With 55 seconds to go in the girls basketball game between Munising and Gwinn, Modeltowner’s guard Lena Pleaugh fouled a Mustang ballhandler. She recorded three fouls in the late stages of the fourth in an attempt to stop the clock and fouled out.
Mustangs Head Coach Matt Mattson, stepped onto the floor with hands outstretched, pausing the game and getting the crowd’s attention.
“Where’s Lena’s dad? Come down here,” the coach said, looking for Francis Pleaugh to join him on the court.
The contest in Munising was Lena’s last road game before her father Francis heads overseas to serve with the Michigan National Guard. The crowd gave a standing applause for roughly two minutes as father and daughter got to spend an emotional moment in front of the Gwinn bench.
“There’s a lot of emotions going on right now,” Lena said. “It’s very meaningful for another team to recognize my dad is amazing and shows just how impactful he is in my basketball career.”
Mattson heard of Francis’s deployment from Munising School Board Vice President Jason Brisson. His daughter Monique and Pleaugh played AAU ball together and Pleaugh has faced numerous Munising players in summer games.
Mattson said that anyone serving their country should be recognized.
“He’s going to have to miss some of his daughter’s senior year, so all the respect in the world to him and hope he’s safe,” Mattson said.
Francis will be in Kuwait for the remainder of Lena’s high school career, missing not just basketball, but prom, graduation and more. Lena was just two years old the last time her father was deployed overseas.
“My whole life, he’s been my coach. He’s always been there on the sideline helping me grow, so to not have him there will be tough,” she said.
For Francis, he was thankful for the honor and class shown by the Munising crowd.
“It caught me off guard for sure, but I appreciate it. I have the utmost respect for (Mattson) and I’m thankful for the support,” he said.
Gwinn hosted Escanaba on Thursday night, with the game concluding after this week’s deadline for The Munising Beacon. The Modeltowners moved its Parents’ Night to Thursday for one last opportunity for the Pleaughs to share a high school basketball game together.
