By Sue Moore
Some expert shooting in the second half boosted the Schoolcraft Eagles boys’ basketball team to a big 70-48 win over a Class B Vicksburg, leaving the team with a 9-3 record going into the final month of the season.
This game between neighbors outside of conference play was instituted by the Vicksburg and Schoolcraft athletic directors in 2017. Schoolcraft competes in the SWAC conference consisting of class C size schools, Vicksburg plays in the Wolverine conference. Schoolcraft has taken home a win each time.
Coach Randy Small’s Eagles team had a balanced scoring attack with their big man, Chris Cooper, pouring in 18 points, five of them three-pointers, and eight rebounds. Kobe Clark has 15 points, three of them from outside the arc. Riley Piper had 13 points and four assists and Trent Lomason had 10 points, with eight of them on free throws.
“I thought our second half was one of our best halves of the season against a quality opponent, Small said after the game. “I thought we took care of the ball, found the open man and knocked down some big shots. Our offense is starting to come around and it starts with movement and making the extra pass. I also thought that Jakob Huysken and Bryce VanderWiere did a nice job defensively against Vicksburg’s post players. I still feel that we can be a lot better overall on the defensive end of the floor.”
Schoolcraft has a 9-3 record with close loses to Hackett and Kalamazoo Christian.