TRAVERSE CITY — The Alpena High girls basketball team traveled to Traverse City on Thursday in search of a big momentum boost to end the year and the Wildcats came away with a 37-36 victory over their Big North Conference rival TC West Titans.

“It’s a good win going into the break. We played tough and it was good to get that first BNC win because the conference is going to be so up in the air this year,” Alpena coach Erin Andrews said.

Alpena held a lead for much of the night as the Wildcats were able to limit West with a strong press.

The Wildcats held a 16-11 lead at halftime, but the game grew closer throughout the third quarter and late stages of the fourth, but Alpena was able to hang out for a much needed victory to pick up their first BNC win of the year and end 2019 on a positive note.

Jade Schultz paced the Wildcats with a team high 15 points. Allie DeRocher added seven points and Macy Dickinson and Anna Young each chipped in with six points apiece in the win.

“We still have some things to work on. We have to work on our shooting and fine tune our press. Our press was good tonight and it was a big reason why we were victorious,” Andrews said. “We just need to keep working and keep getting better and get ready for our first road trip of the new year in a few weeks.”

The Wildcats will make the trip up to Escanaba for their first game of 2020.

The Alpena JV team lost to West by a final score of 38-27.

Meeghan Tessmer led the Wildcats with 12 points.

Boyne City 59,

Rogers City 14

ROGERS CITY — Not much went right for the Rogers City girls basketball team on Thursday when the Hurons played host to Boyne City.

The Ramblers took it to Rogers City on its home court, routing the Hurons by a score of 59-14.

“Their (Boyne City) speed and athleticism was just too much for us tonight and we couldn’t stop them. Their entire roster scored and they were a very well balanced team,” Rogers City coach Duane Pitts said. “We couldn’t get anything going and they shut us down with their good pressure defense. Anything that could have went wrong for us tonight did and it just made for a rough game.”

Karissa Rabeau scored half of Rogers City’s points, leading the Hurons with a team high seven points.

Rogers City falls to 1-4 overall on the year and will be off until after the new year.

“We have to work on the fundamentals and keep plugging along,” Pitts said. “We just have to get back to the basics and our goal is to get better each day. It’s not going to get any easier for us, but it’s a work in progress and we’ll work hard to do what we can in order to turn this around.”

Alcona 39,

Grayling 23

GRAYLING — Despite getting off to a slow start Thursday, the Alcona girls basketball team won its fourth consecutive game, defeating Grayling on the road by a final score of 39-23.

The Tigers picked up the pace and had a strong second half offensively on their way to a fifth straight victory as they end 2019 with a ton of momentum.

“We got off to a real slow start, but we were able to get things going and get a win in a tough game,” Alcona coach Mark Feldhiser said. “Our defense was outstanding tonight. Record wise we are right where we want to be, having won four in a row, including three on the road and two North Star League games.”

The Tigers were led by Megan Grove who poured in 13 points. Anna Loyer finished with 11 points and Liz Henderson added 10 points.

The Alcona JV team defeated Grayling 25-14. Avery Wrobel led the Tigers with 13 points.

Oscoda 65,

Tawas 47

OSCODA — The Oscoda girls basketball team earned its fourth straight win to start the season as the Owls defeated Tawas 65-47 on Thursday.

Lauren Langley poured in a game high 29 points and Macy Kellstrom combined for 22 points in the win.

The win also marked the 25th straight regular season victory for the Owls as they wrap up 2019 in dominant fashion.

The Oscoda JV team defeated Tawas 33-28. Elle Kellstrom scored 10 points and Mia Whitley added eight points.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Central Lake 49,

Onaway 46

CENTRAL LAKE — The Onaway boys basketball team surrendered a double digit lead late and eventually fell on the road to Central Lake, losing by a score of 49-46 on Thursday.

The Cardinals held an 11 point lead, but saw the advantage evaporate near the end of the third quarter and foul trouble hurt the Cardinals as they were without key players down the stretch and eventually lost a tight contest.

“Foul trouble hurt us tonight. Kevin (Pearson) and Jager (Mix) played 12 minutes total in the second half and we’re a completely different team without them on the court,” Onaway coach Eddy Szymoniak said. “We had an 11 point lead and tried to slow things down until we could try to get our starters back in, but we lost the lead.”

Spencer Nash scored a career high 19 points to lead the Cardinals. Nash also hit five threes in the game. Pearson, Mix and Austin Nash each scored eight points apiece in the loss.

“We moved the ball around well tonight and I’m pretty happy with the way we played,” Szymoniak said. “It’s not fun to lose and especially to give up a big lead like we did, but we’re getting better and I think we’re trending in the right direction.”

The Cardinals are 0-2 overall and will be off until after the new year.