Bendle boys pull away from Burton Atherton

Bendle’s Joe Cassidy concentrates at the charity stripe before dropping a shot in. Photo by Brandon Pope BURTON — Because the Bendle varsity boys’ basketball team has not seen Atherton since they lost to them 50-49 in the season opener on Dec. 9, last Thursday’s rematch was a long time coming. While this contest was originally slated for last Friday and was rescheduled because of a school closing, this time around it was Bendle that was able to parlay the home-court advantage into a 71-61 Genesee Area Conference-Blue victory over the Wolverines.

Atherton actually had command early in this one by taking an 18-10 lead in the first quarter, which the Tigers responded to by posting an 18-11 scoring advantage in the second to pull within a point at 29-28. After the break, the tides continued to turn in Bendle’s favor, as it slowly but surely got the better of the Wolverines, 21-15, in the third and, 22-17, in the fourth to lock down the league victory.

Bentley’s Carl Kentish dribbles hard on the steal on his way to the hoop. Photo by Brandon Pope Standing at the forefront of this effort for the Tigers was Stone Barr with a team-high 21 point performance, Devon Stadtfeld had 17 points with three steals and Joe Williams scored 10. With Jaleel Woodson also knocking down nine points and six rebounds for Bendle, Atherton’s offense was led by Trevor Hurd with an impressive gamehigh 36 point showing and scoring nine was David Younger-Dean.

It was a much different story when the Tigers went to Genesee on Tuesday, as Hurd scored a game-high 32 points with 15 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to keep his team from falling 69-63. Younger-Dean was also solid for Bendle with 16 points and 10 assists.

The Tigers will wrap up the regular season tomorrow at Byron. — M.S.

ATHERTON

Miles Thronson scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds at home on Tuesday against New Lothrop to help the Wolverines pull out a 46-45 Genesee Area Conference-Blue victory. Even though the Hornets did outscore Atherton, 16-12, in the fourth quarter and kept things deadlocked at 12-12 in the third, the difference in the game came in the first half, where the Wolverines built a 22-17 lead heading into the break.

“The game stayed close all game. (The) biggest lead was seven points in first half,” said coach Bobby McAllister. “(The) game came down to a last failed attempt at a last shot by New Lothrop to help seal the win for Atherton Community Schools.”

Jaleel Woodson also stood tall for the Wolverines with 11 points and Stone Barr Scored eight. Atherton hosts Dryden on March 1. — M.S.

BENTLEY

The Bulldogs continue to make a push toward the postseason, hosting Morrice on Tuesday as a part of the Genesee Area Conference schedule. Bentley boosted its overall record to 11-8 by defeating the Orioles, 61-49. Bentley got an early start in the contest, outscoring Morrice, 15-7, in the first quarter.

The Orioles’ offense then exploded for a 19-point second quarter to cut the deficit, 30-26, heading into the break. The two squads drew even in the third frame before Bentley went on a 19-11 run to finish the game, sealing the Bulldogs 61-49 win.

Multi-sport star Mitchell McFall came through in the clutch for the Bulldogs, amassing 22 points and eight rebounds. Cody Beebe stormed his way to a 15-point night, snatching down seven rebounds in the process. Kyle Kuzma has been on fire since his transfer to Bentley, and that was no different on Tuesday, as he picked up a doubledouble with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Jake Coron tossed in six points, while Jon Martinbianco scored two points and recorded three steals. Brad Hanson had the other two points, and Tyler Prine added six assists. Now at 11-8, the Bulldogs will be on hiatus until Thursday in a conference contest with Flint Hamady, which will be Bentley’s regular season finale.

On Friday, the Bulldogs hosted Genesee Area Conference foe Byron in a critical league match up as the playoffs draw closer. A see-saw battle of sorts concluded with Bentley closing the door on the Eagles, 62-56. The back-and-forth contest began with Byron throwing the first punch. The Eagles went on a 15-7 run in the opening stanza, but the Bulldogs would bounce back to draw even at halftime, 25-25.

The second half would be packed with offense, especially in the third quarter. Bentley fought hard to outscore Byron, 20-17, in the third, earning the Bulldogs a three-point edge on the scoreboard. Bentley would do the same in the final frame, this time, 17-14, to seal the six-point victory at home.

Jake Coron was the leading Bulldog scorer, accumulating 13 points, while with 12 points it was the star transfer stduent, Kyle Kuzma. Brad Hanson and Mitchell McFall matched one another, as each tossed in 10 points. Jon Martinbianco was credited with eight points, while Cody Beebe was able to contribute seven points. Tyler Prine chipped in two points of his own. Leading the way for Byron was Jordon Coffey, who put up a game-high 24 points, as well as four steals, four assists and one rebound. — B.P.

FAITH

Madison Academy came to Faith on Tuesday and got sent home on the wrong end of a 58-29 decision.

The Lions, 8-9 overall, will finish the regular season at Auburn Hills Christian tomorrow. — M.S.

GENESEE CHRISTIAN

The Soldiers turned a 22-point deficit into a two-point game, but still dropped a 65-53 decision to Lansing Christian last Thursday in their last home game of the season.

Genesee Christian fell into a 22-7 hole in the first quarter and trailed, 41- 19, three minutes into the second half. Clay Selby then exploded for 15 points in less than six minutes, as the Soldiers rallied to within 52-50 with just over four minutes left. But they made just one more basket the rest of the way, and Lansing Christian pulled away with a parade of free throws to end the game. Selby finished with 21 points, 19 in the second half, and Hunter Selby scored 18.

Genesee Christian, 4-14, will visit Saginaw Nouvel on Friday. — D.N.