Posen basketball team defends home floor in splitting the series
Check the calendar. Is it March or February? Well, it sure felt like March Tuesday in Posen, as there was a bit of tournament-like madness in the air, as the host Vikings defeated Rogers City for the first time in three seasons, 71-62. With the fans from each town trying to outchant each other in the stands, Posen used a 9-0 run over a five-minute period during the final quarter to pull out the win and earn the season split.
?I LOVE IT,? said coach Ron Misiak, ?A win over Mio and Rogers City in the same season, a guy’s gotta to love that.? After a high-post jumper from Kyle Greene, who scored a game-high 30 points, the Hurons had a nine-point lead in the opening minute of the third quarter, but couldn?t hang on.
Misiak said his players didn?t focus on Greene and Adam LaLonde, knowing the two would get their share of points. He said the defense put heavy pressure on the ball handlers in trying to deny the pass to the big men. Often, the Vikes would double-team the guards. In the locker room after the game, Huron coach Karl Grambau said he talked with his players about what they need to improve on and the ?need for better communication on the court.?
?It was a physical game,? said Grambau. ?There was a lot of contact on the floor and in the final quarter they outhustled us.?
Posen is 8-7 with a Valentine?s Day matchup at Hale, while Rogers City slips to 6-9 after losing both of its games over the last week. The Hurons host Onaway February 18.
POSEN HAD a 16-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Hurons outscored the Vikings 16-6 in the first half of the second quarter to grab a 31-25 lead. Both teams had air balls, bad passes, and turnovers over the last couple of minutes of the second quarter.
The Rogers City lead would have been nine at halftime but Ron Kroll grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up for two of his team-high 16 points. The halftime score was 34-27. Greene made it a nine-point lead early in the third quarter, but Kroll answered again this time with a three-pointer to get Posen rolling. Greene still proved to be dangerous, whether it was tip-toeing the baseline or making shots from outside. He drained a field goal from the right corner for two of his 10 third quarter points.
The Hurons couldn?t contend with Posen?s tenaciousness in the second half. Matt Ponik, with LaLonde and Greene trying to swat away the shot, put the Vikes to within four with a put-back of a missed shot and the score was 38-34.
GREENE GAVE Rogers City its last big lead at eight, with a dunk, which really got the hyper Huron fans in the student section on their feet. The dunk didn?t seem to rattle the Vikings as they came up with a 10-2 run to tie the game at 46. Sophomore Aaron Hincka, frustrated most of the night inside by the Huron big men, tried a shot from outside and made it, and Posen trailed by one, 46-45. Jesse Romel tied the game at 46 with a free throw and then gave the Vikings their first lead of the second half with another. That?s where the third quarter ended.
LaLonde and Greene went to work to open the fourth quarter to get the lead back with buckets, but Tom Romel hit a three pointer to tie the game back at 50. Tim Cercone answered with a field goal with 6:02 remaining, but the back breaker seemed to be a three pointer by Russ Kamyszek. The play called for him to curl into the far left corner where he took the wide open shot. The Vikings shined in two areas: they turned the ball over only eight times, with zero turnovers in the second half, and made 12 of 16 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Ponik had 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Tom Romel had 10 points. Aaron Hincka had 11 boards. Isaac Momrick had 19 points for the Hurons, six of them on three pointers in the final two minutes. LaLonde had eig
IN THE JUNIOR varsity contest, Rogers City improved its record to 9-6 with a 72-39 victory. Three Hurons were in double figures. Clay Hilla and Chris Paschke had 16 apiece, while Derek McLennan had 10. Matt Szczerowski had a dozen for the Vikes while James Sobek had 10. Rogers City lost at Alcona last Friday, 60-33, with Momrik scoring 10 points. Hilla had a game-high 17 points in a 67-44 win against Alcona, while Justin Senff had 12, Chris Paschke 11, and Justin Wilbert 10. Posen couldn?t knock Fairview from first place as they dropped the North Star League battle, 55-40. Ponik scored 15.
It was a sweep for the visiting Eagles, as the JV was defeated 68-41. Szczerowski led Posen with 14. Nick Goupell threw in 10.
