Local Sports Journal

Prior to Tuesday’s 61-52 loss to Whitehall, Mason County Central head coach Jeff Tuka’s squad suffered from a two-week gap in games. After the game, he spoke at length about his team’s need to get back into gear.

Thursday night’s 61-32 win over league foe Ravenna (1-8, 0-7) was just what the doctor ordered.

The Spartans (8-4, 6-3) owned the first half, holding the Bulldogs to just 14 first-half points while exploding for 41 of their own.  Likewise, MCC won the second half 20-18.

“We played a really nice offensive and defensive first half,” said Tuka. “Ravenna battled the whole game and showed a lot of heart.  It’s good to get back on the winning track but we have a tough one tomorrow night at North Muskegon.”

“We struggled getting our offense going all night,” said Ravenna head coach Mark VanderWal, “but credit goes to MCC for (its) defensive effort. They really clamped down on our half-court offense, and then dominated us on the boards.”

Senior guard Kody Ambrose led the way for the Spartans, pouring in a game-high 16 points, while teammate junior center Johnny Shafer scored nine points and pulled down 12 boards. MCC saw 11 players score.

Junior forward Connor Beahan led Ravenna with 12 points, and junior Alex White added eight points and 10 boards in the loss.