There was a bit of a buzz in the building on Friday night at Mount Pleasant High School, as the Oilers hosted a doubleheader against Saginaw Valley League rival, Midland High.

The doubleheader kicked off with one of the best girls basketball matchups of the day in the entire state, with 11-1 Midland High and 10-2 Mt. Pleasant. Both teams came in as the only remaining unbeaten teams in league play (Midland 4-0 and Mt. Pleasant 5-0) and each squad was also riding a long-lasting 8 game win streak.

To add more stakes on this game, Mt. Pleasant came in 6-0 at home, whereas Midland entered the contest 7-0 on the road. So we were set with several implications on the line in this one.

 

The first quarter saw exactly what we expected with these winning teams, tight back-and-forth action. After not scoring for the first few minutes of the game and down 7-0, the Oilers ended the first eight minutes well and found themselves down 8-7.

The second quarter saw the Chemics pressure defense take major effect, as they led at the break 22-10. The lone Senior starter for the Chemics – Payton Palmer – hit a deep three at the buzzer to give Midland major momentum going into the half.

Midland would hang onto a 10 to 15 point lead for nearly the remainder of the game, as they led by double digits late into the contest. The Oilers girls would not go away that easy however, as Jordyn Egger hit many shots late down the stretch to cut the deficit back to double digits for the first time since the early second quarter.

The late game heroics would eventually come to a halt however, as Midland went on to win 48-41.

Mt. Pleasant was led by Jordyn Egger with 19 points and three triples, Lexi Borodychuk hit two three-balls herself and finished with 8, and Lizzey Laney added in six points and several blocks.

The Chemics were led by Payton Palmer who finished with 18, Freshman Center Ellee Arnold added in 11, and Emma McLaughlin had 7.

Next up was the boys game, as the 2-11 Midland Boys were looking for their first win in the SVL against the 9-4 Mt. Pleasant Boys.

The Oilers came in winners of 4 straight, and 7 of their last 8. Despite an 0-4 record in league play, the Chemics were ready to give their rival a good one.

The energy was just as good in game two of the doubleheader at Mount Pleasant High School, as the Oiler Student Section was loud and Midland brought a crowd of their own. The first quarter saw back-and-forth action with high scoring on each side, as Midland led Mt. Pleasant 17-15 after eight.

This close battle would continue all the way through the 2nd, and we had another halftime horn buzzer-beater, this time in favor of the Oilers as Cam Ivey drilled one from the mid-range to cut the Midland lead to one at the break:

After trailing 26-27 at the half, Mt. Pleasant came out with major intensity in the 3rd, and back-to-back steals from Nick Dise & Easton Day to open the half led to Mt. Pleasant regaining the lead.

Midland would respond with a momentum shift of their own, as Junior Jacoby Lind would put down a two-handed standing stuff plus the foul to get Midland right back into it.

Senior Forward Clay Molyneux would come up big in the 3rd quarter for the Oilers, with several steals and scores to lead the Oilers overall with 14 points and give Mt. Pleasant a 41-36 lead heading into the final eight.

This is where Mt. Pleasant would gain full control, as they outscored Midland 26-11 in the 4th to capture a 67-47 win. Easton Day had a huge 4th, with a highlight reel of crafty finishes at the cup – and would end up leading the Oilers with 23 points.

Clay Molyneux finished with those 14 points as mentioned before, Cameron Ivey had 11, and Nick Dise added in 9.

Midland was led by Senior Matt Swanson who finished with 11 points.

The Oilers Boys move to 10-4 overall and 5-1 in the Saginaw Valley League. Coming up for them is a home matchup vs Saginaw Heritage on Tuesday, followed with another home doubleheader with the girls on Friday, this time against Midland Dow.

The Oilers Girls moved to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the Saginaw Valley League. They also take on Saginaw Heritage on Tuesday but it will be on the road, followed by the aforementioned doubleheader with the boys at MPHS Friday against Dow.

Our Local High School Basketball Coverage on Buck92.3 continues on Tuesday next week as the Sacred Heart Irish Boys host Vestaburg at 7pm. We will then head out to Beal City Friday as the Lady Aggies host Roscommon.

Kyle Sandel – Buck92 Sports Director