Norse men and women pick up wins Friday

Bay College men remained undefeated, and the women climbed above .500 by posting basketball victories over Harper College here Friday.

Bay’s women overcame a cold shooting night in a 44-25 victory, and the men raced to an 82-67 triumph in the opening round of the Bay College Fall Classic.

The Bay men (6-0) were clinging to a 41-39 lead early in the second half, then responded with a 28-6 run for an insurmountable 69-47 advantage on a layup by freshman guard Lamar Grayson or Richfield, Minn. with five minutes, 37 seconds left to play.

“I thought when we played fast. We had much better success, and when we attacked, we were much more successful, which led us to the free throw line,” said Bay coach Matt Johnson. “It was a strange game. We never felt we were really in trouble, yet we never really felt comfortable. That’s a very good Harper team. They gave us fits with their back screens. They gave us more trouble than we hoped.”

The Hawks trimmed their deficit to 71-59 on a dunk by freshman forward Ethan Gutzmer with 2:45 remaining. The Norse, however, didn’t allow them to get any closer.

Bay led 36-29 at halftime and 41-35 following a three-point play by Escanaba graduate Carter Hudson less than 3 1/2 minutes into the second half.

A 17-foot jump shot by freshman guard Jide Olukoya gave Harper (0-6) a 17-13 lead with 8:45 left in the first half before the Norse took their first lead at 19-17 on a 22-foot jumper from the left wing by Dollar Bay grad Ashton Janke at 7:03.

The Hawks trimmed their deficit to 23-22 slightly more than a minute later.

Bay answered with a 9-1 run, extending its lead to 32-23 at 1:58 when freshman guard Tre Burris of Milwaukee split a pair of free throws.

“All our kids are young,” said Harper coach Sean Stochl. “It’s a learning experience for everybody right now. Matt always has his team ready. We love coming up here. They always put on a good tournament.”

Freshman point guard Dewayne Thompson of St. Paul, Minn. led the Norse with 15 points. Freshman wing Jaylen Flaniken of Troy, Mich. added 10. West Iron County grad Justin Nelson scored nine, and Burris hit eight.

“Dewayne, Jaylen and Tre had real nice games for us,” said Johnson. “These guys stepped up and did some things when we needed them to.”

The Hawks were led by freshmen guards Sean Beckman with 20 points. and Austin Murray 11. Freshman forward Ethan Gutzmer had 10.

Bay held a 34-26 rebounding advantage and hit 27-of-57 field goals. Harper was 24-of-56. Defense carried the Bay women in their home opener in which both teams struggled with their shooting.

The Norse finished 12-of-47, and the Hawks were 8-of-52 from the floor.

“That was the best defense I saw all year,” said Harper coach Kyle Thomas. “When they needed a stop, they got it. Offensively, we struggled. Maybe it was due to this being our first six-hour bus ride for the year.”

Bay (3-2) took a 12-7 lead on 20-foot jumper from the left wing by Mid Peninsula grad Kennedy Englund with 1:53 left in the opening frame.

The Norse gave up only two points in the second stanza and led 18-9 at the half.

Bay opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run, gaining a 25-9 advantage on back-to-back three-point shots by North Central grad Bree Arsenault.

“They played good defense on top,” said Englund, who finished with nine points, four rebounds and four assists. “We struggled with our passing game a little. Bree hitting those three-point shots gave us a lot of momentum and picked up our whole game. Once we got that cushion, we felt more confident. We also got them in foul trouble, and that helped us a lot.”

The Hawks closed within 29-20 on a steal and layup by freshman guard Isabella Gebala late in the third.

Bay extended its lead to 38-22 on a layup by St. Ignace grad Madison Olsen with 4:45 left to play and never looked back.

“Kennedy understood her job tonight and held their girl under 10 points,” said Bay coach Matt Gregory. “It was an interesting game. I’m glad we found a way to put the ball in the basket more in the second half. We’ve been trying to find ways to tighten our defense.”

Freshman point guard Andi Arsenault of North Central collected nine points, four boards and three assists, and Mid Pen grad Chevy Koski grabbed seven boards.

Gebala hit nine points for the Hawks (2-2), who led a 39-33 rebounding advantage.

The Norse travel to Ironwood for the Lindquist Classic at Gogebic Community College this weekend.

Men

Harper College 29 38 — 67

Bay College 36 46 — 82

Harper College — Walker 2, Blan 5, Beckman 20, Thompson 4, Gutzmer 10, Murray 11, Johnson 5, Gallivan 1, Odueyungbo 9. FT: 14-20; F: 20; Fouled out: None; Technical fouls: Murray, Team; 3-point field goals: Beckman 2, Blan, Murray, Johnson.

Bay College — Thompson 15, Grayson 5, Janke 3, Nelson 9, Hudson 6, Kang 6, Overstreet 7, Burris 8, Flanikan 10, Kennedy 8, Hill 2, Harris 3. FT: 24-36; F: 20; Fouled out: Grayson.

Women

Harper College 7 2 11 5 — 25

Bay College 12 6 11 15 — 44

Harper College — Rich 3, Gebala 9, Aviles 6, Wilson 6, Beto 1. FT: 18; F: 18; Fouled out: Aviles, Wilson; 3-point field goals: Rich, Gebala.

Bay College — Englund 9, B. Arsenault 6, Koski 3, Olsen 8, Cretton 2, Trudeau 2, Taylor 5. FT: 14-22; F: 8; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Englund 2, B. Arsenault 2, A. Arsenault, Olsen.