Leland Falls in Class D Basketball Regional Final
Leland coach Jason Stowe expected a fantastic game last night and while the 54-52 loss was a heartbreaker, there’s no doubt that the game (tied 22-22 at halftime) delivered all that excitement and more. It came down to a final shot and was a tremendous game.
If Ellsworth is the number one team, I think it’s pretty clear that Leland was #2 – congratulations on a great season, Leland!
Leland Wins Regional Opener
Last night Leland captured the regional opener with an 85-67 victory over Hillman. The Record-Eagle reports that 6′ 4″ Comet center Galen Whittaker led the way with a season-best 32 points and 16 rebounds. Leland will meet 23-0 and number one Class D Ellsworth in the regional final on Wednesday night at 7 PM.
Leland won the regional crown a year ago, but coach Jason Stowe knows repeating will not be easy. He came away impressed with the Lancers.
“They’re No. 1 in the state,” Stowe said. “They haven’t lost yet. They’re a very impressive team. They like to dribble drive. They have great athletes, great shooters, They know how to win — and that goes a long way this time of year.
“I expect a battle. I think it’s going to be a fantastic game.”
So does Ellsworth coach Tex Drenth.
“As well as we played (Monday), we’ll have to step it up Wednesday night,” Drenth said. “Leland’s a superb team. This will be the best team we’ve faced all year. We’ll have our work cut out for us, but we’re up for the challenge.”
Leland Captures District Crown
On Friday night Leland captured the Class D District title with an 81-55 victory over Lake Leelanau St Mary.
Leland rode a balanced attack to fend off repeated charges by a determined Eagles squad.
The Comets (17-7) move on to meet Hillman in the Regional opener tonight at 7 PM at Traverse City West Senior High. The winner of tonight’s game will meet the winner of Mio vs Ellsworth on Wednesday at (I think) 7:30.
In other news, Suttons Bay fell by a score of 60-46 to Forest Area. The Record-Eagle has an article on the game.