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Sunday May 4, 2025
Cougars Eliminate Rockets As Districts Begin, 54-45

RAPID RIVER---The high school basketball's "second season" began Monday night as the district tournaments began across the Upper Peninsula.

The tournaments allow every team, no matter what their regular season record is, the chance to start all over again with an 0-0 record. 

The Rapid River Rockets were 2-18 in the regular season, but on Monday, the boys played hard before falling to the Superior Central Cougars, 54-45, at the Rapid River Gym.

The game was close for most of the evening.

"Being 2-18, it can be real frustrating," Rapid River Head Coach Rich Poma said. "It takes a toll on you. But they handled it pretty well. They always come to practice with intensity, and not once this season did they get down on themselves. They always looked like they wanted to be there. That's tough to find in a team."

"We know we're not very big," Superior Central Head Coach Cody Kangas said. "They had the two big guys down low, that really caused us a mismatch. But we pride ourselves on our hustle and aggressiveness. That's won us a few games, and I think that if we want to win on Wednesday, we will need to be aggressive and hustle all over the place."


Hoops for Jake Aho, Mason Berglund
The first half was tight, with the teams going into the locker room tied at 27-27. The teams traded baskets to start the third quarter, and then the Cougars went on a run.

Jake Aho scored six straight points to give Superior Central a 35-29 lead. Mason Berglund responded with a basket and a foul shot to bring the Rockets to within three, at 35-32. But Cougar senior Colton Richmond went on a run of his own.

He hit a pull-up jumper, then after the Rockets missed two free throws, Richmond buried a three.

Then, after a Rocket turnover, Richmond drained another three; this one with a man in his face. All of a sudden, it was a 43-32 SC lead.

"Superior Central played tough and Colton Richmond hit some monster three's when they needed them," Poma said. "Just when we started closing gaps, he'd extend it. We played good defense, but he just hit some over the top from pretty deep."

"We've been working hard with him for the past two or three weeks on where to shoot, and when to shoot it," Kangas said. "He's been doing a great job with that. I think that when he gets going, it opens it up for everyone else."

For his part, Richmond was just happy to contribute at a key time.


Colton Richmond scores a huge three.
"I just thought I had the open looks, so I took it, and it went down," Richmond said. "I guess in this game, I played a little better than I usually do, and we came out on top."

Richmond also nailed two big free throws in the game's final two minutes after Brody Shroeder had made a big three for the Rockets, cutting the Cougar lead to 46-41.

"I concentrated," Richmond said. "In practice, we work on free throws all the time."


Alternative content

Colton Richmond interview
Richmond's free throws, plus four foul shots by Brandon Maki, put the game away in the final two minutes for Superior Central (9-12), which faces Big Bay deNoc on Wednesday.

Richmond and Maki each scored 15 points for the Cougars, while Aho added 13. The Rockets got 12 points from Berglund and 11 from George Kanyuh, who fouled out.

Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and listen to radio replays and post-game interviews.









Choose team:
Date Time Opponent Score Record
2/20
7:30 PM
at North Central Jets
32 - 78 (L)



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Tuesday January 13, 2015
Rapid River Holds Off Big Mid Peninsula Comeback
Tuesday December 30, 2014