–The Munising Mustangs Girls play on 1400am GTO Good Time Oldies and WQXO.com with Mike James!
02/26/2015 Rapid River High School, Rapid River, MI – It was a gorgeous February day when the Munising Mustang girls were set to play the Rapid River Rockets. The Mustangs came into the night with a record of 15 wins and one loss, and the Rockets entered the night with a record of three wins and 12 losses. It looked to be an exciting game, as the spunky Rapid River Rockets squad looked to upset the Munising Mustangs, however, the lady Mustangs were going to make sure that didn’t happen. The Rockets won the tip-off, and they were also able to score the first two points of the game on their next drive. Marissa Immel did a great job for the Mustangs, drawing a foul late in the first quarter to give the Mustangs two quick free-throw points. Bailey Downs had a strong block on a Rockets shot at the end of the quarter to deny them two points.
First Quarter Score:
Munising Mustangs: 17
Rapid River Rockets: 4
The Munising Mustangs’ full-court press seemed to be the bane of the Rapid River Rockets players, who were hardly able to pierce the intense defense. However, the Rockets went on a quick 4-0 scoring run to start the quarter, but it was answered by the Mustangs when Frankie Mattson made a quick jump shot for two points. Darby Coyne played an integral part in the Mustangs success, by making several sharp passes that lead to points. Baily Downs went down hard on a rebound scrum, but she was seemed unhurt with two minutes left in the half. Kelsea Ackerman played amazing defense when she was able to steal the ball from the Rapid River Rockets, only to lose the ball, recover it, and then score a lay-up to make the score 34-8 in favor of Munising with one minute left.
Second Quarter Score:
Munising Mustangs: 38
Rapid River Rockets: 11
Halftime was a needed rest for the Rapid River Rockets who were being thoroughly handled by the Munising Mustangs. The Mustangs offense was so strong, that the Rockets had to use fouls frequently to stop them. This put the Rockets into foul trouble quickly in the second half of play, which the Mustangs hoped to take advantage of. Kelsea Ackerman took a hard fall going after a loose ball and injured her leg, which was not what the Mustangs needed with the playoffs being so close. There was a audible hush that went over the crowd as she was helped off of the court. The Rapid River Rockets did their best to fight their way back, but frustration was evident when a Rockets player knocked a Munising player to the ground, earning a technical foul. Katherine Wendt took to the court for the Mustangs, and she was able to make multiple rebounds before the quarter ended.
Third Quarter Score:
Munising Mustangs: 47
Rapid River Rockets: 15
The Munising Mustangs’ own Katherine Wendt and Karlee Decet relished in their last quarter of regular-season high school basketball, as the two seniors looked toward the playoffs. Peyton Bonneville had some impressive play in the second half of action, when she fought her way to several tough rebounds and scored a lay-up for two points early in the fourth. The Rapid River Rockets players fought admirably, never giving up hope, but the game seemed dominated by the Munising Mustangs. The sportsmanship between these two teams was noticeable, despite the gap in the scores. With just over three minutes left in the game, the Rapid River Rockets took too long on an in-bounds pass, which gave control of the ball to the Mustangs. They were then able to score two points on a lay-up to move to a score of 50-22. The Rockets had a great play when one of their players made a long three-point jump shot, which seemed to ignite the crowd’s passion. The Munising Mustangs defense also did a great job intercepting and blocking passes in-bounds from the Rockets, which was partly responsible for their domination. Cheers and applause from the fans, players, and coaches rang in the gymnasium as both teams’ regular seasons came to a close.
Final Game Score:
Munising Mustangs: 56
Rapid River Rockets: 29
