While Newberry did cut its deficit to 35-29 in the third quarter, the Lady Chiefs converted back-to-back buckets to increase their lead and never looked back.
NEWBERRY — After the slow start to the game, the Cheboygan varsity girls basketball team responded in a big way, answering with a huge run to take control and eventually earn a 56-41 victory at Newberry in a Straits Area Conference matchup on Thursday.
After a 14-2 Newberry run that saw them fall behind 14-5 in the first quarter, the Lady Chiefs used a 21-3 blitz to take a 26-17 lead into halftime.
While Newberry did cut its deficit to 35-29 in the third quarter, the Lady Chiefs converted back-to-back buckets to increase their lead and never looked back.
The Lady Chiefs (5-9), who improved to 3-1 in the SAC with a season sweep of Newberry, yielded several contributors including double-digit performances from Caitlyn Franz (13 points), Angie Swiderek (11 points) and Isabelle Buhr (10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists). The Lady Chiefs also received seven points apiece from Hailey Kujawa and Keyanna Gahn, while Cassie Barton added six. Kathleen McNeight rounded out Cheboygan with two points.
In the junior varsity game, McKenna Benson scored 16 points to help lead Cheboygan to a 38-32 victory over Newberry. The JV Lady Chiefs are now 9-5 on the season.
Both Cheboygan teams will travel to Sault Ste. Marie for a makeup game against the Blue Devils on Monday. Cheboygan will play the Blue Devils again in home matchups on Thursday.