Bridgeport vs. Essexville-Garber – 5 Takeaways
Bridgeport’s dominating third quarter helped them to yet another road win over Essexville-Garber on Friday night. The Bearcats 76-50 victory also helped them secure their third consecutive Tri-Valley Conference East Division championship. Bridgeport appeared to be in for a long…
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Continue ReadingBridgeport’s dominating third quarter helped them to yet another road win over Essexville-Garber on Friday night. The Bearcats 76-50 victory also helped them secure their third consecutive Tri-Valley Conference East Division championship.
Bridgeport appeared to be in for a long night when senior standout SirQuarius Ball (2019) picked up his second foul, just three minutes into the game. But Markele Garrett (2019) and the Bearcats talented bench maintained their lead over the Dukes, helping them to a 33-22 lead at the half.
Ball got the nod to start the second half and, alongside Garrett, the Bridgeport duo lit up the scoreboard. Despite Garber’s strong start to the third, giving up 22 points was just too much for the Dukes to bounce back from.
Dynamic Duo
It’s no secret around the Tri-Valley Conference that it’s Markele Garrett and SirQuarius Ball who make Bridgeport go. It’s just trying to slow them down that opponents struggle to get done on a nightly basis.
The two tallied 19 points apiece while helping their squad improve to 16-0 on the season. And while the two senior Bearcats had big nights on Friday, it was events that took place earlier this month that made even bigger news. And it took place off the hardwood.
On National Signing Day, Ball inked a deal to play football at Grand Valley State University. Earlier this month, Garrett offered his verbal commitment to play football for Saginaw Valley State University.
Dominant Dukes
Despite the loss, Garber’s tandem of Jacob Denham (2019) and Manny Joppich (2019) wowed on both ends of the floor. The 6’4 teammates did all they could to keep the Dukes close by grabbing rebounds, running the floor and catching Bridgeport off guard on several different occasions in the first half.
Denham’s sleek jumper and Joppich’s work in the paint accounted for the majority of an otherwise dismal Garber offense. Denham led the way with 17 and Joppich tallied 14. They were the only scorers in double-digits for the Dukes, who drained just one three-pointer on the night.
All In
With Ball getting into foul trouble early, it gave Bridgeport head coach Kevin Marshall a chance to showcase some of his talented roster throughout the night.
Marshall went deep into his bench, getting nearly everyone minutes in the first half. But having the biggest night off the bench was Jaylen Hodges (2021), who tallied seven points. London Williams (2020) also had a big night that you wouldn’t have noticed by just looking at the score book. Williams had a huge night on the boards and played stellar defense, keeping Garber out of the paint and forcing them to settle for shots beyond the arc.
Well-Rounded
The Bearcats are currently ranked No. 5 among Division 2 teams in the state of Michigan, and Friday night they showed just a glimpse of why they are included in the best of the best.
Ball and Garrett may be the leaders of the squad, but Remaureon Arthur (2021) and Dantae Tyson (2019) also had a chance to show out on Friday. Arthur’s smooth shot earned him 10 points on the night while Tyson slashed and dashed his way to 10 of his own – proving that Bridgeport’s offense can roll on whenever Ball or Garrett are on the sidelines.
The Best is yet to Come
Aside from wins within a mediocre East division of the Tri-Valley Conference, Bridgeport has posted wins over Detroit Ford, Freeland, Lansing Everett and Saginaw Heritage – two of which came in overtime. But the Bearcats have several non-conference contests to end their regular season schedule.
Bridgeport’s road to the state semifinals – held at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center – is an awfully familiar one. To get there, they’ll have to make their way through a handful of Tri-Valley Conference foes. That includes Alma, currently 14-1 and ranked #9 in Division 2, who the Bearcats could potentially meet up with in the Regional round. Should they make it there, the Bearcats could have Grand Rapids Catholic Central (#8, 13-3) or Grand Rapids Christian (#10, 13-3) waiting for them in East Lansing.