STURGIS — Not every high school hoops team played a game during the holiday break. There were a handful of squads, though, that took to the courts during the multiple weeks out of school.
Niles-Brandywine won the holiday hoops tournament hosted by the Sturgis girls last week. The Lady Bobcats, one of the better programs in Southwest Michigan under the coaching of Josh Hood, beat Sturgis 55-45 in the finals. Sturgis coach Andy Phillips said he was pleased with his team’s efforts, even in defeat, as they were able to press the Bobcats and cause them some problems. Sturgis’ length and trapping ability forced Bobcat turnovers, but ultimately would not be enough to pick up the win.
The fourth quarter was where the Trojans cut into the deficit and brought what was a big Bobcat lead down to single digits. Sturgis scored 23 points in that fourth quarter, but the Bobcats did just enough to keep the Trojans at arm’s length and hang on for the 10-point win.
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Sturgis was led by Angela Cary, she scored a game-high 15 points. Madison Webb added 13 points in the game while Sydney Bir tossed in seven and Kennedy Finnerman scored six. Cora Phillips put in three, both Addison Eicher and Kenzie Eicher made a free throw.
Brandywine was led by Lily Gill with 11 points, Adeline Gill scored 10.
Sturgis, now 4-4 on the season, will play host to Vicksburg on Friday.
To reach the finals, Sturgis beat Mendon in a 56-20 contest. The Trojans finished that game with three players in double figures, led by Phillips with 13, Webb with 11 and Bir with 10. Finnerman scored nine points, Kenzie Eicher added five and Juliet Mendoza scored four. Cary put in three and Addison Eicher scored a free throw.
Mendon got nine points from Gracie Schultz and four from Cienna Nightingale. Brianna Heitkamp, Lila Schinker and Taya Bingaman each put in two points, Rowan Allen made a free throw.
Mendon beat Centreville on Friday night in the consolation game, 44-39. Centreville out-scored Mendon 14-8 in the final eight minutes to bring the game to within a couple of possessions.
Leading the Hornets was Schultz with 16 points, Heitkamp tossed in 13. Nightingale scored five, Bingaman added four and Kayla Wenzel hit for three points. Brooke Gerth scored two and Allen added a free throw.
Centreville was led by Drew Alexander with nine points, Mary Stears put in eight. Ellie Reed scored seven points, both Leah Roberts and Mara Webb added six while Berkley Shingledecker added three.
Mendon made 8-of-11 free throws in that game, Centreville hit for 5-of-9.
Boy’s games
A handful of boy’s games took part in the past week or so on the hardwoods.
Centreville dropped a 64-28 decision to Lakeland on Saturday evening. The game was the first in two weeks for the Bulldogs, who did show some signs of rust. Matt Swanwick led the Dogs with 11 points, Garrison Bunning added six while Kobe Carpenter scored five. Both Isaak Miller and Ethan Miller added three points.
White Pigeon knocked off Constantine in a 67-23 contest. The Chiefs were led by Josh Davidson with 14 points, Jordan Pisco tossed in 11 points with five rebounds and five steals. Zach Royce scored 12 points and Wes Roberts added 10. Ian Baker led Constantine with 10 points, Josh Bontrager added eight points.
Colon beat Maple Valley 68-84 on Friday. Dalton Williams scored 31 points for the Magi in the game, Dom Mock added 17 points and Brennan Morrell scored 14. Jeremiah West scored six points, it all came on free throws during the second half. Williams grabbed 10 rebounds, West snagged eight with four assists.
The Bronson boys beat Bellevue 69-55 on Friday night. The Vikings were led in the game by Tyler Wilber with 23 points to lead all scorers. Owen Losinski added 16 points and Spencer Losinski scored 14. Bronson also got 10 points from Zeb Olson.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sturgis girls edged by Niles-Brandywine in holiday hoops action
