MHSAA District Championship: Harbor Beach 61, Lakers 52
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Pirates Erase Early Deficit, Win First District Title Since 2013
February 28, 2025 /// District 95 Championship - Lakers /// Pigeon, Michigan
The Harbor Beach Pirates could only meet expectations with nothing short of a district championship and that’s exactly what they did with a hard-fought and intense victory over the Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Lakers, winning the district title by a score of 61-52 on Friday, February 28, 2025.
In a packed gymnasium remiscient of days gone by, the Lakers jumped out in front of their home crowd to a 14-5 lead, but with 1:07 remaining in the first quarter, Caden Carriveau picked up his second foul, putting Lakers’ season-long leading scorer on the bench for the remainder of the half. Harbor Beach did not waste any time to take advantage, going on a 13-0 run in just over three minutes to take an 18-14 lead. Lakers would retake the lead two minutes later 21-20 on a Lucas Wehner basket, but the Pirates responded with a 6-0 run in 47 seconds to go ahead by five points and enter halftime with a 30-25 advantage.
The third quarter began with four straight points from the Lakers to make it a one-point game and would later tie the game at 34 points each halfway through the third. Both teams exchanged blows for the remaining four minutes of the quarter and entered the final quarter tied, 38-38. Harbor Beach’s Skiler Kruse would hit two straight baskets to start the fourth quarter and was followed shortly by a Dustin Emerick three-pointer to put the Pirates ahead by six, 45-39. Lakers’ Caden Carriveau would score the Green Machine’s first nine points of the quarter, but trailing by as many as 10 points with 85 seconds remaining, the Lakers had to resort to fouling the Pirates, who went 9-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, maintaining a formidable cushion from Lakers’ attempts.
Harbor Beach was led in scoring by Andrew Kabban’s 19 points and stout defense, accounting for nearly half of Lakers’ 12 turnovers in the game. Benson Harper finished with 16 points and Skiler Kruse at 10. Lakers were paced by Lucas Wehner with 14 points and Caden Carriveau’s 11. Of the game’s 113 total points, 89 were scored by sophomore or junior players.
The Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak in the district championship, with losses in 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2024, now advancing to the Region 24 semi-finals to take on Brown City. The Green Devils defeated Sandusky 44-41 on Friday to face off with Harbor Beach. The two squads have met twice this season already, with the Pirates winning both games, 70-37 and 70-39.