Chelsea Girls Win District Title, Head to Regionals

 

Chelsea Bulldogs 2017 Class B District Champions

 

The Chelsea Bulldogs girls basketball team took on a very tough Onsted Wildcats team tonight in the District Finals at Columbia Central High School and it was a rough first half for the Bulldogs. Amid some questionable calls, their shots weren’t falling and they just couldn’t get their strong inside game going. But after a good halftime speech from Head Coach Todd Blomquist, they came out in the third on fire, and never looked back on their way to a huge 49-35 victory.

“I’m so excited, I almost cried,” an elated Jesse Jacobusse said. “I think we played pretty bad in the first half but the turning point was the third quarter. But we got rolling and I’m just so happy. This is one of the happiest moments of my life.”

The Bulldogs looked a bit nervous in the first quarter against the evenly matched Wildcats. The Bulldogs tight defense kept them in the game though as they forced a lot of turnovers. In the second as the Wildcats started to slowly creep ahead, Jacobusse finally got a shot to fall and it was a big one as she hit a long 3 to close the gap. The Wildcats went into the halftime break up by 1 and very confident, backed by a large, boisterous crowd.

“I was a bit disappointed with the play in the first half,” Chelsea Coach Blomquist stated. “But the defense kept us in it. We knew what Onsted was going to do but I don’t think we reacted very well. The turning point for us was right off the bat in the third when we got our inside game going and got some good shots to take the lead.”

In the beginning of the third period, Brianna Hay got the go-ahead basket off a steal and the defense stepped up strong forcing bad shots and turnovers. Hay had 3 steals on the night along with Jacobusse to lead the Bulldogs. Sophomore Maddie Vasquez was exceptional in the paint who, along with fellow sophomore Madeleine Kennedy, were able to use their size to build on the Bulldogs lead. The nail in the coffin for Onsted was when Jacobusse hit a long distance bank shot for three as the buzzer sounded giving the Bulldogs an 8 point lead at the end of the third.

In the fourth, the small in number but large in spirit Chelsea faithful kept cheering their girls on knowing that the outcome was evident as the clock ticked closer and closer to a Chelsea victory. Onsted was forced to foul sending the Bulldogs to the line where they made them pay. With time running out Coach Blomquist subbed in Sara Stribe and Kylie Kuebler so he had all 4 of his seniors on the court. As the clock counted down to zero the Chelsea bench erupted with joy as the young team accomplished something many pundits had said could never happen.

“I’m beyond words, I can’t even explain it, we’ve worked so hard to get this and it feels so good,” an ecstatic Nicole Bareis happily exclaimed, with tears almost in her eyes. “Coach told us at half-time we had to pick up our offense and we did. It really turned around. We scouted their team and we were pretty confident but they’re a great team. I think we were a bit nervous in the first period.”

“This is our 10th district title since 2000 when  I started,” said the veteran coach Blomquist. “Every team is different, we’re a very young team, and this is great.”

The young team stepped up big as Vasquez had 3 points but was big on the boards with 7 rebounds and had 3 blocked shots. Hay and Jacobusse finished with 10 points while Bareis got a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“I have never been on a team that is so close,” Bareis said. “I would not trade this team for anything, I love them all!”

“My team, I love my team soooo much,” Jacobusse said making sure to stress the so. “To share this moment like this, it’s never good unless it’s with the right people and it’s definitely the right people. ”

Chelsea will look to keep their 10 game winning streak going as the Regionals head home for them on Tuesday where they will take on  Dearborn Henry Ford who defeated Grosse Isle in their final game tonight. Game time is 5:30 at the Chelsea High School Gym.

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Jackson Christian defeated by #1 team in State, Pittsford

Sierra Chevalier puts it up for the Royals

 

The Jackson Christian Royals were on a two-game skid and coming off a tough loss to East Jackson and thing weren’t looking any easier for them, as the top rated school in the state, the Pittsford Wildcats, were coming to town. The Royals started off very well holding the Wildcats defensively and when the Wildcats hit their first three point basket, the Royals Sophomore Guard Cassidy McNeil answered right back with one of her own. But after that it was all Pittsford.

Pittsford dominated the game forcing turnovers and bad shot choices and not allowing the Royals to break down deep in the post. The Royals got in foul trouble early on also, as they attempted to block shots. The Royals fought hard up until the end though as the game was dominated by Pittsford. Wildcats coach Chris Hodos emptied his bench to rest his starters and avoid injuries and to give many players much-needed experience and playing time for the young team.

The Wildcats were led in scoring by Junior Maddie Clark with 22 points and Junior Jaycie Burger with 16. Burger has already accepted a full scholarship in basketball at Hillsdale College while Clark has been approached with several offers of her own but is hoping for a volleyball one. The Wildcats remain undefeated on the season.

The Royals drop to 4-9 on the season and will face off at Hillsdale on February 1st. The Royals were led in scoring by McNeil who hit 2 three point shots, and Sierra Chevalier.

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Chelsea field hockey defense strong against Novi, head to Semifinals

The Chelsea defense was strong as it has been all year

By Al Wright
on October 28, 2015 1:04 PM

It was a cold fifty degree fall night with a crisp wind blowing over Jerry Niehaus Field as the Chelsea Field Hockey team warmed up before their quarterfinal playoff game against the visiting Novi Wildcats. Music was playing over the loudspeakers and although Chelsea had not played in almost two weeks, they looked loose, relaxed, and ready to go. Novi, on the other hand, was coming in after a hard fought 2-0 victory over Grosse Pointe South four days earler, while Chelsea had the first round bye.

“The team is relaxed, they’re ready,” said Head Coach Leslie Fry before the game. “They’re very focused and we are feeling very good.” The team was laughing and joking with each other and even dancing a little bit before the game. But they knew there was a task at hand to be done. And they were ready.

For not playing for a while and in spite of the bitter chill, the rust was shaken off early. Chelsea came out strong with a solid defense, the defense that allowed them to win the Division 1 Regular Season Championship. Novi could get the ball deep but as soon as they did there was a Chelsea defender to take it away. The passing lanes were being taken away and Chelsea was not allowing any outside execution by the Wildcats. When Novi did get a shot on net, goaltender Payton Doan was there to challenge and stop every shot she faced. Although a freshman in her first year as starting goalie, Doan played with confidence of a very seasoned playoff veteran.

The Wildcats knew in this one and done matchup that they too had to play a tough defense knowing that the scoring capability of Chelsea isn’t limited to just one person. A big part of their strategy was to try to take Senior Captain Maggie Cole out of the  game by double teaming her most of the game. But at about the 20 minute minute mark of the first half it was Cole, surrounded by several Wildcat defenders, taking a pass from the speedster Jessi Olmsted and burying the shot into the Wildcats goal for a 1-0 Chelsea lead.

Novi turned up the pressure as time wound down in the game but the Chelsea defense would not allow itself to be conquered as Senior Gabbi Wink helped control the flow of the game as the final seconds ticked off the clock. The solo Cole goal would turn out to be the difference in the game as both teams defenses played very strong. Chelsea was victorious as the team recorded it’s 10th shutout game of the season.

Chelsea will advance to the semifinals where they will face a very determined Ann Arbor Skyline team who had defeated Ann Arbor Huron in overtime earlier in the night, 3-2. The game will be at Ann Arbor Pioneer Stadium at 7 p.m. on Thursday, the 29th.

Maggie Cole double teamed by the Novi Wildcats(Al Wright)

Chelsea’s defense was relentless as it has been all year(Al Wright)