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DISTRICT CHAMPS!

"Muth bests Bridgeport, John Glenn, wins eighth straight district title

  The Frankenmuth varsity girls’ basketball team wrapped up the program’s eighth straight district crown last week at Carrollton.

  The Lady Eagles competed in MHSAA Division 3 District No. 38, besting Bridgeport in the semifinal, 64-24, and bouncing Bay City John Glenn, 51-32, to sideline their Tri-Valley Conference Red Division rivals.

  With the wins, Frankenmuth (16-8) advanced to take on 21-3 Flint Powers Catholic Monday evening at Alma High School.

  Against Bridgeport, the ‘Muth cagers rocketed out to a 34-6 first-quarter lead and held a 45-13 advantage at halftime. The 34 points to open the first eight minutes of a game was a season-high output.

  “We were able to jump out quick, which was a game plan to set the tone. The Lady Bearcats were without their top player, Kim Ellis, due to a knee injury, which did not help their cause,” FHS Coach Joe Jacobs said.

  Frankenmuth exited the locker room to own a 14-5 third quarter and with the game in hand, the Bearcats held a 6-5 fourth-quarter advantage, however, FHS still won by 40 points.

  Senior Alyson Peterson paced the Lady Eagles with 16 points on 6 for 11 shooting from the floor while adding five rebounds from her guard position.

  “We rebounded the ball extremely well. Alyson continues her hot streak, canning four, three-point shots,” the coach noted.

  Junior Lucy Conzelmann was close behind with 15 points, as she continues to shoot well, too. She was 5 for 12 from the field, with a pair of trey shots, and making 3 of 4 free throws.

  “While Lucy was shooting well, the really made her mark defensively,” Jacobs pointed out.

  Conzelmann pulled down seven boards, to go with six deflections, six steals, and four assists.

  Junior Grace Brenner netted eight points, and led the team with six assists and had two steals.

  “Grace was in control all night and directed traffic well,” Jacobs added.

  Junior Nyla Sholten also scored eight points, was 2 for 4 at the charity stripe, led the red and gray with eight rebounds, and contributed four steals.

  𠇊ll nine players who dressed finished in the scoring column, which is fantastic. A true team win,” Jacobs said.

  For the game, Frankenmuth shot 13 for 21 from two-point range (62 percent), were 9 for 26 from the three-point line (35 percent), and 10 for 17 at the free throw line (59 percent). The Lady Eagles totaled 25 rebounds (17 on defense), 15 assists, 16 steals, 12 deflections and no blocked shots while committing only 10 turnovers and nine fouls.

   Against John Glenn, the Lady Eagles were playing for an eighth-straight district championship.

  “However, the biggest thing for them was to remember is this year,” Jacobs exclaimed. “None of the past years matter, just the experience for those that played in any of them.”

  ‘Muth again popped up to a nice, first-quarter lead, 21-8, then a 9-7 second quarter left the Lady Eagles up 30-15 at the intermission.

  “We jumped out early again, which has been big. But we knew that John Glenn would battle back. We just played them a week earlier, and they don’t quit. The second quarter was a little lethargic, only connected on three made field goals and shooting 3 for 10 from the line. But we were still able to take a 15-point advantage into the locker room, which was huge,” Jacobs recalled.

   The game remained rather close the rest of the way, with a 13-11 third-quarter ownership and ending at 8-6 in the final stanza for the 19-point cushion to victory.

  “We regrouped and came out in the third quarter and knocked down 13 points, and gave up 11, winning the quarter. That was a game plan of ours,” Jacobs pointed out.

  Brenner was Frankenmuth’s top scorer with 15 points o 6 for 10 shooting from the field. She grabbed eight caroms while collecting four deflections, three assists, two steals, and a blocked shot.

  “Grace was huge, as she has been all season, and quite frankly, her whole career,” the coach said.

 Conzelmann canned 12 points on 5 for 10 shooting from the floor, with three assists and two steals.

  “Lucy continues to battle for us, and she finished really well in this game. She was also huge defensively, as she always is. We wanted to continue to dictate the tempo of the game with a full-court press, and the girls did a great job,” Jacobs said.

  Sholten posted 11 points on a solid 4 for 7 shooting from the field. She was 2 for 2 from behind the three-point arc and added six rebounds. Peterson chipped in with five points, with six boards, two assists, and three steals.  Junior Miranda Polley also scored five points and was 2 for 2 from the floor.

  For the game, FHS was 16 for 26 from two-point range (62 percent), 4 for 14 from the three-point line (29 percent), and 7 for 19 at the free throw line (37 percent). The Lady Eagles amassed 28 rebounds (20 on defense), nine assists, eight steals, seven deflections, and one blocked shot while committing 12 turnovers and eight fouls.

  “We travel to Alma, to take on Flint Powers in the regional semifinals. A tall task, but one we want. We have been preparing for them since they handed us a 24-point defeat in the third game of the season. We are a different team now, and have in fact played our best basketball lately,” Jacobs concluded.

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