By BUTCH HARMON
OWOSSO – They don’t call it March Madness for nothing.
After winning district and regional titles, the Pewamo-Westphalia Pirates stormed into the Class C state title game thanks to a pair of stunning wins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
A 12-0 spurt in the third quarter helped Pewamo-Westphalia come from behind to defeat Muskegon Heights 54-44 in the semifinal to earn its first berth in the championship game since 1993.
“It’s just a tremendous win and a tremendous feeling to be here,” coach Luke Pohl said. “I’ve always wanted to get my players to the Breslin, and to win this ball game here, knowing that we had to beat a team like Flint Beecher and then Muskegon Heights, with the history behind those schools, it is just unbelievable.”
Senior guard Nick Spitzley led the way for Pewamo-Westphalia in the semifinal with 22 points and eight rebounds, as the senior-laden Pirates played their way into the state final.
“Since I was little, it’s always been a dream, and it’s come true,” Spitzley said. “We’ve been playing together since fifth grade, maybe before that.”
Pewamo-Westphalia reached the Breslin thanks to a dramatic last-second comeback victory against Beecher in the quarterfinal. Trailing by four points with 10 seconds remaining in the game, the Pirates stunned the Buccaneers with five straight points to claim a 42-41 victory.
“It’s just unbelievable,” Pohl said. “To accomplish this, in this kind of atmosphere, is unbelievable. I just told the kids to keep on playing and not quit. My guys just would not quit. I’m speechless. I can’t believe it. The guys never quit, they just kept believing.”
Trailing 41-37 with 10 seconds to go, Pewamo-Westphalia’s Kyle Nurenberg drained a three-point shot to cut the Beecher lead to a single point. On the inbounds play, Spitzley stole the ball in the corner off a trap and then drove in for a layup that gave Pewamo-Westphalia a 42-41 lead with 4.1 seconds remaining.
“Coach just told us to keep playing,” Spitzley said. “He told us to keep playing, and that our time would come. We doubled them in the corner, and they threw a lazy pass. I grabbed it and went in and laid it in.”
Beecher tried a desperation half-court heave with seconds remaining, but the ball fell well short and set off a wild Pirate celebration.
“I’ve been coaching for 17 years, and we finally made it to the Breslin,” Pohl said. “We’ve made it to the quarterfinals twice. This time we finally made it. I’m so proud of these guys. They never quit.”
The game was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish, with Pewamo-Westphalia taking an early lead before Beecher stormed back and took a 26-18 halftime lead.
Pewamo-Westphalia began to chip away at the deficit early in the third quarter. Lane Simon scored the first eight Pirate points of the second half to help the Pirates tie the game at 28-28 by the end of the third quarter.
Beecher regained the lead in the fourth quarter and was up 36-31 midway through the quarter before the Pirates made one final charge.
Spitzley led the Pewamo-Westphalia offense with 18 points, while Simon added 11 points. Adam Wesley finished with seven points, and Nurenberg added four points.