Hoops Roundup: Dominant first half lifts Onaway boys to eighth straight win
ONAWAY – The Onaway boys basketball team only had one game on its schedule this week.
And boy, did the Cardinals deliver a quality performance in that contest.
Fueled by four double-digit scorers, along with a defense that allowed single-digit points in three of four quarters, the Cardinals cruised to an eighth straight win by capturing an 83-35 victory over Central Lake at home on Tuesday.
“We’ve been working a lot on our shooting – and we shot the lights out tonight,” said Onaway coach Eddy Szymoniak, whose team built a 28-9 lead after one quarter and held a 61-23 advantage at halftime. “We made nine of our 10 (3-pointers) in the first half, so we shot the ball really well. It really just showed how well we moved the ball.
“We’ve been cutting down on turnovers, and that’s made a huge difference for us.”
The Cardinals (13-2, 11-1 Ski Valley) were led by junior Austin Veal, who scored a game-high 20 points, as well as fellow junior Jadin Mix, who tallied 19. Mason Beebe and Jackson Chaskey recorded 13 and 10 points respectively, Cole Selke netted nine, and Luke Lovelace chipped in with four.
“Defensively, our defense was incredible again tonight,” Szymoniak said. “Anytime you hold teams to single digits in three out of four quarters, your odds of winning go up. We did it without a few of our guys who are injured, so it was really great to see other guys step up.”
Off the rest of the week, Onaway now prepares for arguably its biggest stretch of play this season. The Cardinals will travel to rival Rogers City on Monday, Feb. 13, then head to Gaylord St. Mary for a Ski Valley showdown on Wednesday, Feb. 15, and will finish it off with a road rivalry clash at Inland Lakes on Friday, Feb. 17.
Cheboygan girls struggle offensively in home loss to Petoskey
CHEBOYGAN – To say the Cheboygan girls basketball team had offensive problems on Tuesday would be a massive understatement.
The offensive struggle was very real for the Lady Chiefs, who were outscored 25-0 in the first half in a 50-11 home loss to Petoskey.
“Petoskey has a lot of talent,” said Cheboygan coach Walter Hanson. “We are just not at their (Petoskey) level yet. We really struggled with execution tonight. And to be honest, they have some tremendous athletes which took a lot of our options away. The highlight tonight was our defense. We will regroup and get ready to take on the Sault on Thursday.”
Bella Ecker scored four points to lead the Chiefs (4-13), who received three points from Dakota Friday, and two apiece from Jaelyn Wheelock and Cheyanne Friday.
Cheboygan returns to Straits Area Conference action when it heads up to Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Hoops Roundup: Dominant first half lifts Onaway boys to eighth straight win
