Rochester Hills Christian clobbers Troy Bethany to gain FBAC title share
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Good things come for those who wait.
Rochester Hills Christian had to wait over a month for its make-up game with Troy Bethany Christian, even with the Michigan Association of Christian Schools state tournament already completed.
The wait was more than worth it.
The Eagles avenged an 18-point January loss to Troy Bethany, topping the Bruins 69-55. The win helped Rochester Hills Christian gained a share of the Fundamental Baptist Athletic Conference Red Division crown with the Bruins, as both finished 7-1 in conference play.
Rochester Hills grabbed a 17-9 lead after the first quarter and never looked back against the Bruins, who were state semifinalists in the MACS Division I state tournament. By half, the Eagles were in control at 30-14 and Bethany Christian was never able to cut the deficit to under 10 points.
“We played the way we can play,” beamed Rochester Hills Christian coach Jon Bronsing. “This time we had great defense. Our defensive positioning was awesome.
We stopped them in transition, our defense was amazing. We forced them into 20 turnovers. I don’t think they gave up that many points in a game the season
The win completed a 12-win turnaround season for Rochester Hills Christian, which finished 4-13 a year ago. The Eagles posted a 16-10 record this winter.
“It was awesome for them to see them turn it around,” added Bronsing. “It was great to see how hard they worked to have a good season. They didn’t want to go through what they went through last season.”
Nathan Simon and Aaron Berry scored 18 points apiece to pace the Eagles. DJ Szydlowski, in his final game of his high school career, posted a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists despite shooting just 3-of-9 from the foul ;ine.
For Troy Bethany, Travis Woodham scored 17 points in his basketball finale for the Bruins (18-7) despite battling foul trouble for most of the game.
Bethany scored 20 points in the third quarter, but could only whittle the deficit down to 48-34. Both teams scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.
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Category: High School, Oakland University, Prep Wraps, Rochester Hills Christian, Troy Bethany Christian, Troy Christian Leadership Acadamy
