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Johannesburg-Lewiston boys fall to Alcona, wrap season in district semis
By Dylan Jespersen - Gaylord Herald Times

TAWAS ― The setup of the MHSAA playoffs can allow for some special things to happen.

With every team getting a shot at a playoff matchup and potentially just two wins away from a district title, the postseason gives every team a shot at postseason glory, even if their regular season results didn't go as planned.

That was the hope of the Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals boys basketball team as they began their playoff push on Wednesday night in Tawas, Mich., hoping to put a 2-19 record in the regular season behind them with some sort of run in districts.

Unfortunately, those hopes were short-lived.

Despite a quality start, the Alcona Tigers defense stifled the Cardinals down the stretch, eventually pulling away for the 62-41 victory to advance to the district finals and bring the JoBurg season to a close.

PHOTOS: Johannesburg-Lewiston vs. Alcona, district basketball

As mentioned, the Cardinals started the game as well as they could've hoped, building a 15-14 lead by the end of the first quarter as shots started falling right away. Junior Thomas Fox looked to be in a rhythm, scoring nine of the 15 Cardinals' first-quarter points as they looked to be in for a back-and-forth affair.

The game swung a bit in the second quarter, however, and not in JoBurg's favor.

Alcona turned to a bit more aggressive defensive game plan, using a full-court trapping press to the Cardinals out of their offensive rhythm. That seemingly worked wonders as JoBurg obliged with multiple turnovers, allowing the Tigers to flip the script and take a 29-22 lead into halftime.

That game plan stuck for the Tigers in the second half, and the lead only grew bigger. As JoBurg struggled to find any offense in the third quarter, scoring just five points, the Tigers turned multiple turnovers into fast break opportunities, scoring 18 points in the quarter and building a double-digit deficit that JoBurg would never recover from.

Alcona sophomore Garrett Somers finished with a game-high 22 points, while Fox led JoBurg with 14 points. Will Boden also had 11 for the Cardinals.

This marks the end of a tough season for JoBurg and the final games for their Class of 2023 seniors, including Damian Harris, Alex Gapinski, Elijah Lindbert, Will Boden, Colin Basinski and Trenton Kinsey. Their presence will be missed as the boys program tries to rebound next year with a few new faces in the rotation.

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Fox leads JoBurg to first win
By Dylan Jespersen - Gaylord Herald Times

The winter season brought a similarly slow start for the JoBurg boys athletes that the fall did.

However, the football team found its way out of its losing streak; Friday, with December gone and January nearly over, it was the boys basketball team's turn.

After a loss to Cheboygan on Monday and hanging tough and falling short with Onaway on Wednesday, the Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals got the matchup they wanted, hosting a similarly built opponent in Fife Lake Forest Area to wrap the week.

They took full advantage of the opportunity.

Senior guard Thomas Fox had himself quite the night, pouring game-high 35 points as JoBurg picked up its first win of the season in a 72-51 victory.

Fox had 18 points in the first quarter alone, shooting perfect 8-for-8 from the field and 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. As the game continued, he continued to be the best option, coming back in during the fourth quarter to help quell a late burst from Forest Area and put the finishing touches on the 21-point victory.

The Cardinals now sit at 1-7 in conference play, with games scheduled this week against Inland Lakes and Mancelona.

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