Roosevelt Boys Basketball Eliminated in 1st Round

The Bears boys basketball team took on a familiar foe Monday night in the first round of district playoffs.

Unfortunately for Wyandotte, the outcome also was all too familiar. The host Marauders handed the Bears a 56-46 defeat and ended the team’s season.

It was the third straight time that Gibraltar has beaten Wyandotte this season.

Sophomore guard Devan Stewart said he was not happy with Monday’s loss or the previous two.

“I feel like we should have beat them all three times we played them,” he said.

The first quarter of Monday’s game got out to a sluggish start and neither team scored much out of the gate.

A shot by senior guard Jason Collins finally heated things a bit, giving the Bears an 8-5 lead at the 3:09 mark.

Wyandotte’s final first-quarter possession came with only a few seconds left. There was only time on the clock for one long, desperate shot.

Senior guard Michael Holderbaum took full advantage. He launched a half-court shot that went off the backboard and bounced in, giving his team a 16-11 lead. 

In the second quarter, the Bears went up 21-15, thanks to a layup from junior forward Andrew Jerzewski. 

Carlson answered by tying the score at 21-21. Late points from Jerzewski sent the Bears into halftime ahead, 23-21.

Gibraltar tied the game early in the third quarter and followed up by quickly grabbing a one-point lead.

The Marauders only gained momentum from there and started pulling away.

Wyandotte suffered several consecutive scoreless possessions as a result of many missed shots.

Two points from Collins finally ended the scoring drought, but Gibraltar immediately answered back and led 34-27 with about three minutes left in the quarter.

As Wyandotte's frustrations began to mount, head coach Dave Cramton was slapped with a technical foul for arguing with the referees. The call came with 1:50 left and Carlson made both free throws that resulted.

The third quarter ended with the Marauders leading 40-31.

Wyandotte’s shooting did not improve in the fourth quarter. Despite several offensive rebounds, the Bears found scoring points to be elusive.

Cramton said his team’s poor stretch of shooting ultimately affected the outcome. He said that it changed Wyandotte’s defensive strategy, giving Gibraltar better scoring chances.

“It was the difference,” he said. “If we could have made some of those shots, we could have kept a little closer to the basket defensively and made them work a little harder for their shots.”

The Marauders took advantage of the easier shots and ultimately ran away with the game. Any chances of a Wyandotte comeback were squashed late in the fourth quarter as Gibraltar went up 50-37.

Despite Monday’s outcome, Cramton said he is proud of his team’s effort this year.

“We played hard, we always played hard,” he said.  “The kids did everything we asked over the year.”

Wyandotte closes out the season with a 10-11 record and

Cramton said he especially appreciates the efforts of the guys who played their last game for the Bears on Monday.

“Thanks to my seniors,” he said. “They have been in the program all four years. Hopefully they will leave (as) better young people.”