Spring Lake Lakers vs. Petosky Northmen
PETOSKY – 57 SPRING LAKE – 45 In the opener of the Lakeshore Cup Tournament in Grand Haven the Northmen topped Spring Lake 57-45. The win was Petoskey’s fifth straight to put them at 6-1 overall. The loss for the…
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Continue ReadingPETOSKY – 57 SPRING LAKE – 45
In the opener of the Lakeshore Cup Tournament in Grand Haven the Northmen topped Spring Lake 57-45. The win was Petoskey’s fifth straight to put them at 6-1 overall. The loss for the Lakers put them under .500 for the first time in 5 seasons at 2-3.
The Northmen got up early and forced several Lakers turnovers. Patience and ball control helped the Northmen come out fast and take a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. Other than Sam Negen, the Lakers senior guard, they had a hard time getting anything going on offense and the Northmen stretched the lead to 28-17 at the half. The Northman’s big man Nathaniel Eberly-Rodriguez scored 9 points in the half. The Northmen continued to hold off Spring Lake in the second half with solid defense and took a 37-22 edge in the final quarter.
In the final frame, Spring Lake forced three straight turnovers for Petoskey twice in the final period, closing the deficit to10 points with just over three minutes to play. But great free throw shooting down the stretch by the Northmen closed the door on the Lakers.
TEN BEST:
MVP: Nate Eberly-Rodriguez (Petosky)
The 6’4 junior had a double-double for Petoskey, scoring 13 points with 10 rebounds. He was a presence in the paint all night and got some timely rebounds.
Play of the game: Petosky free throw shooting
The Northmen ended the game going 15-19. With the game still up for grabs in the fourth quarter they hit 8 straight free throws.
Best offensive performance: Sam Negen (Spring Lake)
The senior guard scored 13 points and was doing his best to muster up some offense for the Lakers cold shooting. He penetrated nicely and consistently drew the attention of the Northmen.
Best defensive performance: Gabriel Whitmore (Petosky)
The 6’1 junior had 5 steals to go along with locking down the Lakers guards.
Best guy off the bench: Nathaniel Eberly-Rodriguez (Petosky)
Eberly-Rodriguez had his best game of the year and sparked the Northmen on both ends of the floor. He played extremely hard and competitive on the both ends of the court and brought some much needed enthusiasm to the Northmen.
Best intangibles: Isiah Groh (Petosky)
The senior guard went 9 for 9 from the free throw line. He hit 6 straight in the fourth quarter when Spring Lake was making a run.
Best under-the-radar performance: Jade Spurgeon ( Petosky)
The junior Spurgeon finished with 11 points and 6 assists. He played most of the game and works hard on both ends of the court. He is a fundamentally sound player.
Best underclassmen: Sam Sheridan (Spring Lake)
The Sophomore guard was the first one off the bench for the Lakers and gave them solid minutes. He moved the ball around nicely and worked hard on defense.
Best stat: Too little too late for Spring Lake
Spring Lake had 22 points at the end of the third and then scored 23 in the fourth quarter.
Best environment: Grand Haven High School
This is the 3rd year for the event orchestrated by Grand Haven head coach Greg Immink. The atmosphere is great with the lakeshore community coming out to support this well attended game.