Bridgeport’s season ends in quarterfinals; finishes year 24-2
John Raffel
Sports Scene
The first and last games of the season provided the only blemishes on the boys basketball record for the Bridgeport Bearcats.
It opened on Dec. 5 with a 73-70 loss to Lansing, and then came 24 straight wins that put the Bearcats in the quarterfinals, where Bridgeport lost to New Haven 78-72.
Coach Kevin Marshall’s team was 22-0 for first place in the Tri-Valley Conference East and handed Frankenmuth its only two league losses.
“The boys played tough,” Marshall said. “They laid it all on the line. They came in the game against the defending champs. Overall, I was very impressed with how my team played. It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did. There were a lot of issues and some crazy non-calls that shouldn’t have been called. We won’t say that’s the reason we lost.
“But I’m very proud of the Bridgeport team and the season we had,” he continued. “We accomplished a lot. A lot people didn’t think we’d do it, especially being my first year there.”
The last time Bridgeport made the quarterfinals was in 2009.
“It was a family,” Marshall said. “I had coached JV at Bridgeport the last three years. A majority of those players played for me on JV. The guys were used to playing with each other. Out of 15 players, nine of them played football. So the guys had a close family bond. We started when I took over the football program. I think that’s what built the chemistry. The kids were phenomenal. It’s a brotherhood.”
Charles Garrett led the team in scoring at 27.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. SirQuarius Ball was at 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. Markele Garrett was at 13 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.