SPORTS

JV GIRLS BASKETBALL
Lady Elks finish solid season  

Elk Rapids High School JV Girls Basketball 2019-2020: front row: Alex Korsvold, Jorja Jenema, Lily Morton, Aubrey Sincic, Ashlyn Lawrence. back row: Gwen Carroll, Abby Platt, Emma Macaluso, Lili Hoberg, Coach Megan Gregorski Photo by Diane Drogowski, By the Bay Photography

The Lady Elks JV team played a strong season, finishing at 12-4 and showed that many of the players are ready to make the step up to the varsity level next season. The team had their final game of the season at Harbor Springs cancelled due to weather and was not made up. The JV played with just nine players, after many of the girls were moved up to varsity due to low numbers from the junior and senior class.

Coach Megan Gregorski liked the effort and improvement the entire team showed as the season progressed. “Throughout the year this group improved on pushing the ball up the court and playing a faster game, their ball handling and shooting. We also grew as a defensive team,” Gregorski said.

“Lily Morton was asked to play the point guard position; she was a former post player, but she really grew into it and ended up doing a phenomenal job throughout the season. Gwen Carroll and Abby Platt were my hustle players and really excelled offensively this year as sophomores.”

A season highlight came against St. Francis the second time the two teams met. In the first game against the Gladiators on the road, the JV Elks suffered a rare loss and by just four points. In the second meeting at home, the Elks came out determined for revenge, roaring out to a 20-point halftime lead and winning by 14 points. “That game was a great team effort,” Gregorski said.

Congratulations on an outstanding season to the Lady Elk JV squad. Next year can’t get here soon enough!

---

FRESHMAN BASKETBALL
Freshmen play tough and improve 

Elk Rapids High School Freshman Basketball 2019-2020: front row: Garrett Schell, Caleb Kerfoot, Justin Sedwick, Fisher Bogard. back row: Coach AJ Anderson, Declan Shockley, Ryan McGuire, John Vanderheide, Paul Schultz. Photo by Diane Drogowski, By the Bay Photography

The Elk freshmen squad started the season with eight players but didn’t play a game with all eight dressed until nine games into the season due to injuries and illness. The freshmen still ended the season above .500 at 8-7 and did not miss any scheduled games this year.

Coach A.J. Anderson saw what every coach hopes to see from a freshmen team, solid improvement. “Everybody improved, they all got better individually and as a team,” said Anderson. “Paul Shultz became a top shooter, Justin Sedwick became aggressive getting to the basket. If we needed a bucket, we knew Caleb Kerfoot was our guy, with smart passing and a high basketball IQ, he made the guys around him better. John Vanderheide and Ryan McGuire were post threats that most teams had a trouble stopping.” 
​
The freshmen showed grit in the first game, playing with only six players dressed. Two minutes into the contest, Kerfoot came out with a sore wrist suffered in practice the day before. McGuire rolled his ankle shortly after and was forced to the bench, leaving the Elks with just four players. Switching to a 2-2 zone, the freshmen continued with four to finish out the remainder of the opening half. At halftime, Kerfoot taped his wrist and played without using the taped hand; his doctor confirmed the next day the wrist was broken. Injured and shorthanded, the Elks prevailed and earned a 17-point win. In the final game of the season the Elks were down to Harbor Springs by seven with two minutes to play and rallied back to get the season finale win. Elk Pride showed strong within the freshmen team this season, a great sign for the future!

---

JV BASKETBALL
JV boys improved as season progressed 

Elk Rapids High School JV Basketball 2019-2020: front row: Emery Rubert, Charlie Ward, Scott Russell, Brad Morley, Seth LaPoint. back row: Max Ireland, Landon Moore, Ryan Sweetapple, Ethan Huhn, Coach Tyler Wilson. Photo by Diane Drogowski, By the Bay Photography

The JV Elks boys basketball team finished with a record of 5-13 this season, with a game against Harbor Springs canceled and not made up. While the record might not stand out, the JV team was a scrappy group that fought hard in every contest. Two of the JV losses came in overtime battles that could have gone either way and had fans on the edge of their seats.

