Bear Lake shows 'heart' in triple overtime victory over Manistee Catholic
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McLain Moberg, Sports Editor
The Lakers Jake Griffis and Nate Sanderson are introduced before the game on Thursday night.
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Catholic Central's Kyle McLinden and Bear Lake's Jake Griffis prepare for the jump ball.
MANISTEE – In a triple overtime thriller on Thursday night, Bear Lake defeated the Sabers, 34-29.
And after the final buzzer sounded, both teams were physically and mentally exhausted, including the coaches.
"I'm tired," Lakers head coach Christian Novak said with a smile. "I'm glad they fought and kept themselves in the game the whole time ... once again, if you hustle and you do it correctly, then you can get the win."
Manistee Catholic hung around for most of the contest, taking the lead multiple times, but the Sabers needed more offense to walk away with a victory.
"I thought we executed OK on that end; we just couldn't get shots to fall," Catholic Central coach Nick Fortier said. "They started stalling at the end, and we weren't going to match up man-to-man simply because we didn't want them at the free-throw line, so we let those minutes go by. Luckily we were able to get into the next overtime, but shots just didn't fall for us tonight."
War of attrition
During the first half, Bear Lake burst out of the gates, taking a 9-0 lead but soon slowed to a screeching halt, allowing Catholic Central to enter halftime down by three points (15-12).
From Novak's perspective, the Lakers must find a way to maintain that energy for the entire contest.
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"We have to figure it out," said Novak. "I told them, offensively and defensively at the time, we were playing how we should for all four quarters. "And then we hit a certain point ... when we went in the locker room, I said, 'The only reason this is close right now is because you guys started slacking after your great start. It takes all four quarters to get it done."
But neither the Lakers nor the Sabers offense found a rhythm once the second half began.
With 2:47 left in the fourth quarter, Manistee Catholic's Ryker Capling rose from deep and drained a three-pointer to tie the Lakers, 27-27.
Following the bucket, no one scored a single point until four minutes remained in triple overtime, making it a 12-minute drought offensively for both teams before the Sabers Lee Pizana made a free throw, taking the lead (28-27).
In the end, with everyone on the floor looking worn out, Bear Lake point guard Nate Sanderson made four critical free throws, capturing the Lakers second win of the year.
Bear Lake and Catholic Central are two programs building for the future.
In 2020, the Lakers didn't have a boys varsity basketball team until Novak returned to his alma mater this winter.
The Sabers graduated six seniors from last year's team, featuring Mateo Barnett, who earned first-team all-conference and an all-state honorable mention in his final season.
Two days ago, the Sabers felt like one slipped away against Marion, and now they find themselves on the wrong side of a slugfest against Bear Lake.
Even so, Fortier is ready to pick his squad up off the floor.
"I thought the kids fought the entire game," said Fortier. "I thought they worked incredibly hard, they finally cut down their turnovers, it just came down to shooting ... I thought the effort was there all night, especially with the kids having to play seven quarters for the most part. But, unfortunately, it just didn't end up our way ... I think it comes down to confidence, and we have to get that back for them.
"We are going to improve in practice, put some tough defense on them, and consistently work through our sets. I told them, 'It'll come around,' but it's a matter of their experience."
For the Lakers, it's another step in the right direction.
"If we can do what we did at the beginning of the game for the entire game, we can have a big run, play intense, and play physical; that's the key. But it's something we have to keep working on because it's new for them," Novak said. "Tonight, though, I told them, 'Hey, you are mentally tough; your toughness, grit, heart, and hard work just won you this game."
McLain Moberg
McLain Moberg is a graduate of Michigan State University and the current Sports Editor for the Manistee News Advocate. McLain lives in Manistee with his lovely wife and beautiful daughter. He previously covered Michigan State Athletics for The Only Colors and Sports Illustrated's Spartan Nation.