BURT LAKE – It’s a fun time to be a Northern Michigan Christian Academy basketball fan right now.
With both teams very much in the race to win a Northern Lakes Conference championship, just about every game is a big one for the Eagles.
Facing NLC rival Mackinaw City in a varsity doubleheader on Thursday, Jan. 22, the NMCA girls took care of business by earning a 45-35 victory, while NMCA’s boys followed it up with a 67-39 triumph in the final matchup of the night.
It was far from easy for the NMCA girls (8-3, 5-0 NLC East) in the opener, but they managed to hold off the upset-minded Comets, as Lauren Ferraiuolo led the way with 18 points, five steals and five rebounds, while sister Shanna Ferraiuolo finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“I was pleased with the overall effort from the team tonight,” NMCA coach Josh Ferraiuolo said. “It was a little rocky as we were trying to adjust to one of our injured players (Ariel Tucker) being out. It puts a lot of pressure on everyone else to fill that hole.”
Otillia Styburski (four points, 11 rebounds), Ellie Schepperley (four points, eight rebounds), and Isabel Hoffmeyer (three points, seven rebounds) also contributed to NMCA’s triumph.
“Tonight was step one in learning to play a little different,” Ferraiuolo added. “So much credit goes to the Mack City girls. They are so much improved. I’m not surprised, as they are coached by a great coach in Jake (Huffman). It was a good competitive game. Glad to get the win.”
Meanwhile, Mackinaw City coach Jake Huffman had plenty to be proud of with his Comets (6-6, 4-3), who stayed within striking distance all night against NMCA despite falling short.
“Burt Lake has a very nice team, and Coach (Josh) Ferraiuolo has them playing well,” Huffman said. “They are conference favorites for a reason. Tonight was another great test on how we are growing as a team this season. I am so proud of the effort my girls are putting into competing with the quality competition on our schedule.”
Emily Kruczynski’s 11 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists fueled the Comets, who received eight points and eight rebounds from Poppy Wallace, who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, six points, four rebounds and three steals from Ella Kruczynski, five points, eight rebounds, four blocks and four assists from Kerry-Ann Ming, and one point, eight rebounds, four blocks and two steals from Rian Esper.
“I felt we did a nice job of matching their energy tonight and making some better basketball decisions,” Huffman said. “If we can continue on this trajectory and figure out how to consistently win these close games, we will have an opportunity to go on a little bit of a run.”
NMCA travels to Bellaire on Friday, Jan. 23, while Mackinaw City hosts Wolverine on Monday, Jan. 26.
Tucker, Chatfield fuel Eagle boys to win
Jeremiah Tucker is one of the best young players in the Cheboygan area, and the sophomore showed it against Mackinaw City by delivering a near triple-double performance with 24 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. Right behind him was freshman Lee Chatfield, who tallied 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals for the Eagles (9-2, 4-0 NLC East), who earned a spot in the NLC championship game with the victory. Senior Joshua Ferraiuolo chipped in with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds.
“Very happy with how the guys played tonight to get the win,” Coach Ferraiuolo said. “It was clear that coach (Elijah) May was not going to let Josh (Ferraiuolo) go crazy tonight and played a defense to hold him down. We know Mack City is well coached and plays hard, but we were able to show tonight we have enough weapons that can hurt you in other areas.”
NMCA was rounded out by Trey Fosmore (four points, five rebounds), Tyler Vest (three points, three rebounds), and Levi Schepperley (three points).
“Shout out to Jeremiah for facilitating our offense with scoring and passing,” Coach Ferraiuolo said. “Also, a shout out to Lee Chatfield – he had his best game of the year. He was everywhere on the court. This was a big win for us, keeps us undefeated in league play, and secures our spot in our conference championship game.”
Mackinaw City stats will be provided when they become available.
Onaway girls drop close game at East Jordan
EAST JORDAN – The Onaway girls basketball team had a chance to pull off a conference win on the road but struggles in the fourth quarter resulted in a 55-52 loss at East Jordan on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
“We’re just struggling to pull games out down the stretch,” Onaway coach John George said. “Too many crucial turnovers in the final four minutes to close it out. Defense was the story, especially the rebounding. We got destroyed on the rebounds, way too many second opportunities and easy putbacks (for East Jordan).”
The Cardinals (4-7, 2-6 Ski Valley) were led by 13 points from Andrea Ruppert, while Layla Box netted 12 points, and Marley Szymoniak and Natalee Hyde added 10 apiece.
Onaway hosts Pellston on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
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 girls, boys pick up Northern Lakes victories over Mackinaw City
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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