The Purple Hornets put the sting to the Bulldogs in a 70-52 win.

“We played as a team, and everyone stepped up,” noted L’Anse coach Rob Potter.

The L’Anse five pushed out to a 13-10 lead after the first. However, that morphed into a 10-point lead soon into the second at 23-13. It was a 36-26 Purple Hornets’ advantage at half.

Sharp shooting was key according to Potter.

Hancock’s Elijah Packard (3) and Ryan Froiland (44) box out L’Anse’s Rodrigo Cotta (34) following a free throw on Monday in a MHSAA Division 4 District 98 quarterfinal game in L’Anse. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

“It is something we work on,” he noted. “We have five shooters out there, and they want to contribute.”

In the third, the Purple Hornets pushed the lead to 15 off the hot hand of Talan Larson. He had 19 points. Fifteen of them came from beyond the 3-point arc. The team sunk nine triples.

Teammate Sam Lee poured in a team-high 21, and Keegan Davidson sunk 11.

The Purple Hornets stayed strong in the fourth, winning it 17-14, and advancing to at least one more game.

The Bulldogs season, however, came to an end at 0-22. If there was one silver lining in Monday’s loss, it was the fact that the Bulldogs scored the most points they had all season at 52.

They had three players in double figures. They included Ryan Froiland with 17. Isaac Wanhala sunk 12 and Cage Chynoweth poured in 10.

Not all was lost, though, according to Hancock Zach Ohtonen.

“It was my toughest season so far,” he said. “We learned that heart on the court goes a long way. These kids never gave up and didn’t quit, and that resilience doesn’t come along often.”

UP NEXT

L’Anse (10-13) will play Baraga (14-6) tonight at 6 p.m. in Baraga in the District 98 semifinals. The Vikings are a team that they have lost twice to in the regular season – both close games within seven points.

Potter knows he has his work cut out.

“We have to shoot well, keep the pressure on and rebound the ball well,” he said.