Shorthanded PH Northern boys basketball powers its way to district final

This wasn't for the faint of heart. The Port Huron Northern boys basketball team knew that would be the case.

So when the bumps turned to bruises, the Huskies patched themselves up and pushed forward.

Northern clawed past Macomb L'Anse Creuse North, 75-62, in a Division 1 district semifinal at home Wednesday.

Tyler Jamison finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Huskies, who improved to 20-3 and advanced to Friday's district final against Macomb Dakota.

"I was real happy with the effort," said Northern coach Brian Jamison, who is also Tyler's dad. "The one thing we did all game was play hard and fight. Offensively, we got a little sloppy at times. L'Anse Creuse North did a good job. They've got some really good players and they're well coached. We knew it was going to be a battle."

"It's the playoffs now, so no one is going to roll over and die," Tyler Jamison said. "That's the truth. Even when we got up early, we knew they were going to give us their best in the second half. And they did, but we just knew that if we kept playing our game, we'd be fine. We kept our heads about us and just kept playing under control."

From the outset, the Huskies controlled the scoreboard. Cam Harju (15 points) started hot with a 10-point first quarter. That helped Northern grab a 19-14 edge after the first eight minutes.

While the Crusaders never led, they were always within striking distance. And that posed a challenge when Tyler Jamison briefly exited with a bloody nose midway through the second quarter.

Only nine Huskies were active to begin with, due to a rash of recent injuries. But Northern's reserves, as they've done all year, answered the call.

"A lot of guys stepped up," Brian Jamison said. "Everyone that subbed in came ready to play — whether they came up with a loose ball, made a basket or hit a 3. That's what we need is guys to be ready and make plays."

Look no further than sophomore guard Tyrese Johnson, who finished with 14 points.

"Some of the guys ahead of me (in the rotation) are out," Johnson said. "So I feel I've got to step up and work my hardest to make my way up on this team."

He scored four points during Tyler Jamison's three-minute absence to keep the Huskies in front.

"When I made that first shot, my confidence boosted," Johnson said. "I looked at the crowd going crazy and my confidence went through the roof."

"Tyrese is one of those guys you can always count on to bring the energy," Tyler Jamison said. "He's a very skilled offensive player, I don't think a lot of teams give him credit for that. I like that he's able to get to the rim and also get his outside shot."

Playing in his first-ever postseason game, Johnson handled the emotions like a veteran.

"I like it when the other crowd talks to me," Johnson said. "It gives me more (fire)."

A dozen or so students from L'Anse Creuse North were in attendance. And they had a lot to say. Chants of "overrated" were heard whenever Tyler Jamison, a Mr. Basketball finalist, touched the ball.

The Crusaders faithful grew even more vocal in the third quarter, when an 11-point Northern lead was whittled to four.

A quick five points from the Huskies eased the home crowd. But when Tyler Jamison recovered a loose ball at center court, he saw an opportunity to ignite the gym.

"A dunk is always a momentum changer," Tyler Jamison said. "Especially in a situation like this, where it's high intensity and high emotion. I try to keep it pretty calm usually, but I couldn't resist that time to get up (above the rim)."

The senior threw down a two-handed slam in transition that sent the building into a frenzy. His basket was part of a 9-0 Northern run to close the third, which gave the Huskies a 56-43 lead.

"L'Anse Creuse North is a good team and they beat us last year (in the playoffs)," Tyler Jamison said. "We wanted a chance to get revenge for that. But it's business as usual and on to Dakota now."

The Cougars are 8-15 overall, with one of their losses being a 64-54 defeat to Northern on Feb. 24. But until Dakota is dethroned, it's still the two-time defending district champion.

"We have to get on the glass more and be physical," Johnson said. "I'm excited (for the challenge)."

"We've got to come with intensity early," Tyler Jamison said. "The last time we played them, we were down by 10 points in the first quarter. We finally got (the lead) back and then led the rest of the game. But districts are different. You can't let teams get out on you like that. You have to bring it from the start."

"Dakota is good," Brian Jamison said. "They've been winning this district for years … so we're going to have to play our best basketball Friday to keep playing."

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.