03-01-2018 Tri-City Area Sports

STATE SIXTH PLACE FINISHERS… The Misfits, a running club, comprised of Coloma High School athletes, took sixth place at the Michigan Indoor Track Series state finals at Saginaw Valley State University in the 4×200 meter relay. Members of the Misfits (from the left) are: Joshua Young, Derek Plitt, Sincere Taylor, and Caleb Ellis.

Six wrestlers vie for state titles at Ford Field

Six area wrestlers will hit the mat Friday, March 2 at Ford Field in the hopes of bringing home a state championship title.

In Division 3 competition, Coloma wrestlers Ian Ishmael, Cody Reese, Jamane Smith Jr., and Cole Alsup are set to compete in the Michigan High School Athletic Association finals. First round action begins March 2 following the Grand March when all state qualifiers parade around the mats.

Ishmael, a sophomore, holds a 41-10 record heading into competition. He will face Trevor Robinson, a junior from Shepherd in the 135 lb. weight class. Robinson is 39-3 and is a junior.

Teammate Cody Reese will look for a title in the 140 lb. division. The junior, who sports a 36-6 record, will tangle with Shelby’s Nick Felt. Felt, a junior, has a 47-4 record.

In the 189 lb. weight class, it will be Coloma senior Jamane Smith Jr. matching wits with Almont’s Austin Battani, a junior. Smith Jr., the regional champion, is undefeated (44-0), while Battani is 35-12.

Also bringing the heat for the Comets will be Cole Alsup in the heavyweight category. The sophomore holds a 44-10 record and will face Ovid-Elsie’s Zachary Morris, a senior. Morris is 38-1.

Watervliet will have two wrestlers representing Panther Nation at the state finals in Division 4 competition.

Sophomore Trever Pelton, wrestling in the 103 lb. weight class, will square off against Hudson’s Caden Natale, a freshman who has a 27-7 record. Pelton is 40-5.

In the 215 lb. weight class, Matt Melcher (41-8), a junior, will grapple with senior Thomas Miller of Lake City. Miller is 25-10.

Good luck to the super six as they compete at state!

Results from Monday’s district basketball games

SMITH TAKES A SHOT… Watervliet welcomed Gobles to the hard court Friday night and lost a tough battle 50-44. Here, Vicky Smith prepares to launch the ball and get the basket. Smith had two points and three steals for Watervliet. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Two girls’ varsity district basketball games were on tap Monday, February 26. Complete stats were not available at press time. However, scores from the contests were recorded.

In Class D District 97 competition, Grace Christian lost 57-7 to host Lawrence. The Lady Patriots were 1-10 in the BCS – White division.

In Class C District 65 action, Watervliet scored a 55-35 victory over New Buffalo at home. The Lady Panthers moved on and battled Brandywine Wednesday.

Find complete results from all district games in next week’s edition of the Tri-City Record.

Hartford hoops back on winning track

The Hartford basketball team is back to their winning ways after they defeated a visiting Eau Claire squad Friday, February 23.

The Indians jumped out to an early lead and Eau Claire was unable to generate much offense to mount a rally.

After the first period, Hartford led 17-9.

Second period action found each team netting 17 points, as the Beavers matched the pace of the Indians. Hartford led 34-26 at half-time.

Hartford outscored Eau Claire 35-20 in the second half, including a 19-point third period.

Hartford won the contest 69-46. Leading the Indians was Trey Ackerman, who scored 18 points.

Buddy Earls chipped in 14 points, and Caleb Weston scored 12.

Gobles offense overpowers Coloma

The Lady Comets of Coloma failed to soar Tuesday, February 20 as they hit the hard court against the Tigers of Gobles.

TIGER-STRIPED STEP… Coloma’s Morgan Wagner appears to use her Gobles opponent as a step ladder to the basket Tuesday night. Wagner dropped in eight points for the Comets, but Coloma lost to the visiting Tigers 49-29. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Coloma was overpowered and outmaneuvered by the Tiger offense all game long.

Gobles smothered Coloma’s offense in the first period limiting the Comets to four points. The Tiger’s ball handling and passing helped Gobles put 14 first-quarter points on the board.

Coloma sparked a bit in the second period as they scored nine points, but Gobles continue to tear up the court. The Tigers added another 13 points and held a substantial 27-13 lead.

The scoring and defensive woes continued for the Comets in the second half. They scored nine points in the third period while Gobles added 14.

In the fourth period, Gobles outscored Coloma eight to seven to earn the 49-29 victory.

Coloma’s Kayla Yore and Morgan Wagner teamed up for over half of the squad’s total points. Yore had 11 to lead Coloma and Wagner chipped in eight.

