TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The Alpena Boys Basketball team was outscored 20-5 in the 2nd Quarter and could not recover in a 61-48 loss to Traverse City Central in the MHSAA District Quarter-Finals on Monday night.  After falling behind 16-11 after the opening quarter the Wildcats struggled on both ends of the court as the Trojans pulled away to lead 36-16 at the half.  The Wildcats were able to slowly cut into the Trojan lead but the large halftime deficit proved to be too much.  Jack Schmanski led the Wildcats with 16 points and Cooper Bright added eight.

Alpena finishes the season 10-11.

ALPENA, MI - Tipp Baker's late layup proved to be the difference as Cadillac earned at least a share of the Big North Conference Championship with a 43-42 overtime victory over Alpena on Friday night at the Gillespie Gymnasium.  The Wildcats led the game for most of the night thanks to clutch shooting and strong rebounding.  Alpena held the 21-16 lead at the half before Cadillac rallied to lead 27-26 after three.  Jordan Schultz scored four of his Wildcat game-high 12 points to tie the game at 39-39 with 1:20 to play.  Baker's driving layup gave Cadillac the 41-39 lead with under a minute to play.  After an offensive rebound off of a Kelley Stark shot, Jadon Duncan pulled up just inside the three-point arc and nailed the jumper with two seconds to play to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, the two teams struggled to mount any type of offense.  Baker scored the first points of overtime with 1:32 left to give the Vikings the 43-41 lead.  Jack Schmanski was fouled with six seconds to play and split the two shots to make it 43-42.  The Wildcats immediately sent Cadillac to the free-throw line and got the rebound off of the missed free throw.  After grabbing the rebound Cooper Bright was fouled and gave the Wildcats an inbound play with less than four seconds to play.  Bright got an open look from three as time expired but the shot rimmed off.

Alpena (9-9) hosts Bay City Western on Tuesday night.

ALPENA, MI - The Wildcats rallied from an 11-point deficit but could not get the final shot to fall in a 47-46 loss to Traverse City West on Thursday night.  Trailing 44-33 entering the final quarter, the Wildcats rattled off an 11-2 run to pull within 46-44.  Jadon Duncan then converted a turnover into an easy lay-up to the tie game at 46-46.  West's Patrick O’Connor was fouled with 35 seconds to play and connected on one of the two free throws.  A late jumper by Alpena rattled off the rim and the Titans escaped with a one-point victory.

Alpena was led by Cooper Bright's 11 points and Kelley Stark's nine points.  Duncan finished the night with eight points.  

The Wildcats (9-8, 2-6 BNC) host Cadillac on Friday night for Senior Night.

PETOSKEY, MI - Petoskey capitalized on second-half miscues by Alpena and pulled away for a 69-57 win on Friday night.  The Wildcats were able to stay with the Northmen for most of the first half, trailing 34-29 at the half.  Petoskey then got hot in the 3rd quarter, capped off by Gabe Whitmore's half-court buzzer-beater to lead 54-44 after three.  The Wildcats cut the lead to five but shaky free-throw shooting (11 of 23) allowed the Northmen to pull away.

Kelley Stark led the Wildcats with 16 points, Cooper Bright and Jordan Schultz each had 13 and Jack Schmanski had 11.

Alpena (8-6, 1-5 BNC) is at Gaylord on Friday.

ALPENA, MI - Traverse City Central outscored Alpena, 9-0, over the final 1:10 of the ball game to steal a 54-47 victory on Friday night at the Gillespie Gymnasium.  Alpena could not have asked for a better start as they took advantage of some poor shooting from the Trojans to lead 10-2 early.  Alpena's strong defense frustrated the Trojans over the first sixteen minutes as they were only able to score 12 points in the first half.  Jorrdan Schultz's 7 first-half points paced Alpena to a 23-12 lead at the break.

