By Mark Blentlinger
The Schoolcraft High School gym was the stage for a battle between the Golden Eagles and Holland Black River Rats. After the freshman and junior varsity played, the two nets were removed, and one net was erected center court for varsity competition. Black River came in with a record of 1-6, beating Bangor. The Eagles entered with a 2-6 record, with wins against Allegan and Gobles.
The first game started slowly, with neither team jumping out to a major lead. Black River liked to play fast, and it took the Eagles a little while to slow the pace and start putting points on the board. Although Black River was able to come back a bit, the Eagles topped them at 25-16.
During the second game it looked like the Eagles were firing on all cylinders, being up 15-6. At one point in the game, the Golden Eagles went up 18-7 before Black River made a comeback. The Eagles committed some unforced errors, giving Black River 9 unanswered points and eventually the win for game 2, 25-22.
In game 3 it looked and felt like the advantage was for Black River. The Eagles just could not put a string of points together. Black River ended up taking game 3, 25-17. During game 4, the Eagles were able to take a deep breath and score points, downing Black River and winning game 4, 25-16, forcing a tiebreaker. In a tiebreaker, the first team to 15 wins. After all was over, the visitors from Black River topped the Eagles 15-13 and left with the win.
