PORTAGE, MI (WTVB) – Portage Central outscored Coldwater in the third quarter 32-14, turning a 33-30 halftime advantage into a blowout as the Mustangs beat the visiting Cardinals 78-56 in the boys basketball season opener.
Portage Central’s Ben Johnson led all scorers with 30 points, which included six three pointers, four of them coming in the pivotal third quarter. Noah Swope added 18 for the Mustangs, and Alex Beachnau had 16.
Ayden Dirschell paced the Cardinals with a team-high 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Gavin Taylor added 11 points and 5 boards. Coldwater returns to action Friday night at Gull Lake.
Listen to the game again:
The Cardinals split the underclassman games. The JV team beat the Mustangs 38-33 behind 11 points and 5 rebounds from Landon Dirschell and 10 points from Dayton Ennis. Coldwater lost the freshman game 53-11; Finn Hanson had a team-high 5 points.
Elsewhere, Bronson started fast and finished strong as they won at Battle Creek St. Philip 66-48. The Vikings led 17-3 after the first quarter and 39-9 at the half. Kamron Brackett had a game-high 30 points, while Boston Bucklin scored 15. Bronson will host Pennfield Friday night.
At Hillsdale, Union City had a 42-36 lead after three quarters, but were outscored in the final stanza 17-3 as the Hornets beat the Chargers 53-45. Eli Payne led Union City with 14 points, while Jeremy Zehr and Jason Shoop had 8 apiece. The Chargers will face Mendon Saturday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
OTHER AREA SCORES
- Jackson 54, Parma Western 50
- Marshall 61, Eaton Rapids 49
- St Joseph 53, Harper Creek 46
- Tecumseh 53, Jackson Northwest 50
- Williamston 53, Pennfield 38
- Reading 65, Camden-Frontier 25
- Maple Valley 55, Delton Kellogg 48
- Leslie 45, Springport 42 (OT)
- Gull Lake 61, Paw Paw 57
- South Haven 47, Three Rivers 43
- Vicksburg 63, Dowagiac 50
- Battle Creek Academy 50, Athens 40
- Britton Deerfield 66, Pittsford 39
- Galesburg-Augusta 51, Climax-Scotts 28
- Will Carleton Academy 57, North Adams-Jerome 45
- Sand Creek 61, Waldron 39
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