Girls basketball roundup: St. Mary's, JoBurg pick up conference wins, GHS falls to Sault

GAYLORD ― It was a busy night of basketball in the Gaylord area.

The girls basketball programs of all three area schools (Gaylord, St. Mary's and Johannesburg-Lewiston) were in action on Tuesday, January 18, with both St. Mary's and JoBurg hosting Ski Valley Conference opponents in Inland Lakes and Forest Area respectively while the Blue Devils played host to a UP powerhouse in Sault Ste Marie.

When the night finally finished, both St. Mary's and JoBurg left victorious with convincing wins while Gaylord fell just short in a battle of Blue Devils.

Bebble pushes St. Mary's past Inland Lakes

Last Friday's matchup between St. Mary's and JoBurg was crucial for multiple reasons outside of the passionate rivalry the two schools have. With St. Mary's entering undefeated in conference matchups and JoBurg with just one loss, the winner of the matchup ended up taking control of the top spot of the Ski Valley standings.

GSM's win not only gave them firm control of first place while handing JoBurg its second loss, it also set up another matchup between the two teams at the top of the Sk Valley standings on Tuesday as Inland Lakes, the only other team with one conference loss, jumped into second place right before their matchup with the Snowbirds.

It set up an even bigger matchup than expected and, while the Bulldogs held their own through three quarters, the St. Mary's girls were able to pull away in the fourth quarter for an 80-52 win, staying atop the standings in the Ski Valley.

It seemed like another game where the Snowbirds could control things from the opening tip, eventually building an 11-point lead late in the first quarter thanks to their ability to force turnovers and convert in transition. The Bulldogs did not go away, however, bringing the deficit down to seven points by the halftime break.

The third quarter was when the Snowbirds were finally able to get some breathing room, ending the quarter up 14 points before exploding in the fourth quarter to run away with the 28-point victory.

It was another big night for senior point guard Macey Bebble who finished with a game-high 28 points along with eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Fellow senior Ava Schultz finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Other contributors included Sydney Grusczynski (13 points, four rebounds, three steals), Emma Glasby (eight points, five rebounds, three steals) and Emma McKinley (six points, three rebounds, five assists).

St. Mary's improves its record to 9-2 overall and 8-0 in the Ski Valley. Forest Area will be the next matchup for the Snowbirds on January 24.

JoBurg trio dominates against Forest Area

After a tough result in the rivalry matchup last Friday with St. Mary's, JoBurg was right back to business this week as they hosted Fife Lake Forest Area on Tuesday, January 17.

Tuesday served as a great bounce-back game as the Cardinals dominated from start to finish, eventually walking away with a 50-20 victory for their ninth win of the season.

It was the defense that ruled the day in the first half, allowing just three points throughout most of the first two quarters as the Cardinals pulled away for a 26-7 lead at halftime.

As the second half got going, Forest Area did seem to find a bit of offensive momentum. However, so did JoBurg, putting up 14 points in the third quarter as the lead ballooned to 28 points. Even as the benches emptied, the Bulldogs never pulled much closer than that as JoBurg pulled away for the 30-point win.

The trio of Jocelyn Tobias, Jayden Marlatt and Gloria House have led the way for JoBurg this season, and Tuesday night was no exception. Tobias finished with a game-high 17 points along with eight rebounds, two steals and a block, House had 10 points and three assists while Marlatt had eight points, four assists, two steals and one block.

With their record now at 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play, the JoBurg girls will set their focus on Inland Lakes as they host one of the other top Ski Valley teams next Tuesday, January 24.

Blue Devils drop another closely contested matchup

The Gaylord girls were also looking to bounce back on Tuesday after suffering a close loss over the weekend at the Cadillac Showcase to Kalamazoo Loy Norrix.

With UP powerhouse Sault Ste Marie coming to town, it was going to be a good test of the team's resolve after the tough loss over the weekend. And, while the team responded well in head coach Kelli Parker's eyes, they fell just short on the scoreboard, falling 45-42 to the visiting Blue Devils.

"I'm proud of our effort and overall growth from Saturday's loss," said Parker. "A loss isn't the worst. Well, it isn't the best, but we learn from it and make tweaks to prepare us for the next game."

Sault had control of the scoreboard for most of the game, finishing the first quarter up 12-7 before taking a seven-point lead into halftime.

Gaylord stayed composed, however, never allowing the lead to get too out of hand. Then, when given the opportunity to come back, they took advantage, eventually taking a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter after trailing for most of the game.

However, a clutch 3-pointer put Sault back up by two points with 40 seconds to go, and a Gaylord turnover on the ensuing possession iced the game away as the visiting Blue Devils snuck away with a three-point win.

Senior Meghan Keen led the team with 18 points, followed by Alexis Kozlowski with 13 and Avery Parker with 11. For coach Parker, her focus was on the missed opportunities at the free-throw line as Gaylord's 6-for-15 effort from the line loomed large in a three-point loss.

"We didn't shoot well from the free-throw line and we know free throws can win games," said Parker.

Gaylord's record is now 8-5 overall with conference matchups with Alpena and Traverse City Central up next. Witha 2-1 conference record, they currently sit in third place in the Big North standings behind TC Central (3-0) and Petoskey (2-1).

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Girls basketball roundup: St. Mary's, JoBurg pick up conference wins, GHS falls to Sault