The Wildcats were able to maintain a strong lead through most of the 3rd Quarter thanks to solid motion offense, leading to easy baskets.  The Trojans then got hot from behind the three-point line as they hit four consecutive shots to cut the Wildcat lead to 35-34 after three.  The fourth quarter saw more of the same as the Trojans responded to a Wildcat free throw with their fifth straight three-point shot to tie the game at 37-37.  A Carson Briggs basket with 6:00 to go gave the Trojans their first lead of the night at 39-37.  A pair of buckets from Jack Schmanski and Kelley Stark pushed Alpena back out front by two, but Central's Josh Burnham tied the game at 41-41.  Alpena seemed to take control of the game after a Jordan Schultz traditional three-point play gave Alpena the 45-41 lead.  However, Central clamped down on defense and made clutch shots down the stretch.  After Alpena took the 45-41 lead, the Trojans would outscore the Wildcats 13-2 to close out the game.

Alpena (7-5, 1-4 BNC) was led by Schultz's 14 points and Stark's 12 points.  Henry Goldkuhle led the Trojans with 16 points.  The Wildcats host Chebogan next Tuesday.

ALPENA, MI - Alpena used nine three-point shots to pull away from Tawas, 74-32, in a non-conference victory on Tuesday night at the Gillespie Gymnasium.  The Wildcats used a big 2nd quarter to blow open a 10-point lead to take a 39-17 lead at the break.  The Wildcats would keep the pressure on in the second half and outscored Tawas 35-15 over the final sixteen minutes.  Alpena was led offensively by Kelley Stark's 22 points and Jack Schmanski's 13 points.

The Wildcats (7-4) host TC Central on Friday night at 6pm for their annual Hall of Fame game.

BAY CITY, MI - Alpena used a big 2nd half push to blow past John Glenn, 58-50, on Thursday night in Bay City.  Trailing 23-22 at the half, the Wildcats used a 15-5 run in the 3rd quarter to take command of the game.  Kelley Stark led the Wildcats with 20 points and Jack Schmanski followed-up his strong game on Tuesday by adding 15 points.  Alpena (6-4) hosts Tawas on Tuesday at the Gillespie Gymnasium.  

ALPENA, MI - Struggles at the free-throw line late doomed the Wildcats in a 65-60 Big North Conference loss to Petoskey on Tuesday night.  In the opening quarter, Alpena and Petoskey went back and forth in a half that saw a total of 39 points scored.  Kelley Stark hit a pair of long-range threes to give the Wildcats a 20-19 lead after one.  Petoskey’s Jade Spurgeon hit three three-point shots of his own to pace the Northmen in the opening quarter.  Petoskey and Alpena would continue to play fast as Gabe Whitmore's offense helped Petoskey hold a 35-30 lead at the half.

Petoskey quickly extended the lead to double-digits behind an 11-2 run to open the 3rd quarter.  Petoskey held the lead between 10-12 points before a late Wildcat rally cut the lead to 52-44.  Jack Schmanski opened the final quarter with four quick points to cut the Northmen lead to four.  Alpena would keep that margin within range until the final minute.  Leading by four Spurgeon nailed a big three to give Petoskey a commanding 65-58 lead.  Alpena went 8-for-16 from the free-throw line in the final 12 minutes that doomed their late rally.

Schmanski led the Wildcats with 18 points, including eight in the final quarter.  Kelley Stark finished with 16 points.  Petoskey's Jade Spurgeon finished with 17 points, 15 from behind the three-point line.  

Alpena (5-3, 1-3 BNC) travels to Bay City John Glenn on Thursday.

SAULT STE MARIE, MI - Alpena had four players score in double digits in a 72-48 victory over Sault Ste Marie on Tuesday night.  The Blue Devils hung with Alpena in the opening quarter as the Wildcats held a 13-9 lead.  The Wildcats took over in the 2nd Quarter by outscoring the Blue Devils 21-5 to hold a commanding 34-14 halftime lead.

Kelley Stark led the Wildcats with 16 points and was joined in double-digits by Jadon Duncan (15), Jack Schmanski (12), and Jordan Schultz (10).  Alpena (5-2) is at Cadillac on Friday.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Traverse City West took advantage of Alpena's offensive struggles to put away Alpena, 62-50, on Thursday night.  Alpena managed to score only single digits in each of the first two quarters and could not overcome the 24-13 deficit at the half.  Kelley Stark led the Wildcats with 19 points and Jack Schmanski chipped in 16 points.

