SAGINAW - A fast start to the second half by the hosts was too much for the Panthers to overcome as they fell to #6 Michigan Lutheran Seminary on Friday night 57-50. MLS took a quick 16-11 lead after one, but the Panthers stormed back in the second quarter to cut the lead to two at the half. In the third quarter though, the Cardinals (12-0) took control of the game and didn't let up. The 11 point deficit was too much to overcome for the Panthers (8-2) who were able to cut the lead to five but get no closer than that. Sophomore Konner Vedrode led Alma with 16 points while junior Dylan Carl chipped in nine points and 12 rebounds. Alma will turn around and play again tonight as they travel to Hemlock for a 6:30 p.m. tip.
The Alma girls basketball team traveled to Carrollton for a matchup with the Cavaliers (3-10) on Thursday night. The girls used a strong defensive effort in the first half on their way to a 34-30 victory. Both teams got off to a slow first quarter as the score was only 5-3 in favor of the Panthers (5-7) after one. In the second half, the visitors got on a run and were able to push their lead out to double digits and send the game into the half with an 18-7 lead. In the second half though, the Cavaliers would answer. The hosts immediately had the game back to single digits in the third, and the Alma lead was only seven heading into the final frame. Alma was able to hold off the furious comeback and left Carrollton with a four point victory. Alma was led by sophomore Kenzie Seeley who had 11. Senior Kendall Vedrode added ten, while sophomore Madison Doolittle pitched in seven. Alma will travel to Hemlock on Saturday for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off with the Huskies (7-5, 3-4 TVC Central) in a battle for fifth place in the league.
The Alma Wrestling team took down Freeland and MLS on Wednesday night as they finished the year third in the division. The highlight of the night was senior Damian Castillo winning a pair of matches to surpass the 150-win plateau for his career. Castillo joins fellow senior Boyd Hubbard along with Bruce Hubbard and all-time wins leader Liam Widman as the only wrestlers to hit 150 wins in their Alma careers.
ALMA - The Panther boys basketball team took down TVC East power Millington (9-2) on Tuesday night behind a huge performance from sophomore Konner Vedrode. The Panthers opened the game with a 9-2 advantage after Vedrode hit three three-pointers in a row. Alma (8-1) quickly pushed their advantage out to double-digits at 15-4, and after one the lead was at 14, 22-8. In the second half there was more of the same from the hosts as the lead grew to as much as 21 points in the second quarter. Millington cut it to 15 with a 30-foot jumper as the half came to an end and the teams went into the break with the Panthers holding a 42-27 advantage.
But as the Cardinals came into the game with only two losses in the past two years, the game was far from over.
The visitors made their run in the third and cut the Panther lead down to eight. But a pair of three pointers by senior Zach Hanson pushed the lead back out to double digits and sent the Panthers into the final frame with a 13 point advantage. From there the Panthers would coast, as they made their free throws and sealed the game. Sophomore Anthony Humm had all 11 of his points in the fourth, with seven coming from the charity stripe. Vedrode led the way for Alma with 30 points on the night, while Hanson and fellow senior Slade Martin added 12 and 13 respectively. The Panthers will travel to MLS (11-0, 7-0 TVC West) on Friday when they take on the 6th ranked Seminary team for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
The girls basketball team jumped out to a 15-1 lead early and didn't slow down all night. A stifling Alma defense held the Dukes to just three points in the first half on the way to a 23-3 lead at the break. The Panthers were led by sophomore Kenzie Seeley who had 15 points. Junior Marissa Cornejo had ten and junior Taylor Kinnunen and sophomore Tayla Guerrero added eight each. Senior Kendall Vedrode had seven. With the win the Panthers improve to 5-7 on the season while Garber fell to 1-11. Alma will continue their season on Thursday when they travel to take on Carrollton (2-9) for a 7:30 tip-off with the Cavaliers out of the TVC West.
The boys swim team took fifth this weekend in a meet that consisted of ten schools - all larger than the Panthers. Junior Brevan Bender highlighted the team's performance as he took second and swan state qualifying times in both the 200 and 500 freestyle.
ALMA - The Panther boys basketball team answered their first loss of the season with a commanding win over Midland Bullock Creek on Friday. Alma (7-1, 6-0 TVC Central) took an early lead and never gave it up as they beat the Lancers in all aspects of the game, pushing their lead out to 20 at one point in the third. Juniors Dylan Carl and Than Wood led the Panthers with 21 and 14 points respectively. The Lancers fell to 3-7 overall and 1-6 in the TVC. Alma will take on Millington on Tuesday for a 7:30 tip off with the Cardinals (9-1, 6-1 TVC East).
ALMA - The Panther girls basketball team took on Midland Bullock Creek on Friday for in TVC action. The Panthers took an early 12-10 lead late in the first quarter, but Creek answered with four straight points to take a 14-12 lead after one. The Lancers (12-0, 8-0 TVC Central) continued to push out their lead to 21-12, but the Panthers hung in there and found themselves down just six at 27-21 going into the break. In the second half, the Panthers (4-7, 2-5 TVC Central) found the visitors to be just too much on the night and fell by a final score of 58-36. Sophomore Kenzie Seeley led the way with 17 points. Alma will take on Essexville Garber on Monday for a 7:30 tip off.
The Panther competitive cheer team took second at Ovid-Elsie on Wednesday night. The host Marauders took first at the five team competition. The Panthers took a huge step forward as a program as they finished ahead of defending TVC Jamboree Champion Chesaning. The team will next compete Saturday as they will compete in Breckenridge.
ITHACA - The 9th ranked Alma boys basketball team fell at Ithaca Tuesday night 49-39. Alma jumped out to a quick lead as an alley-oop dunk from sophomore Konner Vedrode to junior Dylan Carl started the game with a bang. The Panthers (6-1) scored eight quick points in the first two and half minutes to take an early advantage. The Panther offense would stall, and Ithaca (7-2) would take a 9-8 advantage at the end of one. The offensive struggles would carry over into the second quarter for the Panthers, as they would score a season low three points and find themselves trailing 22-11 at the half.
The deficit didn't scare the Panthers though, as they came out firing in the third quarter. The team charged right back and took the lead again. Ithaca would answer late in the quarter to regain the lead at 34-31 heading to the final frame. That would be the last lead that the Panthers would see, as the fourth quarter was all Ithaca. Late free throws would seal the game for Ithaca and prevent a Panther comeback. Junior Justin Doyle led the way with 13 points for the Panthers, while Vedrode added 12 of his own. The Panthers will look to bounce back on Friday when they host Bullock Creek (3-6, 1-5 TVC Central) for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off with the Lancers.