Onsted falls in regional final, finishes 2015-16 with a 23-1 record
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Onsted – The difference between perfection and a season concluded was one, single loss.
On Wednesday night in a Class B regional final, the Onsted boys basketball team learned that lesson the hard way.
Unbeaten all winter, the Wildcats surrendered a fourth-quarter lead to River Rouge, eventually falling 49-44 at the Dundee High final.
“I really thought we played well defensively. We played well for three quarters,” coach Brad Maska said. “In the fourth they were able to limit possessions. They stalled a bit, and we weren’t able to get inside as much as we needed to. We also had some good looks, and we didn’t make as many shots as we needed.”
Onsted led 40-38 entering the fourth, but then found just four points in the final eight minutes.
River Rouge took the lead with a little more than two minutes remaining.
Onsted trailed 47-44 with 15 seconds remaining but couldn’t get a 3-pointer to drop.
Austin Davis, who scored 46 and 42 points in each of the past two games, respectively, was held to just 17 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter.
“They defended Austin well with a kid in front of him and behind him,” Maska said. “They made it a little more difficult than usual to get him the ball.”
While River Rouge (22-4) moves on, Maska and his guys had to come to terms with an insanely successful season ending with a 23-1 record.
“It’s hard. It’s hard to talk to the guys after a loss like that with as much as these guys gave us,” Maska said. “Two districts, a league title and playing for two regional titles. For us to be a small Class B school, and have that success, it’s pretty special.”
Onsted finished 42-6 the past two years.
“To go perfect in the regular season is something hat doesn’t happen a lot,” Maska said. The 1983 Onsted team was the last to do that. “We got everyone’s best every night. The target on our back got bigger and bigger.”
Now Maska and the Wildcats are forced to deal with life without Davis, moving forward.
“Haven’t come to grips that Austin won’t be here just yet,” Maska said with a laugh. “But we have a really good group coming back. We’ll have three starters and a solid nucleus of kids. We’re not going to replace Austin or a kid like Dallas Heidbreder, who was awesome for us.”
“But the game plan and the preparation, the time in the summer is going to be a must,” he continued. “They understand that. We’re going to do everything we can to keep going. We may not be 23-0 next year, but the group we’ll have will be ready to go and be successful again.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.