‘We can play with anybody:’ Traverse City St. Francis Playing With Confidence Ahead of State Semifinals

TRAVERSE CITY - The Traverse City St. Francis boys basketball team has reached the Breslin Center in impressive fashion, beating its playoff opponents by an average margin of 20.6 points per game.

The Gladiators strong play on both ends of the floor has them feeling confident heading into Thursday’s MHSAA Div. 3 State Semifinal against Niles Brandywine.

“I like how our boys have been bought in to the defensive side and it gives us a chance in any game with anybody,” said head coach Sean Finnegan. “As we showed against Cass Tech and some of the other teams we played this year, we can play with anybody. As long as the boys keep believing that, it gives us a chance.”

This is the first time since 2012 that the Traverse City St. Francis program has made it to the Breslin Center. It’s a goal the Gladiators have believed was attainable since the very start of the season.

“This is our goal. This is what we worked for all year,” said senior Wyatt Nausadis after the team’s quarterfinal victory over St. Ignace. “Now that we’re here and we get to play one, hopefully two games there and finish our goal it feels really, really good.”

Traverse City St. Francis and Niles Brandywine tip off at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.