ROUND 2: Unionville-Sebewaing vs. Reese – 5 Takeaways
Unonville-Sebewaing (USA) capped off what could arguably be its biggest week of the season, in a very big way Friday. In a rematch of their rivalry game that came down to the wire earlier this season, the Patriots traveled to…
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Continue ReadingUnonville-Sebewaing (USA) capped off what could arguably be its biggest week of the season, in a very big way Friday.
In a rematch of their rivalry game that came down to the wire earlier this season, the Patriots traveled to Reese and silenced the hometown Rockets with a staggering 59-39 victory. The win helped USA improve to 11-0 on the season and 7-0 in the Greater Thumb Conference’s West Division – where they sit alone in first place after taking down Bad Axe earlier in the week.
USA raced out to a 17-3 start behind three-pointers from Nash Morton (2020) and Landin Zimmer (2020). Reese’s first field goal didn’t come until the two minute mark in the first quarter when Gabe Robinson (2019) knocked down a three from the corner. Robinson, a University of MIchigan Dearborn commit, would finish the night with 13 points.
The Patriot offense continued to roll in the second quarter courtesy of some more sharp-shooting from Micah Cramer (2019) and Connor Gettel (2021), who helped extend USA’s lead to 16 four minutes before the break. Reese’s Isaac Johnson tried to keep things close with a three of his own, but triples from Cramer and Zimmer in the final minutes all but did the Rockets in, giving USA a 38-14 lead at half.
The Patriots had six different players contribute points to their first-half scoring surge. They got it done on defense as well, forcing 16 Rocket turnovers in the first half.
“Reese’s backs were really against the wall with this one. We thought they’d be putting everything on the table tonight, but our guys just took it to them,” said longtime USA head coach Mark Gainforth. “We didn’t allow them to get in any kind of rhythm and we did a great job of recognizing their sets. Once that happened, (Reese) tended to get a little impatient and turn the ball over.”
Despite winning the scoring battle in both the third and fourth quarters, USA’s first-half dominance was just too much for Reese to bounce back from. The loss drops the Rockets to 2-3 in the Greater Thumb West, 8-5 overall.
Big Week, Bigger Tests
USA was faced with two road tests, against their two toughest opponents in the league, and they came out unscathed on the other side. Even with Head Coach Mark Gainforth being hospitalized earlier this week, forcing him to miss Tuesday’s win over Bad Axe.
“Those were two huge road wins against the top two contenders in our league,” Gainforth said. “If you drop one or both games this week, that could really hang around and carry on for the rest of the season.”
But having only played one non-conference game thus far, USA’s biggest tests of the season lie within the next couple of weeks when they square off with Saginaw Valley Lutheran (1/29), Kingston (2/4) and Croswell-Lexington (2/13). The Patriots haven’t lost a game since March 20, 2018 – a Class C Quarterfinal loss to Detroit Edison Public School, who went on to state championship. That loss was also the Patriots only defeat of last season. If USA hopes to make a run similar to the one they made a year ago, win or lose, games against bigger schools and non-conference opponents will only help strengthen them for March.
“It’s easy for these guys to get up for Reese, I don’t need to say a whole lot. But it’s not easy being undefeated,” Gainforth said. “Someday this win streak will end. But it’s not something we talk about or discuss in the locker room. We just keep battling for wins.”
Growing Pains
The Rockets started their season with two freshman in their starting lineup – Damarquss Palmreuter and Jake Rau. Now, at the midway point of the season, a third – Tanner TerBush, has made his way into the top five. Most expected these three to blossom as the season progressed and to gel alongside senior standout senior Gabe Robinson. Instead, Reese has struggled to find an offensive identity and experienced growing pains nearly every step of the way.
There’s plenty of promise for the Rockets underclassmen, that much is clear. Moving forward, a tough loss in front of a hometown crowd will surely serve as valuable experience and understanding within the Reese vs. USA for the next three years.
Splash Brothers
USA has made a name for themselves beyond the arc this season. On Friday night, It had seemed as though USA couldn’t miss in the first half when they were lighting up the scoreboard.
The Patriots knocked down eight three-pointers before the break, including five in the second quarter thanks to the hot hands of Zimmer, Cramer and Morton – who went off for ten points in the opening frame. He and Zimmer led USA’s offense for the night, scoring 14 points apiece. Micah Cramer (2019) tallied 11 in the win.
“We didn’t shoot very well Wednesday, but we took a lot of great shots tonight, Gainforth said. “We started by spreading the ball out but then Nash got hot – giving us that edge we needed. Then it was Zimmer who took over. Micah had a big game, too.
Due to the level of heat being cranked out by Zimmer, Cramer and Morton, USA’s top scorer and arguably top-shooter Tyler Heckroth didn’t even have a chance to get in on the fun – netting just five points in the win.
“When you win by 20 and your leading scorer doesn’t hit double-digits, that says a lot about your team,” Gainforth said. “Credit to Tyler though. His offensive performance didn’t effect his defense. You’ll see a lot of times where not scoring plays with a persons effort on defense, but that didn’t happen with Tyler tonight and that’s a great step for him.”
Missed Opportunity
Home game. League game. Rivlary game. This was a matchup that Reese and head coach Brian Kern had circled on the schedule since the start of the season.
After their first meeting, you could also label it a revenge game. Not to mention that it’s the annual All For a Cure game – an emotional night where the two schools come together to celebrate those who have beat cancer, those currently battling cancer and those who lost their battle with cancer.
Instead, a normally rowdy Rocket crowd was quieted early on after a hot start by the Patriots. Reese’s offense struggled to keep up, not hitting their first bucket from the field until the two minute mark in the first quarter.
For this season, a team who was projected by many to win the Greater Thumb West, is left just trying to remain in the hunt. With only conference games remaining on their schedule, Reese is left with few opportunities to prepare for the postseason. There is still plenty of time to improve and get better, but it’s going to be an uphill battle come March when the Rockets go into Division 3 district play with Millington, Montrose, Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Saginaw Valley Lutheran and Vassar.
Quote of the Night
“I’ve told our guys in the past – we are not going to pass any eye tests during warm-ups. We’re don’t really look that athletic, we don’t have much size, we don’t have anybody who can dunk and we don’t have a lot of those frills,” Gainforth said laughingly. “But when the ball goes up, these guys are one unit and they get after it.”