Rudyard at St. Ignace – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 18, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft
After last night’s trip to Rudyard where the Rudyard Bulldog girls and the St. Ignace Saint girls played an exciting, close game, it’s time for the Bleacher Denizen to watch the Bulldog and Saint boys play each other at the Iggy Zone gym in St. Ignace. For those who have not seen it, here is a link to last night’s game.
Rudyard Coach Jim Suggitt gave me this information about his Bulldog players. Many of them are back from last year’s team that advanced to the State Semifinals. E.J. Suggitt is an excellent all-around athlete who will play baseball in college and is also an excellent football quarterback. In basketball, he is strong with the ball, a good ball handler and passer who has a great shot from the three point line.
Tate Besteman is the big Bulldog in the middle. He is an excellent rebounder, defender and scorer in the post; when he’s open, he can also hit the three point shot. Cam Peterson shares the duties of running the point with E. J. Suggitt. He is a good passer and is strong at driving, pulling up and hitting mid-range jump shots. Brett Mayer is a threat to score on slashes to the basket.
Austin Warner also slashes to the basket well. He helps out defending and rebounding in the post. Aiden Bickel brings energy and hustle to the Bulldog perimeter defense.
St. Ignace Coach Doug Ingalls gave me this information about his players. Jonny Ingalls is an excellent point guard who can do just about anything a coach would want from a basketball player. He has excellent range on his accurate three point shot. He handles the ball like a point guard should and is a fine passer. He has great athletic ability and leaps surprisingly high for someone who is 5’11”. On defense, he is quick and determined; he can help out on the perimeter or in the post depending on the situation.
Ethan McLean is another versatile player. At 6′ 2″ he spends a lot of time on defense in the post, but he’s quick enough to defend on the perimeter as well. On offense, he can shoot the three point shot or score inside. Kevin Frazier is a strong ball handler and outside shooter; he also defends well on the perimeter. Ely North is a fine shooter who is also bold when he slashes to the basket. He does not back down from anyone and defends well, especially in the post. Nick Halberg and Tyrel Matson are fine rebounders and defenders in the post.
I was also able to see the JV game. St. Ignace had a 7-4 lead after one quarter and stretched it to 25-13 at halftime. The Saints ended up winning the JV game by a 61-43 score.
Jayden Niemi-Alcorn and Andrew Piippo led the Rudyard JVs with 11 points each. Tanner Baker added 8 points and Jack Cifelli scored 7 points. Landen Mayer and Ayden Pavlat each had 33 points.
Kordell KillsCrow led the victorious Saint JVs with 21 points. Trevor Visnaw supported his teammate with 13 points. Garrett Martin joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points. Shawn Kingsbury and Colt Reid each contributed 6 points. Tyler Koivuniemi added 3 points and Aiden Ogle tallied 2 points.
It’s Parents Night at the Iggy Zone. All the players were introduced along with their players before the game. They also introduced this year’s new inductees to the St. Ignace Sports Hall of Fame.
It is now time to look at the events of the varsity game through the hopefully observant eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who never did escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the days of yore. Alas, while his coach repeatedly told him this, he never did learn that coaches frown on turnovers even if they are a good thing to make when you are baking. He also didn’t learn that even though masons appreciate bricks that coaches also frown on them. The mind boggles – – –
Rudyard wins the opening tap. Nick Halberg steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Jonny Ingalls pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. Tate Besteman blocks a Saint layup. the ball goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets another opportunity. Ethan McLean passes to Jonny Ingalls, who leaps and deposits the ball through the rim to give St. Ignace the first two points of the game.
Austin Warner dries and hits a layup for Rudyard to tie the game. St. Ignace misses a layup. Rudyard reciprocates and misses a layup. Austin Warner pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the top of the key. St. Ignace misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Rudyard misses a six footer in the lane. Cam Peterson steals the ball for the Bulldogs and hits a fast break layup to give his team a 4-2 lead.
St. Ignace loses the ball out of bounds. Ethan McLean taps the ball away from Rudyard and Nick Halberg picks it up for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a fast break layup. E.J. Suggitt passes to Cam Peterson, who throws in a threeball from the top of the key for the Bulldogs. St. Ignace misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Cam Peterson passes to E.J. Suggitt, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for the Bulldogs to give them a 10-2 lead.
