Tuscola County Sports

Eagles, Redford stay perfect By Andrew Selich Sports Writer EAST LANSING - With his team playing in an arena that was bigger than any they had ever played on before, Frankenmuth coach Tim Crawford wondered how the backdrop would affect his team's s hooting. Then he remembered he still had Brad Redford on his team. Redford, who showed that he had no problem in the larger venue, scored 37 points in leading his team to a 66-48 win over Leslie at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University in the Meijer Holiday Hoops Invitational on Thursday. Redford, who was averaging 36.8 points per game entering the contest, hit 5-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc, made 9-of-17 from the field and nailed all four of his free throws in a game that many who have seen the 6-0 senior guard have come by now to expect. "Weird things can happen in a gym like this," Crawford said. "But when Brad gets warmed up, he can really score some points. When that happened, we start...

Frankenmuth holds on for win By Andrew Selich Sports Writer FRANKENMUTH - Faced with a huge lead entering the fourth quarter against North Branch on Friday night, and coupled with the fact the Eagles play host to Holly on Saturday night; Frankenmuth coach Tim Crawford decided he would rest his starters and empty the bench, giving some players who might not normally get it a chance to play. The decision almost came back to bite Crawford, but in the end, Frankenmuth had too big of a lead and the Eagles held on for the 77-60 win over the Broncos in Tri-Valley East Conference action. The Eagles held a 66-36 lead over the Broncos at the completion of the third quarter, and with his players having to play two games in two nights; Crawford just felt that his starters needed a rest. He just never thought his backups would let North Branch back in the game. "We gave some guys a chance tonight, emptied the bench," Crawford said. "And then, in about four minute’s time, a thirty po...

Reese 'D' leads the way Rockets force fifteen turnovers in win over Marlette By Andrew Selich Sports Writer REESE - It's only two games into the 2007-08 season yet the Reese Rockets are playing in mid-season form. And coach Jeff Casler credits it all to hard work. Reese wasted little time disposing of Marlette Friday night, as the defending Greater Thumb West champions ran to a big first-half lead over the Red Raiders and played the majority of the second half with a running clock in a 67-40 win. Reese (2-0) actually trailed Marlette 7-6 with four minutes left to play in the first quarter before the Rockets defense took over, forcing turnover after turnover, which in turn led to easy points for the Rockets. Which, accoring to Casler, was just a part of the plan. "We work on our transition game everyday," Casler said. "Our kids want to play an aggressive defense, and that takes time to work on. We put a lot of time and energy into that, and sometimes the p...

Tigers make some noise. The Detroit Tigers made headlines and shocked the baseball world on Tuesday night when they acquired Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins for highly-rated prospects Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller along with three other players. In Cabrera, the Tigers have picked up Major League Baseball's most dangerous hitter. In his first season in 2003, Cabrera batted .268 (84-for-314), with 12 home runs, 62 RBI, 39 runs, 21 doubles, and three triples in jsut 87 games played. In 2004, he proved that his rookie season was no fluke, batting .294 with 33 homers, 112 RBI, 101 runs, 177 hits, a .366 on base percentage,a .512 slugging percentage from the third and fourth spots in the order, while playing in 160 games and earning his first All-Star berth. Cabrera, 24, spent the whole 2004 season playing in the outfield, with no games at third base; he showed his arm strength as a former third baseman with his 13 outfield assists. In 284 total fielding ...

Say goodnight, Millen. Did anyone really believe that four weeks ago, when a blowout victory over Denver gave the Lions a 6-2 record, that Detroit was playoff-bound? I said it at the time--I told my brother that the Lions would lose their next eight games and finish with a 6-10 record. Was I crazy, or just some mystic with the ability to see up to two months into the future? Now that Roy Williams is out for the rest of the season, Lions fans might as well pick another team to root for or jump on the Patriots' bandwagon, because, like a thanksgiving turkey that has been in the oven for six hours; the Lions are done! The sad thing is....given their recent history, six wins is an improvement for the Lions. But, after six wins in their first eight games, a 6-10 record would be anything but a success. What happened to the Lions? How did they get here? Well, I can only speculate from what I see on T.V (because no way could I stomach a performance like yesterday's in person), so ...

What now!? After the most topsy-turvy college football season came to a close last night, fans are now left to wonder what happens now. Eight teams are left with legitimate claims to being able to play in the National Championship game, but unfortunately for the fans, none of this will be decided on the field. The BCS system is totally ridiculous...unlike some of the more recent years, there is no clear-cut No. 1 and No. 2 teams to fight it out in the BCS-appointed National Championship game. Tonight, we will find out who is left when all the dust has settled when the BCS selection show airs on FOX, and as soon as the two teams picked to play for the big game are announced, the rest of the nation will be left wondering why. Why is it that one of the country's most popular sports is left as the only one where a true champion is not decided on the field? Why is that almost every year, two to three teams who are deserving are left out of a shot at the National Title? Why is that ...