Saranac at Potterville – – CMAC Girls Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 24, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen’s journey takes him to Potterville, where the Vikings will host the Red Hawks from Saranac in Girls’ Basketball. Because I’m also doing the St. Patrick/Bath girls game on Friday, I guess the Blogpost naming powers the be require me to refer to this as a “Co-Game.” I realize it’s a bit stilted, but I guess we need to contact the Blogpost naming powers that be if we want change.

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

When I covered a Red Hawk game earlier this season, I learned this about Saranac’s players. Maycee Reed is a good post defender, rebounder and scorer. Abigail Jenson is a fine leader and a versatile defender who can defend well either on the perimeter or in the post. She also has a solid midrange jumper. Madison Trahan is a versatile player who can defend well on the perimeter or in the post as well. She is also a threat from the three point line.

Mya Griffin is Saranac’s point guard. She handles the ball, passes, defends the perimeter and shoots well from the three point line. Kayla Sterzick is a team captain and an excellent shooter. Winnie Harder and Brianna Barnes bring energy to the Red Hawk perimeter defense. Delaney Reagan is a fine shot blocker who also gets a lot of steals. She is another versatile defender who can cover any position and shoots well from the midrange. Leah Wernet is an inside player who scores, defends and rebounds well in the post.

Potterville Coach Al Adams is ill today, so Assistant Coach Gabi Lofton helped me with the background information about the Viking players. Emily Cates is an excellent ball handler and perimeter defender. She is a threat to slash to the basket and can hit the three point shot as well. Aubrey Gasch is a dependable three point shooter and ball handler. Kyra Marciniak plays inside where she is a fine scorer, defender and rebounder. She is also an important team leader. Autumn Reynolds is an energetic perimeter defender.

Heidi LaFrance is a versatile defender who can guard opponents in the post or on the perimeter. T.J. Uhl is a good post defender. Amalee Scott, Mallory Fee and Avery Koeppen all defend the perimeter well.

I got hear at halftime of the JV game; Saranac had a 17-10 lead. The Red Hawks outscored the Vikings 13-4 in the second half and won the game by the final score of 30-14.

Bailey Martin led the Viking JVs with 6 points. Kendall Lienerth added 4 points. Emalee Scott scored 3 points and Mallory Fee tallied 1 point.

Lydia Rasmus led the victorious Red Hawk JVs with 9 points. Raeann Johnson supported her with 8 points. Alexis Smus tossed in 7 points. Alayna Stoutjesdyk added 4 points and Gracie Smith had 2 points.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the hopefully clear lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the days of yore. He never learned that unlike horseshoes, you do not get points for hitting the rim or for wedging the ball between the rim and the backboard. Because of this, many of what the Bleacher Denizen thought were well-aimed shots were dismissed as “bricks” by his critics. His playing time dwindled as he kept hitting rims with his shots.

Potterville wins the opening tap and gets the ball to Emily Cates who almost immediately hits a layup for the Vikings for the first points of the game. Saranac misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Potterville misfires on a triple try from the corner. Saranac fumbles the ball out of bounds. Maycee Reed gets her hand on the ball, but Potterville is able to recover. Emily Cates passes to Aubrey Gasch, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give her Vikings a 5-0 lead.

Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Mya Griffin taps the ball away from Potterville, but the Vikings are able to recover. Aubrey Gasch steals the ball for the Vikings. Emily Cates passes to Kyra Marciniak, who hits a layup for Potterville. Maycee Reed drives and hits a layup for Saranac. Potterville misses a threeball from the wing. Maycee Reed is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Potterville lead to 7-3 with 4:48 remaining in the opening quarter.

Potterville is fouled on an eight foot shot from the side, but misses two free throws. However, a Saranac player rebounds the ball and puts it back into Potterville’s basket. This is two points for Potterville; the two points are credited to T.J. Uhl. Potterville’s lead is at 9-3.

Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Potterville loses the ball out of bounds. Kyra Marciniak blocks a Saranac runner in the lane; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Vikings take possession. Mya Griffin knocks the ball away from Potterville, but Emily Cates is able to tie up the ball. The Possession Arrow polls its January Snow Festival Committee and decides to give the ball to Potterville. Maycee Reed blocks a Potterville scooped layup and forces a Viking traveling violation.

Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Briana Barnes pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misfires on a threeball from the side. Madison Trahan gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Emily Cates ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow has been enjoying afternoon tea and crumpets; it misses the play and in a panic, awards the ball to Saranac. Briana Barnes passes the ball to Mya Griffin, who hits a three point shot from the corner to cut Potterville’s lead to 9-6.

