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With a 15-12 edge in the first and an 18-12 advantage in the second, the Hornets built a steady 33-24 lead going into the intermission. But a sluggish third quarter saw the Hornets out-scored 6-12 and the Bulldogs claw their way back into the contest. The fourth quarter came down to an 18-18 tie, with the Hornets maintaining their slim margin.

"We couldn't hit anything in the third quarter," admitted New Lothrop coach Joe Corkran. "We just didn't get the ball to our shooters. Then in the fourth quarter, Brandon Baryo couldn't miss."

Baryo scored 12 of his 18 points in that fourth frame, including a pair of threes "He gave us a big lifit," Corkran said. "He was probably the difference."

Ryan Praski also had 18 points, along with 10 rebounds and six assists. Brian Sheridan added eight boards and six blocks. Kyle Moore chipped in seven points with four boards and four assists.

The Hornets hit 12 of 20 from the free throw line in the contest.

"This was a great win for us," Corkran said. "Bentley's a good team. This win keeps us in first."

He added, "We've got a couple of big games this coming week with Byron and Hamady."

The Hornets are 11-1 on the season.

Bulldog cagers cross up Vassar

ST. CHARLES -- The Bulldog varsity cagers took advantage of the Tri-Valley Conference East-West crossover game and dispatched visiting Vassar, 64-50.

The 'Dawgs opened with a 21-12 advantage in the first quarter and never looked back. The St. Charles squad led 39-26 at the break.

St. Charles finished up the night shooting 22 of 53 from the floor, for 42 percent. They hit six treys in the contest, and went 14 of 17 from the charity stripe.

Dugan Roosa led the 'Dawgs with 27 points, including two threes and a clutch 9 of 10 performance at the line. He also had six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Ryan Humpert checked in with 13 points to go with his four assists and three steals. Tyler Nieman added nine points with six assists. Marshall Davenport canned seven points.

Ram gals lose pair of GAC-Red contests

Montrose's varsity girls basketball team lost a pair of league contests on the road this past week, falling to Mt. Morris, 35-25, on Monday before eventually succumbing to Lake Fenton on Thursday, 56-43.

In Monday's loss to the Panthers, sophomore Chelsea Demura had a big night for the Rams, scoring 15 points while grabbing 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Beth Hall, returning from an ankle injury, recorded four points and six rebounds.

Against the Blue Devils on Thursday, Montrose nearly pulled off the upset as it utilized a big second quarter to take a 25-21 lead at halftime. Lake Fenton managed to tie the game at 31-all by the end of the third quarter and then put up 25 points in the final stanza to grab the win.

"This was one of our best games of the year and it was good to see our work at practice pay off with our performance in the game," praised Montrose mentor Stephanie Miller. "When it got close towards the end, we tightened up some, but nonetheless, I am very pleased with our effort tonight."

Steffanie Anderson canned four treys as part of her 14-point night for the Rams. She also grabbed six rebounds and three steals. Kayla Setzke scored a dozen puts to go with six steals and three rebounds. Demura tallied seven markers and four boards while Taryn Handyside turned in a solid all-around performance with four points, eight rebounds, six steals and five assists. Hall and freshman Taylor Woodall each hauled down eight rebounds.

Chesaning girls grind out win at Hemlock, 47-35

HEMLOCK - If winning was truly the best medicine, then Chesaning's varsity girls basketball team wouldn't feel quite so lousy.

"Sick. I'm sick. The girls are sick. We're all sick," said veteran Tribe coach Wayne Scanlon after his team's 47-35 win at Hemlock last Friday. "We had a bunch of kids too sick to practice on Wednesday, so we called practice off on Thursday. Then, after school today, we had a 45-minute practice before heading out to Hemlock. Tonight, I just asked them to give an effort for 32 minutes of basketball, so we could get the win, get back home and hopefully get well before next week."

Despite fighting off a bug that seems to be going through the team, Chesaning outscored the host Huskies in every quarter to pull away for the win. The Indians led 10-3 at the end of the first quarter and carried a 22-13 advantage into intermission. A 13-12 third quarter and a 12-10 edge in the fourth brought about the final margin of victory.

Brooke Jastrzembowski and Sydney Pacek shared scoring honors with 13 points each. Brooke Beckman had 8 points to go with her team-high 13 rebounds. Megan Newton recorded six points, five rebounds and four blocked shots.

