St. Ignace at Rudyard – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 31, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Your Bleacher Denizen has made the trip to the Upper Peninsula; tonight he will watch as the Bulldogs from Rudyard host the Saints from St. Ignace. Both these teams are members of the Straits Area Conference. St. Ignace has a 4-0 league record and is 11-3 overall. Rudyard is 2-2 in the conference and 9-4 overall.

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this vintage blues tune from my You Tube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TtsKUnqw7g

Rudyard Coach Jim Suggitt helped me with some background information about his Bulldog players. Cam Peterson is an excellent point guard. He is a versatile defender who can play on the perimeter or help in the post. He is a complete offensive player who is a dependable ball handler, a good slasher to the basket, a fine passer and a solid three point shooter. Jack Cifelli is a tough rebounder, defender and scorer in the post. Aiden Bickel is a strong perimeter defender.

Eli Sprague is great slashing to the basket. Jaxon Clark is a fine three point shooter. Andrew Piippo can score on slashes to the basket or from the three point line.

St. Ignace Coach Doug Ingalls was also helpful with information about his Saint players. Jonny Ingalls is an all-state player who brings many strengths to his team. He is a fine, athletic perimeter defender who is also a good rebounder and can block shots in the post. On offense, he is a classic point guard who handles the ball well and is nearly unstoppable when he slashes to the basket. He also is an excellent three point shooter who can get to spots on the floor and launch accurate jumpers from almost anywhere within 30 feet.

Ethan McLean is another complete player who defends well in the post or on the perimeter. He can score on slashes to the basket and can also hit the three point shot. In fact, when he was a sophomore two years ago, he finished this exciting double-overtime game with a buzzer-beating three pointer from the corner! https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2022/02/19/rudyard-at-st-ignace-boys-basketball-the-bleacher-denizen-february-18-2022-by-chuck-krafft/

Trevor Visnaw is a point guard who can slash to the basket to score. He is a quick and determined perimeter defender. Kordell KillsCrow is a versatile defender who can cover on the perimeter or in the post. He is also a strong three point shooter. Nick Halberg is a tough post rebounder, defender and scorer. Shawn Kingsbury is a quick, energetic perimeter defender. Garrett Martin is a fine three point shooter. Evan Arnold is an effective rebounder.

St. Ignace played the JV game with only six players; two of who had limited playing time because they were also needed in the varsity game. The Saints got off to a 19-7 first quarter lead in the JV game. In the second quarter, because of a bloody nose and the need to not play the part-time varsity players, the Saints had to play a stretch with just four players. Rudyard capitalized and was able to tie the game at 24-24 by halftime.

St. Ignace was able to play with five players the rest of the game. They marched out to a 43-34 third quarter lead and won the game by the final score of 55-47.

Kyle Postma led the Rudyard JVs with 14 points. Emmett Grenfell joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Steven Kirschner, Ty Lalone and Camron Willis each notched 6 points. Aiden Ortiz scored 5 points.

Colt Fettig led the victorious Saint JVs with 26 points. Evan Arnold supported him with 13 points. Aidan Holwerda put in 8 points. Dylan Shepard tossed in 5 points. Garrett Martin scored 3 points.

Before the game, Rudyard Coach Jim Suggett made a nice presentation to honor Coach Doug Ingalls and his wife, Dorene Ingalls, who have had a lot of success coaching at St. Ignace for many years.

It is now time to look at the events of the varsity game through the glazed lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the ancient times when he was considered to be “young.” He was showing some promise as a dunker, but then the basketball powers-that-be raised the height of the rim from five to ten feet. Alas, with one rule change, your Bleacher Denizen’s dunking career came to a screeching halt!

Rudyard wins the opening tap. The Bulldogs miss a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Jack Cifelli pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Jonny Ingalls steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to give the Saints the first two points of the game. Eli Sprague passes to Jack Cifelli, who hits a layup for Rudyard to tie the game at 2-2.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. Kordell KillsCrow gets the long offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a threeball from the side. Nick Halberg gets the offensive rebound and passes to Ethan McLean for a Saint layup. Nick Halberg steals a Bulldog pass in the lane. Jonny Ingalls hits a fast break layup to give St. Ignace a 6-2 lead.