Mya Griffin steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Autumn Reynolds steals the ball for the Vikings. (The Bleacher Denizen wonders if the authorities need to be told about this rash of thefts.) Potterville misses a layup. Kyra Marciniak pulls down the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a layup. The Vikings’ Mallory Fee forces a tieup. The Possession Arrow and its Halloween Decoration Committee decide to give the ball to Potterville. Emily Cates hits a fifteen foot shot off the dribble from the baseline to give Potterville an 11-6 lead.

Saranac misses a threeball from the side. Potterville misses an eight foot runner in the lane. Mallory Fee knocks the ball out of bounds; Saranac retains possession. Saranac misses a three pointer from the side. Potterville misses a layup. Saranac has no time to shoot before the opening quarter buzzer sounds off.

After one quarter, Potterville holds an 11-6 lead.

Saranac inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. Saranac misses a fifteen foot shot by the lane. Abigail Janson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a jump shot; Winnie Harder gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Abigail Janson hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the Potterville lead to 11-9.

Potterville turns the ball over. Saranac commits an offensive foul. Potterville misses a reverse layup. Emily Cates grabs the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Saranac misses a three pointer from the wing. A Saranac foul before the shot negates a Potterville layup; the Vikings get another possession. Potterville misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. T.J. Uhl gets the offensive rebound and passes to Aubrey Gasch, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost Potterville to a 16-9 lead.

Aubrey Gasch knocks the ball away from Saranac and T.J. Uhl picks it up for Potterville. Potterville misses a layup. Autumn Reynolds pulls down the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a layup. Kyra Marciniak gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a jump shot. Autumn Reynolds gets the offensive rebound for Potterville. T.J. Uhl is fouled on a layup and sinks her two free throws to give her Vikings an 18-9 lead with 5:09 remaining in the first half.

Aubrey Gasch nearly steals the ball for Potterville, but Saranac recovers. The Red Hawks miss a three pointer from the wing. Madison Trahan gets the offensive rebound for Saranac. Saranac misses a threeball from the side. Potterville misses a driving layup. Aubrey Gasch is fouled on a fast break six foot banked hook shot and hits one of her two free throws to give Potterville a 19-9 lead with 4:15 remaining in the half.

Saranac misses a jump shot. Briana Barnes gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Madison Trahan hits a fifteen foot jumper from the side for Saranac. Potterville misses a driving layup. Saranac throws an outlet pass too far and out of bounds. Potterville misses a layup. Madison Trahan passes to Delaney Reagan, who hits a shot from the wing with her foot on the three point line to trim the Viking lead to 19-13.

Potterville misses a ten foot banked shot from the side. Kyra Marciniak blocks a Saranac fifteen footer from the baseline. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Saranac gets another opportunity. Saranac misfires on a threeball from the side. Potterville fouls on the rebound. Saranac loses a pass out of bounds. Potterville misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Emily Cates hits a putback to give the Vikings a 21-13 lead.

Aubrey Gasch knocks the ball away from Saranac, but the Red Hawks are able to recover. Aubrey Gasch steals the ball for Potterville. Emily Cates drives and hits an eight foot hook shot from the baseline for Potterville. Saranac misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac gets another opportunity. The Red Hawks miss a threeball from the side. Abigail Janson gets the offensive rebound for Saranac.

The Red Hawks lose their inbound pass out of bounds. Potterville catches a pass, but steps on the baseline. Emily Cates steals the ball for Potterville just before the second quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

Potterville has a 23-13 lead at halftime.

Mya Griffin, Abigail Janson and Maycee Reed each have 3 points for Saranac.

Aubrey Gasch has 9 points and Emily Cates has 8 points to lead the Potterville scoring at halftime.

As there is no halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy these two original songs from my You Tube Channel!!
“It’s Peaceful Here.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147XD8IvqA4

“Won’t Be Alone Too Long” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1_qnhfMT2k

Saranac has the ball to open quarter number three. Autumn Reynolds ties the ball up. The Possession Arrow and its Spring Celebration Committee are enthused about her aggressive hustle and award the ball to Potterville. The Vikings miss a layup. Saranac misses a three pointer from the wing. Emily Cates drives and hits a reverse banked hook shot to boost the Viking lead to 25-13.

Saranac misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Delaney Reagan is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Potterville lead to 25-14 with 6:37 to play in the third quarter.

The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow contacts its Fall Cleanup Committee and decides to award the ball to Saranac. Briana Barnes alertly prevents a loose ball from becoming a Red Hawk turnover. Maycee Reed passes to Mya Griffin, who hits a three point shot to cut the Potterville lead to 25-17.

Mya Griffin and Delaney Reagan double team Potterville and knock the ball out of bounds; the Vikings get the ball back. Potterville misses a layup. Kyra Marciniak blocks a Saranac five foot shot. Emily Cates passes to Aubrey Gasch, who hits a layup to give Potterville a 27-17 lead.

