The Newberry Boys Varsity Basketball team got back on track with two big wins in the last week, improving their season record to 4-2. The wins were extra sweet for the Indians, who defeated two of their fiercest rivals.
In Friday’s matchup against the Munising Mustangs, Newberry thrilled a packed house on Homecoming night, hanging on for a thrilling 46-45 victory. They followed that up with a big EUP Conference win Monday, pulling away late in another nailbiter to beat St. Ignace 67–56.
At Homecoming on Friday, the Indians and Mustangs went toe-to-toe in a high energy battle. They traded the lead several times, and neither could pull away. The Indians made their final push with just under five minutes to go on a surprising three point shot from Owen Yeadon that gave them a small lead.
Showing incredible composure in the final minutes, the Indians operated efficiently to pull out the victory. With the Mustangs aiming their defensive efforts at Newberry’s top scorer Kegan Martin, Newberry had players step up. Logan Thiele scored 9 of his team-high 16 points in the tight second half, and Filip Tihelka put up a career-high 15 points. But it was at the defensive end where the Indians hung their hats, securing the tribe’s first win against Munising since 2017.
Monday’s league matchup was another one that went down to the wire. The Saints were effective early on and traded leads with the Indians in the latest chapter of their longstanding rivalry.
The Indians raised their game to another level once challenged, and delivered an incredible second-half performance to take the victory. Martin made up for his low scoring total in the previous game, catching fire in the fourth quarter where he scored 16 of his game high 29 points to put away the Saints. Thiele was dominant again, finishing with 23. Yeadon continued his strong run of recent performances, scoring 10 and leading a dominant night on the board for the Indians.
Coach Nate Moulton also credited seniors Xander Stilson and Oliver Navarro, who stepped up to play big minutes in the second half when multiple starters were in foul trouble and had to sit out.
