BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
CLARKSTON — By his own observations, Thomas Coats firmly believes that the first three quarters of the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division II state finals were three of the worst his Bridgeport Baptist basketball team played this season.
“We didn’t play all that well. We missed a ton of free throws and we won’t talk about how many turnovers we had in the first three quarters,” said Coats.
Still, the fourth quarter is what proved to be one of Bridgeport Baptist’s best of the season — and those few moments solidified the Bronchos’ crowning moment as state champions.
Behind a 29-10 fourth-quarter explosion, Bridgeport Baptist rallied for a 65-59 victory over Corunna Immanuel Christian at Clarkston Springfield Christian High School.
The win gave the Bronchos (14-5) the MACS Division II state crown — the school’s first since 1986.
Bridgeport Baptist lost in the MACS-II finals last season to Waterford Lakecrest Baptist and fell short in the MACS-I state finals in 2010 to Temperance Stateline Christian — a year the Bronchos carried an undefeated record into the title bout only to fall sight short.
Not this time. Bridgeport Baptist gave Immanuel Christian (14-6) a taste of its own medicine over the final eight minutes.
“They were using their press against us for the first three quarters and it was working, but also noticed that their aggressiveness put some of their best players in four trouble,” said Coats. “So we decided to attack them. Two of their best players fouled out and another got a technical and fouled out. We continued to pressure them and pulled away. Our defense in the fourth quarter was the difference.”
Corunna Immanuel led 34-25 at the half and 49-36 entering the fourth quarter only to succumb to the Bronchos’ late-game pressure.
Junior guard Brady Dalton put together a season-high 17 points in the finals to go along with 11 rebounds, four steals and three blocks for the Bronchos, who captured the Central Michigan Christian Athletic Conference title during the regular season.
“He was the x-factor for us in this game,” said Coats of Dalton. “He’s a solid defender who was averaging around 11-12 points a game, but stepped up and had 17 and 11 in the finals. That wa one of his best overall games, I guess at the right time.”
Playing only a six-man rotation, the Bronchos picked up the first triple-double of the season from 6-foot-6 junior center Joshua Cromwell, who contributed 11 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocked shots to the winning effort.
Senior guard Blake Ruppell, the team’s sole senior that gained minutes in the finals, had 10 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists for Bridgeport Baptist. Junior point guard Darvell Reed, hobbled by a knee injury, still finished with 14 points and five steals, junior forward Austin Cowling had six points and five rebounds, while junior forward Sam Corl finished with nine points, four rebounds and three steals.
Corl swished a three-pointer early in the first quarter on his first shot attempt of the game and drained a triple with 1:01 left in the contest on his final shot tha uint the Bronchos up for good at 61-59.
“He was ice cold except making his first three and last three of the game,” said Coats of Corl. “He was averaging around 18 points a game but was off in the championship. But he came through for us when we needed him to.
“I think the thing that really impresses me about this group is that they have great chemistry,” added Coats, who carried nine players on the varsity roster this season. “They really love basketball and they enjoy playing together.”
Senior guard Joey Levesque scored 20 points while senior guard Ben Phillips was held to eight points for Corunna Immanuel Christian.