Seven seniors led Jonesville basketball to a milestone postseason run

After a stellar finish to their district tournament bracket, the Jonesville Comets varsity boys basketball moved on to their next task of taking the program to next championship opportunity. The Comets matched up with the undefeated, number two ranked, Laingsburg Wolfpack in the regional semifinals. The game was held at Hanover-Horton High School, where the student sections packed in with the rest of the crowd for a championship-like atmosphere. Despite a seemingly insurmountable deficit in the fourth quarter, Comet seniors led the team to within four points in the closing minutes of the game. However, the Wolfpack would hang on to stay undefeated and added their 24th win of the year.

The Jonesville Comets got a 3-pointer from Brady Wright and a 3-pointer from Jaxson Phifer to help pull within four of Laingsburg's lead at the end of the game. Laingsburg took advantage of their free throw opportunities after failed Jonesville possessions to add the closing points of the 61-54 final. The Comets hit eight 3-pointers in the contest to help keep themselves in the fight. Senior Jaxson Phifer had four, junior Warrick Elder had three and senior Brady Wright had one.

The Comets were led by Elder and Phifer, who had 15 points each. Brady Wrgiht had 11 points. Junior Gavin Van Kampen had five points. Senior Tyler Scholfield had three points. Senior Damion Scharer had three points. Senior TJ Berlin had two points. Laingsburg moved on to the regional title round against The 18-7 Michigan Center boys prep hoops team. Michigan Center defeated Leslie 67-61 in their regional semifinal matchup. The finals take place at Hanover-Horton on March 15 at 7:00 p.m.

The Comets fell short of their final goal of the season, but the seven senior members of the varsity team helped lead their squad to one of the most accomplished seasons in program history. The team won their third consecutive Big 8 title, with this season's championship being owned outright by the Comets. The team ended conference play with a 12-2 overall record. The Comets won their first District Championship in 20-plus years with a 54-36 win over Hanover-Horton.

The Comets hadn't competed in a title match since 2012, and they got to the final game with a 51-36 semifinal win over Jackson Lumen Christi. The Comets swept their former Big 8 rivals Reading in conference play. The also swept Homer High School, Springport, Union City and Quincy. The Comets also had big non-conference wins over the LCAA champion Onsted Wildcats and the district champion Charlotte Orioles. The Comets traveled to Little Cesear's Areana earlier this season and took down Adrian Madison in front of a large crowd of supporters.

The Comets lose seniors TJ Berlin, Brady Wright, Damion Scharer, Tyler Scholfield, Jaxson Phifer, Braeden Trine and Kevin Kushmaul.

Senior Brady Wright credited his coaching staff, fellow seniors and teammates for buying into the team goals during the offseason for helping guide the team to their postseason run.

"It was a good season and we had the goal of being conference champs and we got it outright," said Brady Wright. "We got district champs, and we were coming for a regional championship. We played a good Laingsburg team and we fought to the very end, brought it to four, but we just ran out of time in the end."

Wright hopes the legacy his senior teammates have left for the younger players on the team will help motivate the next generation of Comet hoops players to take the next steps to guide the program to more success in the future.

"Hopefully the younger Comets come through and improve on what we were able to do," said Wright. "I just want to say to the coaches thank you for everything. I want thank my senior teammates for everything."

It has been a journey of change for senior Jaxson Phifer. Phifer said that when he started out in the Comet basketball program, he was not ready to make the necessary changes to take his game to the next level. He credits coach Jason Elder and head coach Jeff Turner for helping turn things around and for helping him develop into one of the most consistent field goal shooters on the 2022 Comet varsity boys basketball team.

"Coming into High School, I wasn't very skilled and motivated until my junior year," said Phifer. "I just decided to put in the work and transform into a way better player than I was, and I am thankful for that. I want to thank coach Elder and coach Turner for all they have done. They just got us to buy into everything and we'd do anything for them. I'm just thankful for all of it."

Head coach Jeff Turner said he was extremely proud of the way the team rallied to battle back into the game on Monday night. Turner credited the senior class with helping take the program another step forward in the right direction.

"When I came in three years ago, we didn't have a lot of kids come out," said Turner. "Brady Wright was a varsity player, and we had to thrust Damion Scharer and Tyler Scholfield into the varsity role, and they learned from that time. TJ Berlin and Jaxson Phifer were fifth quarter guys for us, and they got an opportunity to learn and practice with us. Braeden Trine and Kevin Kushmaul come out to play their junior years. It was a really good group of seniors who had leadership and a lot of competitiveness. We had to stop them in practices sometimes because they are going after each other in such a competitive way. They are extremely coachable, and everything we asked of them they did. They are all going to be missed. Our Program is headed in the right direction. Our players know we have to work in the offseason. The senior class showed that you can be a well-rounded athlete and still get in the gym."

Coach Turner thanked the Jonesville community for rallying around the team during their biggest moments in the season. Coach Turner says that himself and the coaching staff are grateful to be a part of the comunity, and they hope to continue putting a great team out on the floor every season.

Turner and the Comets have closed out their time in the Big 8 Conference. This year's senior class will be the final group to play in the Big 8. The team's returning players, including Gavin VanKampen and Warrick Elder, will be the first senior group to lead their team in their new conference affiliation. The Comets will play in the Cascades with fellow Big 8 rival Homer. Fellow Cascades member Michigan Center is playing Laingsburg for the regional title. The Comets played Cascades Champion Napoleon in the Crossover Championship this season.

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This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Jonesville boys basketball season ends in regional semifinal loss to Laingsburg