David Archambeau / For the Gazette Michigan Tech forward Pete Calcaterra tries to knock the ball away from a Saginaw Valley State defender as he jumps to attempt a layup during Thursday’s game at SDC Gym in Houghton.
HOUGHTON — Trailing by just one point, 78-77, in the final 8.1 seconds of the game, Michigan Tech Huskies men’s basketball coach Josh Beutner and his staff discussed with the team how to get sophomore guard Markus Tomasek another look before the final buzzer Thursday night against the Cardinals. Saginaw Valley State.
They completed the inbounds play and got the ball to Tomashek near the top of the key. He looked for a gap, and created one with more than a second remaining, getting that much-needed separation from his defender. Putting the ball in the penalty area just before the buzzer sounds.
Tomasek, who finished with a game-high 39 points, watched his shot reach the hoop, but it was right where he wanted it. The ball got stuck between the rim and the backboard and there was no time to retrieve it and try again, ending the contest.
While Butner was happy his team had a chance to win the game on the final possession, he felt there was still too much about the game that he felt prevented the Huskies from getting their second win of the season and first in the conference. He plays.
“Credit to Saginaw, they’re very athletic.” He said. “They go to the rim hard. They make some tough shots, some timely shots. We’re still not tough enough.”
“In the first half, we took care of the basketball, we stopped offensive rebounds, and those were the two keys to the game that we talked about pretty much all week. In the second half, by the numbers, we rebounded better. There was still an offensive rebound or two at the right time, but then We turned it around in the second half.”
Despite the mistakes the Huskies (1-6 overall, 0-1 GLIAC) are still prone to making as a young team, Buettner felt there was some progress being made with his group.
“I thought our men fought” He said. “There were some really good individual efforts, and we played hard. They made a few more plays than us.”
While Tomasek had control of the game in the final seconds but missed the shot, Buttner liked the fact that he wanted to shoot in this situation.
“Want to get a better look” Buettner said. “But I think everyone in the gym knew the ball was going to Marcus. At the same time, when he played the game he said: ‘Give me the ball.’
“I’ve been in that position, and I’ve coached a lot of great scorers, and the guys have scored a lot of points and they’re all-American as scorers, and you put the ball in their hands.”
Tomasek finished his night 12-of-22 shooting, including 8-of-11 rebounding, three assists and a block.
“He’s just a sophomore. He’s looking forward to a special career. To score the way he did tonight with such efficiency is pretty remarkable.”
Tomasik competed toe-to-toe with the Cardinals’ Freddie McIntosh in terms of scoring all night, and came out on top. McIntosh provided 31 points for Saginaw Valley, where he proved difficult to defend.
“He hits hard.” Buettner said. “I mean, he takes long, contested two-handers that are supposed to be the worst shots in basketball, and he hits tough shots.”
While his jump shot was difficult for the Huskies to defend, they often made it worse for themselves by fouling his shots, allowing him to make six free throws as well.
“There were a few times we fouled him and I didn’t think we needed to.” Buettner said “And he made some ridiculous shots.”
Tomasek did what he could to mitigate the damage McIntosh did, and the Huskies found themselves up 40-36 at halftime. The Huskies maintained their lead until the final 9:16 of the contest, when the teams traded the lead for the remainder of the night.
The Huskies found themselves in deep trouble with five minutes left in the game, and that seemed to prevent them from extending their slim lead.
“You can’t live with stupid mistakes.” Buettner said. “We can’t have the other team in the bonus at the 15-minute mark. We’ve got to be better at playing defense without getting down, not using our hands, not getting fooled. Some of those were stupid. I mean, just fouls that didn’t need to happen early in the game.” The second half. Now, you’re playing all the time where every bad hit, hit, or break puts them on the line for two.
Although the final score did not go their way, the Huskies finished the game with three players in double figures, which is encouraging moving forward. Junior forward Pete Calcaterra scored 11 points, while Josh Therrien scored 10 points.
the next
The Huskies return to action on Saturday as they host Wayne State at 3pm at SDC Gym in Houghton.
In a thrilling match-up between the Huskies and the Cardinals, the Huskies came up just short, losing by a mere point with a final score of 78-77. Despite a valiant effort, the Huskies were unable to secure the victory, leaving fans disappointed but hopeful for future games. This game was a testament to the competitive nature of both teams, and it undoubtedly kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very end. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting match and other news, sports, and job listings.