St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. Ethan McLean pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. Kevin Frazier is fouled on a shot and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Bulldog lead to 10-3 with 4:01 remaining in the first quarter.
Jonny Ingalls steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the side. Tyrel Matson steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace is assessed with an over and back violation. Cam Peterson hits a fifteen foot shot off the dribble from the wing to give Rudyard a 12-3 lead.
St. Ignace misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Jonny Ingalls blocks a Rudyard shot; Cam Peterson picks up the loose ball for the Bulldogs and hits a layup. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Rudyard misses a ten footer from the baseline. Jonny Ingalls goes in to traffic; he leans and scoops in a layup for the Saints. Tate Besteman hits a twelve foot shot from the wing to give the Bulldogs a 16-5 lead.
Jonny Ingalls passes to Colt Reid, who hits a layup for the Saints. Kevin Frazier knocks the ball away from Rudyard, but the Bulldogs recover. Rudyard misses a threeball from the top of the key. Brett Mayer steals the ball from the Saints and draws a foul in the process. Colt Reid causes Rudyard to miss a layup and the Bulldogs foul on the rebound. Aiden Bickel knocks the ball away from St. Ignace; the Saints are able to recover.
St. Ignace misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Aiden Bickel passes to Austin Warner, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Rudyard. Kevin Frazier soars and throws in a high arching layup at the buzzer for the Saints.
After one quarter, Rudyard has a 19-9 lead.
St. Ignace inbounds the ball to begin the second quarter. Tyrel Matson passes to Ethan McLean, who hits a layup for the Saints. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the corner. Aiden Bickel gets the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs and passes to Jesse Zee.ryp, who hits a layup to give Rudyard a 21-11 lead.
St. Ignace misses a layup. Ely North gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Rudyard misses a driving layup. Tyrel Matson hits a layup for St. Ignace. E.J. Suggitt passes to Brett Mayer, who hits a layup for the Bulldogs to boost their lead to 23-13.
Aiden Bickel knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Ignace retains possession. The Saints miss a three pointer from the wing. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Ignace misses a driving layup. Jonny Ingalls steals the ball for the Saints. Ethan McLean passes to Jonny Ingalls, who hits a layup for the Saints, is fouled on the play and makes his free throw to trim the Bulldog lead to 23-16 with 4:34 to play in the second quarter.
Rudyard misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Ethan McLean drives and hits a layup for the Saints. Rudyard misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Kevin Frazier drives and hits a layup for St. Ignace. Cam Peterson takes the ball coast to coast; he stops and pops a ten footer into the basket for the Bulldogs. Jonny Ingalls drives and hits a layup for St. Ignace. Cam Peterson is fouled on a driving layup and makes one of his two free throws to give Rudyard a 26-22 lead with 2:56 left on the first half clock.
Ethan McLean hits a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane for the Saints. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the corner. Brett Mayer draws a charging foul from the Saints. Nick Halberg steals the ball from the Bulldogs and draws a foul. Jonny Ingalls is fouled and hits both shots in a one and one free throw opportunity to tie the game at 26-26 with 1:32 to play in the first half.
Nick Halberg steals the ball for St. Ignace. Trevor Visnaw is fouled on an eight foot shot from the baseline. He hits one of his two free throws to give St. Ignace a 27-26 lead with 1:13 to go in the half.
Kevin Frazier’s tough defense causes a Rudyard dribbler to lose the ball out of bounds. St. Ignace misses a driving six foot shot in the lane. Tyrel Matson’s defense causes a Rudyard dribbler to lose control of the ball and fall. Rudyard has to call time out to avoid a turnover. The Bulldogs travel with the ball. (I don’t suppose traveling without the ball would be all that newsworthy. Basketball cliches are interesting sometimes.) St. Ignace misses a driving layup. Rudyard misses a rushed threeball from the top of the key as the halftime buzzer makes its presence known.
St. Ignace has a 27-26 halftime lead.
Cam Peterson leads the Rudyard scoring at halftime with 12 points. Austin Warner has 5 points.
Jonny Ingalls has 11 points at halftime to lead St. Ignace. Ethan McLean has 6 points and Kevin Frazier has 5 points.