Jonny Ingalls blocks a Rudyard shot in the lane. St. Ignace misfires on a triple try from the top of the key. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the wing. Eli Sprague gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Garrett Martin steals the ball for St. Ignace and passes to Kordell KillsCrow for a Saint layup. Aiden Bickel passes to Jack Cifelli, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the wing for Rudyard. NIck Halberg hits a layup to give St. Ignace a 10-4 lead.

Trevor Visnaw knocks the ball out of bounds; Rudyard gets the ball back. The Bulldogs miss an eight foot shot in the lane. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Eli Sprague is fouled hard on a driving layup and hits two free throws to trim the Saint lead to 10-6 with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

St. Ignace misses a layup. Cam Peterson hits a twelve foot fadeaway shot from the wing for Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a threeball from the side. Rudyard misses a threeball from the wing. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. Kordell KillsCrow hits a putback to for the Saints. Trevor Visnaw blocks a Rudyard fast break layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Bulldogs get another opportunity. Eli Sprague drivess the baseline and hits a layup to trim the Saint lead to 14-10.

Kordell KillsCrow passes to Jonny Ingalls, who hits a layup for the Saints. Jack Cifelli hits a ten foot shot from the wing for the Bulldogs. Aiden Bickel draws a charging foul from St. Ignace. Rudyard misses a seventeen foot shot from the wing. Jack Cifelli gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Nick Halberg draws a charging foul from Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a jump shot from the side. Rudyard misses a jumper from the free throw line. Jonny Ingalls launches, leaps and hits a reverse layup to give his Saints a 16-12 lead.

Rudyard misfires on a threeball from the side. St. Ignace misses a ten footer off the dribble from the side and fouls Andrew Piippo on the rebound. Andrew PIipo hits one of hits two free throws to trim the St. Ignace lead to 16-13 with 43.7 seconds to play in the quarter.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Jaxon Clark passes to Cam Peterson, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Rudyard to tie the game. Trevor Visnaw passes to Shawn Kingsbury, who hits a layup, is fouled and makes his free throw to give St. Ignace a 19-16 lead with just 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter.

Rudyard misses a 75 foot heave as the first quarter buzzer announces its presence.

After one quarter, St. Ignace has a 19-16 lead.

St. Ignace has the ball to start out the second quarter. Trevor Visnaw passes to Nick Halberg, who hits a layup for the Saints. Rudyard misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Jaxon Clark grabs the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Rudyard misses a jump shot; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Ignace takes possession.

The Saints miss a three point shot from the wing. Nick Halberg gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. Saint Ignace turns the ball over. Jonny Ingalls knocks the Bulldog inbound pass out of bounds; St. Ignace gets the ball. The Saints miss a three pointer from the side. Aiden Bickel passes to Jaxon Clark, who hits a three point shot from the side to trim the St. Ignace lead to 21-19.

Jonny Ingalls hits a jump shot from the free throw elbow for St. Ignace. Jack Cifelli passes to Jaxon Clark, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Rudyard. Trevor Visnaw alertly darts to midcourt to prevent a Saint over and back violation. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. Jaxon Clark hits a fast break layup for Rudyard. He is fouled on the play and sinks his free throw to give the Bulldogs a 25-23 lead with 5:18 remaining in the first half.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the corner. Trevor Visnaw steals the ball for the Saints. Eli Sprague blocks a Saint eight foot runner in the lane. Rudyard misses a jump shot from the free throw line. St. Ignace misses an eight foot banked shot from the side. Rudyard misses a layup. A St. Ignace layup is negated when a foul is called before the shot. The Saints misfire on a threeball from the corner. Kordell KillsCrow draws a charging foul from Rudyard. Jaxon Clark draws a charging foul from St. Ignace. Aiden Bickel drives and dishes the ball to Jack Cifelli, who hits a layup to give Rudyard a 27-23 lead.

Nick Halberg passes to Jonny Ingalls, who is cutting to the basket; Jonny Ingalls hits a layup for the Saints. Rudyard misses a twelve footer off the dribble in the lane. St. Ignace misses an eight foot shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Rudyard gets the ball. Rudyard is whistled for traveling in the lane. St. Ignace misses an eight foot scooped shot. Eli Sprague hits a fast break layup to boost the Bulldogs to a 29-25 lead.

