Riverview Gabriel Richard Caps Repeat Trip with Historic Championship
By
Jeff Bleiler
Special for MHSAA.com
March 15, 2025
EAST LANSING — One year ago, Luke Westerdale sat in the locker room at the Breslin Center and repeated “I can’t believe this” over and over.
His Riverview Gabriel Richard boys basketball team had just lost in the MHSAA Semifinals on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
On Saturday, he was repeating the same phrase in the locker room – but for a far different reason.
Westerdale and the Pioneers made history by defeating Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac 79-63 to claim the school’s first basketball state championship.
“I’m so happy, this is so awesome,” Westerdale said. “I used to think in my room late at night what it would feel like to win a state championship, and this is better than I ever could have imagined.”
The Pioneers (25-2) used a balanced attack with five players in double figures, led by Charles Kage and Bryce White with 18 points apiece. Westerdale followed with 17, Drew Everingham 16 and Nick Sobush finished with 10.
“Unselfish basketball wins championships,” Westerdale said.
All five scorers for the Pioneers are seniors and ended their high school careers with a title.
“I don’t know what to think right now,” Gabriel Richard coach Kris Daiek said. “I don’t think people understand what it takes to win. It takes a lot of people to win. I thought defensively we played very good. I’m ecstatic for these guys.”
Gabriel Richard led 12-11 after the first quarter before an 18-4 scoring burst in the second provided breathing room and a double-digit lead it would never relinquish.
The Lions hurt themselves by missing several close-range shots.
“We were just missing shots,” ATAP coach Orlando Lovejoy said. “We had a bunch of missed layups early on in the game. We counted four missed layups in the first quarter.”
Case in point came late in the first half with the Pioneers ahead 32-20. ATAP missed successive layups inside of 30 seconds to play, and instead of pulling within 10, the Lions gave up a late layup to Kage to trail 34-20 at the half.
ATAP finished the first half shooting 6-of-29 from the field, including 1-of-11 from 3-point range, and were outscored 22-9 in the second quarter.
The Pioneers stretched the lead to 23 in the third quarter before the Lions carved it to 11 points on a Lewis Lovejoy jumper with less than six minutes to play in the game. That’s when the turning point happened, according to coach Lovejoy. An ATAP player was called for a foul and tossed the ball in the air, which drew a technical foul.
White and Sobush both made two free throws, and on the ensuing possession, Sobush was fouled and made the free throws. The six-point possession proved costly.
“It kind of killed the momentum of the game,” Orlando Lovejoy said. “We tried to fight back after that, but they just closed the game out after that.”
What followed was a foul-fest as ATAP tried to come back. But the Pioneers made 24 of 29 free throws to keep the Lions at bay. An alley-oop from White to Everingham with a minute to go put an exclamation point on the game.
The Pioneers enjoyed an experience and size advantage. The Lions were 8-7 a year ago and 3-12 the year before, but freshman Lewis Lovejoy and seniors Teyshaun and Terrance Hicks proved a difficult trio to beat. Lovejoy finished the game with 21 points, and the Hickses had 10 apiece.
Kage had a few inches on just about every Lions player, as he and Everingham each had 11 rebounds.
“I knew I had the size advantage over them, so I knew I had to use that to my advantage,” Kage said. “For my last game of my high school career, I had to go out with a bang, and when I got the ball in the paint, I knew it was over from there when I touched it.”
PHOTOS (Top) Riverview Gabriel Richard’s Drew Everingham dunks during his team’s Division 3 championship win Saturday at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Pioneers’ Charles Kage (5) puts up a shot with ATAP’s Carter George defending. (Below) The Lions’ Lewis Lovejoy (0) shoots a jumper as Bryce White attempts to block it. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Reigning Division 4 Champion Munising Eager to Begin Next Tournament Run
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
February 27, 2024
MUNISING — The Munising boys basketball team is primed for what the Mustangs hope will be another deep run into the MHSAA Division 4 Tournament.
The reigning champion is 17-4 this season and drew an opening-round bye in its District, and will visit Newberry (5-16) to open its run at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“There was a little more pressure as defending state champion early in the season,” Munising coach Terry Kienitz said. “We could tell we had a target on our back, but once we got some games in we were fine. Expectations are to get back to the Breslin Center (at Michigan State) and defend our title. You do the mapping and look at who might win the other Districts. It will be a lot harder road to get there this year.
“Norway and Pickford beat us, and we had close games with Crystal Falls (Forest Park) and Rudyard. It was nice to beat Forest Park because they’re so deep. They have a real good team. The new foul rule I think will help the deeper teams. We have to focus on staying out of foul trouble and staying healthy.”
Junior point guard Trevor Nolan reached the 1,000-point mark on the last shot in an 86-44 victory over Rapid River on Feb. 13.
“It was an amazing feeling to see the team come together,” Nolan said. “It was also great for the community and took a little pressure off me doing it as a junior. We’ve definitely had some adversity, but have gotten through it and I think we’re better for it.
“Both Regionals are tough in the U.P. There’s so much competition. Whoever gets to the Breslin will be battle-tested. Our District will also be challenging. Newberry is well-coached. They have good athletes who play very hard. There’s always a chance for an upset. You always have to be at your best, because it’s one loss and you’re done.”
Senior Tyler Nelson noted the Mustangs’ experience. Nolan, Carson Kienitz and Jack Dusseault all started as sophomores in Munising’s 39-37 championship game win over Wyoming Tri-unity Christian.
“The District will be a challenge,” Nelson said. “There’s a target on our back and we know it, but we have three starters back and a lot of experience. The whole tournament run last year was a bit of a highlight. We had a great group of guys.
“Basketball is such a great sport, and we definitely have a great group of guys again this year. We certainly have our work cut out. Nobody’s going to just give it to us. There’s a lot of competition, but we’re looking forward to it. It’s definitely going to be a fun tournament. I’m glad to see basketball is on the upswing in the U.P. Many of our teams are getting recognition.”
The Mustangs are taking a four-game winning streak into the postseason since dropping a 52-48 decision to Escanaba on Feb. 6. Total, they’ve won 13 of their last 14 games.
“The season is going real well so far,” junior guard Carson Kienitz said. “We had a couple unfortunate losses, but records don’t matter once you get into the tournaments. The game at Escanaba was tough. It seemed like it was all there for us. Our offense is better than it showed in that game. I think we can definitely win our District, although it’s not like we're looking past anyone. Newberry will be a challenge. The most improvement I’ve seen is the way we’re playing as a team, and we need to do that to win the bigger games.”
The Mustangs defeated Newberry 51-29 in their lone regular-season meeting Jan. 24.
“I think Newberry will be tough in our District,” Coach Kienitz said. “They’ve got talent. That was a good test. Everybody’s 0-0 once you get into the tournaments. We made a lot of adjustments which is something we needed on offense.”
If they win their opener, the Mustangs will visit Big Bay de Noc (14-4) or Rapid River (7-15) for Friday’s District Final.
“I think the bye will help us,” Nolan said. “No matter who comes out of the other bracket, you have to be ready. We have very good coaches. We always believe we’re well prepared.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Munising's Carson Kienitz (2) and Ishpeming's Caden Luoma go after a loose ball during the Mustangs’ 54-48 win Dec. 28. (Middle) Munising's Trevor Nolan (5) is defended by Ishpeming's Hunter Smith. (Photos by Cara Kamps.)