QUINCY, MI (WTVB) – In Branch County high school sports, the boys basketball MHSAA State Tournament tipped off last night with Quincy, Bronson, and Union City each winning their first round games in the Hillsdale Class C District. Coldwater drew a first round bye in their own Class B District and the Cardinals tomorrow night in the semi-finals will host Sturgis, who also had a first round bye.
Quincy last night improved to 20-and-1 as the Orioles won at home over Reading 72-55. The visiting Rangers led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter before Quincy went ahead 33-28 at the half. After both teams scored 18 points in the third quarter, the Orioles pulled away in the final period for a 17-point victory. Quincy rode the hot hand of Jake Rider, who finished with 37 points. Jake Jodway added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Tomorrow night in the semi-finals at Hillsdale, the Orioles will take on Bronson after the Vikings last night were victorious at Jonesville 44-37. A low scoring first half ended with Bronson on top 14-13. It stayed close heading into the fourth quarter with the Vikings holding a 28-26 lead before they put the win away. Noah Roberts had a game-high 12 points for Bronson with 10 points for Sean Kenny. Eric Toledo added 8 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. The Vikings improved their record to 8-13. And
Union City was a winner on the road last night as the Chargers rallied to beat Homer 65-60. Union City trailed 50-45 after three quarters but they doubled up the Trojans in the final period 20-10 for the victory that improved their record to 17-4. Darren Austin had a game-high 21 points in the win with 16 points for Elijah Way and 15 for Jalen Boes. Tomorrow night in the semi-final opener, Union City will go up against undefeated Hillsdale. The host Hornets, who are ranked 4th in the state in Class-C, drew a first round bye. The District final is Friday night.
Also last night, Tekonsha’s season came to an end as the Indians fell 42-38 to Marshall Academy in the first round of the Battle Creek St. Philip Class D District. Connor Jenkins had 16 points in the loss with Tekonsha’s final record at 5-16.
Coldwater’s semifinal matchup against Sturgis tomorrow night is set to start at 7:30 pm with live cobverage on WTVB beginning at 7 pm. The 6 pm opening semifinal contest features Three Rivers vs. Edwardsburg. Three Rivers had a first round bye while last night in Coldwater, it was Edwardsburg over Vicksburg 55-50.
In one other game of note from last night, March Magic lived up to its name at the Harper Creek Class B district where the host Beavers survived an upset bid by Interstate 8 rival Marshall in a 75-74 miracle win for Harper Creek. The Beavers, who advance with a 19-2 record, trailed 74-69 with 12 seconds left in the game. Harper Creek got a quick layup, and then after a steal and a trip to the foul line, the Beavers intentionally missed a second free throw attempt, got the rebound, and then converted a 3-point shot with less than a second remaining to steal the victory from the Redhawks.
The girls basketball state tournament starts its second week of action tonight with the Regional semi-finals. No Branch County teams were able to get past last week’s districts.
Coming up today on the Coaches Corner, it’s Quincy Boys basketball coach Scott Rodesiler.
