The Manistee boys basketball team was finally gaining some traction as the postseason approached, but on Friday the Chippewas suffered a loss they had no control over.
Because of contact tracing from a game with Pine River on Monday, Manistee's team is required to quarantine and in turn forfeits the rest of its season.
When learning of the news Friday, the Chippewas canceled that evening's regular-season finale with Muskegon Catholic Central and had to forfeit its scheduled Division 2 district quarterfinal against Ludington on Tuesday in Cadillac.
"It's hard to swallow," said Manistee coach Dan Gustad. "You spend all season doing the right things, staying healthy, and then at the very end it feels like a bomb gets dropped on you when you hear the news.
"It stinks that the kids don't get to play these games," he said. "I wanted to get a chance to play Ludington again, because I think it would have been a way to show how much we've progressed.
"Obviously, a lot of things would have had to fall in to place for us to win that game, but you at least would like to have the opportunity. So, to have it taken away from you just hurts."
Like a lot of teams in this bizarre, shortened season, Manistee went through some growing pains in the early going, dropping eight straight before capturing that elusive first win on March 10 against Muskegon Catholic Central (53-35).
The Chippewas nearly won its next contest against Muskegon Heights Academy before ultimately falling short, but bounced back with a victory last Monday against Pine River (35-32).
Manistee was looking forward to its second meeting with Muskegon Catholic Central, but didn't get the chance to go 2-0 against the Lakes 8 Conference foe.
"We've come a long ways from our first few games," Gustad said. "It took us a little bit to trust each other and figure out our roles and things like that, but we've progressed greatly in that area.
"You look at what would have been our last four games, that had a chance to be a 4-game win streak to end the regular season," he said. "And when you start seeing those positive results, you start playing with more confidence, and better things start to happen.
"When you aren't winning, it's tough to keep the spirits up, but then you win a few, and the attitude changes, and you really start playing basketball. That's kind of where we were at, and I'm really proud of them for the hard work they've put in this year."
The abrupt end caps the prep careers of Manistee's five seniors: twins Grant and Drew Schlaff; twins Mason and Caleb Adamski; and foreign exchange student Francesco Flumini.
"The two sets of twins, they've been with the program since I started," Gustad said. "They come to practice every day with a good attitude and their heads up. They play hard and don't complain.
"They're great young men, and I know they'll continue to be great young men after basketball, but it just irks me that, through no fault of their own, they get their last games taken away from them.
"It's really a bummer, but there's nothing you can do."
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March 22, 2021 at 04:23AM
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Chips' season cut short due to quarantine - Manistee News Advocate
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