Tuesday night basketball across the Thumb had some predictable blowouts and a few games that came right down to the wire. Gyms were packed considering it’s the middle of winter and there’s not much else going on.
Harbor Beach didn’t mess around against Brown City. Final score 76-37. That’s not even close. The Pirates came ready to play and Brown City just couldn’t keep up. When you’re losing by nearly 40 points, that’s a rough Tuesday evening.
Ubly had a similar story against Memphis. 79-46. The Bearcats put up numbers and Memphis got buried early. Once Ubly gets rolling like that, good luck slowing them down. They’ve got shooters and Memphis found that out the hard way.
The Cass City versus Bad Axe game was way more interesting. Cass City pulled it out 51-46, but that was anybody’s game till the final buzzer. Five-point difference sounds comfortable but it wasn’t. Bad Axe hung around the whole night and almost stole it at the end. Tough loss for the Hatchets.
Deckerville beat Mayville 68-45. Not a blowout like some of the others but Mayville never really threatened. Deckerville controlled that game start to finish. Clean win.
Lakers versus Caro was another nail-biter. EPBP squeaked by 67-65. Two-point game. Caro’s gotta be kicking themselves – that close and you don’t get the W? Those are the losses that stick with you.
Kinde-North Huron had their hands full with Carsonville-Port Sanilac. 48-45. Three points. Warriors barely held on but a win’s a win. CPS probably feels like they let one slip away there.
Kingston handled All Saints 48-33. Pretty straightforward. All Saints kept it respectable but Kingston was in control the whole way.
Peck destroyed Caseville 64-32. That’s over 30 points. Caseville never stood a chance once Peck got going. Rough night for Caseville’s squad.
Reese crushed Vassar 68-35. Vassar got embarrassed at home if that’s where they played. Thirty-three point loss hurts no matter how you slice it.
USA Patriots edged Millington 41-37. Low-scoring grind-it-out game. Neither team could get much offense going but USA made enough plays when it mattered. Four-point game means Millington was right there.
One game got cancelled – Capac versus Marlette. Weather maybe? Roads were probably bad somewhere. Happens this time of year.
Girls side only had one game listed. Corunna beat Imlay City 54-50. Four-point game. Imlay City was in it till the end but came up short. Those close losses sting worse than blowouts sometimes.
What’s interesting is how many of these games were total blowouts versus how many went down to the wire. Harbor Beach and Ubly just dominated. Meanwhile Cass City, Lakers, and USA all had to grind out tight wins. Shows you can’t predict anything in high school sports.
Local communities have been dealing with various challenges lately, but basketball season gives folks something positive to focus on. Gyms stay warm, crowds show up, kids get to play. Simple stuff that matters.
Next round of games coming up soon. Teams that won big probably feeling good. Teams that lost close ones? They’ll be hungry for payback next time they hit the court.
