The Newberry Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams both got their first win of the season last week.
It took until overtime, but the Lady Indians made it out of Manistique with an exciting 55-51 win over the Emeralds. In the back-and-forth battle, who saw Katie Rahilly back for her season debut, the Indians took control late.
“I felt great going into overtime because we had the momentum at that point,” said Coach Jim Dzekak. “We made a comeback and got it tied up. I believed we were going to win. Rahilly was a real spark, scoring 25 points to lead the Lady Indians to the victory. Having her back really made a difference. We were able to take some of the pressure off Bailey, and really do some different things defensively.”
The Lady Indians forced 29 total turnovers in the contest, and kept things close in the battle on the boards. “This was a big first win for us coming off a close loss against Engadine. We did some things very well and I was pleased,” Dzelak said.
On the boys’ side, they too were searching for their first win after a close loss in their season opener. In that game, they lost to Manistique in a 60-58 final-minute battle. Indians Coach Kenn Depew was looking forward to Friday night’s home showdown with St. Ignace. The Indians came out and overpowered the Saints, who have struggled in recent seasons. The Indians showed no mercy, making it a nice nightcap at the J.L DeCook gymnasium with a 65-48 win. It’s the Newberry Boys’ third straight win over the Saints, all by more than double digits.
Newberry has now won five out of the last six matchups against their Straits area rivals.
The two teams head into the holiday break after a couple of games against Rudyard this week. The boys will host the Bulldogs on Thursday night and the Ladies will fight it out on Friday night. Both nights will see JV action start at 5:45 p.m. with the varsity to follow. The Lady Indians also play Pickford for Parent’s Night tonight.