There was a shooting contest at halftime. As there was no musical entertainment, your Bleacher Denizen will provide you with this song from his “Chuck Krafft” You Tube Channel. As it is snowing outside, we can all use some Good Vibrations!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3482fQh0Rdo
Rudyard has the ball to open the third quarter. E.J. Suggitt passes to Tate Besteman, who spins and hits a layup to give Rudyard a one point lead. Kevin Frazier passes to Tyrel Matson, who hits a layup for St. Ignace to retake the lead. Rudyard misses a ten foot shot from the side. Austin Warner pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bulldogs. Rudyard misses a layup. Brett Mayer hits a putback to give Rudyard a 30-29 lead.
St. Ignace misses a jump shot from the side. Rudyard travels. Tate Besteman blocks a St. Ignace layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Saints get another opportunity. St. Ignace misfires on a threeball near the top of the key. Ely North ties up the rebound. The Possession Arrow and his research staff agree that Mr. North’s hustle was impressive and award the ball to the Saints.
St. Ignace misses a fifteen footer off the dribble from the wing. Ely North knocks the ball away from Rudyard, but the Bulldogs recover. Rudyard misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. A double foul is called; St. Ignace keeps the ball. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Ethan McLean blocks a Rudyard layup. St. Ignace misfires on a three pointer from the side. Nick Halberg gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. Tate Besteman draws a charging foul from St. Ignace. Tate Besteman drives and hits a layup to give Rudyard a 32-29 lead.
St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Saints get the ball back. St. Ignace misses a six foot shot from the side. Brett Mayer passes to Tate Besteman, who hits a ten foot shot from the baseline to boost the Bulldogs to a 34-29 lead.
Tate Besteman knocks the ball away from St. Ignace and E.J. Suggitt picks it up for Rudyard. Rudyard misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. St. Ignace misses a three pointer from the wing. Tyrel Matson gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Cam Peterson hits a jumper from the free throw elbow for the Bulldogs. St. Ignace misfires on a threeball from the corner. Nick Halberg hits a putback to trim the Bulldog lead to 36-31.
Rudyard misses a three point shot from the side. St. Ignace misses a layup. Rudyard misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. Ethan McLean passes to Tyrel Matson, who hits a layup for St. Ignace. Jonny Ingalls knocks the ball away from Rudyard and Kevin Frazier picks it up for St. Ignace. Kevin Frazier passes to Jonny Ingalls, who hits a layup to shave the Rudyard lead to 36-35.
Rudyard commits an offensive foul. St. Ignace misses a layup. Jonny Ingalls knocks a Bulldog pass out of bounds; Rudyard retains possession. Rudyard misses a three pointer from the wing. St. Ignace reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the wing at the buzzer.
Rudyard heads into the fourth quarter with a 36-35 lead. (I guess that may mean that St. Ignace heads into the fourth quarter with a 35-36 deficit, but I digress.)
St. Ignace inbounds the ball to get the fourth quarter underway. St. Ignace misfires on a threeball from the corner. Rudyard misses a layup. Brett Mayer steals the ball for Rudyard. Cam Peterson hits a fast break layup for Rudyard. Austin Warner steals the ball for the Bulldogs and passes to Brett Mayer, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give Rudyard a 39-35 lead with 6:48 remaining in the game.
Jonny Ingalls passes to Ethan McLean, who hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Ignace. Cam Peterson hits a three point shot near the top of the key for Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Rudyard misses a banked runner on the fast break. St. Ignace misses a layup. Cam Peterson hits a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line to boost the Bulldog lead to 44-38.
Jonny Ingalls drives and hits a layup for St. Ignace. Jonny Ingalls knocks the ball away from the Bulldogs and Ethan McLean picks it up for the Saints. Ethan McLean passes the ball to Jonny Ingalls, who hits a fast break layup for St. Ignace. E.J. Suggitt spins and hits a six foot shot from the side of the lane for Rudyard. Tyrel Matson passes to Nick Halberg, who hits a layup to trim the Bulldog lead to 46-44.
Austin Mayer hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side for Rudyard. Ethan McLean passes to Ely North, who throws in a threeball from the wing for St. Ignace. Austin Warner hits a layup for Rudyard. Jonny Ingalls bursts into the lane and hits a layup for St. Ignace. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the wing. Ely North passes to Jonny Ingalls, who hoists and hits a threeball from the top of the key to give the Saints a 52-50 lead.
