Fremont Hoops Split In BR

Boys: Late Game Heroics Put Pack On Top In Gold Race
Girls: Cardinals Dominate At Home

Photos By Renee Hanshue

Fremont 57 Big Rapids 54
It was a classic battle reminiscent of the down to the wire game the two teams put on display 7 weeks earlier in the Fremont gym.
Different outcome this time, though.
With 22 seconds on the clock  Jordon McDonald muscled in what proved to be the game winner,  a shot in traffic with 22 seconds of game time remaining that edged the Pack into the lead at 55-54. The Cards had a shot at retaking the lead but the attempt failed and they were forced to foul, bringing Logan Nelson to the line. With just seconds on the clock Nelson drained the pair to secure the win and the Pack brought the 7 game Cardinal winning streak to an end. Coach Bowen:  “This was a huge win for our kids.  Big Rapids is always a tough place to get a win.  This game kind of sums up the type of team that we are-it's not always pretty, but we battle and fight the whole game.  In the end, we were able to make enough plays to win.
“Our senior guards stepped up defensively and also hit some big shots for us.”
McDonald paced the Pack once again, dropping 25 on the hosts while pulling 8 off the glass and adding 3 steals on defense. Nelson finished with 11 points and a pair of steals and Joey DeLong grabbed 4 boards to go with his 9 points.
The hard fought road victory along with Reed City’s win over Grant makes it a 3 team race in the Gold. Fremont (7-1, 8-5), Big Rapids (6-1, 8-2) and Reed City (5-1, 8-2) each have just one loss in conference play. The Cards and Coyotes face each other  twice more this season.
Fremont will host Orchard View on Tuesday.


Big Rapids 61 Fremont 35
Big Rapids took control early, taking a 15-6 lead after one and pouring it on in the second to hit the locker room with a 35-12 advantage. They didn’t relinquish control until a final period that saw the Cardinal bench empty and the Packers double their total scoring output up to that point.
Cardinal sharpshooter Rylie Haist was on fire as she canned a half dozen missiles from beyond the arc to pace the BR offense. 
Coach Zerlaut: “We were outplayed. Big Rapids is a good team but we didn’t match their effort, energy, or intensity. I feel like we made some positive strides in the past couple weeks in that regard but we took a step backwards tonight.”
Jessica Bennett led the Packers with 8 points and 5 steals.
Fremont (2-6, 2-11) will head to the lakeshore Tuesday to face the Whitehall Vikings in a non conference tilt.