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PORTAGE — This year's Colon boys basketball team advanced further than any other in school history.
The Magi, coached by Steve Vinson, won both district and regional titles this year. Tuesday's Division 4 state quarterfinals proved to be the deepest run of any from the school. Unfortunately, it ended there as well as Colon lost 49-41 to Concord inside The Igloo at Portage Northern.
"I'm super proud. Concord is a good team, and by God, we're a good team too, and I expected it to come down to the end, I really did," Vinson said following the game. "We knew we could compete tonight and we did. I thought we played pretty physical, we pulled ourselves back into it."
Concord (23-4) scored only two buckets in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets made up for that by living at the free-throw line; however, they connected on 10-of-14 from the free-throw line in the final eight minutes.
ITS PROBABLY GONNA FLOOD: Flood watch issued for southwest Michigan
STATE TITLES: Three Rivers' Smith, Webster and Bronson's Knisely win state championships
SHS GIRLS END SEASON: Sturgis girls basketball season ends in regional semifinals to DeWitt
Part of that was because of Colon (22-5) fouling to try and get back into the game offensively, but the Yellow Jackets were able to hold them off long enough to secure the win.
"We did what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance and we just came up short," Vinson said. "Sometimes that happens. I'm proud of my guys. We gave ourselves a chance, which is where we had to be."
A close game took place in the opening half. Both Jett Smith and Darrell Dean Jr. scored five points in the first stanza, which saw Concord build a modest lead, only to see Colon close the gap. Both teams put up 11 points in the second quarter as Concord took a 22-18 edge into the locker room for halftime.
Magi senior Quincy Blair, Dalton Williams and Brennan Morrell were playing as tough at both ends as possible, keeping the Magi in it. But Colon wasn't able to get many good looks offensively as Concord's defense looked to be causing them fits.
Colon's defense was playing solidly as well. The Magi knew if the game was played at their pace, they had an opportunity.
Heading to the fourth, Concord's lead was down to just a single possession at 35-32. Colon continued to fight against the athletic Yellow Jackets, but ultimately, the Magi could not gain a lead.
Even in defeat, Vinson said the Magi should be proud of their season.
"We talked a lot about building our legacy. From the beginning of the season, we knew we were gonna have a pretty good team," he said. "We happened to have a couple good teams in our district and in our league as well. Mendon was a good team, we did what we needed to do to win districts. Then we did what we needed to do to pull out a regional game against St. Phil."
Williams led the offense with 15 points, Blair scored 13 and Morrell added 11. Dylan Smith also added a deuce for the Magi in the game.
Vinson said he hopes the run from his team will continue to help build the program, which has won five of the last seven district championships.
"These guys have paved the path for all the future Magi guys. Now they know it can be done," he said. "I think we excited our fan base and our kids in the program. Hopefully they continue to come up and perform like the past few years, especially this team."
Concord was led by Smith with 19 points in the win. The Yellow Jackets advance to the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University to play in the state semifinals later this week. They will take on Wyoming Tri-unity Christian at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Colon boys basketball year ends in MHSAA quarterfinal loss to Concord
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The Magi, coached by Steve Vinson, won both district and regional titles this year. Tuesday's Division 4 state quarterfinals proved to be the deepest run of any from the school. Unfortunately, it ended there as well as Colon lost 49-41 to Concord inside The Igloo at Portage Northern.
"I'm super proud. Concord is a good team, and by God, we're a good team too, and I expected it to come down to the end, I really did," Vinson said following the game. "We knew we could compete tonight and we did. I thought we played pretty physical, we pulled ourselves back into it."
Concord (23-4) scored only two buckets in the fourth quarter. The Yellow Jackets made up for that by living at the free-throw line; however, they connected on 10-of-14 from the free-throw line in the final eight minutes.
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ITS PROBABLY GONNA FLOOD: Flood watch issued for southwest Michigan
STATE TITLES: Three Rivers' Smith, Webster and Bronson's Knisely win state championships
SHS GIRLS END SEASON: Sturgis girls basketball season ends in regional semifinals to DeWitt
Part of that was because of Colon (22-5) fouling to try and get back into the game offensively, but the Yellow Jackets were able to hold them off long enough to secure the win.
"We did what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance and we just came up short," Vinson said. "Sometimes that happens. I'm proud of my guys. We gave ourselves a chance, which is where we had to be."
A close game took place in the opening half. Both Jett Smith and Darrell Dean Jr. scored five points in the first stanza, which saw Concord build a modest lead, only to see Colon close the gap. Both teams put up 11 points in the second quarter as Concord took a 22-18 edge into the locker room for halftime.
Magi senior Quincy Blair, Dalton Williams and Brennan Morrell were playing as tough at both ends as possible, keeping the Magi in it. But Colon wasn't able to get many good looks offensively as Concord's defense looked to be causing them fits.
Colon's defense was playing solidly as well. The Magi knew if the game was played at their pace, they had an opportunity.
You must be registered for see images attach
Heading to the fourth, Concord's lead was down to just a single possession at 35-32. Colon continued to fight against the athletic Yellow Jackets, but ultimately, the Magi could not gain a lead.
Even in defeat, Vinson said the Magi should be proud of their season.
"We talked a lot about building our legacy. From the beginning of the season, we knew we were gonna have a pretty good team," he said. "We happened to have a couple good teams in our district and in our league as well. Mendon was a good team, we did what we needed to do to win districts. Then we did what we needed to do to pull out a regional game against St. Phil."
You must be registered for see images
Williams led the offense with 15 points, Blair scored 13 and Morrell added 11. Dylan Smith also added a deuce for the Magi in the game.
Vinson said he hopes the run from his team will continue to help build the program, which has won five of the last seven district championships.
"These guys have paved the path for all the future Magi guys. Now they know it can be done," he said. "I think we excited our fan base and our kids in the program. Hopefully they continue to come up and perform like the past few years, especially this team."
Concord was led by Smith with 19 points in the win. The Yellow Jackets advance to the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University to play in the state semifinals later this week. They will take on Wyoming Tri-unity Christian at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Colon boys basketball year ends in MHSAA quarterfinal loss to Concord
Continue reading...