The win bumps Chesaning's record to a sparkling 12-1 overall and 7-1 in the TVC-Central. Now, the Indians need to get healthy as soon as possible, especially before this Friday's critical battle for first place against Bullock Creek.

Clutch performance earns Tribe big hoops win over top-dog Hemlock

HEMLOCK - Chesaning's varsity boys basketball team entered a hostile environment to face the best team in the TVC-Central and walked away with an impressive 50-43 win at Hemlock last Friday.

The Indians received several clutch performances from an undermanned line-up as they continue to build momentum during the month of January. Hemlock began the contest at the top of the league with an unblemished 7-0 conference record and a comfortable three game lead over its closest rival. But they ran into a determined opponent on Friday.

"Our guys continue to pull for one another and to work together as a unit," praised Chesaning head coach Jason Danek after the contest. "It was truly a team victory tonight and I am very pleased with the effort."

Chesaning roster has been depleted by illness and injury, but each of the six players who scored against Hemlock played a key role in the victory.

Junior Joe Devota continues to develop into a formidable force, leading the Indians with 15 points in Friday's win. Andrew Guzdial turned in a solid all-around game with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Cal Bishop also tallied 10 points in addition to hauling down 7 rebounds. Cody Stoddard added six points and five boards, Cody Haughton scored five points, and Joe Bitterman chipped in with four markers and seven rebounds, despite still playing at less than full health.

The Indians took a 27-18 lead into halftime, then played through a roller-coaster ride in the second half.

The host Huskies chewed away at the lead in the third quarter, drawing within 29-27 before Chesaning responded with eight unanswered points, including a pair of treys by Joe Devota during that stretch.

But Hemlock ran off the last seven points of the third quarter and followed by scoring the first seven points of the final quarter to reverse the 37-27 Indian lead into a 41-37 Huskies advantage.

Chesaning refused to wilt, however, and eventually took back the lead when Haughton scored to make it 43-42. Then, with the score knotted at 43-all and exactly one minute to play, Bitterman buried a 15-footer from the baseline to give Chesaning the lead for good.

One of the keys to victory was the Indians' ability to take of the basketball. Chesaning committed just 14 turnovers against the aggressive Huskies. The Tribe struggled at the free throw line, where they connected on just 7 of 17 charity tosses, but converted 19 of 46 shots from the field for a respectable 41% average.

The win moves Chesaning up to 3-5 in the TVC-Central and to 8-5 overall.

Rams earn much-needed win over Lake Fenton, 65-59

MONTROSE - Playing perhaps its best half of basketball this season, Montrose's varsity basketball team raced out to a big first half lead and then held on for an important 65-59 win over a tough Lake Fenton squad last Friday.

"I was concerned coming into this game, because Lake Fenton is a tall, senior-laden team that can be very tough to beat," commented Ram coach Rick Ustishen after the game. "After letting Tuesday's game with Mt. Morris slip away from us (a 53-44 loss at home), this loomed as a critical contest.. Our kids came through and this was a big step in the right direction for us tonight."

Lake Fenton entered the game with a 5-4 record in the GAC, but the talented Blue Devils entered Montrose's gym on Friday just three days after nearly beating league-leading Goodrich on its own floor.

But Montrose came out with an aggressive approach at both ends of the court to eventually take a 34-17 lead with just two minutes to go in the second quarter. However, LF scored the last three points of the half to draw within 34-20 at intermission and then turned up the pressure in the third quarter to narrow the gap to 43-37 heading into the final stanza.

The fourth quarter turned into a bit of a shoot-out as the two teams combined for 44 points, but the Rams managed half of the output to secure the victory. The Blue Devils came within 60-55 with 1:30 to go, but could get no closer.

One of the keys to Montrose's quick start in the game was its ability to take care of the basketball. The Rams committed just five turnovers before intermission and finished with 17 in the game.

Junior guard Preston Taylor scored a career-high 28 points to spearhead the offense. He also pulled down eight rebounds and dished out three assists. Brandon Rose played perhaps his best game, scoring 13 points and grabbing 4 boards. Cory Hargraves was a force inside and finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Cody Groulx and Adam Campbell each recorded five points and seven rebounds while Keith Boswell finished with four points and a pair of rebounds. Campbell also distributed a team-high four assists.

Montrose connected on 24 of 52 field goals for a solid 46% while making just 13 of 25 free throws. However, the Rams managed to sink 8 of 13 free throws in the critical fourth quarter.

The big win evens Montrose's record at 5-5 in the GAC and at 6-6 overall.