St. Ignace turns the ball over. The pace of this game has been incredibly fast; your aging Bleacher Denizen apologizes for not being quick enough to see how the ball was turned over. Rudyard misses a three point attempt from the wing. Jonny Ingalls

hits a fast break layup for St. Ignace. Jaxon Clark grazes the ball off the backboard and sinks a threeball to give Rudyard a 32-27 lead.

St. Ignace misses a shot. Eli Sprague hits a fast break layup for the Bulldogs. St. Ignace holds the ball for the last shot of the half. The Saints miss a three pointer from the corner and the ball goes out of bounds. Rudyard takes possession with just 1.7 seconds to play in the half. Shawn Kingsbury makes one of the most amazing plays I have ever seen for St. Ignace as he steals the inbound pass and throws the ball toward the basket all in one motion. The shot goes through the basket as the buzzer blares to cut the Rudyard lead to 34-30 at halftime.

Jonny Ingalls has 14 points to lead the St. Ignace scoring at halftime and Shawn Kingsbury has 6.

Jaxon Clark leads Rudyard with 12 points. Cam Peterson and Jack Cifelli each have 8 points.

As there is no halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy a couple tunes from my You Tube Channel!

My good buddy, Mark Wilcox, and I do a duet on “This Land is Your Land.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9XoJtKIbE

“Won’t Be Alone Too Long” is an original tune where Frog, a Lansing Guitar Legend, shines! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_qnhfMT2k

Rudyard inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Bulldogs miss a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Bulldogs get another opportunity. Kordell Killscrow steals a Bulldog pass. St. Ignace misses an eight foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. Rudyard misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the wing. St. Ignace fouls on the rebound. Shawn Kingsbury steals a Bulldog pass. St. Ignace misses a fast break layup. Cam Peterson hits a ten footer off the dribble from the side to give Rudyard a 36-30 lead.

St. Ignace misses a threeball from the corner Cam Peterson hits a layup for Rudyard. Ethan McLean hits a layup for St. Ignace. Rudyard misses a shot. Aiden Bickel steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Ethan McLean steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a fast break layup. Ethan McLean steals the ball for St. Ignace. The Saints are assessed with a traveling violation. Rudyard misses a twelve footer off the dribble from the side. Jonny Ingalls hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the Rudyard lead to 38-35.

Jack Cifelli hits a layup for Rudyard. Kordell KillsCrow hits a layup for St. Ignace. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the side. Jonny Ingalls throws in a threeball off the dribble to tie the game for St. Ignace. Rudyard misses a jump shot. St. Ignace misses a three pointer from the side. Cam Peterson is fouled on the rebound and hits one of his two free throws to give Rudyard a 41-40 lead with 3:45 to play in the third quarter.

Jonny Ingalls responds by making a ten foot banked shot off the dribble to give his Saints a one point lead. Cam Peterson passes to Andrew Piippo, who hits a sixteen foot shot from the wing for Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a layup. The Saints are called for a technical foul. Cam Peterson hits the two technical foul shots to give Rudyard a 45-42 lead with 2:49 left on the third quarter clock.

Rudyard inbounds the ball after the technical foul; Jack Cifelli passes to Eli Sprague, who hits a layup for the Bulldogs. Dylan Shepard inbounds the ball to Jonny Ingalls, who hits a layup for St. Ignace. Rudyard misses a jump shot from the free throw line. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Rudyard takes possession. Cam Peterson passes to Jaxon Clark, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Rudyard a 50-44 lead.

Eli Sprague steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Kordell KillsCrow draws a charging foul from Rudyard. Cam Peterson steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Aiden Bicker is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to push Rudyard to a 51-44 lead with 1:14 remaining in the quarter.

Jonny Ingalls hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side for St. Ignace. Rudyard misses a threeball from the side. Jonny Ingalls is fouled on a driving six foot shot from the side and hits one of his two free throws for St. Ignace. Jack Cifelli passes to Aiden Bickel, who hits a layup for Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a driving layup. Jonny Ingalls pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Aiden Bickel is fouled and hits one of his two free throws. A technical foul was called and Cam Peterson hits two free throws give Rudyard a 56-47 lead with 7.2 seconds left in the third quarter.

