Post by Todd B on Mar 14, 2009 19:00:12 GMT -5
monroenews.com/article/20090314/SPORTS/703149970
Ida's great season ends with loss to Richard
by Ron Montri , last modified March 14. 2009 12:56AM
TECUMSEH - Leave it all on the floor.
That's the last thing a coach usually tells his team before it takes the floor for a big game.
No one can say Ida and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard didn't leave it all on the floor Friday night in a showdown of Class B giants with combined records of 41-3.
Ida played about as well as it could. Richard, the state's fourth-ranked team, played a little better and claimed the District trophy 59-50.
"I don't think we can play much better,'' Ida coach Mike Albring said. "I think we proved we belonged (with the state's top Class B teams). "I couldn't be prouder.''
There were five ties and six lead changes in the first half before Richard closed the second quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 29-23 lead into the break.
That set the stage for a spectacular third-quarter duel between All-State candidates Nic Jobe of Ida and Eso Akunne of Richard.
Jobe scored 13 points in the period and didn't miss a shot from the floor or the foul line.
Akunne had 12 points in the quarter and was 6-for-6 from the floor.
Akunne finished with 24 points even though he was in foul trouble.
Jobe had 22 even though he was heavily taped and on pain medication because of a sore back. Talk about a freak injury. He hurt his back in class Wednesday while picking up his Spanish book.
"I've never had back trouble in my life,'' said Jobe, who sat out Wednesday night's semifinal win over Milan. "It's my left side. Every step I took, I felt it, but there was no way I was going to miss this game. Pain is temporary. I had to play through it.''
He was 9-for-17 from the floor and made 7 consecutive shots during one stretch. The back injury didn't stop him from taking three charges.
"Nic Jobe is the real deal,'' said Richard coach Pete Schoch, who made it a point to visit the Ida locker room to praise the Blue Streaks.
"We've played Belleville (along with top-ranked Detroit Country Day and Detroit Finney). You guys are right up there,'' Schoch told the Ida players.
Mitch Tyra had perhaps his best game of the season with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a pair of 3-pointers. Jared Locke added 8 points and 9 boards as Ida's front line of Jobe, Tyra and Locke turned in yeoman work.
"This was my last game and I tried to give it my best shot,'' said Tyra, a 6-5 senior whose major improvement since last year was a big reason for Ida's success. "We wanted to come out and show them we weren't scared. We weren't going to back down.''
Ida was the aggressor in the early minutes, crashing the offensive boards and taking the lead. Richard came back, took a 20-19 advantage on Josh Herbeck's fourth 3-pointer of the opening half and led the rest of the way.
Ida fell behind by 13 in the third quarter, but Jobe brought the Blue Streaks back. It was 53-50 Richard when the Fighting Irish scored the last 6 points of the game.
"It was a great game. I don't know of anybody who didn't get their money's worth,'' Albring said. "That was one of the best games I've ever witnessed. We're going to walk out of here with our heads high. We proved we belonged.''
Ida finished 21-2, setting a school record for season wins.
"This senior class was 20-4 last year and now 20-2,'' Albring said. "They're quality kids and they're going to go on and make something of themselves. They play the game the way it was meant to be played.''
Jobe's 22 points put him at 1,387 for his career, the ninth-highest total in Region history.
Richard (21-2) advances to Milan's Regional Monday and will play Detroit Southwestern at 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR GABRIEL RICHARD 59
FG-A FT-A R F Pts
Akunne 10-16 3-5 7 4 24
Jenkins 4-6 0-0 4 4 9
Mackie 1-7 0-0 3 1 2
Herbeck 6-9 2-3 1 2 19
Hurley 0-4 0-0 0 0 0
Lemanski 2-3 0-0 0 2 5
Eaton 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Cooper 0-1 0-0 1 1 0
Totals 23-46 5-8 17 12 59
Three-point field goals: Herbeck 5, Akunne 1, Jenkins 1, Lemanski 1.
IDA 50
FG-A FT-A R F Pts
Jobe 9-17 3-4 6 4 22
Locke 3-10 2-2 9 3 8
Tyra 4-6 1-2 9 3 11
D. Sielski 2-7 1-1 3 2 5
R. Sielski 0-1 0-0 1 1 0
Janssen 2-6 0-0 1 1 4
Spotts 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Donahoe 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 20-47 7-9 30 15 50
Three-point field goals: Tyra 2, Jobe 1.
