Tonight's the night
Time to man up. Tonight is the night when we see what the Kingston boys basketball team is made of.
The Cardinals play Fowler tonight at 7 pm at Saginaw Heritage for the Class D Regional title. Apparently Fowler has been known as the "Cardinal Killer" for the last few years, but by the looks of their record, it would appear that the Fowler team is not as strong as they have been over the last few years.
That doesn't mean that the Cards will not have their work cut out for them--any team still alive at this point is obviously a quality team. Kingston is going to have to play their best game of the season to get this one done.
They need to play a lot better than they did the other night when they barely broke a sweat in eliminating Owen-Gage from the playoffs.
From the sounds of his post game comments, coach Mike Rea was not pleased with his teams shooting performance in the game against the Bulldogs. They shot poorly from the free throw line, but they ran out to a 20-0 lead and then coasted the rest of the way for the win.
Tonight, the Cards are going to need a great game out of Brandon Jones if they want to win, and Tristin Pennington is going to have to keep playing like he has.
My concern for Kingston is this...how long can they continue to play with their floor general playing at half strength?
Seth Flikke is playing injured, and I commend him for that. Flikke is the spark that gives the Kingston offense its charge, but with the Cards little leader nursing a bum wheel, my question is how long can the Kingston charge continue before the wheels fall off?
My guess...it won't hurt them tonight.
Frankenmuth is done. I made the long drive to DeWitt last night for the Frankenmuth-DeWitt regional semifinal game and I rewarded for my long journey by witnessing one heck of a game.
Frankenmuth was down 11 at the half (27-16) and continued to be down by as much as the game was in the middle of the third before Brad Redford started to make some three's.
After scoring just six points in the first half, Redford scored 10 in the third to cut the score down to 38-33 at the end of the third.
Redford dropped in nine more in the fourth as the Eagles outscored the Panthers 20-16 in the final quarter and the junior guard nailed a three with 25 seconds left to give the Eagles a one point lead (53-52).
Two free throws by DeWitt with nine seconds remaining put the Panthers back up by one and Redford missed from 25 feet away at the buzzer to end the game.
Throughout the game, Redford really impressed me with his ability to score by driving the lane.
There's no question that the kid can hit from downtown...but it's his ability to penetrate the lane that can make him into a true scoring force.
My problem with last nights game was this...on the last possession, Redford brought the ball up the court, passed off, ran through two screens and then launched one from 25 feet.
Why not just have Redford dribble the ball right up the court and try to penetrate the paint, maybe look for a closer shot and hope either to draw a foul or maybe even make the layup?
I'm no John Wooden but the law of averages would tell you that a shot from three to four feet has a better chance of going in than one from 25 feet away.
It was obvious to me that the guy DeWitt had assigned to cover Redford was a step slower than the junior guard the whole game. Redford could have easily beated his opponent to the hoop, made the shot or drawn a foul. Redford shoots almost 90 percent from the charity stripe, which is better than his 40 percent from three, and the Eagles were only down by one, not two or three.
Redford is a heck of a scorer, that much is certain, but for his senior year, I would like to see him expand his game a little and take the ball to the hoop a little more. Maybe watch some old film from the glory days of Isaiah Thomas and watch how Zeke used to take over a game with his ability to penetrate.
North Branch is in Final Four. The Broncos volleyball team just keeps winning, and now they are one game from the Class A state championship game. It looks good for Jim Fish too...the Broncos have to beat a Fraser team that they have already defeated three times this year in order to reach the finals.
By Saturday night, I believe Fish and his team will be hoisting a state trophy over their heads.
By the way...hey Dave Lester, if Kingston wins tonight, I was wondering if the Kingston Times serves crow with a side of french fries?
The Cardinals play Fowler tonight at 7 pm at Saginaw Heritage for the Class D Regional title. Apparently Fowler has been known as the "Cardinal Killer" for the last few years, but by the looks of their record, it would appear that the Fowler team is not as strong as they have been over the last few years.
