Dollar Bay can’t overcome Bessemer’s physicality
BESSEMER — An energized, physical Bessemer Speedboy team overcame a real good Dollar Bay squad 71-66 in a Copper Mountain Conference matchup in the House of Noise on Friday night.
The Blue Bolts came into the game with a 12-3 overall record and in first place in the Copper Mountain Conference with a 10-1 record. They had been ranked fourth in the U.P. Class D poll until a recent loss to Ontonagon.
With the loss and the Jeffers’ Jets 71-43 win over the Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes, Dollar Bay and Jeffers each have two losses in conference for the conference lead.
After an 0-3 start, the Speedboys have really come on. They won six straight games and eight out of their last nine contests before Friday night’s game.
“As a team, Dollar Bay is a great team,” Bessemer senior guard Luke Zielinski said. “To knock them off, we had to play great. But we’re rolling now. We’re finally starting to jell at tournament time.”
And Dollar Bay coach Jesse Kentala was wary of Bessemer.
“We’re more of a skill team that likes to run and pressure and we have good shooters,” Kentala said. “We talked about Bessemer being big and physical and this is an intense environment to play in. By far, they are the most physical team we’ve played. We caught five shoulders from Bessemer in this game.”
And both coaches had the exact same comment immediately after the game.
“It was a tale of two halves,” they said. And it was.
It was obvious the Speedboys came to play as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Brayden Tomes scored early and Zielinski and Tomes splashed 3s, while Cade Mazzon sank two free throws at the 5:09 mark.
The Blue Bolts rallied to knot the game at 12-12, but Mazzon made a 3 the old-fashioned way with a scoring drive and a free throw and Tomes drained a triple from the left side.
Bessemer led 20-14 after one quarter.
The Speedboys took their game to another level in the second quarter. Kentala said it seemed like Bessemer couldn’t miss on their shots, but the high point for the Speedboys came with with 2:57 left in the quarter. A Dollar Bay player was assessed a technical foul and Zielinski made one free throw. Soon after, Ben Bogaczyk took a pass as he came down the lane and his shot rolled on the rim and went in.
Then came the play of the game. Bogaczyk made a steal and took off on a long dribble downcourt. With everyone anticipating a lay-up, Bogaczyk went up high and threw down a slam dunk. The crowd let out a long, loud cheer and Bessemer had its biggest lead at 35-23.
“The technical was a big thing,” Bessemer coach Richard Matrella said. “We had a seven-point lead and then there was the technical, we got a 2 and then the dunk. The crowd was like our sixth man. They used to call small gyms like ours bandboxes and ours was rocking. It gives energy to your kids.”
Bessemer outscored Dollar Bay 24-13 in the second quarter and took a 44-27 lead into half-time.
“The worst thing that happened to us was halftime,” Matrella said. “44 points, that’s two strong quarters. I knew they’d make a run at us. I knew they were too good to keep under under control the whole game.”
And Devin Schmitz was too good a player to keep under control. Whether it was his acrobatic drives to the hoop or his deadly shooting skills, Schmitz torched the twines for 39 points and brought Dollar Bay back within seven points at 56-49 by the end of the third quarter.
Only three baskets by Bessemer’s Max Samardich towards the end of the third quarter prevented Dollar Bay from tying or going ahead in the game. It was another reason Samardich continues to be one of the most under-rated players in our area.
In the fourth quarter, every time it seemed like the Blue Bolts would catch the Speedboys, Bessemer had an answer. When DB’s Code Klobucarich scored on an inbound play to start the final quarter, Zielinski drove to the basket and made a shot as he fell to the ground.
But the Blue Bolts continued to shrink Bessemer’s lead until it was 67-64 after a deep 3 by Schmitz with 1:39 remaining in the game.
Tomes and Samardich made free throws down the stretch and Bolen sealed the deal with two free throws with 8.6 seconds left.
Matrella said Bessemer has improved because they are playing as a team.
“We had five guys in double figures tonight and one guy with nine,” he said. “We don’t have a big scorer. Peaking? I hope so. The biggest thing is our inside presence, but we have good guards, too.”
And the Speedboy players are definitely feeling a surge in their play.
“We’re definitely more confident,” Zielinski said. “Our quality of life is so much better. We have a chance to get out of the district (tournament). I think the last time Bessemer did that was in 2006.”
Besides Schmitz’s huge night, Jaden Janke scored 12 points for Dollar Bay.
Samardich topped Bessemer’s scoring with 16 points while Bogaczyk dropped in 12 and Zielinski, Bolen and Tomes added 10 points. Josh McGeshick followed with nine points.
Bessemer won the junior varsity game 74-53.
Dollar Bay – Brenden LeClaire 8, Abel Iancono 2, Devin Schmitz 39, Jaden Janke 12, Cade Klobucarich 5, L. Eaglas 2. FT’s: 12-18, Fouls: 22, Fouled out: Iancono, Schmitz, Eaglas. 3-pointers: Schlitz 3, Janke 1, Klobucarich 1 LeClaire 1.
Bessemer – Cade Mazzon 7, Max Samardich 16, Keegan Bolen 10, Luke Zielinski 10, Ben Bogaczyk 12, Brayden Tomes 10, Josh McGeshick 9, Tyler Busch 7. FT’s: 12-24, Fouls: 19, Fouled out: none, 3-pointers: Bolen 2, Tomes 2, Zielinski 1.
Dollar Bay 14 27 49 66
Bessemer 20 44 56 71