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Negaunee, Cedarville Bow Out In State Semifinals
 EAST LANSING---They gave it their best, but in the end, U.P. Power was not enough. The Negaunee Miners lost to the Class C's top-ranked team, Detroit Consortium, 69-54 in the state semifinals Thursday at Michigan State University's Breslin Center. Later, the Cedarville Trojans fell to Adrian Lenawee Christian (a team that has three players from Nigeria), 67-58, in the Class D state semifinals. Negaunee trailed just 12-11 after the first quarter, but the second quarter was a nightmare for the Miners and Coach Mike O'Donnell. The Cougars outscored Negaunee, 20-7, in the second quarter and led, 32-18, at halftime. Detroit showed outstanding athleticism, led by 6-foot-8 sophomore Joshua Jackson, who had several slam dunks in the contest. Jackson had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Cougars. But two other players scored even more: senior Rudy Smith had 22 points and sophomore Luster Johnson added 20 points. For the Miners (24-2), it was a second straight trip to the Breslin Center. “Just getting here, making it twice, is unbelievable,” Miners senior Tyler Jandron said. “But it’s tough losing this. I want to push myself to the limit, and tonight we came up short." Jandron scored twelve points in his final game as a Negaunee Miner. Jay Lori led the Miners with 14 points. In the post-game press conference, O'Donnell praised his seniors for the leadership they showed throughout their careers. “We talked to our underclassmen about what these seniors did for us, and we’re going to miss them,” O’Donnell said. “At the same time, we wanted to take the time to thank them and make sure they understand we appreciate what they did for us.” CLICK HERE to see all of the statistics from the game, from MHSAA. CLICK HERE to see the post-game press conference, via MHSAA.tv. In the Class D game, Cedarville was up against a Lenawee Christian team that has three players who moved to Michigan from Nigeria. All three are taller than 6-foot-6. They all have just first names: Kingsley, Maxwell, and Collins. The school will not disclose any more information about those kids, or their backgrounds. But the Michigan High School Athletic Association has told opposing teams all year long that the MHSAA has investigated those kids, and they have been cleared to play. Still, Cedarville Coach Dave Duncan told the MHSAA Radio Network during halftime of thie semifinal game: "I feel like I'm playing against the Nigerian National Team". Well, "Kingsley" scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the Cougars to the win. And "Maxwell" scored 12 points and added six boards. The third Nigerian, "Collins" had one point and four rebounds in a limited offensive role. The Cedarville Trojans trailed at halftime, 34-24, but had a great third quarter, keyed by the play of junior Brad Causley. Causley scored 15 points in the third quarter as Cedarville outscored Lenawee Christian, 23-14, to close to within 48-47. Causley scored early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 49, but the Cougars went on an 8-0 run and Cedarville shot a miserable 2-for-16 durng the fourth quarter. Causley scored 22 points and fellow junior Joey Duncan also scored 22 for the Trojans (24-2). Dan Stenback added 12 points in his final game in a Cedarville uniform. "I’m proud of our effort," Coach Duncan said after the game. "It was a pretty gutsy effort that I felt like we played with in the second half.” CLICK HERE to see the game statistics, from the MHSAA. CLICK HERE to see the post-game press conference, via MHSAA.tv. |
| Date | Time | Opponent | Score | Record |
12/10 |
7:30 PM |
Escanaba Eskymos
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70 - 67 (W)
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12/13 |
6:00 PM |
at Superior Central Cougars
|
72 - 39 (W)
|
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1/2 |
7:30 PM |
at Escanaba Eskymos
|
67 - 47 (W)
|
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2/11 |
7:30 PM |
Gladstone Braves
|
71 - 57 (W)
|
|
3/10 |
8:00 PM |
at St. Ignace Saints
|
84 - 61 (W)
|
|
3/12 |
7:00 PM |
at Ironwood Red Devils
|
70 - 45 (W)
|
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3/18 |
7:00 PM |
East Jordan High School
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63 - 42 (W)
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3/20 |
2:50 PM |
Detroit Consortium HS
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54 - 69 (L)
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