BIG RAPIDS - In a matchup of conference champions in the opening round of districts, the Big Rapids Cardinals earned a hard-fought 62-61 victory over Ludington on Monday night.
Senior Owen Gammons had just two points on the night for Big Rapids, but it was the biggest two points, as it gave the Cardinals a 62-60 lead with less than a minute to play.
Ludington would get a free throw from Matthew Westhouse to cut the lead to one, but after a Cardinal free throw miss at the other end, the Orioles’ last-second three-point attempt hit the back iron and missed, allowing the Cardinals to survive and advance.
“It was going to go one point, one way or the other,” said Big Rapids head coach Kent Ingles after the game. “They had a last-second shot to make it. It wasn’t a bad shot. I feel for the draw, it’s just nasty. You’ve got four teams here that are all basically 20 wins, and for them to have to go home, or if it was us, that’s a tough draw for anybody. The tough thing for us, is we have to do it two more times.”
Dawson Dunn led Big Rapids in scoring with 19 points on the night. Karlito McKinney added 14 points, and Mason Dunn chipped in with 11 for the Cardinals.
David Shillinger poured in 15 points for the Orioles, while Westhouse scored 14 and Gage Jones added 13.
Ludington sees their stellar season come to a close at 20-3.
Big Rapids (20-2) advances to take on unbeaten Hart in a District Semifinal on Wednesday night at Big Rapids High School.
