Chiefs torched at home by balanced Sault Blue Devils

CHEBOYGAN — Something just wasn't right with the Cheboygan Chiefs on Friday.

The Sault Blue Devils, on the other hand, played with high energy and tenacity, while the Chiefs lacked focus and were flat.

As a result, the balanced Blue Devils dissected the Cheboygan defense in a 65-36 Straits Area Conference road victory.

Following the game, Cheboygan coach Jason Friday was none too pleased by the lackluster showing from his team.

"I told the boys that I don't get frustrated or upset when they play hard. I get frustrated and upset when there's a lack of effort, and that's exactly what happened tonight," said Friday. "The coaching staff watched the boys warm up, and we were talking amongst ourselves and said we've got some kids that look like they're not ready to play tonight, and it showed when the ball was tipped, and we had a handful of kids who just weren't ready to play."

The sluggish play of the Chiefs started as early as the opening quarter, when they fell behind 9-0 to the Blue Devils, who executed nicely in the opening minutes. The Chiefs, who didn't get on the board until a made basket from senior Henry Stempky midway through the period, trailed 19-10 after one.

The Blue Devils (8-9, 4-3 Straits Area Conference) pushed their advantage up to 15 in the second, but the Chiefs (5-11, 2-4) scored the final five points of the half — a two from Stempky and a 3-pointer from junior Connor Gibbons — to trim the deficit to 10 by halftime.

But just as the Chiefs appeared to have seized some momentum, the Blue Devils carved up Cheboygan's defense again with an 8-0 run to start the third. Later in the period, the Blue Devils used a 10-0 spurt to take a commanding 51-26 advantage into the fourth.

"Honestly, I wasn't really expecting any (zone) because when we played them up at our place, it was a lot of man-to-man, so I really wasn't sure," said Sault coach Mike Fitzner. "I was really happy with the way we kind of got it down to the short corner, we had guys diving to the rim, and it opens up those 3-point shots. We talked to the guys about always being a threat, always being ready to shoot when the ball comes your way.

"Our execution against that zone was really good, and that was probably why you didn't see it much the rest of the night. We were really good against it."

As for the Chiefs, it was arguably their worst defensive performance this season after allowing just 29 points in a win at Gaylord on Tuesday.

"(The Sault) went on a run (in the first quarter), but it helps when we don't play defense," Friday said. "It's real easy to score points when we don't play defense. It was a 10-point margin at halftime, and we came out and played zero defense and gave up several layups. They got a layup after a free throw that we made. I don't know how that happens. I do know how that happens — it's a lack of effort. It's just very, very frustrating, especially coming off a win on Tuesday down in Gaylord. We had a number of performances where I thought we gave really gave good effort, but that wasn't here tonight."

Stempky was Cheboygan's lone double-digit scorer on the night, finishing with 11 points. Gibbons tallied nine points, while Carson Mercer had six, Dylan Balazovic scored four, Max Hart had three, Eli Couture added two, and Kaleb Blaskowski recorded one.

Meanwhile, it was a stellar offensive night for the Blue Devils, who saw seven players score five or more points, including 12 from sophomore Nathan Koepp, and 11 apiece from junior Max Scott and sophomore Callen Campbell.

"I thought our effort was good tonight, I thought our energy was good tonight, and that's been something we've been working on, is bringing energy and enthusiasm to the court," Fitzner said. "We basically told them if you bring that stuff, you're going to have a chance most nights. We've had some games where we've come out flat and just not totally ready to play.

"Across the board, I thought when the guys came in off the bench, they raised our level of play. Just proud of the effort and enthusiasm, the guys looked like they were having fun out there, and that's what it's all about."

Jakob Davie added six points for the Sault, while Carter Oshelski, Reilly Cox and Jonah DeNuccio-McShane each chipped in with five.

The Chiefs hope to regroup quickly when they host Rudyard on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

"Hopefully the kids realize how well they played when we went up to Rudyard last Friday night (Feb. 11)," Friday said. "We'll see how they perform. I think they're going to be up for the challenge, I think they're going to be looking to get a little bit of revenge, because I know they feel they had a really good chance, but we have to have more effort than we did tonight."

For the Blue Devils, the dominating road win over a rival gives them plenty of belief as the postseason approaches.

"This time of year you're looking to build the confidence and get your guys moving in the right direction," Fitzner said. "Just seeing that ball go in, having good defensive possessions, creating some turnovers. Just the way our bench was into it, the way we were supporting each other and cheering for each other. It was fun to watch, I'm really happy for these guys. It's been a little bit of a roller coaster year for us, up and down, but definitely a step in the right direction for us."

The Blue Devils host Petoskey in non-conference action on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan boys basketball torched by Sault Blue Devils at home