That doesn't mean that the Cards will not have their work cut out for them--any team still alive at this point is obviously a quality team. Kingston is going to have to play their best game of the season to get this one done.
They need to play a lot better than they did the other night when they barely broke a sweat in eliminating Owen-Gage from the playoffs.
From the sounds of his post game comments, coach Mike Rea was not pleased with his teams shooting performance in the game against the Bulldogs. They shot poorly from the free throw line, but they ran out to a 20-0 lead and then coasted the rest of the way for the win.
Tonight, the Cards are going to need a great game out of Brandon Jones if they want to win, and Tristin Pennington is going to have to keep playing like he has.
My concern for Kingston is this...how long can they continue to play with their floor general playing at half strength?
Seth Flikke is playing injured, and I commend him for that. Flikke is the spark that gives the Kingston offense its charge, but with the Cards little leader nursing a bum wheel, my question is how long can the Kingston charge continue before the wheels fall off?
My guess...it won't hurt them tonight.
Frankenmuth is done. I made the long drive to DeWitt last night for the Frankenmuth-DeWitt regional semifinal game and I rewarded for my long journey by witnessing one heck of a game.
Frankenmuth was down 11 at the half (27-16) and continued to be down by as much as the game was in the middle of the third before Brad Redford started to make some three's.
After scoring just six points in the first half, Redford scored 10 in the third to cut the score down to 38-33 at the end of the third.
Redford dropped in nine more in the fourth as the Eagles outscored the Panthers 20-16 in the final quarter and the junior guard nailed a three with 25 seconds left to give the Eagles a one point lead (53-52).
Two free throws by DeWitt with nine seconds remaining put the Panthers back up by one and Redford missed from 25 feet away at the buzzer to end the game.
Throughout the game, Redford really impressed me with his ability to score by driving the lane.
There's no question that the kid can hit from downtown...but it's his ability to penetrate the lane that can make him into a true scoring force.
My problem with last nights game was this...on the last possession, Redford brought the ball up the court, passed off, ran through two screens and then launched one from 25 feet.
Why not just have Redford dribble the ball right up the court and try to penetrate the paint, maybe look for a closer shot and hope either to draw a foul or maybe even make the layup?
I'm no John Wooden but the law of averages would tell you that a shot from three to four feet has a better chance of going in than one from 25 feet away.
It was obvious to me that the guy DeWitt had assigned to cover Redford was a step slower than the junior guard the whole game. Redford could have easily beated his opponent to the hoop, made the shot or drawn a foul. Redford shoots almost 90 percent from the charity stripe, which is better than his 40 percent from three, and the Eagles were only down by one, not two or three.
Redford is a heck of a scorer, that much is certain, but for his senior year, I would like to see him expand his game a little and take the ball to the hoop a little more. Maybe watch some old film from the glory days of Isaiah Thomas and watch how Zeke used to take over a game with his ability to penetrate.
North Branch is in Final Four. The Broncos volleyball team just keeps winning, and now they are one game from the Class A state championship game. It looks good for Jim Fish too...the Broncos have to beat a Fraser team that they have already defeated three times this year in order to reach the finals.
By Saturday night, I believe Fish and his team will be hoisting a state trophy over their heads.
By the way...hey Dave Lester, if Kingston wins tonight, I was wondering if the Kingston Times serves crow with a side of french fries?
Comments
Ahhhhhhhhh !!!! What a relief..We beat Fowler and i have some drinks and a burger coming !!! We will take care of you in Kingston. You never done us wrong Kingston, Andrew ! I understand your doubts about Kingston because of our League, but hey the Proof is in the pudding and that Regional Championship Trophy isn't made of paper !!
Can i get a raincheck. I'm fighting my second bout with Broncitus and i'm on some strong anti-biotics. I don't think mixing Bud Light with my medicine is wise. Maybe shoot for next week. I'll work with your schedule. See you Tuesday night ?