Megan Neubecker scored five points.  Hannah Mathis scored on a shot from beyond the arc. Mika Anderson hit a shot for two points.

Coloma is 9-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division.

The Lady Comets received a first round bye in the Class B District 33 tournament.  They faced the winner of Monday’s Niles/Buchanan game Wednesday, February 28 at host Niles. Results from Wednesday’s contest were not available at press time.

Indians end regular season with 44-39 victory over visiting Bloomingdale

Hartford head coach Kailee Friday and her band of merry ladies put together a heck of a regular season on the hard court. The varsity basketball squad closed out their final regular season game against visiting Bloomingdale with a 44-39 win Tuesday, February 20.

The Indians led 17-9 following the first period of play.  They tacked on another 13 points and led 30-18 at intermission.

Although Hartford struggled in the second half of the game, after scoring nine points in the third and five points in the fourth periods, the Indians won the game 44-39.

With the victory, Hartford finished 17-3 overall for the season “which is the best record in program history,” Friday stated.

AJ Jackson recorded another double-double as she dropped in 18 points and grabbed 13 boards.

Jessica Cortes scored 13 points and had four assists. Cora Wesaw tallied six points, three assists, and three steals.

The Indians will begin Class C District 65 play Wednesday, February 28. The squad received a first-round bye.

Game time in the district semi-finals will be 6:00 p.m. and the event is hosted by Brandywine.

Hartford’s opponent for their district game was determined following the first round of play Monday, February 26. The Indians will play Cassopolis in the Wednesday game. Results will be in next week’s Tri-City Record.

Hartford bested Cassopolis twice this season with 56-46 and 54-47 victories.

Indians cheer their way to regionals

The Hartford Indians competitive cheer team had quite a run for a Michigan High School Athletic Association state title.

The squad finished fourth in Division 4 District 19 competition, hosted by Lawton, Friday, February 16.

The Indians scored 199.10 points in the first round. They followed with 173.50 second-round points.

The ladies then posted a 283.10 in the third round to finish in third place with 655.70 points and earned a berth at regional competition.

The team traveled to Caledonia Saturday, February 24 and, along with 11 other schools, brought forth their best effort.

In the first round, Hartford scored 208.30 points. The team tallied 177.30 points in the second round for a 385.60 sub-total.

The third round saw the Indians score 280.00 points for a 655.60-point total. Hartford finished 11th to end their season.

Great job, ladies!

Gobles Tigers power past Panthers 50-44

The Watervliet girls’ varsity basketball squad welcomed Gobles to town for Senior Night Friday, February 24.

Jaelyn Pitre, Zoe Smith, Ariana Rowe, Kara Liles, Taylor Shafer, and Madalyn Hutchins finished out their regular season high school careers with a heck of a contest. In the end, it was Gobles with the 50-44 victory.

The squads were knotted up 10-10 after the first period. In the second quarter, Gobles outpaced the Lady Panthers 14-7 to hold a 24-17 lead at intermission.

Watervliet outscored Gobles 9-7 in the third period to cut the Tigers lead to five points heading into the fourth period.

And what a wild fourth period it was! Watervliet scored more points in the fourth period than they did in the first two quarters combined. However, 18 points wasn’t enough to overtake the Tigers, and Gobles got the 50-44 win.

Pitre finished out the regular season with 12 points.  Smith scored 11. Ariana Rowe drilled in 10 points and had eight rebounds.  Liles contributed four points.

Shafer, Hutchins, and Vicky Smith scored two points apiece. Elaine Koshar netted one point and had five rebounds for the Panthers.

Coloma records 17th win as Goodline scores 27

Coloma’s Zach Goodline continues to dominate on the hard court. The junior guard scored 27 points in the Comets’ 65-56 victory over Gobles Tuesday, February 20.

It took the squad the final fourth quarter to put the game away. The Comets led 15-1 after the first period and increased their margin of victory after a 19-12 second period. At intermission, the Comets led 34-23.

Gobles broke open the second half of play with a 19-point third quarter, besting Coloma’s 10-point effort by nine. The Comets responded by hitting the hoop at the tail end of the fast break and dropping 21 points en route. That gave Coloma their 17th win of the season, 65-56 over the Tigers.

Goodline hit three 3-pointers and was perfect – four for four – from the free throw line in addition to scoring on seven jumpers.

Chris Brown scored eight points, and Robbie Schroeder netted seven.

Tevon Blazier chipped in five points, while Levi Wilkens, Michael Dancer, and Phillip Caldwell drained four points apiece.

