Courtesy Photo/Ben Murphy Drew Flewelling contemplates his next move.

WHITTEMORE–With a long bus ride ahead of them, the Rogers City boys basketball team apparently didn’t want to be in Whittemore-Prescott any longer than it had to be Tuesday.

The Hurons (3-3 overall, 2-2 NSL Big Dipper) had their way with the Cardinals, erupting for 50 first half points and coasted their way to a 57-26 running clock style victory.

“We played a really, really good first half and had a really good first quarter,” Rogers City coach Matt Ponik said of the North Star League Big Dipper win. “We were moving the ball well and playing good defense and when you can outscore a team like that in a half, you are doing something right. Obviously, we didn’t do it in the second half as well, but overall in the first half we did a really, really good job.”

Nick Freel scored 14 of his game high 25 points in the first quarter, and seemingly couldn’t miss from the floor. He canned a pair of early three pointers that helped R-C score the first 18 points of the game and he followed that with a personal 6-0 run on a trio of mid-range jumpers that each swished through the net, allowing the Hurons take a 24-2 lead.

Andrew Woloszyk finished off the quarter with a three pointer from the left corner to make it 27-2 after one.

Freel’s hot hand continued in the second frame, as he hit three shots from behind the long line, the last of which sent the Hurons’ lead to 44-6.

Dillon Cook followed that with a drive through the lane at 46-6, and with a 48-6 lead in the closing seconds, Zak Orr capped off the half with basket that saw him dribble the baseline for a reverse lay-in for a commanding 50-6 lead at the break.

With a running clock eating away at the second half, the scoring slowed down significantly. Still, Freel hauled in an inbounds pass under the team’s basket and sent it in for his final two points of the night to make it 53-6 and Matt Newhouse hit a pair of free throws for a 55-6 advantage.

The Hurons led 55-10 entering the fourth, where its lone field-goal came from Andrew Woloszyk.

“I was trying to get some different guys playing time in the second half and rest some guys,” Ponik said. “It was nice to get guys in there that don’t always get minutes and to give them a chance to show what they’ve got so they can prove it when they get out there some more.”

To go with Freel’s 25 points, Newhouse netted 11, Dylan LaFleche netted six, Woloszyk put in five, with four each were Cook and Drew Flewelling and Orr chipped in with two.

Rogers City will now turn their attention to Saturday’s road conference game at Alcona. The Hurons were able to defeat the Tigers 55-49 last week, but saw themselves behind much of the first half before rallying to pick up the win.

“We beat them earlier in the year, but they are a good team,” Ponik said. “We battled with them at home so we are expecting a tough game over there. Alcona has a real good team and we just have to play tough with them.”