HILLMAN ― No panic.
Even when they fell behind 10-0 right out the gate, the Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian Academy Eagles simply stayed cool. Then they chipped away, chipped away, and chipped away more.
And when it came time to take control, they weren’t hesitant.
Trailing 31-20 at halftime, the Eagles erased the deficit and kept their magical season alive with a 55-47 win at Hillman in an MHSAA Division 4 boys basketball regional semifinal on Tuesday, March 3.
“So proud of the guys responding after we got smacked early and started out so flat,” NMCA coach Josh Ferraiuolo said. “Hillman had only lost two games all year, and that zone took a minute to get used to. Down 11 at halftime, we knew we had to up our intensity and effort on the defensive end to give ourselves a shot to get back in the game.”
NMCA (17-7) opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run, then got to within a point when sophomore Jeremiah Tucker drilled a 3-pointer to make it 34-33. Tucker continued his red-hot outside shooting when he buried another three to give the Eagles their first lead of the game at 36-34, while senior Joshua Ferraiuolo followed up with an inside bucket for a four-point advantage, which forced a Hillman timeout. Tucker added another trey to increase NMCA’s advantage to 41-36.
While Hillman (22-3) managed to make things interesting late, the Eagles maintained their composure and advanced to their first-ever regional championship game, which will be a 7 p.m. showdown against undefeated Pickford (24-0) in Cheboygan on Thursday, March 5.
Joshua Ferraiuolo had 16 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Eagles, who received a double-double from Trey Fosmore (16 points, 10 rebounds, five steals). Tucker tallied 14 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Lee Chatfield added nine points, eight rebounds, six steals and three assists.
“Credit to the guys, we made a couple adjustments, and they responded in the second half like they have all year,” coach Ferraiuolo said. “This group is so tight, and they believe in each other, they never give up.”
Chiefs fall to Kingsford in regional semifinals
MANISTIQUE – It was going to take a clean game to beat an excellent opponent like Kingsford.
But for the Cheboygan Chiefs, turnovers were a major problem all night.
As a result, the Chiefs saw their terrific season end in a 56-42 loss to the Flivvers in an MHSAA Division 2 boys basketball regional semifinal at Manistique on Tuesday, March 3.
“We knew they were extremely fast and tough defensively, and that is exactly how the game went,” Cheboygan coach Jason Friday said. “They did a great job knocking the ball away and turning it into a quick two points. They would chest up on us and we just had a difficult time with it, especially in the first half.”
The Chiefs (18-7) finished with 18 turnovers against the Flivvers (17-6), who opened the game on a 10-4 run, then started the second with a 6-0 spurt, which pushed their advantage to 22-8. By halftime, the Flivvers were in command with a 30-16 lead.
Cheboygan managed to cut its deficit to eight points in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t creep closer against the Flivvers, who face Ludington (22-2) in a 7 p.m. final at Gaylord on Thursday, March 5.
“We did a much better job with their pressure in the second half,” Friday said.
Gage Sorenson’s and Jett Buckley each scored 18 points to fuel the Flivvers.
Andrew Kiefer scored 11 points for the Chiefs, while junior Nolan Schley matched his teammate with 11 points. Gavin Smith tallied 10 points. Landon Gahn had six, and Carson Kiefer and Jack Ekdahl each scored two. Andrew Kiefer, Carson Kiefer and Ekdahl played in their final games as Chiefs on Tuesday.
Despite falling short on Tuesday, the Chiefs delivered their best season in a long time, capturing a first district title since 2015, finishing second in the Northern Shores Conference, and earning 18 victories.
“I’m so proud of the way our boys battled,” Friday said. “Our bench brought so much positive energy. We also had a great crowd. I want to thank the fans who drove up there on a Tuesday night. This group of senior boys is a special group. They’ve put so much time into the sport over the years, and it really paid off. They won 18 games and the first district championship in 11 years. That is something we will always remember.”
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: NMCA boys march on to first regional final, Cheboygan’s season ends
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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