COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – In Branch County high school sports, the MHSAA Girl basketball tournament tipped off last night and all three county teams that played, Coldwater, Quincy, and Bronson, had their seasons come to an end with March Magic first round losses. In the Coldwater game that we had on the radio, the Lady Cardinals went down to defeat to Vicksburg 46-41 at the Vicksburg Class B District. Coldwater trailed 20-16 at the half after falling behind 19-8 in the second quarter. They took a 3-point lead over Vicksburg with about 6-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter but the host Bulldogs put the game away at the charity stripe, hitting 13 of their 18 free throws in the final period.
On the night, Coldwater was 7-for-11 from the stripe while Vicksburg was 19-for-28. The Lady Cardinals also struggled to protect the basketball, committing 24 turnovers, 17 in the first half. Carlee Smoker was our McDonald’s Player of the Game for Coldwater, scoring a team-high 12 points along with 7 rebounds. Haley Reincke and Payton Watson had 8 points apiece with 7 rebounds as well for Reincke.
Coldwater finished the season with a 6-15 record. Vicksburg improved to 13-8 and will take on Three Rivers tomorrow night in the District semifinals.
In the Class C Reading District, Bronson was upset at Jonesville with the Lady Vikings losing 41-25. The Comets, who won every quarter, led 19-11 at the half and were up 32-19 heading into the final quarter. Kinslea Blouin and Skyler Sobeski had 9 points apiece in the loss with Bronson bowing out with a 14-6 record.
Also in the Reading District, Quincy fell to Hillsdale 37-25. The game was tied 17-all at the half but then Hillsdale shutout the Lady Orioles 12-0 in the third quarter and went on to win by that 12-point margin. Katie Spalding had 6 points and 8 rebounds for Quincy, which ended the season at 1-20. Branch County’s last team left in the Girls postseason, Union City, will take on Hillsdale tomorrow night at Reading in the District semifinals.
And at the Class D Bellevue District, Tekonsha lost to Bellevue 40-21. Kayla Cole had 8 points for Tekonsha.
In varsity boys basketball, the regular season comes to a close this week and tonight’s schedule finds all four county teams in action including longtime rivals Coldwater and Sturgis facing off in a non-conference matchup at Sturgis. We’ll have the game on the radio and you can also listen on-line with the audio streaming at wtvbam.com and the live broadcast beginning at 7 pm. The contest is a preview of the state tournament Coldwater Class B district semi-finals a week from tomorrow as both teams drew first round byes. Elsewhere tonight, there’s a Branch County matchup in the Big 8 with Quincy at Union City. Also, Bronson hosts Colon.
The 42nd annual Al Clyne Coldwater Noon Exchange Club Freshman Boys basketball tournament got started last night at Legg Middle School and the host Coldwater Cardinals rallied to beat Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 55-44. Coldwater was down by 16 in the first half before their comeback gave them a 28-26 lead at the break and the Cardinals stayed ahead of the Knights the rest of the way. Joe Severn had a game-high 25 points for Coldwater with 12 points for Christian Pine and 10 for Brent Smoker. The Cardinals will next play Jackson Lumen Christi in the Championship bracket at 7:15 tomorrow night.
In last night’s tournament opener, Lumen Christi defeated Jonesville 77-43. There are two more first round games tonight with Marshall vs. Sturgis at 5:30 pm followed by Hillsdale against Jackson High. The tournament continues through Saturday.
Today on the Coaches Corner, it’s Quincy Boys basketball Coach Scott Rodesiler.