Willie Donald, Adam Hearn, and Zack Lake scored two points apiece.

Coloma hit four shots from beyond the arc and was 81% from the charity stripe (13 of 16).

The Comets reign supreme as the Southwest Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division champions. The team remains undefeated in the division, posting a 12-0 record.

Panthers post 62-56 loss to Schoolcraft

In the end, the game was closer than it looked. Watervliet welcomed the Schoolcraft Eagles for hoops action Tuesday, February 20. The Eagles got the better of the Panthers, as Watervliet lost 62-56.

BIT TIME BALLER… Watervliet’s Bryant Kieft balances the ball on his way to the rim Friday night as Tyler Stedman of Gobles attempts a block. Kieft scored the bucket and was fouled on the shot as the Panthers notched the 60-48 victory. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

A slow Panther squad struggled in the first period, scoring only five points in eight minutes. Meanwhile, on the other side of the floor, Schoolcraft landed 17 points to take a huge, early lead.

Watervliet caught fire in the second period and went on to outscore Schoolcraft 15-6. At the halfway mark, Schoolcraft led 23-20.

The second half saw the game swing back and forth and it wasn’t until the dust settled that Schoolcraft could claim the victory.

The Eagles had a 24-point scoring blitz in the third period, while Watervliet put up 12 points. But, it was the Panthers who tallied 24 whopping points in the fourth and it appeared they just might pull out the upset win.

A 15-point fourth period by Schoolcraft kept them in the game and the squad edged out the Panther rally.

Sheldon Tobar, Garrett Matthews, and Dan Cluster led the Panthers with 10 points apiece.

Bryant Kieft scored nine points and LA Smith landed eight.

The Panthers fell to 9-9 overall this season and is in third place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 7-4 record.

Three Comets soar to state championship hunt as the team takes third and heads to finals

Coloma’s girls’ varsity bowling team continues to shine. Following regional competition, three Lady Comets qualified to participate in individual Michigan High School Athletic Association state championship finals.

The teammates participated in the Division 3 Region 14 individual bowl at M-55 Bowl in Battle Creek on Saturday, February 24.

Morgan Hosbein rolled a 1,086 pin count for second place and a state berth. Of the top 10 finishers, she had the highest pin count (202) in the fourth game out of 78 bowlers

Lainey Meader’s 1,059 gave her fourth place overall and a trip to state.

Carissa Richmond rolled a 970 and earned 10th place.

The triple threat of Hosbein, Meader, and Richmond and the rest of the Comet squad participated in the team bowling regionals, also held at M-66 Bowl, on Friday, February 23.

Coloma finished third overall with a total pin count of 3,214. Portland won regionals with a score of 3,341, and Quincy finished second with 3,286.

Division 3 finals are set for March 2-3 at Northway Lanes in Muskegon.

Coloma records second loss against tough Kalamazoo Hackett team

Year after year, Kalamazoo Hackett continues to be a tough team to beat. Coloma knew their game against Hackett wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, and they were right. The Comets lost their second game of the season, falling short of victory in the 68-60 loss.

The teams were tied 15-15 after the first period, but Kalamazoo edged into the lead after outscoring Coloma 19-14 in the second period. At half-time, Hackett held a 34-29 lead.

A strong third period by Kalamazoo gave them a little breathing room, as they added a seven-point cushion to their score. Hackett drained 17 points and held Coloma to 10 points.

The Comets rallied for 21 points in an exciting fourth period, but Hackett kept pace. The game tipped Hackett’s way, 68-60.

To say the game was aggressive would be an understatement. The squads racked up 23 team fouls each.

Zach Goodline led Coloma with 23 points.  Chris Brown scored 11 points, and Michael Dancer chipped in nine.

Phillip Caldwell hit two 3-pointers for his six points.  Levi Wilkens scored five points. Robbie Schroeder netted four points.  Adam Hearn scored four points.

Misfits Running Club hits its stride, finishes sixth in finals

The Misfits Running Club tested its mettle at the Michigan Indoor Track Series State Finals Saturday, February 24 and ran away with a sixth place finish.

Josh Young, Derek Plitt, Sincere Taylor, and Caleb Ellis, track stars on the Coloma Comet varsity squad, are members of the Misfits. They participated in the 4×200 meter relay at the MITS state finals hosted by Saginaw Valley State University. The fantastic four recorded a time of 1:31.75.

Additionally, Plitt finished 20th in the 60 meter dash and Young took 21st in the 400 meter run.

Emily Pedzinski coaches the Misfits.  The track club was established in 2010 and is geared to student-athletes in grades six through 12.