EAST LANSING, Mich.---For a while there, it looked like the North Central Jets' dream season might just continue for a few more days.
The Jets were in a toe-to-toe battle with Michigan's top-ranked Class D basketball team, with eight minutes remaining on the big clock that hangs above the court at Michigan State University's Breslin Center.
But the magic came to an end just short of the finish line for the Jets as they fell to Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian, 51-36, in the Class D state semifinal game.
"That's the first end-of-the-season speech where I didn't see any tears," NCA Jets Coach Adam Mercier said after the game. "I think that says a lot about our kids. They're hungry for more. And if we do the right things in the off-season to get better, we can get back here in the same position next year. It was a great experience."
North Central led at halftime, 20-19, and Rob Granquist scored the first basket of the third quarter to give his team a 22-19 lead.
But the Jets went on a long dry spell as the Defenders did just that: defend. North Central did not get another basket the rest of the quarter, but despite that, still trailed by only two points (29-27) after three quarters.
Unfortunately for Mercier and his team, the offensive dry spell continued into the fourth quarter. NCA made only one more basket, for a total of two field goals for the entire second half.
That hoop was also by Granquist, and it came with 1:19 left in the game to bring the Jets to within seven points at 43-36. The Jets would not score another point.
""We were a little impatient on the offensive end," Mercier said. "We started forcing some shots, we started seeing some things that weren't there. We forgot a couple of screens here and there. You can't do that against a good defensive ball club like Tri-Unity."
Tri-Unity's Joey Blauwkamp, voted as the state's top Class D player by the Associated Press, had ten points and 14 rebounds.
But Blauwkamp did not score a single point in the first half as Jets junior Travis Vincent played strong defense against him.
"Travis hasn't went against a player with that much girth," Mercier said. "Joey is a very physical player, and it was a good battle. It was really fun to watch. Travis held his own. I thought that Travis did an excellent job, and was still aggressive on the offensive end."
Eventually, though, Vincent admits that the All-Stater got the last laugh.
"They guarded my 'fade' really well tonight," Vincent said. "Joey is a really good defensive player. He knew what I was going to do and he defended me well."
Daniel Cole led the Defenders (25-2) with 18 points, 14 of them in the final quarter.
"My hat goes off to Powers (NCA) because I thought they played a great game," said Tri-Unity Coach Mark Keeler, who has won four state championships in 17 years at the school.
"We knew going into the game that they were a very good team. It doesn't matter what part of the state you're from. Basketball is basketball in Michigan."
Granquist had 13 points for the Jets (23-4). Trevor Ekberg had eight points and seven rebounds. Tyler Polfus made the team's only three-pointer early in the game.
The Jets shot 1-for-13 from three-point land and were 10-for-34 (29%) overall.
Still, it was an incredible ride for the NCA players, coaches, and community. The boys won three tough district tournament games, two more in the regionals, followed by an improbable 14-point win over #2 Cedarville just to get to the Final Four.
"Just winning the regional really brought the community back together," Vincent said. "It gave us a lot of hope coming down here, because it's big to come down here.
"You know, it's the Breslin Center! It brought a lot of cheer to our community."
Southfield Christian beat Lansing Christian, 75-68, in the other Class D semifinal.
CLICK HERE to see all of the statistics and game play-by-play.
Photo credits: Top two photos are courtesy of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. CLICK HERE to read their "Second Half" game coverage. The third photo is courtesy of Paul Gerard (Grandpa Camo). See many more of his photos at www.grandpacamo.com
The Jets were in a toe-to-toe battle with Michigan's top-ranked Class D basketball team, with eight minutes remaining on the big clock that hangs above the court at Michigan State University's Breslin Center.
But the magic came to an end just short of the finish line for the Jets as they fell to Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian, 51-36, in the Class D state semifinal game.
"That's the first end-of-the-season speech where I didn't see any tears," NCA Jets Coach Adam Mercier said after the game. "I think that says a lot about our kids. They're hungry for more. And if we do the right things in the off-season to get better, we can get back here in the same position next year. It was a great experience."
But the Jets went on a long dry spell as the Defenders did just that: defend. North Central did not get another basket the rest of the quarter, but despite that, still trailed by only two points (29-27) after three quarters.
Unfortunately for Mercier and his team, the offensive dry spell continued into the fourth quarter. NCA made only one more basket, for a total of two field goals for the entire second half.
That hoop was also by Granquist, and it came with 1:19 left in the game to bring the Jets to within seven points at 43-36. The Jets would not score another point.
""We were a little impatient on the offensive end," Mercier said. "We started forcing some shots, we started seeing some things that weren't there. We forgot a couple of screens here and there. You can't do that against a good defensive ball club like Tri-Unity."
Travis Vincent post-game comments.
But Blauwkamp did not score a single point in the first half as Jets junior Travis Vincent played strong defense against him.
"Travis hasn't went against a player with that much girth," Mercier said. "Joey is a very physical player, and it was a good battle. It was really fun to watch. Travis held his own. I thought that Travis did an excellent job, and was still aggressive on the offensive end."
Eventually, though, Vincent admits that the All-Stater got the last laugh.
"They guarded my 'fade' really well tonight," Vincent said. "Joey is a really good defensive player. He knew what I was going to do and he defended me well."
"My hat goes off to Powers (NCA) because I thought they played a great game," said Tri-Unity Coach Mark Keeler, who has won four state championships in 17 years at the school.
"We knew going into the game that they were a very good team. It doesn't matter what part of the state you're from. Basketball is basketball in Michigan."
Granquist had 13 points for the Jets (23-4). Trevor Ekberg had eight points and seven rebounds. Tyler Polfus made the team's only three-pointer early in the game.
The Jets shot 1-for-13 from three-point land and were 10-for-34 (29%) overall.
Still, it was an incredible ride for the NCA players, coaches, and community. The boys won three tough district tournament games, two more in the regionals, followed by an improbable 14-point win over #2 Cedarville just to get to the Final Four.
NCA Coach Adam Mercier comments.
"You know, it's the Breslin Center! It brought a lot of cheer to our community."
Southfield Christian beat Lansing Christian, 75-68, in the other Class D semifinal.
CLICK HERE to see all of the statistics and game play-by-play.
Photo credits: Top two photos are courtesy of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. CLICK HERE to read their "Second Half" game coverage. The third photo is courtesy of Paul Gerard (Grandpa Camo). See many more of his photos at www.grandpacamo.com
