Quinn Tyson is 0-2 on the floor where he’ll be playing his college basketball.
But the Big Rapids senior, who couldn’t quite lift his team to victory in this season’s Class B quarterfinal game against Cadillac at Ferris State University’s Wink Arena, is going to the next level on a high note.
Tyson fouled out in overtime in a a key moment when the Vikings were able to put the game away. He was the team leader with 21 points, although it wasn’t his best shooting night. He hit six of 24 from the floor and three of seven three-point shots.
Tyson, who will be playing college basketball for Ferris, averaged around 23 points, five rebounds, and three steals a game, similar to his stats from last year.
It was the second straight season Cadillac had to deal with Tyson and the Cardinals in the quarterfinal. “He’s a load,” Cadillac coach Jeff McDonald said. “We did a great job on him last year, and he was more effective this year. I thought we made him work for everything. In the third quarter, he wasn’t quite as aggressive. I don’t know if that was by design or he was tired. He’s a dangerous player, because he can shoot so well from the perimeter and he can also put it on the floor.”
“It’s awesome to play in something like this,” Tyson said after the quarterfinal loss. “Only eight teams in the state get to do it. We just didn’t get over the hump. You just go out and try to keep the momentum up.”
The Cardinals were far more competitive in the quarterfinal this year than last year. “I wouldn’t say [we were] much more confident, but I would say we were more prepared,” he said. “Last year, we were kind of shocked by the whole environment. This year, we knew what to expect, but we fell a little short.”
Big Rapids coach Kent Ingles has coached some high-quality players in his career, including his son Zach, an all-stater at Greenville who went on to be a Division I standout at Eastern Kentucky University. Coaching Tyson has been a delight for Ingles.
“It’s nice to coach someone you know that will get you that 16 to 18 or 20 [points] every night, regardless of what happens,” Ingles said. “He’s been with us three years, and we’ve won three districts and have gotten a couple of regionals. That leadership he provided…he’s all we had. We lost everybody from last year. He was a nice one to build around. I wish him luck at Ferris. I hope he grows a little more.”
Tyson led the Cardinals to a 20-5 record this year, which culminated in a 55-49 overtime loss to Cadillac in the quarterfinal.
“It’s awesome,” Tyson said. “We had a couple of bad losses at the beginning of the season, and everyone was doubting us. A loss to Newaygo was when our team started clicking. From there, we went 8-0. It’s good to come together as a team when the tournament starts. That’s what we did. We made a run.”
Tyson was a key member of teams that grabbed three straight district crowns and two straight regional titles, something no other player in Big Rapids hoops history can claim.
“Playing in games like this, big games, big student sections, I’ll miss it all,” Tyson said. “Our plan as a team was to keep the championships coming. We did our best.”
Looking ahead to this collegiate career, Tyson said it will be his goal to get “bigger, faster, stronger, and keep staying in the gym shooting.”