Rudyard turns back Mustangs in top-10 matchup
RUDYARD — The Rudyard Bulldogs capped a three-win week with a 57-34 triumph over the Munising Mustangs in a non-conference boys basketball game Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs kept their unbeaten record intact, improving to 8-0.
A clash between teams ranked in the top 10 in the state in Division 4 turned into a defensive battle. The state's No. 3 ranked Bulldogs grabbed a 16-10 lead in the opening quarter and were up 32-23 at halftime against the No. 8 ranked Mustangs.
Both teams fought through some foul trouble, but the Bulldogs slowed extended their lead in the second half and dealt the Mustangs their first loss.
“Great atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon for playoff-type basketball,” Rudyard coach Jim Suggitt said. “Munising has a solid ball club and we had our hands full for most of the game. There were a lot of fouls called and both teams big guys (Tate Besteman and Jesse Duran) picked up three fouls in the second quarter and then both got their fourth foul early in the third quarter, so both sat for about 12 minutes.
“This was a grinder for us and I thought our boys stepped up and played some very tough defense. It was great to come away with a win today. EJ played a solid game, Tate was dominate inside and Cam played good defense and rebounded well. We have some things to work on and get cleaned up before heading to Brimley on Tuesday.”
Cully Trzeciak scored 10 points for the Mustangs (9-1).
Rudyard goes on the road to face Brimley in an Eastern UP Conference game Tuesday night.
Munising 10 13 7 4 — 34
Rudyard 16 16 10 15 — 57
Munising — Kienitz 8, Tripp 3, Nolan 7, Morrison 2, Treciak 10, Duran 2, VanZandt 2. FT: 3-6; F: 19; 3-point field goals: 3 (Kientiz, Tripp, Nolan).
Rudyard — Besteman 14, Peterson 4, Mayer 8, Warner 9, Zeeryp 2, Suggitt 20. FT: 14-22; F: 13; 3-point field goals: 1 (Suggitt).
St. Ignace 87, Brimley 64
The Saints shot past the Bays in a non-conference boys basketball game Saturday.
After taking a 28-24 lead in the first quarter, the Saints ran to a 56-30 lead at the half.
That deficit was too much to overcome for the Bays.
Jacques LeBlanc III and Grady Newland scored 19 points each for the Bays (3-5).
Ethan McLean rang up 30 points, while Ely North netted 20 points and Jonny Ingalls had 18 for the Saints (5-3).
The teams combined for 11 made 3-pointers in the game.
Brimley plays host to Rudyard Tuesday. St. Igance is scheduled for a home game against Gaylord Tuesday.
Brimley 24 6 20 14 — 64
St. Ignace 28 28 17 14 — 87
Brimley — J. LeBlanc 19, Lynn 9, Newland 19, P. LeBlanc 9, Bowen 2, Stenglein 6. FT: 10-22; F: 14; 3-point field goals: 10 (J. LeBlanc 5, Newland 4, Lynn 1).
St. Ignace — Frazier 8, Reid 4, North 20, Ingalls 18, Visnaw 5, Halberg 2, McLean 30. FT: 12-17; F: 13; 3-point field goals: 11 (McLean 4, Frazier 2, North 2, Ingalls 2, Visnaw 1).
Contact Sports Editor Rob Roos at rroos@sooeveningnews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @rroosTEN.
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Rudyard turns back Mustangs in top-10 matchup
