Photo courtesy of Kris Uehlein
By Ben Murphy
Beacon Correspondent
SUPERIOR CENTRAL ROUNDUP
Superior Central had home-court advantage in its Division 4 boys basketball district semifinal against Munising last Wednesday.
The Cougars weren’t able to capitalize, however, and saw their season end with a 65-39 loss to the Mustangs.
“We didn’t get the final result we were hoping for, but that’s the reality for most teams once tournament time arrives,” SC head coach Mike Lovell said.
Superior Central trailed 12-8 after the first quarter but couldn’t get any closer. The Mustangs extended the lead to 34-18 at halftime and 50-28 entering the fourth quarter.
Andrew Charlebois led the Cougars with 13 points. Ryder Kroupa had 10 points and four steals, Will Spranger added eight points and 10 rebounds, Gavin Vining scored six and Eli Valima had two points and six rebounds.
Superior Central finished the season 11-11 overall and will graduate just one senior from the lineup.
“I’m very proud of our team and the season they put together,” Lovell said. “The effort and attitude they brought every day were consistent, and that matters. Every season comes with ups and downs, but this group grew a lot and came together in a special way. They were a fun team to coach. Carter Korpi was our lone senior this season, so the majority of the roster will return. Next season is still a long way off, but the experience this group gained will make a significant difference moving forward.”
Cougars defeat Rapid River
Superior Central didn’t exactly generate much offense in its girls basketball game at Rapid River on Feb. 24. The Cougars were still able to grind out a 29-24 victory over the Rockets.
“Second low-scoring game between us — we beat them early in the year 15-10, and we will face them again in the first round of districts,” SC head coach Skip Rutter said. “Obviously, we are pretty familiar with each other. They are playing much better than they did at the beginning of the season. We didn’t play great, and one of our starters was extremely sick. We were able to use this game to try a few things we feel may be effective in the district game. A few mental mistakes cost us and gave them easy points.”
Superior Central got a 3-pointer from Marissa Strohm in the first quarter, and Aubrey Kroupa added three points as the Cougars led 7-6 after one.
Peyton Adams had the team’s only field goal in the second quarter, and the teams were tied 10-10 at halftime.
Addie Frusti hit a 3-pointer and scored four points in the third quarter. Adams added three points in the frame as Superior Central took a 27-20 lead into the fourth.
Adams scored seven more points in the final quarter and finished with 15 points. Strohm had seven, Frusti scored four and Kroupa added three.
Superior Central (5-12 overall) hosted Rapid River in the first round of Division 4 district play Monday, posting a 30-14 victory. Check the March 11 issue of The Beacon for details. With the win, the Cougars advanced to play at Ishpeming tonight.