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The Elks shot over the Gladiators' zone defense, and pounded the ball inside on their way to building a halftime lead in the Lake Michigan Conference game.

But, the Gladiators took over in the second half. Especially on defense, as they disrupted the Elks' offensive flow and gradually pulled ahead, and away.

Unable to extricate themselves from the Gladiators' defensive grips, the Elks' momentum slowly evaporated.

The Gladiators held the Elks to only 10 points in the second half, and pulled out a 50-41 victory.

"St. Francis came out the second half and took us out of our offensive rhythm," Elk Rapids coach Andy Kenney said. "We struggled to run our offense and get good shots.

"Plus, we turned the ball over too many times to beat a tough team like St. Francis. The positive of the game was we did outrebound them, 31-30, and we will build on this to continue to find a way to beat the great teams in this conference."

Much of the Elks' rebounding success was the result of senior Charlie Hoch's rugged inside play, where he proved impossible to box out. A tight end for the playoff qualifying football team, Hoch muscled down 11 rebounds to be a thorn in the Gladiators' sides all game.

He didn't work alone, though. Brendan Tully provided help underneath with 6 rebounds. Both players scored 4 points.

Sam Wittbrodt led the team in scoring with 9 points, and he dished out for 3 assists. Zac Dreffs finished with 6 points, 4 steals and 3 assists. Ian Sliger contributed 6 points.

Elk Rapids got off to a great start, and finished the first quarter with a 17-12 lead.

The Elks gained a 14-13 edge on the Gladiators in the second quarter on an offensive rebound to take a 31-25 lead at the half. But, the tide turned in the second half.

St. Francis outscored the Elks, 9-2 in the third period and led, 34-33 heading into the fourth. The Gladiators had a 16-8 advantage in the last period to extend the margin to 9 points.

Coach Luke Johnson's junior varsity lost a 60-21 decision to the Gladiators.

"Although the score doesn't represent it, we really had some kids do some very good things," Johnson said. "We are getting better as a team."

Jared Dreffs played a great game on both ends of the floor, and finished with 7 points. Eric Savage and Mike Roote chipped in with 4 points apiece, and became much more aggressive on the offensive end.

The Elks junior varsity also lost to Petoskey, 70-16. Savage and Marc Michalski scored 4 points apiece. Before that, the Elks dropped a 53-47 decision to Glen Lake. Trevor Chase had 15 points and Roote 11.

Elk Rapids hosts East Jordan tonight, and then is off until Jan. 3 when it travels to Grayling. The Elks played at Harbor Springs on Tuesday.