By CHRIS DOBROWOLSKI
News Sports Editor
Marquette gave Alpena every reason to be feeling uneasy late in the third quarter of Wednesday's Class A boys basketball district semifinal.
Despite owning the first two-plus quarters, Alpena watched as the Redmen came storming back behind a 13-0 run to tie the game 32-32. Fortunately for the Wildcats, Marquette's threat ended there as they controlled the last eight minutes and took a 60-49 victory at Alpena High School.
"It was one of those stretches where our offense really let us down," Alpena coach John Pintar said of Alpena's play late in the third quarter that allowed Marquette back in the game. "Defensively we did OK, but there was some concern because (offense) has been our Achilles' heel all year. We did a great job of bouncing back."
The turning point of the game came right at the third quarter buzzer as Alpena junior guard Jesse Hendricks banked in a three-pointer that sent the Wildcats into the final eight minutes with a 35-32 lead. That shot snapped a four-minute scoreless drought for the Wildcats and squashed all the momentum Marquette had built up in mounting its comeback, going from being down 32-19 to tied up after a three-pointer by Ben Jean with 22 seconds left.
"That killed us," said Marquette coach Brad Nelson. "We had a solid run to end the third, then (Hendricks) banked in that three. They made the plays when they had to. It seemed like every time we would crawl to within one, or tie it, they would make a play. It deflated our momentum a bit, but we still hung in there."
Pintar joked with Hendricks about the fact he banked in the three-pointer, but was relieved to see it turn the tide of the game.
"Momentum was on their side," Pintar said. "Jesse's three was huge. It gave the kids a lift knowing that we still had the lead even though we had just played our worst basketball."
Alpena outscored Marquette 9-2 over the first six minutes of the final period to take a 10-point lead. The Redmen (6-15) got as close as five points with a minute to go, but Alpena (4-17) finished the game with six unanswered points to close out the win.
"This was huge for us," said Pintar. "The start of the playoffs is a whole new season. Everyone is 0-0 and we emphasized that. The kids really stepped up."
Alpena jumped out to a big early lead as Marquette had trouble with the Wildcats' zone. The Redmen struggled shooting and consistently turned the ball over, committing nine in the first quarter alone. Alpena led 16-4 at the end of the first quarter and went into the half with a 28-15 advantage.
"It took a little while to adjust (to the zone), but the kids responded. That start killed us, but it wasn't for a lack of trying," said Nelson.
Marquette's Spencer Huss scored 15 of his game-high 19 points in the second half to spark his team's comeback. Leading Alpena was Devin O'Neil with 17 points, while Hendricks chipped in 13 and Sean Berryman 10.
Alpena moves on to meet Traverse City West in Friday's district final in Traverse City. The Titans eliminated Traverse City Central 61-51 in Wednesday's other semifinal.
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ALPENA (60): Wilk 0 1-2 1, O'Neil 4 9-15 17, R. Hendricks 1 0-0 3, Kirkwood 1 6-7 8, J. Hendricks 4 4-8 13, Grulke 2 2-7 6, Berryman 2 6-10 10, Strong 1 0-0 2.
MARQUETTE (49): Jordan 1 6-8 8, Kreis 2 0-4 5, Jean 2 0-0 6, Huss 6 4-7 19, Carlson 1 0-0 2, Mestnik 1 0-0 2, Terry 2 1-2 5, Parrish 1 0-0 2.
