BY MIKE ECKERT
TRAVERSE CITY -- It came down to the final 21 seconds, but the answer was with No. 22.
Dwaun Anderson -- who wears 22 for Suttons Bay -- scored a lay-up in the closing seconds Friday as the Norsemen won their first district basketball since 2003 with a 53-51 victory Friday night in the Class C final in front of a packed house.
"It was a miracle out there," Suttons Bay junior Noah Reyhl said. "Me and Dwaun were standing out there and we said we've got to pull together as a brotherhood. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. These guys are good. They're way bigger, but what can you do about it?"
After losing at home to the Gladiators 64-52 in the season opener, the Norsemen haven't lost since and sit on a 21-1 record. They will play Boyne City at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Traverse City West.
"We wanted to win a conference title, but to be honest, the chance to play St. Francis was big," Norse coach Todd Hursey said. "This was a game to redeem ourselves and prove that first game was not indicative of who we are. From here on out, there's goals to advance, but right now it's about taking care of the next game. This team has done a great job of just worrying about the next one."
St. Francis ended the season with an 18-5 record.
Suttons Bay never trailed and was up 51-39 with 1:39 left in the game.
And then the Gladiators came storming back.
Luke Popp started the run with a drive to the basket, made the lay-up, was fouled and made the free throw. He would add four more points -- all from the free-throw line -- in the final minute while Sean Sheldon had four points and Joe Kerride one to make it 51-51 all with 21 seconds to go.
"We had that lead with a couple of minutes left and we just relaxed," Hursey said. "St. Francis, you knew they weren't going to quit. They attacked us and we didn't defend like we had the first 30 minutes of the game."
And then Anderson took over. Off the in-bounds, he got the ball against a pressure defense and drove to the hoop for a quick basket and a 53-51 lead with 15 seconds to go.
"Even when they were coming back, I knew," Anderson said. "I told everyone, I want the ball. It didn't matter what (St. Francis did), I was going to get it. I was determined. There was no thought of losing in my mind."
St. Francis had a chance to answer, but couldn't get a good look and a 3-pointer at the buzzer came up short.
"When you have lost a 12 point lead in that little time, a lot of teams are going to fold," Hursey said. "Dwaun having the composure and the basketball IQ to make the right play on that one, I can't be happier with this team."
The comeback for the Gladiators was helped by free-throw woes for the Norse. Suttons Bay missed its last five attempts from the free-throw line and finished 6-for-14 on the night.
"That was definitely scary," Reyhl said. "All I could tell people after was we used up all of our misses. So regionals and then whatever happens for us, we've used up all of our misses. We're 100 percent the rest of the way."
While St. Francis coach Dave Ginsberg was happy with his team's fight in the closing minute, it came after struggles early on.
"We showed a lot character, hustled and worked our butts off to get a chance to win the game," Ginsberg said. "But I'm very disappointed with the first 28 minutes. I thought we got out-played badly. They showed more fight than we did for 28 minutes.
"I'm disappointed with myself for not getting our team ready to play initially. I'm very disappointed with that. I think we're better than what we showed tonight."
The Gladiators turned the ball over on their first three possessions and Suttons Bay jumped out to a 12-4 lead. It was 17-10 at the end of the quarter.
"We knew we didn't have anything to lose," Anderson said. "We knew we'd come out and jump on them."
"I thought that they were the hunters," Ginsberg said. "They came in and hit us hard quickly. And our response was surprising. I'm not pointing fingers, but we didn't respond well."
In the third quarter, Matt Zakrzewski buried a 3-pointer for the Glads to cut the lead to 31-28. But then Reyhl took over. He scored seven points in a 30-second span for a 38-28 lead.
"We switched it up, Reyhl said. "I football I play defensive back. We said let's stick you at half-court and see what you can read. They happened to throw it there. My teammates had great pressure, they threw some iffy passes and I was able to get there and put it in the hoop."
Defense was key for Suttons Bay all game, and Anderson was a big part of it. He spent much of the game defending Glads' scoring leader Ian Sheldon and held him to four points.
"Every since we lost, my uncle's been in my ear that we wanted St. Francis back and how much I wanted Ian Sheldon back," Anderson said. "I knew I was going to come out on him tonight with everything I had."
In the first meeting, Sheldon had 13 points and six rebounds.
"Dwaun was great on defense, but we were all great on defense," Hursey said. "He'd be the first to admit that his teammates being there to help allows him to play better defense on the ball. Ian's a great player. Dwaun was fired up for this game. He's known mainly for an offensive player, but tonight I think he proved he can defend with the best of them."
The defense went both ways as Sheldon was on Anderson the whole game. The returning all-stater finished with 18 points.
St. Francis sophomore Sean Sheldon had a big game with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Ben Schell, who was sick for Wednesday's win over Glen Lake, came back for 10 points and four assists while Zakrzewski and Popp each finished with seven.
Reyhl had nine points for the Norsemen, Marcus Russell scored eight points and Jared Orban added six to move the winning streak for Suttons Bay to 21 games.
"We've improved a lot," Hursey said of his team compared to the first meeting with St. Francis. "The first game was more of a case of not being ready for a game of that magnitude so early in the season. We've improved and St. Francis is a very good team. We're very fortunate to come out of this with a win."
Friday's game was also of high magnitude. After every seat was taken, fans jammed the stairways and the stage behind the north basket. The packed crowd was loud and several times drowned out the whistles on the floor from the referees.
"It was great for basketball in this area of the state," Ginsberg said. "It was a phenomenal atmosphere. I'm proud of our student body and our fans for supporting us. I'm disappointed for not rewarding them for their effort. They had a great effort tonight."
