52-46, with just under two minutes remaining. Regula cut the lead in half when she drilled a 3-pointer while being fouled.

Onekama’s Paige Rutowski (43) battles for a rebound against Brethren’s Courtney Matuszak (left) and Tasha Maiville (23), while teammate Stacey Keith (3) looks on during the fourth quarter of Friday’s game at Brethren. (Matt Wenzel/News Advocate)

However, that was as close as the Bobcats would come as Onekama scored the last six points of the game. Sherece Revolt had eight points, seven rebounds and seven steals for Onekama, Taylor Hagen scored three, and Katie Prielipp and Paige Rutowski had one point apiece.

For Brethren, Tasha Maiville had eight points, Kelsey Hickok and Rebecca Priest each scored four and MacKenzie Bennett had two.

“We didn’t defend that well — we gave up too many second and third shots — and we turned the ball over too much,” Ostrander said. “We played with them, we just gave them too many chances to beat us.”

Bradford called his team’s performance “a little helter-skelter,” but said he’d take the win any way he could get it. “I just told them not to panic and take care of the ball,” he said. “In the second half, I think they did a better job of taking care of the ball and moving it around. “We’ve got the first one under our belt and we’ll go from there.”