“We took East Jordan to overtime and lost, and we also lost to Charlevoix the first time in overtime. We had an overtime win against Kalkaska.” said Elk JV coach Tyler Wilson. “We improved in all areas throughout the year, especially with our ball movement and rebounding. It was nice to close the season out on back to back wins against Frankfort and Lake City.” 

Offensively for the JV this season, Max Irelan was the leading scorer, Charlie Ward came out as the top shooter. On defense Ryan Sweetapple proved to be a strong rebounder, along with Ethen Huhn. Emery Rubert led the team in steals. Every member of the team contributed over the course of the season, exactly what a coach hopes to see. 

Out of many exciting moments from the JV team this season, one particular game stood out for Coach Wilson. “A game that stood out from the rest was definitely when we beat Kalkaska at home. Max Irelan hit a buzzer beater from well beyond the three-point line to win it for us,” Wilson said. Congratulations to the JV squad and the coaches for a season of basketball that showed plenty of Elk Pride!

---

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL
Scott finishes second in Elk Career threes 

Shelby Scott shows the unusual three-point form that earned her second place in the Elk career threes record book. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography

Watching Shelby Scott set up and shoot a three pointer, a basketball fan was likely to think “noooo!” Scott shot with a strange looking three-point routine, setting her feet, then a jump, and with a combination lunge and launch, she would send a high floating rainbow arc towards the basket, a shot that looks like a desperation three in the final minutes of a close game. As gravity grabbed the ball, it floated down from the sky and cracked the net, and the Elk scoreboard total would increase by three. The shot might look like Scott just got lucky, but her statistics proved differently. In three years of playing on varsity, Scott connected on threes for 29, 31 and 37 times for a career total of 97, placing her in second place on the Lady Elk career threes made list, trailing only Elk basketball legend Kim Schneider (ERHS 1990) with 102.

“To be honest, I wasn’t exactly aware at all of how close I was to breaking the record until I read it in the Elk Rapids News,” Scott said, “I always tried to make more three-pointers that I had the previous year. I wish I had known during my season how close I was, but I had no idea. I guess the only thing that makes me feel better is that when I was on JV I did have around 20-30 threes.” 

Scott credits her odd shooting technique to her years playing ERBA basketball in elementary school. “During ERBA, before my dad put up the little nets for us to use, I would shoot on the big nets. I was seven years old, and I had to use all my strength to get the ball through the net causing a really weird looking shot, instead of using my legs, I’d use a lot of upper body strength. As I grew older I kept that weird form, but it worked. My teammates and coaches would say to me “if it’s not broken don’t fix it.” I’ve always had coaches comment on how weird my form looks, but no one tried to change it since it worked.” 

Former Elk girls varsity coach Danny Rodts was a great inspiration to Scott in her career. “Coach Rodts came in as the new young coach and everyone loved him; not only is he a great guy but he helped me so much as a player. He encouraged me and gave me more confidence in how I play, helping me do better on defense and making layups, which were not my strength. When Coach Rodts left, Coach Mike Brown took over and continued to support me and help me grow. I’ll also always appreciate him for never getting mad at me for forgetting the plays because that’s another thing I wasn’t good at!”

Scott played behind a strong, experienced varsity lineup as a sophomore and junior but when she got the chance she did her job, earning all-conference honorable mention both seasons, while tying for second in scoring as a junior and was third in scoring her sophomore year.

This season Scott earned Lake Michigan Conference First Team honors, leading the Elks in scoring. The basketball season over, Scott was looking forward to the soccer season, and will attend Northern Michigan University in the fall, possibly with a shot to play basketball at the college level.

“I really hope the soccer season happens. If not, I’m happy I was able to finish strong with one of my sports in senior year,” said Scott.

Congratulations to Shelby on finishing so close to the top in the Elk record books. Fans will miss watching that shot arc high and float through the net. Elk Pride! 

---