Opening Day: District QF Games to Watch in Northern Michigan

<p>To everyone "Up North", opening day really only means ONE THING, deer season. Well, today It's opening day for the MHSAA boy's basketball tournament in Michigan. If you love high school boy's basketball, this is YOUR DAY. It all begins today, and converges at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, on March 15th. I spent all day yesterday combing through data and stats and reminiscing on basketball played in the 1990s and 2000s; those were "the good old days". I remember when a three-guard scheme was an interesting anomaly....And now, it isn't uncommon to see four of five guard-style players on the floor. I'm grasping the concept, but I think deep down inside it's a temporary trend. For now, more guards have made the game quicker and defensive schemes harder to draw....and with that, we'll applaud it.</p>   <p>All random babbling aside, some contests look to be great matchups in the district quarter-finals for some Northern Michigan teams.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">District 1: Gaylord @ Petoskey 6:00 PM </h2>   <p>I was going to list the respective records for each team, but I've always been a fan of the 0-0 on day one of the tournament, so we'll go with that. Gaylord slipped 2 regular season games past the Northmen, however only winning both contests by single digits. This game will completely come down to backcourt play and transition basketball. Both of these teams play similar basketball in that they have quick guards and rely heavily on transition points and points off of turnovers. 2028 Petoskey guard [player_tooltip player_id='2759317' first='Braden' last='Fralick'] has had an excellent break-out season for the Northmen, and older brother Mason Fralick is a senior who has done an excellent job of orchestrating the Petoskey offense. Gaylord has been led by senior guards Collin Piehl and Connor Fake. Whoever shoots a higher percentage from the floor and keeps the turnovers low comes out on top in this one. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">District 33: Escanaba @ Gladstone 6:00 PM </h2>   <p>This will be the main one I will be watching tonight as it checks two boxes for me, it's a cross-town rivalry game and it features a lot of up-and-comers. Both teams finished the regular season below .500, but that does not equate to the level of talent on both squads. Escanaba took two close ones from Gladstone in the regular season, but since Gladstone is the host, this will be a huge boost for them. Gladstone is young and vibrant, relying on the main guard play of 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2435760' first='Lonnie' last='Davey'] and 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2626487' first='Alex' last='Prins']. Both guards can attack downhill and put up solid numbers in the shooting column. Lonnie was most recently awarded first-team all-conference, while Alex received the nod for Special Mention. Escanaba also has a young rising star in 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2560792' first='Hayven' last='Sandoval Nolde']. He performed well in [program_tooltip program_id='2075498' first='Great' last='Northern Elite']'s Sunday Fall League and was the go-to guard this year for Esky. Escanaba also gets very solid minutes and stats from [player_tooltip player_id='2701535' first='Taylor' last='Asgaard'] (Special Mention All GNC) and Javon Stevenson (Second Team All GNC), who really shine on the defensive side of the court as well. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">District 34: Sault Ste. Marie @ Kalkaska</h2>   <p>This district is a pretty competitive-looking bracket, and I've wanted to get some content out on Sault Ste. Marie for a little while now. Cheboygan and Boyne City sit atop the MPR in this bracket, but it really could be anyone's win on any given night. Both Kalkaska and The Sault are currently retooling, but I've seen some spark out of the Blue Devils over the last few weeks as well as some fire out of a young Kalkaska team. Of all the film I've watched on these young squads, this game will come down to the turnover battle and FT percentage. I think this will be under a 10-point game either way, so the little things will matter a lot. The Sault is solid in the guard position in [player_tooltip player_id='2704223' first='Finley' last='Johnson'], who has been battling a foot injury, but now appears healthy. If he catches fire from beyond the arc he can quickly put up 20. Oren Fazzari has been a solid force down low as well for The Sault. Kalkaska runs a big and tall lineup and has solid guard contributions from Jackson Shelter and Hunter Wilkinson. Whoever wants this one the most will be the victor. </p>   <p></p>

To everyone "Up North", opening day really only means ONE THING, deer season. Well, today It's opening day for the MHSAA boy's basketball tournament in Michigan. If you love high school boy's basketball, this is YOUR DAY. It all begins today, and converges at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, on March 15th. I spent all day yesterday combing through data and stats and reminiscing on basketball played in the 1990s and 2000s; those were "the good old days". I remember when a three-guard scheme was an interesting anomaly....And now, it isn't uncommon to see four of five guard-style players on the floor. I'm grasping the concept, but I think deep down inside it's a temporary trend. For now, more guards have made the game quicker and defensive schemes harder to draw....and with that, we'll applaud it.