Three games. Three victories.
The Munising boys basketball team had no trouble last week, claiming a trio of wins in a span of just four days.
Munising began the stretch with a 69-41 victory at Manistique on Feb. 10.
“We had a great first quarter, scoring 25 and holding them to seven,” head coach Terry Kienitz said. “It kinda set the pace for the rest of the game, and we went into the half up 28.”
Carson Kienitz continued his offensive prowess, hitting two 3-pointers in the first quarter among his 14 points in the frame. Nolan Connaughton hit a 3 as part of his five points in the quarter, and Trevor Nolan made two shots from the floor as it was 25-7 after one.
Connaughton, Nolan and Kienitz all hit triples in the second, and the Mustangs pushed their lead to 47-19 at the half. Nolan kept the hot shooting going in the third, hitting two more 3s and scoring eight points. Jack Dusseault hit for five points in the quarter, and the score was 66-29 entering the fourth.
“We rebounded well and limited them from second-chance points, and on the other end we got some offensive rebounds and scored off of them,” Kienitz said. “Another solid performance defensively holding them to 29 after three quarters.”
Kienitz had three treys in the game and finished with 23 points. Nolan buried four 3-pointers and had 22 points on the night, and Connaughton added 12 points.
Dusseault finished with seven points, Zach Lindquist and Caiden Wieczorek both had two points and Keegan Long added one point.
The next day, Feb. 11, Munising picked up a Skyline Conference win at Rapid River, 60-39.
“It was a slow start for us,” Kienitz said. “Shots were not falling, and we settled for 3s against their zone. We made some shots in the second quarter and got it down low to Dusseault, who drew a lot of fouls and attention. It was a low-energy game. The gym was quiet, and it took some time for us to get in rhythm. We played with more energy, and it helped us offensively. We gave up too many open looks and they knocked down some 3s in the second half. We have to get better on closing out.”
Triples in the first quarter from Kienitz, Connaughton and Nolan helped give Munising a 1210 lead after one. Kienitz buried seven points in the second, and Dusseault added six more as the Mustangs built a 28-16 lead at the half. They were also in front 4528 entering the fourth.
The Mustangs were led by Kienitz, who had three 3-pointers in the game and 23 points. Nolan hit four triples to give him his 12 points. Dusseault and Connaughton had 11 points apiece, and Wieczorek hit a 3 in the fourth quarter to account for his points.
Munising wrapped up the stretch with a 64-14 victory over Superior Central on Feb. 13.
“We dominated on both ends of the court the entire game,” Kienitz said. “Carson had the hot hand in the first, scoring 14. He continued the entire game knocking down eight 3s and finishing with 32 points.
“We had really good ball pressure and help defense, and our defense didn’t allow a point for two straight quarters,” Kienitz added. “Trevor had a great game facilitating our offense and playing really hard on defense. Jack had another great game protecting the paint.”
Connaughton and Nolan scored seven points apiece. Lindquist netted six, and Dusseault chipped in with five. Wieczorek had three points, and Jaxon Malone and Dylan Adkinson added two points each.
Munising opens Division 3 district play at 7 p.m. next Wednesday. The Mustangs will play host to the winner of Monday’s game between Menominee and Manistique.
