|
KALKASKA - Who would have thought that the regular season championship of the rugged Lake Michigan Conference would be the hollow one? Traverse City St. Francis -- which began then ended the season No. 1 in Class C -- is long gone from the district at Kalkaska. When Suttons Bay faces Fife Lake Forest Area in Friday's final it will feature the champs from two less-respected Northern Michigan conferences. the Northwest and Ski Valley, when Suttons Bay faces Fife Lake Forest Area. Wednesday, Suttons Bay beat Kalkaska, which couldn't rekindle any of its St. Francis upset magic from Monday, 84-72, while Forest Area edged Kingsley 46-44.
The nightcap was fun to watch, because the coaches let their star players be star players. They responded, as 6-foot-3 sophomore Dwaun Anderson had 28 points and 10 rebounds for Suttons Bay, and 5-10 Kalkaska junior Travis Schuba finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. But the games MVPs? How 'bout 6-2 senior Ben Walters from SB and 6-4 senior Jared Raymond for Kalkaska. Walters scored 26. He's a terrific three-point shooter, but was also a surprisingly effective driver with that 35-over league game and body. Schuba isn't the most defensively intent, and he's slight physically, which made Walters a tough cover. Kalkaska had to choose its poison, and put its best defender, 6-3 senior John Kasza, on Dwaun Anderson. Suttons Bay 6-0 junior Shane Kaufman hit two big three-pointers. The second danced out then back in to regainthe Norsemen their seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. On just Sutton Bay's previous possession, Walters' three-point shot looked dead before rolling back through the net. Raymond is really athletic. He jumped right with the bouncy and tough Anderson on the glass. He also looked good catching and shooting from mid-range, and hit a threepointer. Raymond was a pleasant surprise, his game has blossomed as he's stepped up with teams focusing on Schuba and Kasza. Did anyone in Michigan have two tougher defensive assignments to start the week than Kasza? On Monday it was St. Francis' versatile and athletic 6-8 senior Holden Greiner. Then Anderson, versatile and athletic himself. If you dunk regularly in Northern Michigan, you get buzz. Anderson has that. So it was funny that he missed his two dunk attempts, but still showed the tools that make him one of the state's intriguing prospects for 2011. Sutton Bay's big guys were on the bench with crutches and a cane, so Anderson started out on the blocks. He was tough in the post because he has an explosive drop step, is wiry strong, and is just a ballplayer who, though a natural guard, can produce across the lineup. Outside, Anderson has a quick lefty release out to 20 feet. He ended the third quarter with a big-time shot, a three-pointer with Kasza all over him. You'd be hard-pressed to find a tougher shot made on a given night in high school basketball. DA made his first four shots of the second half, and piled up the points without forcing anything. When Dwaun gets out on the break he's really dangerous, the way he swoops in to finish with strength, balance and control. I like his basketball character. Anderson played with passion for success, for his team and the game, not against his opponents. There was one telling series when Anderson bobbled a pass out of bounds, then pointed to the teammate who'd tried to hook him up with the Carolina salute, good pass I know I'll do better next time thanks. Too many "star" players at Anderson's age would undermine, scowl and bitch after a similar play. Offensively where Anderson can improve are with his moves off the dribble. He could be such a dangerous slasher if he could add the moves of, well, Schuba. As it was, Kasza, a good athlete in his own right, did best when guarding Anderson one-on-one in the halfcourt. On the other end, while certainly not there yet, Anderson looks like a guy who could become a strong defender at the college level. Now Schuba and those moves. Good that he's got a bunch, because they allowed him to collect over half his points at the line on a night where his three-point shot, Saint Francis' Bane, didn't make the trip back from Monday. Schuba was 2-for-13 from three-point range, 15-of-16 from the stripe. Adding to Kalkaska's pain, Schuba was the only one making his free throws. While the field goals didn't fall, most were good attempts given how he's done this year. Any number of them would have affected momentum K's direction had they gone in. But they wouldn't, and Travis probably should have recognized the predicament and gone to the drive sooner in the second half. Field goal shooting aside, Schuba's stats are plus. His high rebound and steal numbers the result of quick, sticky hands and just a sense for the ball, the assists a credit to that same innate basketball sense as well as his high skill level. While there are the steals, Schuba's defensive effort and awareness can improve. Forest Area 46, Kingsley 44 You don't worry about the defense of 5-11 Forest Area senior Tyler Denike, who gets after it like a Mateen Cleaves or King Rice. This was a hard-played game, close all the way. Kingsley just couldn't find a clean look on its last possession. Kingsley has had some roster issues, so congratulations Stags for playing with so much heart. Forest Area has one already proven good sophomore, smooth and clutch 6-1 Carl Snyder, and another who showed a lot of promise after being thrust into the second-half lineup, 6-5 Ryan Burke, who is no McClarry Bro. just yet. |