Rudyard goes into the lane, but loses a pass out of bounds. E.J. Suggitt knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Ignace retains possession. St. Ignace misfires on a triple try from the wing. Rudyard misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Brett Mayer hits a putback for Rudyard. Ethan McLean throws in a threeball from the corner to give St. Ignace a 55-52 lead.
Rudyard misses a three point shot from the wing. Austin Warner is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws for Rudyard. Austin Warner steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. He hits two free throws to give Rudyard a 56-55 lead with 52 seconds left on the clock.
Ethan McLean passes to Tyrel Matson, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give the Saints a two point lead. Tate Besteman saves a loose ball to prevent a Rudyard turnover. E.J. Suggitt is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Rudyard to tie game at 58-58 with 6.7 seconds to go.
Rudyard steals the ball; Jonny Ingalls knocks the ball out of bounds as the final buzzer sounds.
But it’s NOT the final buzzer and we have OVERTIME at the Iggy Zone!!
St. Ignace gets the ball on the opening tap. The Saints miss a jumper off the dribble from the free throw elbow. E.J. Suggitt passes to Tate Besteman, who hits a layup to give the Bulldogs the lead. St. Ignace misses a three pointer from the wing. Kevin Frazier draws a charging foul from Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Ely North pulls down the offensive rebound for the Saints. Kevin Frazier is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Saint Ignace to tie the game at 60-60 with 2:30 left in overtime.
Jonny Ingalls steals the ball from the Bulldogs. Jonny Ingalls passes to Ethan McLean, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give his Saints a three point lead. Cam Peterson quickly responds with a putback for Rudyard. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the corner. Tyrel Matson steals the ball for the Saints. Austin Warner knocks the ball away from a Saint dribbler; the ball goes out of bounds and St. Ignace gets the ball back. St. Ignace is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one opportunity. With 55.5 seconds to go in overtime, St. Ignace has a 63-62 lead.
Ethan McLean gets the offensive rebound for the Saints. St. Ignace misses a layup. Jonny Ingalls gets the offensive rebound for St. Ignace and is fouled. He hits one of his two free throws to give the Saints a two point lead. Jonny Ingalls ties up the rebound in the corner. The Possession Arrow has been watching Tik Tok videos and missed the play; the ball is awarded to Rudyard. Rudyard misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Dylan McMillan hits a putback for Rudyard to tie the game at 64-64.
St. Ignace misses a sixteen foot shot from the side as the overtime buzzer sounds.
It looks like we have DOUBLE OVERTIME at the Iggy Zone!!
St. Ignace wins the opening tap. The Saints miss a driving layup. E.J. Suggitt passes to Austin Warner for a Bulldog layup to take the lead. Ethan McLean throws in a threeball from the side to give the Saints a one point lead. Nick Halberg steals a Bulldog pass into the lane. St. Ignace misses a three point shot from the wing. Rudyard misses a ten foot shot from the side. Austin Warner hits a putback to give Rudyard a one point lead. St. Ignace misses a jump shot. Austin Warner is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give Rudyard a 69-67 lead with 1:40 remaining in double overtime.
Jonny Ingalls drives and hits a layup for St. Ignace to tie the game. Nick Halberg steals the ball for the Saints. St. Ignace misfires on a triple try from the side. Jonny Ingalls chases down the long offensive rebound for the Saints. Austin Warner knocks the ball out of bounds. St. Ignace retains possession. St. Ignace misses a driving six footer from the baseline. Austin Warner passes to Dylan McMillan, who hits a layup to give Rudyard a two point lead. Jonny Ingalls throws the ball to Ethan McLean, who hits a three point shot from the corner at the buzzer to give St. Ignace a double overtime win!
The final score is St. Ignace 72 Rudyard 71. What an exciting game!!
Cam Peterson led the Rudyard scoring with 23 points. Austin Warner supported his teammate with 16 points. Tate Besteman joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points. Brett Mayer added 9 points. E.J. Suggitt contributed 7 points. Dylan McMillan scored 4 points and Jesse Zeeryp tallied 2 points.
Jonny Ingalls scored 25 points and Ethan McLean scored 21 points to lead St. Ignace. Tyrel Matson chipped in with 9 points and Kevin Frazier added 7 points. Nick Halberg put in 4 points and Ely North had 3 points. Colt Reid threw in 2 points and Trevor Vignaw tallied 1 point.