Mackinaw City girls win sixth straight NLC title, Onaway boys get revenge at Mancelona

HARBOR SPRINGS – The Mackinaw City girls basketball team wrapped up a sixth consecutive Northern Lakes Conference championship by capturing a 45-24 victory at Harbor Light on Tuesday.

“I am so proud of this group of ladies for their grit and determination,” Mackinaw City coach Jake Huffman said. “Harbor Light came out strong tonight and put up a strong fight. This group is resilient, and they support each other and play hard for one another regardless of the adversity they are facing. They truly fit the definition of a team with heart, grit, and determination.”

Gracie Beauchamp finished with 17 points, nine steals, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Comets (17-0, 11-0 NLC), who received nine points, six steals, three rebounds and one assist from Jersey Beauchamp, seven points, four steals and three rebounds from Rian Esper, six points, four steals, two rebounds and one assist from Kenzlie Currie, four points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks and Kerry-Ann Ming, and two points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block from Grace Sroka.

Mackinaw City can finish its conference slate unbeaten with a home win over Alanson on Thursday.

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Veal, Cardinals stand tall, top Ironmen on road

MANCELONA – The last time the Onaway boys basketball team faced Mancelona, it lost on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater at home just over a month ago.

But the Cardinals refused to let that happen this time around.

Fueled by 29 points from senior Austin Veal, the Cardinals delivered their biggest victory of the season with a 59-55 road triumph over the Ironmen.

“To be able to go into a hostile environment, Mancelona’s right there in first place (in the Ski Valley), they had a big crowd, it was electric there tonight, but our guys stepped up right from the start when we came out and took a 6-0 lead,” Onaway coach Eddy Szymoniak said. “We always want to get better the second time against teams, and we continue to do that.”

With the win, the Cardinals (15-4, 12-3) remained in the Ski Valley Conference title race, while Mancelona (15-4, 12-2) dropped to second. Bellaire (15-3, 12-1) is in first.

In addition to Veal, Jadin Mix finished with 13 points, Justin Kramer-St. Germain had 11, Mason Beebe tallied three, Luke Lovelace added two, and Jackson Chaskey chipped in with one.

“Mancelona took the lead on us a couple times in the second half – they had a 3-point lead in the fourth quarter – but our guys just stayed calm, we battled back,” Szymoniak said. “We lost Jadin (who fouled out) with two minutes to go in the game, but our guys stepped up. Justin Kramer (St. Germain) played phenomenal.

“Austin (Veal) just does his thing every night. He finds a way to score, but I thought it was a great team effort.”

Onaway continues its Ski Valley gauntlet when it heads to Bellaire on Thursday.

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Inland Lakes boys capture home win over Alpena

INDIAN RIVER – Taking on a Division 1 opponent, the Inland Lakes boys basketball team claimed a 56-50 home victory over Alpena on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs (11-8) were led by 18 points from Connor Wallace, 16 from Sam Schoonmaker, nine from Payton Teuthorn, seven from Noah Shugar, and six from Aidan Fenstermaker.

“We put a lot of emphasis on stopping (Alpena) in the paint, and I thought we did a good job with that,” Inland Lakes coach Lee Nash said. “I thought Payton Teuthorn and Connor (Wallace) really did an excellent job of leading the team tonight. I appreciated the way they stepped up as leaders.”

Inland Lakes hosts Central Lake on Thursday, which is senior night for the Bulldogs.

Brabson, NMCA boys hammer Alba on road

ALBA – After a tough loss to Posen on Monday, the Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian Academy boys basketball team rebounded with an 82-26 victory at Alba on Tuesday.

Josiah Brabson tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and five steals to lead the Eagles (7-12), while Jeremiah Tucker had 15 points and five steals, Josh Ferraiuolo recorded 15 points and two rebounds, Jonas Brabson added nine points, five assists and three steals, and Trey Fosmore chipped in with nine points.

“It was a good game for our young guys to get lots of playing time and experience on the floor,” NMCA coach James Brabson said. “I was glad that all eight players scored tonight, and Josiah (Brabson) and Josh (Ferraiuolo) worked to get everyone involved."

In a 53-23 loss at Posen on Monday, Josiah Brabson led the Eagles with 13 points and seven rebounds, Tucker had five points and seven rebounds, Lee Chatfield added three points, and Ferraiuolo finished with two points and four rebounds.

“We were exposed for our youthfulness again tonight,” Brabson said. “Josiah continues to score for us each night and do pretty much anything that’s been asked of him, but the other guys are still needing to develop. I was encouraged by Jeremiah Tucker’s play, particularly on the defensive end.”

NMCA hosts Ellsworth on Friday.

Alanson boys hold off Harbor Light key NLC clash

ALANSON – In a crucial Northern Lakes Conference contest, the Alanson boys basketball team kept itself in the title race by earning a 51-45 victory over first-place Harbor Light on Tuesday.

“An absolute game we had to have if we wanted any shot of winning the conference,” Alanson coach Brian Kujawa said. “Back and forth basketball all night, with two teams that get after it defensively. This is a different team than a month ago; these guys have been in tight games and unfortunately were on the losing side of most games.”

Christian Silveus registered 19 points, three rebounds and three steals to lead the Vikings (13-4, 8-2), who are now tied with Harbor Light (15-4, 8-2) for first in the NLC. Owyne Greenier had 11 points, four rebounds and two steals, Mason Weindenhamer added 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Troy Johnson chipped in with five points, seven assists, six steals and three rebounds.

Alanson heads to Mackinaw City on Friday.

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Mackinaw City girls win sixth straight NLC title, Onaway boys earn hard-fought win at Mancelona