Advertisement

Pressuring the Kalkaska shooters from the opening whistle to the final horn, Elk Rapids held on for a heartstopping 49-48 boys basketball victory in the Lake Michigan Conference on Monday night.

The win took away some of the sting from last Wednesday's 61-38 loss to Boyne City.

Kalkaska was originally scheduled to make the 15-mile trip last Friday night, but Elk Rapids didn't have school.

Elk Rapids' School Board has ruled that no athletic events can be held if school is canceled for any reason.

Obviously, the extra day of rest helped the Elks more than the Blazers. It gave them more time to forget about the loss to the Ramblers.

"We didn't shoot very well, and our transition game was non existent," Elks coach Andy Kenney said of the Boyne game.

"Our lack of intensity was a big factor in not allowing us to create easy baskets or defensive stops."

Despite all of that, Elk Rapids kept the game close in the first quarter and trailed by only a deuce, 12-10, entering the second period.

But any thoughts the Elks might have had of staying with the Ramblers were squashed when Boyne spread the margin out to 11 points, 31-20, at the half.

The Elks couldn't make any run on the Ramblers in the second half, lacking the energy level to cut into the deficit.

It grew to 14 points, 47-33, at the end of the third quarter and the Ramblers kept the Elks under wraps throughout the fourth period.

"We only had six offensive rebounds, and we are going to have to put forth more effort to win games in this conference," Kenney said.

Sam Wittbrodt put in 11 points and had 4 rebounds for the Elks. Charlie Hoch added 8 points and 3 blocks, while Brendan Tully finished with 6 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Elk Rapids turned it around against the Blazers on Monday night, amping up the intensity and hitting the boards with more aggressiveness. The Elks gained a four-point edge, 17-13, after the first quarter and still held a three-point lead, 27-24, by halftime.

But the Elks couldn't put the scrappy Blazers away, leading by only one point, 37-36, entering the fourth quarter.

"We played with a lot more intensity tonight," Kenney said, "which allowed us to get the win despite a poor shooting night." Defensive pressure on Kalkaska was the difference.

"It made them work for every basket, holding them well below their normal points per game average," Kenney said.

Elk Rapids also enjoyed a dominating 40-27 advantage on the boards, including 17 under the offensive glass.

That was key, especially with Kalkaska possessing so much height. "I give Kalkaska a lot of credit for holding on when we had our runs and built a double digit lead," Kenney said. "They just wouldn't go away.

"We had some crucial turnovers late in the game which allowed Kalkaska to have the ball for one last shot to win.

"Fortunately, they missed and we were able to knock the ball loose to secure the win. The game was a bit sloppy for us, but our intensity and our focus on the little things kept us in the game, and allowed us to walk away with the victory."

Hoch and Wittbrodt shared the team scoring honors for Elk Rapids with 9 points each. Ian Sliger added 7 points and Tully scored 4 big points late in the game.

Tully was battling illness and played only the second half.

Zac Dreffs contributed a career high 9 assists and had 2 steals. Tully and Sliger hauled down 8 rebounds apiece, and Hoch pulled down 6 boards. Sliger and Tully had 2 blocks each.

Elk Rapids hosted Glen Lake on Wednesday night and was scheduled to play at Traverse City St. Francis on Friday.

The Elks are back home next Wednesday against Harbor Springs and go to East Jordan on Feb. 1.