Wildcats (4-2, 1-1 BNC) are at Sault Ste. Marie on January 14.

MARQUETTE, MI - Kameron Karp hit a game-winning three at the buzzer to stun Alpena, 66-64, on Saturday afternoon in Marquette.  The Wildcats controlled the game for most of the day but could never pull away due to Marquette's long-range shooting.  Justin Jurmu hit a three at the buzzer to end the 1st Quarter to cut the Wildcat lead to 22-18.  Alpena then pushed their lead to 42-30 at the halftime break thanks in part to a frustrating zone that held Marquette tp 7-of-16 shooting.  

In the 2nd Half, Alpena pushed the lead to as many as 14 before going on a 13-0 run the cut the Wildcat lead to 49-48.  Cooper Bright knocked down a three-point shot late in the quarter to push the lead back to 52-48 after three.  With 4:45 remaining, the Wildcats held a 57-48 lead and seemed to be in control.  Marquette then got hot from long range and trailed 61-58 with 0:57 to play.  After a Wildcat turnover, Ty Lotterman's layup cut the lead to 64-63 with six seconds left.  On the in-bounds, Lotterman was able to come away with the steal to set-up Karp for the game-winning shot.

Alpena (4-1) returns to Big North play on January 9 when they travel to TC West. 

ESCANABA, MI - Adam Urlaub converted a three-point play late in the 4th Quarter as Alpena edged Escanaba, 47-46, on Friday night.  After Alpena held the 13-6 lead after the opening quarter, the Eskymos closed the half on a 6-0 run the tie the game 23-23 after one half. 

Escanaba dominated the 3rd quarter to take a 41-34 lead, thanks to an 8-0 run.  Alpena responded with a 6-1 run to cut the margin to 42-40 with 4:16 left.  Adam Urlaub stole the ball near midcourt and drove to the hoop for the and-1 opportunity.  Urlaub converted the free throw to give the Wildcat a 47-46 lead with 0:39 to play.  The Wildcats were able to hold off the Eskymos and escape with the come from behind win.

Jack Schmanski led the Wildcats with 14 points, followed by Jordan Schult and Adam Urlaub who each had eight points.

ALPENA, MI - The Wildcats used a 16-0 run late in the 2nd Half to pull away from Gaylord in a Big North Conference opening 75-57 victory on Friday night at the Gillespie Gymnasium.  Alpena struggled to find the Blue Devil shooters as Gaylord kept the game manageable using the 3-point line.  A Gaylord three early in the 2nd Quarter cut the Wildcat lead to 26-18.  Alpena would take over thanks to 16-0 run to close out the quarter to take a commanding 42-18 lead into the half.  Kelley Stark had 12 first-half points while Adam Urlaub had 10.

The Wildcats did not cool off in the 3rd quarter as Jordan Schultz dropped 12 points in the quarter during a 16-6 run.  Alpena entered the final quarter with a 66-28 lead.  Gaylord would score more points in the final quarter (29) then the first three quarters combined.  

Schultz would finish the night with 16 points, to lead the Wildcats.  Urlaub and Stark would finish with 14 points apiece, with Cooper Bright adding 10.  All nine Wildcats would see extended time in the game, with eight players scoring. 

Alpena (3-0, 1-0 BNC) are off until January 3 when they travel to Escanaba.

CHEBOYGAN, MI - Alpena used solid defense and timely shooting to open the 2019-2020 season with a 50-39 victory over Cheboygan on Tuesday night.  Kelley Stark and Cooper Bright led the Wildcats with 14 points.  Alpena (1-0) host Sault Ste. Marie next Tuesday in their home opener.

ALPENA, MI - Kelley Stark dropped 14 points in the First Half as Alpena cruised past Sault Ste Marie, 73-42, in their home opener on Tuesday night.  Alpena pressured the Blue Devils from the opening tip, limiting them to four field goals in the first half.  Alpena led 23-7 after the first quarter and 37-14 at the half.  Stark scored nine of Alpena's first 13 points on his way to a game-high 23 points.

Cooper Bright had 16 points and Jadon Duncan had 11 for the Wildcats.  Alpena (2-0) open Big North Conference play on Friday night as they host Gaylord.