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Photo courtesy of Burrill Strong
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Chelsea senior Greg Rebuldela scored two points in the Bulldogs' district opening victory over Milan last Monday.
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Chelsea's boys' basketball team began Class B state district play defeating host Milan 76-49 last Monday.
"The first game of the state tournament is always nervous," said Chelsea coach Robin Raymond. "We wanted to establish tempo on the defensive end. We wanted to run the ball. It was a fast paced, up and down game. We were able to get some easy baskets off of our fast break."
The Bulldogs (11-10) ran out to an 18-8 first quarter and never looked back.
At halftime, Chelsea opened up a 39-18 advantage.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs led 59-33.
In the fourth frame, the Bulldogs outscored the Big Reds 17-16 for the night's final margin.
Senior center Stu Mann (6-foot-3) led Chelsea with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Junior center Michael Stratman (6-7) also had a double-double of 10 points and 12 boards for the Bulldogs.
"We thought we had an advantage inside," Raymond said. "We tried to go inside in our half-court offense. Between our two centers, we had 26 points and 23 rebounds. They (Mann and Stratman) both had good games."
Senior Matt Schwarze and junior Michael Roberts each finished with nine points, while senior Elliot Marshall had eight points and juniors Brett Everding and Jake Mantel each had seven points.
Sophomore Tyler Zegarzewski had five points and five rebounds, while senior Greg Rebuldela and freshman Patrick Roberts each had two points and sophomore Ben Sauers one point for Chelsea.
At the free throw line, the Bulldogs finished 21-of-32 for 66 percent. Milan was 11-of-17 for 65 percent.
Last Thursday, visiting Chelsea lost to Ann Arbor Huron (15-5) 62-57.
The Bulldogs led 18-15 after one quarter. At the break, the score was tied at 28-28.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the River Rats took a 46-42 lead.
In the fourth frame, Huron outscored Chelsea 16-15 for the ending tally.
"Both teams played very well," Raymond said. "It was a close game. We played hard. I was pleased with our effort."
Mann led the Bulldogs with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Marshall added 12 points, while Mantel had seven points and six rebounds and Patrick Roberts and Stratman each had five points. Stratman also had six rebounds.
Michael Roberts, Schwarze and Zegarzewski each netted four points, while Rebuldela had three points.
From the floor, Chelsea was 25-of-49 for 51 percent. Huron was 22-of-49 for 43 percent.
At the line, the River Rats ended up 13-of-18 for 72 percent, while the Bulldogs were 4-of-12 for 33 percent.
Huron out-rebounded Chelsea 33-31, including 8-7 on the offensive boards.
The Bulldogs had 14 turnovers.
On Feb. 19, host Chelsea beat county rival Dexter 47-45.
Mann scored with 45 seconds left for the game-winner.
"We ran a backdoor play for Stu," Raymond said. "Dexter was playing aggressive defense and Stu made a great backdoor cut."
The Dreadnaughts missed a triple at the buzzer.
"It was a typical Chelsea-Dexter game," Raymond said. "It's a great rivalry. Both teams played very well defensively. That's usually the case between the two teams."
Dexter led 11-7 after the first quarter.
At halftime, the Dreadnaughts continued leading 21-18.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs outscored Dexter 13-10 tying the game at 31-31 entering the fourth frame.
In the fourth quarter, Chelsea outscored the Dreads 16-14 for the night's final margin.
Mantel paced the Bulldogs with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Mann chipped in nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while Schwarze had eight points and Rebuldela six points.
Marshall had five points, while Patrick Roberts had four points and Michael Roberts one point for Chelsea.
"Good balance offensively paid off for us," Raymond said. "Our depth makes a difference in tight games."
The Bulldogs were 4-of-14 from three-point land for 29 percent. Dexter was 1-of-10 for 10 percent.
Chelsea squared off against Erie Mason last Wednesday after press deadline in the Class B district semifinal at Milan. If successful against the Eagles, the Bulldogs would play the winner of Ida-Onsted 7 p.m. Friday at Milan in the district final.
Sports Editor Don Richter can be reached at 475-1371 or at drichter@heritage.com.
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