OWOSSO – The Portland boys basketball team was coming off a district title win after beating CAAC White foe Ionia last week, looking to make a deeper run in the state tournament this time around.
Last year, Freeland ended the Raiders’ run in the regional finals. This time, Portland would see the Falcons in the regional semifinals with a chance for revenge.
After a big third quarter, the Raiders took a five-point lead heading into the final eight minutes. Freeland quickly took the lead back before Portland’s Ethan Cassel hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 47-47. But that’s when the Falcons went on a 14-0 run to end the game, and the Raiders’ season, 61-47.
“You have to give (Freeland) a lot of credit, they really ratcheted it up, as far as their pressure and stuff,” Portland coach Luke Pohl said. “We couldn’t seem to get any luck on some of the shots we threw up, and that was the ballgame.”
Senior guard Tejan Virk led Portland with 15 points, including 10 in the third quarter, while sophomore Carson Simon added 12 points. Cassel and senior Kayden Dickerson each had eight points for the Raiders.
Portland ends the season with an 18-6 record after its seven-member senior class helped make Portland one of the top programs in the CAAC White with a league title last season and back-to-back district championships.
“The last two years, these guys have won 40 games, and I can’t say enough about this group.,” Pohl said. “They were very good kids, did what I asked of them, and they put in a lot of extra time. That’s what you gotta do, and tonight, the score wasn’t indicative of the game.”
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Big fourth quarter run ends Portland’s season in regional semifinals
Reporting by Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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