FUNDRAISING NIGHT BIG FOR BIG REDS!

Can guys look good in pink? That was the question the Port Huron Northern Huskies asked themselves before the HOOPS FOR A CURE (Fundraiser for the American Cancer Society) EVENT took place Friday Night at Port Huron Northern. At least, that was one of the questions. The other was the most important…Could the Big Reds sweep the Huskies in the 2009-2010 season? It was something the Huskies wanted to desperately avoid and going in, it looked like they might possibly be able to avoid it. The Big Reds came into this one having lost 8 of 9 games with their season beginning to fade away. A blow out victory in East Detroit on Tuesday Night was the only recent saving grace for the team in red since December. This however would be a different night. This was a different game. This was a different Big Red team and they proved it by escaping Northern with a huge…

…49-43 victory that sent the Huskies home with a sour taste in their mouths. Just as the Northern girls wore pink jerseys in their game earlier in the night, the PHN guys honored this special tribute to cancer evening by wearing navy jerseys with pink trim. Like the girls, the guys also had the names of cancer survivors on the backs of their jerseys. Throughout the evening many players in both games wore pink headbands, wristbands, socks and shoelaces to show their support. Northern’s Head Coach – Brian Jamieson was even sporting a pink tie. Over 1,000 fans filled the stands for this one and most of the fans even wore pink T-shirts which were sold at the door. The stage was set for Port Huron’s biggest rivalry to renew itself…here’s what happened…

The Big Reds came out playing very well. They took an early lead behind aggressive play. In my opinion they were the more aggressive team for most of this game. Two huge baskets by Husky big man, Austin Shell were the biggest plays of the first half for the Huskies. One of them was an alley-oop dunk that brought down the house and the rest of the very loud Husky student section, better known as “THE JAMIZONE.” The very next trip down court, Shell hit a turn around jumper and at that point the tide was turning. The Big Reds didn’t let up though, and their 2nd half defense was excellent, leading them to victory. Big Red star, David Foster had a quiet 12 points in this game to go with 11 from both Ashawn Butler and Marc Titus. In my opinion, this was the best I’ve seen Titus play. He demonstrated good ball handling skills, good decision making and certainly was in control of the Big Red offense for much of the game. Matt Davis had a respectable 16 on the other side for Northern who now fall to 4-8. On a special evening where all told, The HOOPS FOR A CURE EVENT raised close to $3,000 for the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, the basketball certainly didn’t disappoint.

After losing 8 of 9, perhaps this will propel the Big Reds to bigger and better basketball before it’s too late for their season. This is a setback for the Huskies who have got to find more consistent offense after missing a lot of easy baskets in this game. All in all it was a great game though guys. Congratulations on a great night from Port Huron Northern and best of luck to all cancer survivors who were honored during the evening.

NOTE: All pictures from this article are property of the Port Huron Times Herald. From left to right, top to bottom – Marc Titus, Nick Johnson, Kenny Sanders, Travis Reed and again, Marc Titus.