A-PLUS Idea: Petoskey Throwback Night

April 11, 2012

We run into plenty of great ideas during our travels around the state. And what better way to make our vast home feel a little bit smaller than to share them.

This was one of our favorites from this winter. Petoskey's Throwback night combined two things we often promote at the MHSAA -- an appreciation for our history and lots of fan involvement.

Each season, the Northmen pick a boys basketball to designate for a "throwback." Players wear some of the school's old uniforms from that era -- this season it was the 1950s -- and fans dress to match.

Petoskey also has the benefit of playing Throwback games in its old gymnasium at Central School, which was built in 1927 and now serves as an elementary school -- although sub-varsity teams also play in the gym regularly.

It's an awesome arena straight out of "Hoosiers" or any basketball nostalgia. Fans sit in wooden seats that line both sidelines and are raised up and away from the floor. There are two old-school scoreboards -- one on the wall and the more recent hanging from the rafters.

The building, which served as the high school's main gym until 2002, also was used regularly for Districts and Regionals for decades. It's easy to imagine the 1,500 seats filled and fans howling.

"No matter who we play, that's the best atmosphere for the game," Petoskey senior Nick Godfrey said of the throwback events.

PHOTOS: (Top) Wooden seats line both sidelines at Petoskey's Central School Gymnasium. (Middle) A sideline wall announces "Home of the Northmen" above an early scoreboard. (Middle below) The stands are mostly filled for the 2010 Throwback game as then-junior Cory Starkey, in head band, drives to the hoop. (Below) A photo from a game at Central Gymnasium during a much earlier era hangs in the classroom of Petoskey High teacher Matt Tamm.

With Lee in Lead, Beecher Seizes Day Again with 2nd Title in 3 Seasons

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com

March 25, 2023

EAST LANSING – Robert Lee Jr. didn’t mind shouldering the scoring load in Saturday’s Division 3 Final.

Especially with a championship at stake.

The Flint Beecher senior guard scored a game-high 29 points to lead Flint Beecher past Traverse City St. Francis 64-50 at Breslin Center.

“Before the game I got up some shots at a high school, and usually when I do that I feel good,” Lee Jr. said. “I felt like I had to step up for my team. I did my part, and my teammates did their part. We won it together.”

It was Beecher’s second Finals title in three years and sixth since 2012. The Bucs lost in the Semifinals last year and were eager to return and reclaim the championship. 

“Last year I brought my team up here and it was tears of hurt and disappointment, and that's something we talked about not just tonight, but all season long,” Beecher coach Marquise Gray said. “I constantly reminded the guys of that feeling and I think it drove us, and we are fortunate and blessed to come away with a title tonight.”

The 6-foot-2 Lee Jr. scored 18 of his 29 in the second half. He was 12 of 19 from the field and also grabbed 11 rebounds. 

The Bucs’ Keyonta Menifield (2) finds his way to the basket with Drew Breimayer (3) and John Hagelstein (23) defending.

“I couldn’t score that many points without my teammates,” said Lee Jr., who also was part of a Division 3 title team as a sophomore. “It feels good … and spring break is going to feel a lot better, and food is going to taste better.”

Beecher (24-4) blitzed St. Francis early and led 8-0 after the first three minutes. The opening run included a pair of layups and an emphatic dunk by Lee Jr.

However, the Gladiators fought back and ended the quarter on a 7-0 run. Senior Wyatt Nausadis drilled a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give St. Francis a 17-15 lead.

The Gladiators carried the momentum into the second quarter and built a 28-21 lead. But defense helped bring Beecher closer as it scored the last four points of the half and trailed 30-27.

Lee Jr. helped Beecher reclaim the lead (35-32) with back-to-back buckets. He then had a three-point play and mid-range jumper to make it 42-34 – and a steal and layup to push the lead to 10. A 3-pointer from Wasir James in the final minute of the quarter gave Beecher its biggest lead (47-35) of the game.

Lee Jr. then added 13 points in the third quarter as Beecher outscored the Gladiators 20-7.

Kevin Tiggs Jr. elevates for a shot as Hagelstein and Joey Donahue (13) look to block it.“Both of my calves started cramping up (at the end of the third quarter),” Lee Jr. said. “I tried to do whatever I could to prevent it, but I had to fight through it. When we got the win, I knew it was going to feel good.”

In the fourth quarter, St. Francis got to within five (47-42), but a Lee Jr. 3-pointer ignited a 7-0 surge that put the game out of reach.

Lee Jr. was the only Beecher player in double figures. Senior Jaylen Townsend had nine points and five rebounds, while senior Kevin Tiggs Jr. had eight points.

The Bucs shot 50 percent (26-52) from the field and recorded nine steals.

“We talked all year about seizing the moment, and tonight I think we did a great job of that,” Gray said. “Our road wasn't easy, but we continued to believe.”

St. Francis (24-4) was seeking its first Finals championship. Its best finish was Class C runner-up in 2012.

“That’s a good team, and we battled well,” Gladiators coach Sean Finnegan said. “We had a good first half and put ourselves in position, but they made a couple runs in the second half and we struggled to finish a little bit at times.

“But I can’t say how proud I am of the boys and the fact that we’re here and had the opportunity we had.”

Nausadis finished with a team-high 20 points, while senior center John Hagelstein added 12 points and seven rebounds. Senior Drew Breimayer had nine points.

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Flint Beecher celebrates its Division 3 championship Saturday at Breslin Center. (Middle) The Bucs’ Keyonta Menifield (2) finds his way to the basket with Drew Breimayer (3) and John Hagelstein (23) defending. (Below) Kevin Tiggs Jr. elevates for a shot as Hagelstein and Joey Donahue (13) look to block it.