Suttons Bay (1-3) overcame a 31-21 halftime deficit against Leland (1-3) Friday to win 60-52.
Leland came out on fire, which led to a highly contested game.
Suttons Bay found themselves down 18-15 halfway through the second quarter when the Comets went on a 13-3 run to take a commanding 31-21 lead at halftime.
Leland junior Bok Molter led the way by catching fire behind the 3-point line.
Suttons Bay would right the ship in the second half and slowly climb back into the ball game behind the size and speed of Zachariah Raphael, Grayson Opie, Austin Vang and Urijah TwoCrow.
Sutton Bay tied the game by the beginning of the fourth quarter that led to an entertaining final frame. The Norsemen converted several free throws to tie the game and send it into overtime tied 51-51.
“We never had a doubt in our mind that we weren’t going to win this game .... (Raphael) only needs one half to make a difference on the floor,” Suttons Bay coach Noah Phillips said. “I’m really proud of our guys, really proud of how they played in these early games ... It helps us throughout the year as the season progresses and teaches that never quit mentality.”
The overtime period was all Suttons Bay as the Norsemen went on a 8-1 run to finish the extra period.
Raphael didn’t play in the first half but got it going on the offensive glass with 14 points and eight rebounds.
“I think this is the start of our season ... We are restarting the season and going on from here,” Raphael said.
Suttons Bay was led by senior Grayson Opie with 17 points, 10 rebounds; Urijah TwoCrow 17 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists; Zachariah Raphael 14 points, 8 rebounds (all in the second half); Connor Sahs 7 points.
Suttons Bay has two games left before the holiday break and Leland has one last game before 2025 at Onekama at 7 p.m.
“We lost our legs a little bit in the second half. We gotta keep working on our conditioning ... A lot of guys played really hard on defense. Their size was a problem,” Leland coach Ryan DeFour said.
Leland was led by Bok Molter with 19 points, Adrian Spencer 18 points, Eli Ulbrich seven points, nine rebounds.
“Hopefully we can come out and start the game a little better and go into halftime with the lead ... Even if we’re down 15 to 20 points at halftime we’re not going to quit and I think they learned a good blessing tonight,” Phillips said.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary continues hot start (4-0)
Lake Leelanau St. Mary beat TC Christian 36-27 Friday in a gritty performance.
The Eagles led the Sabres 23-14 at halftime and held off in the second half to get the win.
St. Mary senior Luke Bramer secured a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year throughout four games.
Eagle junior Josh Bunek had 12 points and James Bunek had five points and four assists. The Eagles were led defensively by Bramer, Oliver Mitchell, Cody Couturier and Rex Bunek.
The Eagles turned around and defeated Cedarville in a Saturday Day matinee against Cedarville.
Mitchell led St. Mary with 10 points, 5 rebounds; Josh Bunek 9 points (3-3, 3-pointers), 3 rebounds; James Bunek 8 points, 3 rebounds; Luke Breamer 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Rex Bunek 6 assists.
This is the third time St. Mary held an opponent less than 10 points in the first half this season.
The Eagles were back in action for the last game before Christmas Break by traveling to McBain NMC Friday at 7 p.m.
Lakers continue hot start Glen Lake boys basketball (3-0) continued its undefeated start Friday with a 62-45 win over Onekama (2-1).
The league win was closer than what the final score indicated as Onekama threatened the Lakers until the fourth quarter when Glen Lake began running away with the game.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing what night, it’s going to be a competitive game. The biggest thing is controlling what we can control and you can always control your defense,” Glen Lake coach Jason Bradford said.
The Lakers struggled against Onekama for three quarters before finding their shot and wearing down the Portagers.
Glen Lake junior Jacob Plamondon led the Lakers with 31 points, 15 rebounds; Benji Allen 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists ; Max Lamerson 7 points, 5 rebounds; Colebrook Sutherland 6 points; Michael Houtteman 6 points.
With the victory, Glen Lake moves to 3-0 with a pair of games this week that should stir challenges.
The Lakers hosted Harbor Springs (6-0) yesterday, before traveling to Frankfort (2-1) Friday for an all-important rivalry game.
The Rams enter with an undefeated record, thanks to sharp shooting from Ram guards. Harbor Springs won 50-47 against Charlevoix last week.
“We are going to have to communicate and make sure we’re stopping (Harbor Springs) shooters,” Glen Lake senior Colebrook Sutherland said. “Frankfort is just an old-fun rivalry.”
The last time Glen Lake and Frankfort met was in the district final last year where the Lakers beat the Panthers 44-42. Frankfort is coming off a close win against Buckley last week 61-55.
“Both games will be big defensive games for us and I think if we play our ball, rebound and play defense, we’ll be alright,” Glen Lake senior Benji Allen said.