Jonny Ingalls blocks a Rudyard shot, but the Bulldogs recover and Andrew Piippo hits a layup as the third quarter buzzer makes a dramatic announcement of its presence.

After three quarters, Rudyard holds a 58-47 lead.

St. Ignace inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Saints misfire on a threeball from the side. Kordell KillsCrow hits a putback for St.Ignace; he is fouled and hits his free throw as well. Jaxon Clark is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to give Rudyard a 59-50 lead with 7:24 to play in the game.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the corner. Nick Halberg gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a three pointer from the wing and gets the offensive rebound. The Saints are whistled for an offensive foul. Cam Peterson passes to Aiden Bickel, who hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line for the Bulldogs to give his team a 61-50 lead.

Kordell KillsCrow hits a layup for St. Ignace. Jonny Ingalls steals the ball and hits a fast break layup. Rudyard misfires on a threeball from the corner. St. Ignace misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Nick Halberg grabs the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Nick Halberg hits a layup to chop the Bulldog lead to 61-56.

Rudyard misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Eli Sprague steals the ball and hits a fast break hook/layup for the Bulldogs. St. Ignace misses a layup, but Jonny Ingalls hits a putback for the Saints. Cam Peterson gets into the lane and hits a twelve foot shot for Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Eli Sprague hits a layup to boost the Bulldogs to a 67-58 lead.

St. Ignace misses a twelve foot shot from the wing. Evan Arnold grabs the offensive rebound for the Saints and passes to Jonny Ingalls, who hits a three point shot from the wing. St. Ignace commits a personal foul and is also whistled for a technical foul. Cam Peterson hits one of his two free throws for Rudyard. Rudyard inbounds the ball after the technical foul. Eli Sprague passes to Jack Cifelli, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for the Bulldogs. With 3:05 left on the game clock, Rudyard has a 69-61 lead.

St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the corner. Evan Arnold grabs the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Evan Arnold hits a putback for St. Ignace. Cam Peterson is fouled and makes two free throws for Rudyard. With 2:34 to go, Rudyard has a 71-62 lead.

Aiden Bickel steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Cam Peterson drives and dishes the ball to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both his free throws. Nick Halberg passes to Kordell KillsCrow, who hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Ignace. Rudyard commits an offensive foul. Cam Peterson is fouled and hits one of his to free throws to boost Rudyard to a 72-66 lead with 1:39 left on the game clock.

Ethan McLean drives and hits a six foot banked shot for St. Ignace. With 1:08 to play, Rudyard is fouled, but misses two free throws. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Ethan McLean pulls down the offensive rebound, backs up about five feet and throws in a threeball from the wing to chop the Rudyard lead down to 72-71.

Rudyard is fouled but misses two more free throws with 46.8 seconds to go. Shawn Kingsbury passes to Nick Halberg, who is fouled, and hits one of his two free throws for St. Ignace. This game is tied at 72-72 with just 21.7 seconds left!!

Cam Peterson is fouled with 9.1 seconds to play and hits one of his two free throws to give the lead to Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a ten foot shot from the side and the rebound goes out of bounds as the final buzzer goes off.

Rudyard wins this thriller by the score of 73-72.

Jonny Ingalls had a fantastic game for St. Ignace and led all scorers with 34 points. Kordell KillsCrow contributed 14 points. Ethan McLean had 9 points including five in the final seconds as St. Ignace tied the game and nearly sent it into overtime. Nick Halberg scored 7 points. Shawn Kingsbury notched 6 points including an amazing steal and buzzer-beating three pointer. Evan Arnold had a couple late huge offensive rebounds and 2 points.

Cam Peterson had 21 points to lead the Rudyard scoring. Jaxon Clark had 16 points including a big twelve point second quarter. Eli Sprague contributed 14 points. Jack Cifelli joined his teammates in double figures with 11 points. Aiden Bickel added 6 points and Andrew Piippo tossed in 5 points.