STURGIS, MI (WTVB) – The Coldwater Cardinals won their third Michigan High School Athletic Association Boys Basketball District championship in four years Saturday night with an 87-55 victory over Battle Creek Central in the finals of the Division 1 District hosted by Sturgis.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 19-10 first quarter lead and led 36-27 at the halftime break. Coldwater outscored the Bearcats 20-13 in the third quarter and blew the game wide open with a 31-15 advantage in the final stanza.
Ethan Crabtree led all scorers with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, while Brandon Downs added 21 points, 5 boards, 9 assists, and 2 steals.
Melvin Nelson scored 17 points to lead Battle Creek Central, whose season ended at 3-10.
The Cardinals will take a 13-4 record into their matchup against 8-5 Portage Central Tuesday night in the semifinals of the MHSAA Division 1 Regional at Grand Ledge. The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.; live coverage on WTVB will begin at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday night. Portage Central won the St. Joseph District title on Saturday with a 55-46 win over crosstown rival Portage Northern. Holt will face East Lansing on the other side of the Regional bracket.
Listen to the game again:
Another boys basketball district trophy was hoisted by the Coldwater Cardinals on March 27, 2021. (Photo by MWC’s Sean Watson)
Coldwater has won District titles three of the last four years, in 2018 (68-56 vs. Loy Norrix at Gull Lake), 2019 (55-48 vs. Gull Lake at Loy Norrix), and 2021. They were set to play Gull Lake in the finals of the Division 1 Lakeview District in 2020 when the MHSAA Tournament was suspended, then cancelled, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
OTHER BOYS BASKETBALL DISTRICT FINALS
- D2 at Eaton Rapids: Pennfield 58, Marshall 38
- D2 at Jonesville: Parma Western 49, Onsted 48 (OT)
- D3 at Bridgman: Schoolcraft 56, Niles Brandywine 38
- D3 at Comstock: Kalamazoo Christian 50, Comstock 47
- D3 at Centreville: Centreville 65, Reading 56
- D3 at Hanover-Horton: Hanover-Horton 70, Homer 45
- D4 at Bellevue: Bellevue 79, Marshall Academy 27
- D4 at Colon: Colon 44, Bur Oak 25
- D4 at Pittsford: Pittsford 47, Camden-Frontier 45
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