MACS BOYS BASKETBALL: Rochester Hills Christian claims first state title since 1992
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — Good teams normally find ways to win in the clutch. Rochester Hills Christian did just that Saturday evening.
The Eagles, the top-seeded team in the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I boys basketball state tournament, rallied back from a 50-49, fourth-quarter deficit by closing out with an 18-7 run over the final 3:18 en route to a 66-56 victory over Temperance Stateline Christian in the MACS-I state finals at Clarkston Springfield Christian.
It marked the Eagles’ first state crown since 1992, and that came in the MACS Division II tournament. Rochester Hills Christian finished as the MACS-II state runner-up in 1993 following an overtime loss to Detroit Trinity Christian and never returned to the season’s final day until now.
“It’s been a long time. And we have never been to the finals as a Division I school,” offered Rochester Hills coach Jon Bronsing. “We won the FBAC (league) crown the past three years and we got the No. 1 seed for the first time in school history. This team won the most games in school history by a long shot and just went out and played as a team the whole season. I think they were finally rewarded for it because this was their goal since the end of last season.”
Six different players scored in the game-ending run for Rochester Hills Christian — junior guard Marquez Hatcher, senior guard Aaron Berry, junior center Josh Steiner, junior forward Jesse Montgomery, junior forward Jared Brown and senior forward Chuck Kalajian.
“We played some great team basketball when it mattere3d most,” said Bronsing. “We ran some different plays and guys stepped up. We had Chuck Kalajian come off the bench and he hit that big three after not laying much, and Jesse Montgomery had a nice steal and layup. Josh Steiner hit that turn-around jumper late in the game and Jared Brown was just solid on the boards the whole game. He hit a nice shot in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t just Marquez or Aaron hitting shots down the stretch.”
Temperance Stateline Christian (21-9) is 6-6 all-time in MACS title games, all in Division I. Rochester Hills Christian (25-2) bumped up to Division I in 1999 but this was their first appearance in the MACS-I title game.
“I think we were nervous, especially in the first half. This was the first time these kids have been in a state title game for basketball,” noted Bronsing. “We just kept battling and we knew eventually the shots would start falling. The shots weren’t falling much in the first half. We missed some good looks at the basket. But when it was close in the fourth quarter, we started to make some shots and found a way to win.”
Stateline Christian was making its fifth straight appearance in the state finals. The perennial power Patriots last won a title in 2010 and dropped their third straight finals game.
“It is frustrating to be here five times in a row and only able to win one title (in that stretch),” said Stateline Christian Nathan Nash. “We did a nice job for most of the game, but they went on that run and we couldn’t hit our shots much in the last five minutes. We felt that after losing to them by only three points (in December) that we would have a chance. Our guys did a great for most of the game. But credit Rochester for hitting some big shots in the fourth quarter.”
Stateline Christian, which literally stands less than a quarter mile from the Ohio border north of Toledo, built its biggest lead at 35-27 with 6:01 left in the third quarter on senior guard Jordan Cancrant’s layup. Rochester Hills Christian answered with a 12-4 run to the end of the third frame to tie the game at 39-39.
That set up the wild fourth quarter that saw five lead changes and one tie. Stateline senior guard Jake Cox sank a shot-range jumper with 4:26 left in the game to give the Patriots a 49-46 advantage. After that point, the game unraveled for Stateline Christian, the No. 3 seed.
Hatcher, who already owns a 50-point game to his credit this season, finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Berry added 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals, Brown chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds and Steiner contributed seven points and 11 rebounds for Rochester Hills Christian.
Sancrant finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals for Stateline Christian. Junior center Mike Kerekes recorded a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists and junior guard Hunter Fitzgerald contributed nine points and five boards for the Patriots.
Stateline Christian led 14-11 after the first quarter and 29-25 at the half, shooting 11-for-23 from the floor over the first 16 minutes of play. Rochester Hills Christian was only 9-for-33 from the floor in the first half.
The Eagles, who set multiple school records this season, finished the night an uncharacteristic 25-for-63 from the floor (39.7 percent), 12-for-20 from the foul line (60 percent) and 4-for-14 from three-point range (28.6 percent). Rochester Hills Christian forced 21 turnovers and held a 36-33 edge on the boards.
Stateline Christian finished the night 20-for-53 from the floor (37.7 percent), 11-for-17 from the charity stripe (64.7 percent) and just 4-for-23 from beyond the arc (17.9 percent).
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