BOYS BASKETBALL: Rochester Hills rolls Troy Bethany to reach MACS-I final
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
Dan.Stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
DAVISON — An end of an era will come Saturday for six seniors on Rochester Hills Christian’s boys basketball team. The Eagles hope to fly out into the sunset with a happy ending.
Rochester Hills Christian advanced to the state finals of the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I state tournament for the second straight season by topping Troy Bethany Christian, 56-34, Friday in the state semifinals at Davison Faith Baptist.
The Eagles, now 21-4, will play Midland Calvary Baptist at 5 p.m. Saturday night at Clarkston Springfield Christian for the title. RHC defeated Temperance Stateline Christian in last year’s title game.
“It’s kind of sad that for these six seniors, tomorrow will be it,” said RHC coach Jon Bronsing. “They have worked so hard and played as team to get back to the finals. We’re excited to play for the championship again, but sad that tomorrow it’s it. This group of seniors are a special group. They are going to go out there one last time and play their hearts out.”
Rochester Hills Christian opened the game with a 16-4 run and never allowed Troy Bethany to pose much of a threat. By halftime, the Eagles were in complete control with a 33-11 advantage.
Sophomore guard Ryan Patton led the Eagles with a game-high 21 points, while senior Marques Hatcher added 20 points and 12 rebounds and 6-foot-4 senior Josh Steiner followed with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
The Eagles are in the championship game in back-to-back years for the second time. RHC won the MACS-II title in 1992 and lost in the MACS-II finals the following year in 1993.
“We became a Division I school in I believe 1997, so this is the first time we’ve made it back to the finals as a Division I school,” noted Bronsing.
Having players step into their roles perfectly has been the key ingredient for the Eagles’ winning recipe this winter.
“Ryan Patton is only a sophomore, but he’s playing like a senior. He’s really stepped up his game this season and I think he’s going to be a special player for us,” said Bronsing. “But it goes to the seniors. Marquez Hatcher’s leadership has been phenomenal. Josh Steiner is the best big man I’ve ever coached. He’s averaging a double-double. We have several seniors that are playing their roles and doing what it takes for us to win.
“Another player that has been huge for us recently is Michael Bosner,” continued Bronsing. “He transferred to our school over the summer and when (senior) Jered Brown, our center, went down with an (season-ending) injury midway through the season, Michael has stepped into the starting lineup and has done a tremendous job. He’s been huge, so valuable to us, even if it doesn’t always show up in the (stat) book. I don’t think we’d be playing Saturday if it wasn’t for him.”
Sophomore Angelo Mansour scored 12 points to lead Troy Bethany (12-8).
Category: Basketball, Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Most Recently Updated Stories, Prep Wraps, Rochester Hills Christian, Sport, Top Stories, Troy Bethany Christian, Uncategorized
