Their respective boys’ basketball seasons both ended in the quarterfinals, but it was still a lot of fun this season for Big Rapids in Class B and Beal City in Class D.
Big Rapids made its first quarterfinal appearance since 1987 and was able to play the game at Ferris State University’s Wink Arena, a half-mile from the high school. The Cardinals had their worst shooting night of the season and lost 41-29 to Cadillac. Big Rapids finished with a 23-2 record.
“A lot of strange things happened,” Big Rapids coach Kent Ingles said. “The ball just didn’t bounce our way. We couldn’t get the ball to drop. In the fourth quarter, it was three points, we’d put the ball on the rim and it hung there and hung there and went off… Those kind of things break your back in a tight game.”
For the season, the Cardinals were led by Quinn Tyson with 22.9 points and five rebounds a game; Dario Williams with 10.5 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.8 steals a game; Nick Baldwin with 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.8 steals per game; Tyler Pellerito with six points and eight boards a game; and Jake Daugherty with 8.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
It’s a group that hasn’t lost many games in the last few years.
Ingles has been coaching for 43 years, and this year was among the most enjoyable in a career that also included stints at Cedar Springs and Greenville. He enjoyed seeing his 2012-13 Big Rapids team blend together.
He had also gone to the quarterfinals when he coached at Cedar Springs.
“I’m not one to get into predictions,” Ingles said. “Last year, we were 2-4 at the beginning of the year, won about 14 in a row, and then won a district.”
Big Rapids was 19-0 before losing a non-league game in the regular-season finale to Ottawa Hills, a Class A power.
“No one could have predicted that we’d win 23 games this year, but I’m not surprised we did,” Ingles said. “These kids just dominated the league this year.”
Beal City lost its Class D quarterfinal to Lansing Christian 63-51 to end its season at 17-8.
Cory Mead ended the game with 13 points, and teammate Ryan Tilmann led Beal City with 19.
Cam Gatrell, Beal City’s first-year coach, came from Montabella. He hoped to get the basketball program going in a direction that would encourage the players to compete for state title contention like the football and baseball programs do.
Gatrell noted that the Aggies suffered seven regular-season losses, but they play in the Class C-dominated Highland Conference with powerhouses like Pine River.
“We learned what we had to work on,” Gatrell said. “We got better.”
As for players coming back, “this season left a good taste in their mouths,” Gatrell said. “They’re excited about playing.”