Score by Quarters
Richard 14 15 19 10 - 59
Ida 12 11 22 5 - 50
Ida's great season ends with loss to Richard
by Ron Montri , last modified March 14. 2009 12:56AM
TECUMSEH - Leave it all on the floor.
That's the last thing a coach usually tells his team before it takes the floor for a big game.
No one can say Ida and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard didn't leave it all on the floor Friday night in a showdown of Class B giants with combined records of 41-3.
Ida played about as well as it could. Richard, the state's fourth-ranked team, played a little better and claimed the District trophy 59-50.
"I don't think we can play much better,'' Ida coach Mike Albring said. "I think we proved we belonged (with the state's top Class B teams). "I couldn't be prouder.''
There were five ties and six lead changes in the first half before Richard closed the second quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 29-23 lead into the break.
That set the stage for a spectacular third-quarter duel between All-State candidates Nic Jobe of Ida and Eso Akunne of Richard.
Jobe scored 13 points in the period and didn't miss a shot from the floor or the foul line.
Akunne had 12 points in the quarter and was 6-for-6 from the floor.
Akunne finished with 24 points even though he was in foul trouble.
Jobe had 22 even though he was heavily taped and on pain medication because of a sore back. Talk about a freak injury. He hurt his back in class Wednesday while picking up his Spanish book.
"I've never had back trouble in my life,'' said Jobe, who sat out Wednesday night's semifinal win over Milan. "It's my left side. Every step I took, I felt it, but there was no way I was going to miss this game. Pain is temporary. I had to play through it.''
He was 9-for-17 from the floor and made 7 consecutive shots during one stretch. The back injury didn't stop him from taking three charges.
"Nic Jobe is the real deal,'' said Richard coach Pete Schoch, who made it a point to visit the Ida locker room to praise the Blue Streaks.
"We've played Belleville (along with top-ranked Detroit Country Day and Detroit Finney). You guys are right up there,'' Schoch told the Ida players.
Mitch Tyra had perhaps his best game of the season with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a pair of 3-pointers. Jared Locke added 8 points and 9 boards as Ida's front line of Jobe, Tyra and Locke turned in yeoman work.
"This was my last game and I tried to give it my best shot,'' said Tyra, a 6-5 senior whose major improvement since last year was a big reason for Ida's success. "We wanted to come out and show them we weren't scared. We weren't going to back down.''
Ida was the aggressor in the early minutes, crashing the offensive boards and taking the lead. Richard came back, took a 20-19 advantage on Josh Herbeck's fourth 3-pointer of the opening half and led the rest of the way.
Ida fell behind by 13 in the third quarter, but Jobe brought the Blue Streaks back. It was 53-50 Richard when the Fighting Irish scored the last 6 points of the game.
"It was a great game. I don't know of anybody who didn't get their money's worth,'' Albring said. "That was one of the best games I've ever witnessed. We're going to walk out of here with our heads high. We proved we belonged.''
Ida finished 21-2, setting a school record for season wins.
"This senior class was 20-4 last year and now 20-2,'' Albring said. "They're quality kids and they're going to go on and make something of themselves. They play the game the way it was meant to be played.''
Jobe's 22 points put him at 1,387 for his career, the ninth-highest total in Region history.
Richard (21-2) advances to Milan's Regional Monday and will play Detroit Southwestern at 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR GABRIEL RICHARD 59
FG-A FT-A R F Pts
Akunne 10-16 3-5 7 4 24
Jenkins 4-6 0-0 4 4 9
Mackie 1-7 0-0 3 1 2
Herbeck 6-9 2-3 1 2 19
Hurley 0-4 0-0 0 0 0
Lemanski 2-3 0-0 0 2 5
Eaton 0-1 0-0 0 0 0
Cooper 0-1 0-0 1 1 0
Totals 23-46 5-8 17 12 59
Three-point field goals: Herbeck 5, Akunne 1, Jenkins 1, Lemanski 1.
IDA 50
FG-A FT-A R F Pts
Jobe 9-17 3-4 6 4 22
Locke 3-10 2-2 9 3 8
Tyra 4-6 1-2 9 3 11
D. Sielski 2-7 1-1 3 2 5
R. Sielski 0-1 0-0 1 1 0
Janssen 2-6 0-0 1 1 4
Spotts 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Donahoe 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Totals 20-47 7-9 30 15 50
Three-point field goals: Tyra 2, Jobe 1.
Score by Quarters
Richard 14 15 19 10 - 59
Ida 12 11 22 5 - 50