News File Photo Hillman’s Brenden Rouleau (11) drives to the basket during a game against Alpena at Alpena High School earlier this season. The Tigers face Frankfort in a Division 4 quarterfinal tonight.

ALPENA — Growing up, many members of the Hillman boys basketball team watched the Tigers make impressive postseason runs.

Now this year’s group has a chance to cement its own legacy within the program.

Hillman (22-4) faces Frankfort (17-8) in a Division 4 quarterfinal at 5 p.m. tonight in Gaylord, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in East Lansing later this week.

Fifth-ranked Hillman is back in the quarterfinal for the first time since 2018 against Buckley and Hillman also made an appearance in 2017 against eventual champion Powers North Central.

The Tigers hope to get over the quarterfinal wall tonight with a balanced squad that’s played the kind of basketball coach Eric Muszynski has built the program on.

“It’s a different group, but they play the way we’ve built our basketball program: Hard-nosed defense, putting our hard hats on and going to work,” Muszynski said.

The Tigers are coming off of a 65-53 win over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart — a game in which they pulled away from the Irish in the third quarter.

Hillman got at least five points from six different players in the win, including double digit totals from Trenton Taratuta, Braylon Firman and AJ Jones.

Depending on the night, Hillman can get scoring from anyone and in the playoffs it’s even more crucial.

While Taratuta and Firman have averaged double figures all season, clutch performances — like Brenden Rouleau’s 15 points against Michigan Lutheran Seminary, or Jones’ 10 points against Mio in the district championship, or Hiveley’s 10-point, eight-rebound effort against Michigan Lutheran Seminary — have played a part in keeping the Tigers in the playoffs.

That kind of balance will be critical for Hillman as it seeks its first semifinal appearance and Muszynski said he’s proud of how his team has improved in the last few weeks.

“Balance is key,” Muszynski said. “If you look at a scouting report and you say, ‘This guy can shoot. This guy can shoot. This guy can shoot, it makes it that much harder for teams to defend. It’s very crucial to have balanced teams and our offense is kind of designed that way.”

Lining up on the court across from Hillman is a team hoping to pull off another upset.

The Panthers have been on a tear over the last month, going 8-1 in their last nine games. That run includes postseason wins over Onekama in the district title game and Gaylord St. Mary and No. 4 Lake Leelanau St. Mary in regionals last week.

The Panthers are back in the quarterfinals for the first time in two years and feature a balance of strong guard play and a strong inside presence in Nick Stevenson.

Stevenson did a little bit of everything against Lake Leelanau, finishing with six points, 15 rebounds and five assists. In the backcourt, Emmerson Farmer had 19 points and seven rebounds and Carter Kerby is capable of finishing in double figures as well.

“They’re playing their best basketball and it should be a dogfight,” Muszynski said. “They’re very well balanced, they’ve got great guard play and they can extend the floor and create shots for each other.”

After a run to the regional semifinals last year, this year’s Hillman team — which returned just two starters this season — is ready to push the program another step closer to a state championship.

“One thing about this group, and it shows our tradition, is that they were young kids during our runs in 2015, 2017,” Muszynski said. “For them to see and now experience it is unique and it made these guys believe they can get (to the quarterfinal). They’re motivated.”

The eight teams remaining in Division 4 include Painesdale-Jeffers and Munising, who will meet in a 1 vs. 2 matchup tonight in Negaunee, as well as fourth-ranked Wyoming Tri-unity Christian and sixth-ranked Taylor Trillium Academy.