The Vicksburg varsity basketball team started its season on a high note with a 66-56 victory over neighboring Schoolcraft.
It was an intense, physical contest that felt like it could go either way. However, Vicksburg was able to retain a roughly three-to-five-point lead for most of the game. It was 17-12 after one, and 32-29 at the half. At the game’s conclusion, three Bulldogs had double digit points on the score sheet. Senior Mitchell Beyer led the scoring charge with 23 points. His first three buckets were three-pointers. Graham Kubiak had 16 points, finding space consistently in the paint. Nathan Vallier scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
Anthony Marchese had six points in the contest, including a key dunk late in the game that sent the student section into a frenzy. Vicksburg was strong at the free throw line all night, going eight for nine. Trevor Colter-Coville sunk four of those free throws. Caden Chisholm and Rocco Marchese rounded out the scoring with three and two points respectively.
“We haven’t had a lot of practices, but that’s the way it is,” Vicksburg Head Coach Randy Small said. “I thought we did better getting down and stopping them, defending better.”
The Eagles didn’t make it easy on the Bulldogs. Senior Jimmy Miller was a force on offense all night, as he used his 6’ 10” frame to block shots and steal passes. He racked up a team-high 29 points. He drained three 3-pointers but did most of his damage under the rim. He also had a massive dunk in the third.
Ty Goddard was the next leading scorer for the Eagles with 11 points. Kodee Bienz had five, Brody Epple and Drew Enright each had three. Bryce Lambe rounded out the scoring with a free throw. Despite the strong scoring performance, Schoolcraft Head Coach Derrick Small noted it was a series of small moments that ultimately cost the Eagles.
“Ty picked up his third foul before halftime. That hurt us, we had momentum, he was shooting the ball well. I thought that really took us out of our offensive flow,” Derrick said. “We had cut it to three right before half, but I felt like if we had made some free throws and kept our foot on the gas, we would have been okay scoring-wise. Defensively, I think just not communicating on defense
“Every time it seemed like we would miss one, they would go down and hit one. And they hit some tough shots,” Derrick added. “We’ve just got to figure out a way to get that stop when the ball’s not going our way, and the ball’s not going in.”
In the third, the Bulldogs held a slim, four-point lead. However, the defense was able to buckle down and contain a surging Eagles offense. Ball control helped them further bleed the clock. Still, every time Schoolcraft had possession, they were threatening the score.
“Miller hurt us inside, we knew that. We’ve got to get tougher and more physical,” Randy Small said. “But I thought we played hard, we’ve just got to figure out how to do it. We’re just not there physically yet.”
The game was played before a raucous crowd that kept the energy and noise level up all evening. However, the other underlying tension of the contest was the fact that the two head coaches were father and son. And Randy Small’s other son, Walker, is an assistant for Vicksburg, making the game a true family affair. Both father and son seemed relieved the game was over.
“I didn’t really like it, it’s probably uncomfortable for him, too. I was glad we got it over with, I’m glad it wasn’t in February,” Randy Small said. “Tough environment for him, tough environment for me, I’m glad it was a competitive game. I thought teams played hard.”
His son concurred with his thoughts.
“At the end of the day it’s not about us, it’s about the kids playing basketball and getting in a spot where we continue to grow every day. If we take that perspective of growing our team and getting better every time we step on the court and use that as our focus, our team’s in a good spot,” Derrick Small said. “We’ll use this as a chance to get better, and we’ll take a tough loss.
“At the end of the day, Vicksburg’s going to have a heck of a season, but for us, we’re not looking at the other team, we’re preparing not on who’s coaching. We’re preparing on what the other team brings and how do we stop them,” Derrick added.
Both teams have talent and should be in position to make noise in their respective conferences. However, there are still some challenges noted by both coaches that will need to be addressed. Randy was notably concerned with his team’s attitude as the final seconds ran off the clock.
“Maturity. We’ve got to be more mature,” Randy said. “We’ve got to act like we’ve won before. Even though we haven’t, we’ve got to act like it. We’ve got to get leadership, leadership will be key for us, bottom line.
On the Schoolcraft side, some of the Eagles players had a long football season that ended with a loss at the state championship game. Subsequently, Derrick Small has different concerns for his squad.
“I think just staying healthy, that’s the biggest thing right now,” Derrick said. “We’ve got guys that can play one through eight, we’ve got a couple guys trying to bounce back after a long football run and then get into the rotation a little bit more and play significant minutes.
“We’ve got to get comfortable and gel, but I think health is going to be the most significant thing and staying fresh. Bienz rolled his ankle tonight, so just getting guys bouncing back is going to be the biggest key,” he added.
