By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com
CUSTER — Mason County Eastern’s boys basketball team was on a roll, winning four straight games and wiping away the sour taste of a bad start.
But the Cardinals have fallen on hard times again and Mesick dealt them their second loss in a row with a 42-35 win in a West Michigan D League matchup in Custer Thursday night.
Eastern’s offense never got into a flow and a full court press by Mesick in the second quarter made it even more difficult for the Cardinals.
“It was pretty ugly,” Eastern coach Mark Forner said. “It was not a good effort. Really disappointed. This late in the season, we looked a little discombobulated. We couldn’t find any rhythm on offense. For some reason, we don’t respond when the other team is physical. That throws us off our game. They played harder than we did. For a coach, you live with missed shots … them playing harder than us, that’s on me.”
Despite their offensive struggles, the Cardinals stayed right on the Bulldogs’ heels throughout the first half, trailing only 12-11 after one and being outscored 10-7 in the second for a 22-18 halftime deficit.
Mesick limited the Cardinals to just one field goal in the third quarter and scored 10 points to stretch their lead to double figures, 32-18. Eastern had a 15-10 edge in the fourth.
Trent Hawke finished with nine points to lead the Cardinals in scoring, while Clay Shoup was limited to eight.
Eastern is 6-10 on the season, 4-8 in the league. The Cardinals host Walkerville for homecoming Friday.
