Onekama vs. Manistee Freshman – Game 11

February 5, 2010

It was an exciting night in Onekama when the Portagers hosted the Chippewas.  The game started out with the Portagers on fire taking a 15 - 9 lead to finish the first quarter.  Some defensive changes for the Chippewas slowed the Portager charge holding them to only 5 second quarter points.  The Portagers went into the half with a 5 point advantage.  The second half is when things got real exciting.  The Chippewas rallied in the second half and the Portagers found it hard to find a bucket at times.  As time expired in the fourth, things were extremely tense.  The game finished in a 36-36 tie.  The first overtime would be a back and forth battle with the Portagers jumping out with the lead, and the Chippewas coming right back and answering.  At the buzzer the contest was knotted up once again at 43…that’s right, a second overtime!  The exhaustion could be seen in the faces of all the girls, and it was very apparent that the team with the most heart and determination would come away with the win.  The second overtime was another close up and down battle, but in the end the Portagers came out on top with a 48-46 victory.

The offense was led by Emily in what would be her best game of the season scoring 20 points (four 3 pointers!).  Lindsay continued her scoring ways with 12 points, and Nicki added 8 points to her season.  Danielle finished with 4 points while Katelynn and Kelly each ended with 2 points. 

Defensively, Danielle and Nicki continued their board domination with 11 and 10 rebounds respectively.  Lindsay and Emily made their contribution with 5 rebounds each while Kelly grabbed 4 of her own.  Katelynn finished with 2 rebounds and Kaylan finished with 1.  Nicki was feeling greedy stealing the ball 7 times, and Kelly joined in with 5 steals of her own.  Danielle and Emily each took the ball away 3 times and Lindsay grabbed 1 for herself.  Kelly also blocked a shot in the contest.

One thing that can definitely be said about this team is they give it all they got every game.  This team plays with a lot of heart and leaves it all on the floor.  A strong determination and core “Team” mentality is what has brought this team to a 9-2 season record.  It’s definitely a pleasure stepping on to any floor to take on any opponent.

The JV squad will host Manistee Catholic on February 9, 2010.  The Varsity girls will host Baldwin following the JV contest.  The game starts at 6 pm and we hope to see you there.
                        Go Portagers!     Coach Torrey