Cranes even season record with victory

In a low-scoring game marked by the opposition holding the ball throughout, Cranbrook evened its season record at 10-10 with a 35-28 victory over Birmingham Roeper.  The game was tied 17-17 at halftime.  A total of 11 points were scored in the entire third quarter, with the Cranes clinging to a one-point lead, 23-22.  A key 3-pointer by Gavin Freeman opened the lead to four, and the Cranes were able to put the game away thanks to crucial foul shots by Michael Pogoda and Mike Miller at the end of the contest.

Roeper's offensive and defensive strategies were obvious from the start.  On offense, the Roughriders held the ball for minutes at a time, passing it around the perimeter while hoping for an open shot or a foul call.  On defense, they utilized a box-and-one on Eric Fishman for the entire game, limiting him to one shot in the second half and 8 points for the game. 

The Cranes were led by Jay Trewn with 12 points. Mike Miller added 4 points and 10 rebounds. After starting the season 2-6, the Cranes won 8 of their last 12 games to reach the .500 mark for the season.  Their second-place finish in the Metro Conference was their highest in years, and was a great accomplishment considering the relative youth of the squad and their losses to graduation from last season's team.

Cranbrook now enters state tournament district play with a game against Detroit Country Day on Wednesday at Clawson.  As usual, DCDS is loaded with 5-star recruits, all of whom are headed to play Division 1 basketball somewhere in college.  Regardless of the outcome, the Cranes intend to put forth their maximum effort and scrap until the final whistle.