Traverse City Record-Eagle

Prep Sports

Related Photos

  • Flint Beecher's Antuan Burks (20) and Monte Morris (11) celebrate Thursday. Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump

    CSS54DF.jpg
March 23, 2012

Beecher routs Schoolcraft to play Glads

Bucs were ousted by McBain in semis last year

By MIKE ECKERT meckert@record-eagle.com

EAST LANSING — A loss to McBain in last year's Class C state semifinal didn't sit well with Flint Beecher.

A year later, the Bucs got over that hurdle and will play for a state title on Saturday, thanks to a 65-45 win over Schoolcraft at Michigan State's Breslin Center.

"From day one we had the mindset of getting to the state championship game and finishing the job," said Monte Morris, the Class C Player of the Year. "We knew what we had to do."

First up on that to-do list on Thursday was to knock off the defending state champ in Schoolcraft.

"We told the guys the No. 1 ranking means nothing," Beecher coach Mike Willams said. "Schoolcraft had what we wanted, which was a state championship."

Top-ranked Beecher (27-0) got off to a hot start with an 18-8 lead in the first quarter and made it 36-19 at the break thanks to pressure defense and plenty of Eagles turnovers.

Bucs senior Antuan Burks equaled Schoolcraft's point total in the first half with 19.

"Coach told us to stay physical and stay positive," Burks said. "Our pressure defense was excellent tonight."

Burks finished with 24 points while Morris added 18 with seven assists and seven rebounds.

All-Stater Luke Rsykamp led Schoolcraft with 22.

Text Only