Saranac misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Briana Barnes steals the ball for the Red Hawks. A Saranac cross court pass sails too high and out of bounds. Maycee Reed knocks the ball away from Potterville and out of bounds. Saranac gets the ball. Saranac misses a sixteen foot shot from the wing. Potterville misses a three pointer from the corner. A Saranac pass to no one floats out of bounds.

Kayla Sterzick steals the ball for Saranac. Saranac misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Delaney Reagan blocks a Potterville layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Potterville gets another opportunity. Madison Trahan knocks the Viking inbound pass out of bounds and Potterville gets the ball back. Aubrey Gasch passes to Emily Cates, who throws in a threeball from the corner to push Potterville to a 30-17 lead.

Saranac misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Potterville misses a three point attempt from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac takes possession. Emily Cates steals a Saranac pass and hits a fast break layup for Potterville. Emily Cates knocks the ball away from Saranac and Autumn Reynolds picks it up for Saranac. Potterville passes the ball out of bounds. A Saranac shooter shuffles her feet and is called for traveling. Emily Cates is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws. With 1:21 to play in the third quarter, Potterville has a 33-17 lead.

Aubrey Gasch knocks the ball away from Saranac, but the Red Hawks are able to recover. Autumn Reynolds steals the ball for Potterville. Emily Cates hits a three point shot from the corner for Potterville. Saranac is assessed with an over and back violation. Potterville misses a three point shot from the corner. Kyra Marciniak is fouled on a putback and hits one of her free throws to lift Potterville to a 37-17 lead with 27.1 seconds to play in quarter number three.

Saranac loses a pass out of bounds. Kyra Marciniak passes to Autumn Reynolds, who hits an eight foot shot from the wing for the Vikings. Saranac misses a three pointer from the buzzer as the third quarter comes to an end.

With three quarters in the books, Potterville holds a 39-17 lead.

Potterville inbounds the ball to open the final quarter. The Vikings miss an eight footer from the side of the lane. Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Maycee Reed is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to shave the Potterville lead to 39-18 with 7:32 left in the game.

Mya Griffin knocks the ball away from Potterville, but the Vikings recover. Potterville misfires on a triple try from the wing. Briana Barnes passes to Kayla Sterzick, who hits a three point shot fro Saranac. Potterville misses an eight foot shot from the side. Kyra Marciniak gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville travels with the ball. (Basketball cliches can be interesting. I’m really not sure how newsworthy traveling without the ball can be.)

Saranac ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s semantic musings, but miss a three point shot from the wing. Potterville misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac gets the ball. Emily Cates steals a Red Hawk pass. Potterville misses a fast break layup. Aubrey Gasch snares the offensive rebound for the Vikings.

Briana Barnes hits the floor for Saranac to tie up the ball. The Bleacher Denizen and its Homecoming Organization Committee love her hustle and award the ball to the Red Hawks. Leah Wernet passes to Mya Griffin, who hits a three point shot from the wing to trim the Potterville lead to 39-24.

Potterville misses a layup. Saranac reciprocates and misses a layup; the Red Hawks foul on the rebound. Potterville misses a three point attempt from the top of the key. Aubrey Gasch nearly steals the ball for Potterville, but Saranac is able to recover. Abigail Janson passes to Briana Barnes, who hits a three pointer from the top of the key for Saranac to whittle the Potterville lead down to 39-27.

Maycee Reed blocks a Viking layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Potterville gets another opportunity. Aubrey Gasch inbounds the ball to Kyra Marciniak, who hits a layup for the Vikings and is fouled. She misses her free throw. With 2:52 remaining in the contest, Potterville has a 41-27.

Mallory Fee steals the ball for Potterville. Emily Cates drives and hits a layup for the Vikings. Autumn Reynolds knocks the ball away from Saranac and Aubrey Gasch picks it up for Potterville. Potterville is whistled for a traveling violation. Mya Griffin passes to Delaney Reagan, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the side. Potterville’s lead is at 43-29.

Potterville misses a driving layup. Emily Cates gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a layup. Saranac misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Delaney Reagan gets her hand on the ball and Potterville loses it out of bounds. Saranac misses a layup. Emily Cates runs about twenty seconds off the game clock before Delaney Reagan knocks the ball out of bounds. Emily Cates dribbles out the clock for Potterville.

Potterville wins this CMAC league game by a 43-29 score.

Mya Griffin led Saranac’s scoring with 9 points. Delaney Reagan added 5 points. Maycee Reed scored 4 points. Abigail Janson, Kayla Sterzick and Briana Barnes each put in 3 points. Madison Trahan tallied 2 points.

Emily Cates had 21 points to lead the Potterville scoring. Aubrey Gasch joined her teammate in double figures with 11 points. Kyra Marciniak contributed 5 points. T.J. Uhl chipped in with 4 points. Autumn Reynolds had 2 points.