CHEBOYGAN – For 60-plus hours, the Inland Lakes Bulldogs had to wait to make history.
But once they finally got their shot — despite having to wait three days because of bad weather — they weren’t about to let the chance of winning an elusive regional title slip away.
Instead, the Bulldogs delivered the greatest day in the history of Inland Lakes varsity basketball by earning the school’s first-ever basketball regional crown — girls or boys — with a hard-fought 39-29 victory over Newberry in an MHSAA Division 4 final at Cheboygan on Saturday, March 14.
Here’s some takeaways from Saturday’s final.
Finding a way
The Bulldogs (22-3) got off to the start they were looking for, opening the game on a 9-1 run that was capped off by a 3-pointer from senior Addison Byrne. However, the Indians (19-3) closed out the quarter with a 9-2 spurt to cut I-L’s lead to one after one.
Then came the best quarter of the contest for the Bulldogs, who pitched a shutout and outscored Newberry 15-0 in the second, which gave them a 26-10 lead going into the break.
But right as it looked like Inland Lakes might blow the game open, the Indians came back again with a 15-3 run — one that included a pair of threes from Sydney Duflo — to get within four points in the third.
When Inland Lakes needed it most, though, it received a massive shot from senior Molly Monthei, who connected on a three right as the third-quarter buzzer sounded, putting the Bulldogs up 32-25 and providing them much-needed breathing room.
“We don’t have plays for that kind of stuff, and coach (Daryl Vizina) was screaming, ‘Shoot it!’ so I just let it fly, and it went in,” Monthei said.
From there, the Bulldogs reclaimed control of the contest and grinded their way to the biggest victory in program history, one that’s been years in the making for Vizina, whose teams came up short of capturing a regional over the previous three campaigns. While many teams might have buckled under pressure, Inland Lakes wasn’t one of those teams. They just kept their cool and rose to the occasion.
“We’ve overcome a lot this year, this is just a part of it,” Vizina said. “It wouldn’t be normal if it were easy for us. We had a lot of reasons to check out, but they didn’t. The other thing that is special is every game it’s somebody different who makes a big shot or leads us in scoring or is a defensive standout. How about Mary Myshock? She held the Eastern UP player of the year (Gracie Johnson) to 11 points.”
Sophomore Ava Belford finished with 15 points, grabbed several rebounds, and made some big blocks to spearhead the Bulldogs, who received 10 points and strong defense from senior Chloe Robinson. Seniors Addison Byrne and Molly Monthei added six and three points respectively, while Kalli Williamson recorded two points, and Andrea Vigneau chipped in with one.
Never throwing in the towel
Despite the setback, the Indians showed just how mentally tough they were by keeping themselves in the game throughout, as Duflo’s 14 points led the way and Johnson scored 11.
They might have fallen short, but they had one coach who was incredibly proud of them after.
“It was a fun game,” Newberry coach Sarah Johnson said. “Our kids didn’t give up. They battled the entire game. I would say we started battling too late, which led to our loss today, but I’m proud of every single kid. They came out, they played, and they left it all out there, and that’s all we can ask of them. We’d like to be the ones cutting the nets down, but next year. We have goals.”
Olivia Birk and Abby Taylor tallied two points each to round out Newberry, which reached the regional final by beating St. Ignace. It was the third time the Indians topped the Saints this campaign.
“We were conference champions and district champions, so we have nothing to hang our heads about,” Johnson said. “Super proud of these kids.”
Cutting down the nets
Perhaps the best part for the Bulldogs was cutting down the nets in Cheboygan, a perfect way to cap what’s been a thrilling run that’s not over. The Bulldogs will get a chance to reach the Breslin Center when they take on Ishpeming (22-3) in a 7 p.m. Tuesday quarterfinal in a location yet to be determined.
But as for Saturday, senior Chloe Robinson simply just took it all in, especially for someone who was thrilled to finally achieve regional title glory during her sensational four-year career.
“This was the year to do it, so I’m super pumped that we got it done,” Robinson said.
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: Inland Lakes girls make history by winning first-ever regional title
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
