It’s championship Friday.
For a pair of Cheboygan-area basketball teams, they’ll be looking to write their own redemption stories as they take to the court following district championship losses a season ago.
In Cheboygan, the Chiefs (17-5), who survived Grayling in a 37-35 overtime victory in the semifinals on Wednesday, host Ogemaw Heights (9-12) in a 7 p.m. championship clash on Friday night. A year ago, the Chiefs fell agonizingly short in a 50-48 final loss to Boyne City on their home court.
Meanwhile, the Northern Michigan Christian Academy Eagles hope to avenge last year’s final loss to Harbor Light when they travel to face the Swordsmen in a 7 p.m. final on Friday. It’ll be the third matchup between the Northern Lakes Conference’s top two teams this winter, with both winning once in the regular season. Most recently, the Swordsmen outlasted NMCA in the NLC title game at NMCA.
As we count down the hours until these finals again, here’s what I’m watching for.
Can Cheboygan’s offense wake up?
Throughout most of the season, the Chiefs looked mostly fluid on offense and dominated teams with their up-and-down pace combined with their strong inside and outside games.
But in Wednesday’s semifinal against the Vikings, Cheboygan didn’t look like itself as it struggled to break down a tricky Grayling zone defense. At times, the Cheboygan players looked confused and didn’t take the best shots.
If the Chiefs are to knock off a fundamentally sound Ogemaw team, their offense will have to be much more consistent, rather than going on runs here and there. Cheboygan guards Gavin Smith, Carson Kiefer and Landon Gahn are excellent, while their two frontcourt players, Andrew Kiefer and Nolan Schley, can take over games. The Falcons aren’t a big unit, but they will throw a zone defense at you, and that’s what the Chiefs will have to figure out if they want to have more success offensively.
Taking on Ogemaw’s guards
Defensively, Cheboygan’s continued to play well, holding Grayling to just 35 points. But they’ll face a fascinating guard-dominant offense of the Vikings, who are led by crafty senior Elon Jones, a physical point guard who can get to the rim and score. Right behind Jones are junior guards in Gavin Weiler, Edgar Potter and Elijah Smith, who played key roles in the Falcons wiping out a 10-point halftime deficit and beating Kalkaska in the semifinals.
Spearheaded by Gahn, Cheboygan’s guards are quality defenders, but they’ll be tested against the Falcons, who are athletic and seem calm in pressure situations.
Prediction: Cheboygan 60, Ogemaw Heights 55.
Can Ferraiuolo and NMCA break through?
It’s been such a prolific and thrilling season for NMCA senior guard Joshua Ferraiuolo, who hit 2,000 career points in a semifinal win over Alanson on Wednesday.
But now comes the difficult part for Ferraiuolo and his teammates, which is beating Harbor Light and breaking through with a title triumph. Ferraiuolo struggled to get going early against Harbor Light in the previous matchup, but he came up big with 19 points in the second half. While it wasn’t enough, it shows just how dominant Ferraiuolo can be. He’ll need to play that way from the beginning if the Eagles are to have a chance.
If Ferraiuolo is rolling, NMCA has a tremendous opportunity. They’ll also need a big showing out of sophomore frontcourt star Jeremiah Tucker, as well as Lee Chatfield and Trey Fosmore, another pair of players who have been instrumental in NMCA’s successful season.
Will anybody slow down Jakeway?
It feels like I’ve been watching Landon Jakeway play varsity basketball for 10 years – and he’s still only a junior! – but what a treat it’s been over the last couple of years to marvel at the Harbor Light star guard, who lit it up with a 31-point performance against the Eagles last week. Last season, Jakeway delivered a stellar display in a regional final loss to Pickford in Cheboygan.
The kid can score against just about anyone out there, so can the Eagles slow him down?
The Eagles have their fair share of solid defenders, but slowing down a player as supremely talented as Jakeway is a tall order, not to mention he has plenty of other teammates who can hurt you as well.
When I picked a winner of this district while writing my preview last week, I flipped a coin, because I believe that’s how close these teams are in terms of quality.
Prediction: Harbor Light 69, NMCA 64.
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: What to watch for in boys basketball district finals for Cheboygan, NMCA
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
