Saginaw - This game was the tightest game of the day.  It was also one of the ugliest, I guess I shouldn't say ugly, just downright defensive.  The highest scoring quarter of the game was turned in by Midland's 16 in the third quarter, the only problem is that they followed that by 6 points in the final quarter, dropping a tough one to Creston 49-46.

The first quarter was a back and forth slugfest with no team leading by more than 4 points, when Andy Angus put Midland up 14-10.  Aaron Harris and Michael McNeil led Creston on its charge to even things up at 14 by the end of the period.  Both teams were going all out in terms of energy and hustle but the energy that was zapped by defense showed up in both teams' shooting. 

The second quarter slowed down even more in terms of scoring, with Creston topping Midland 11-10 to take a 1 point lead into halftime.  The game's leading scorer, Kelvin Carter only had 5 points going into the locker room.

The 2nd half was a different story for Carter.  The All-Valley guard found his grove pouring in 11 of his 16 in the 3rd and 4th quarter.  His biggest impact may not have been in the scoring column but on the boards where Creston was dominating the rebounding battle.  With a distinct height disadvantage the Chemics actually did a great job of getting the boards that they did.  Don by 3 midway through the third quarter, the Chemics went on a 10-4 run, which gave them a 3 point margin at the end of three.  During that run, Andy Angus and Stephan Matson both nailed triples to regain the lead.

The fourth quarter was one that the Chemics will be willing to forget.  Their struggles at the line and failure to put the ball into the hoop doomed them and eventually led them to their first loss of the season.  Creston scored 12 points but that was double what Midland had outputted.  While Midland had missed opportunities at the line, Creston's Niko Brown sank two clutch free throws to put his team ahead for good with points 47 and 48.  As time ran out, Carter nailed another jumper but it was too little, too late as Creston heaved the ball down the court away from the Midland defenders and ran out the clock.  It will be a tough pill to swallow for Midland but it wasn't due to lack of effort.  The hustle was their, just not the shooting. 

For Midland, it has been a great start even with the loss.  They head to the break at 5-1 and focused on a challenging year ahead in the Valley, where the likes of Saginaw High, Arthur Hill, Flint SWA and other lay in wait.  To finish in the top half of the conference actually says a lot.  The first game back from the break will be against the Trojans of Saginaw High in Saginaw on the 5th, this game should be a good measuring stick for both programs.