Boys basketball notebook: 'No nights off' for Cros-Lex; Armada reaching full potential

ARMADA — If Thursday was any indication, it's going to be a fun season in the BWAC for boys basketball. Croswell-Lexington outlasted Armada, 54-51, in overtime of the conference opener.

The result left both teams with 3-1 records. Here's how each one has fared in the season's first two weeks.

'No nights off' in Cros-Lex's quest for fourth straight title

The Pioneers have won the last three BWAC championships in dominating fashion. Since the 2019-20 season, they're 40-1 in conference play. That one loss was a forfeiture due to positive COVID-19 tests in 2021.

But to attain a fourth consecutive title, they'll have to conquer an even deeper conference this season. Thursday gave them a glimpse of what to expect.

"That was 15-round heavyweight fight," Cros-Lex coach Lance Campbell said. "We took a lot of punches, they took a lot of punches. Thankfully, we were able to deliver one more than they did."

Zach Kroetsch had a game-high 19 points for the Pioneers. It was the first time a BWAC opponent had taken the Cros-Lex to overtime since March 1, 2018.

"It was a great battle," Campbell said. "We know that's what's going to happen every night. We're going to get the best from every team we play."

After steamrolling Marysville, 59-8, to open the season, the Pioneers' last three games have all been decided by less than 10 points. They dropped a heartbreaker to Grosse Pointe North, 54-53, on Dec. 9. But Cros-Lex bounced back with a 63-55 win over Detroit University Prep on Tuesday.

"I think there's a lot (for us) to learn," Campbell said. "We've got 22 games (on the schedule) and we're four games in. What we are now isn't what I hope to be in March. We've got to get better in every aspect."

While the Pioneers are younger than last year's 22-1 squad, they still have three of the BWAC's more seasoned players in Kroetsch, Trey Kolakovich and Donovan McDonald (all seniors). Another senior, Mitchell Geiger, is off to promising start this season.

"Four games in, I don't know what we are yet," Campbell said. "We're going to find out a lot on Saturday (against Port Huron Northern) and then we've got a tough one against Port Huron. There are no nights off ... hopefully in March, we'll be a team that can contend for a BWAC title, a district title and possibly beyond that."

Armada is coming into its own

It's taken a few years to materialize, but the Tigers appear to be playing to their full potential.

"Our work ethic has definitely gotten a lot better as we've gone through high school," senior Preston Hill said. "As we've gone through the program, I feel like we've gotten a lot stronger altogether."

"It's definitely the chemistry," senior Riley Andrews said. "We've all been in it together throughout the years and it helps us know where everyone is at with strengths and weaknesses."

"My seven returners from last year our are core," Armada coach Chris Haller said. "They do everything for us ... those seven are the ones that are going to lead us to where we need to be. I couldn't be more proud of what they're doing right now."

From top to bottom, Armada is arguably the most experienced team in the conference. Nine of its 12 players are seniors, while the remaining three are juniors.

"Our hustle has improved a lot," senior Andrew Sniesak said. "Everyone is diving for the ball. Everyone wants the ball so we can create something out of it — defense to offense — every single time."

"We all practiced a lot in the offseason as a team," senior Camden Khon said. "We had some team camps for the first time in awhile and that helped."

One of the Tigers' more noticeable improvements is their outside shooting. Andrews alone hit five triples in a season-opening win over Madison Heights Lamphere on Dec. 5.

"We've been hitting (3-pointers) a lot more this year," Sniesak said. "That's been a big part of our game."

But perhaps the most important change has been Armada's mindset.

"The overall moral of the team has gone up a lot," Hill said. "In past years, it's been pretty rough. But now I feel like because we've played so much together, we're all bonding and it's really good to see."

Still, the Tigers aren't looking to be a feel-good story. They want to bring home conference and district championships."

"Moral victories aren't what we're looking for," Haller said of Thursday's loss. "But hopefully, this gives us confidence for the rest of the season that we can go play with teams that are going to push us to the wire."

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Boys hoops: 'No nights off' for Cros-Lex; Armada reaching potential