Short-handed Blue Devils notch SAC win over Bulldogs, Sault girls top Gaylord

RUDYARD – The Sault Blue Devils went into Tuesday night’s Straits Area Conference showdown knowing they would be without two starters.

Dominic Haller and Nathan Koepp were both unable to suit up against the ‘Dogs, but the Sault had multiple players step up and earned a 48-44 win over the host Bulldogs.

Max Scott was one of the Devils who stepped up.  He hit five three-pointers and scored a team-high 17 points. John Gravelle gave the Sault some inside presence and scored 10 points in the win.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-8 lead after one quarter, but the Sault rallied for a 13-7 second period and the teams went to the locker room tied 21-21 at the half.  The Devils created some space on the scoreboard in the third quarter, putting up 20 points, and holding the Bulldogs to seven.

“Credit to the Sault,” Rudyard coach Jimmy Suggitt said.  “They shot the ball really well and had a lot of guys step up tonight.  We need to finish better at the rim.  I felt like we had a lot of chances and just didn’t take advantage.  Jesse Zeeryp played well for us tonight.”

Zeeryp scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Cam Peterson was also in double figures with 11 points.

The Sault will face another big test on Friday night when they host the Marquette Redmen.  The Bulldogs will return to the court on Thursday, traveling to Brimley to take on the Bays.

SAULT   8       13      20      7 – 48

RUDYARD 14      7       13      10 – 44

SAULT – Oshelski 2, Scott 17, Teneyck 6, Lujan 5, Cook 2, John Gravelle 10. FT: 8-11; F: 14; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 8 (Scott 5, Fitzner 2, Teneyck 1)

RUDYARD – McMillan 4, Peterson 11, Bickel 6, Sprague 3, Zeeryp 18, Cifelli 2. FT: 12-16; F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 2 (Peterson 1, Sprague 1).

Bays corral Mustangs for road win

MUNISING – Fans watching the Brimley-Munising boys basketball game on Tuesday night got to witness an old-fashioned shootout between Brimley’s Jacques LeBlanc, and Munising’s Trevor Nolan.

Nolan won the battle of the long ball, knocking down seven triples to LeBlanc’s 3, but LeBlanc won the war, outscoring Nolan 28-26 and led his team to a 55-51 win in the non-conference affair.

Although LeBlanc filled up the scorebook, he was not the sole reason for the Brimley win.  Logan Bowen grabbed 12 rebounds on the night, including five on the offensive end, while Trey Lynn scored 12 points, dished out five assists and snaked four steals.

“This was a great win for the boys,” Brimley coach Jacques LeBlanc Jr. said.  “Logan was huge on both ends with career highs in both points and rebounds.  Perry had another great game and really imposed his will down the stretch to seal the win.”

LeBlanc scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and knocked down five of six free throws in the final eight minutes.

Cully Trzeciak finished with 13 points for the Mustangs.

Brimley, 8-3, is riding an eight-game winning streak and will try and make it nine on Thursday night as the Bays host the Rudyard Bulldogs in an Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference showdown.

BRIMLEY 15      11      12      17 – 55

MUNISING        13      11      11      16 – 51

BRIMLEY – Lynn 12, Johnson 3, LeBlanc 28, Veeneman 4, Bowen 8. FT: 5-7; F: 8; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 6 (LeBLanc 2, Lynn 2, Johnson 1).

MUNISING – Krenitz 6, Nolan 26, Trzeciak 13, Rockhill 6. FT: 5-8; F: 9; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 10 (Nolan 7, Krentiz 2, Trzeciak 1).

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Sault girls squeak by Gaylord

GAYLORD – The Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils won a hard-fought 45-42 decision over Gaylord on Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup as the Sault defense allowed just three Gaylord players to score in the game.

Laura Innerebner had 13 points to lead the Sault, while Claire Erickson was also in double figures with 10, including a pair of three-pointers.  Kenzie Bell and Hannah Maurer each chipped in with eight.

For Gaylord, Meghan Keen scored 18 points, while Alexis Kazlowski hit for 13, including three three-pointers, and Avery Parker scored 11.

The Sault grabbed a 12-7 lead in the first quarter and led 25-19 heading into the break.  Gaylord outscored the Sault 13-10 in the third quarter, and the teams were even at 10-10 over the final eight minutes.

The Blue Devils’ record improved to 7-2 with the win.

SAULT   12      13      10      10 – 45

GAYLORD 7       12      13      10 – 42

SAULT – Bell 8, Marchand 3, Fazzari 3, Innerebner 13, Maurer 8, Erickson 10. FT: 9-13; F: 15; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 6 (Erickson 2, Bell 1, Marchand 1, Fazzari 1, Maurer 1).

GAYLORD – Kazlowski 3, Keen 18, Parker 11. FT: 6-15; F: 14; Fouled out: Wangler; 3PFG: 4 (Kazlowski 3, Keen 1).

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Short-handed Blue Devils notch SAC win over Bulldogs, Sault girls top Gaylord