The Petoskey vs. Gaylord basketball rivalry has been building over the past couple years. A large road crowd and elite defense helped PHS to a key win
GAYLORD ― Regardless of the sport, the Gaylord vs. Petoskey rivalry is sure to bring out intense emotions for both teams, players and fans. However, that intensity has been even higher on the hardwood over the past couple of years.
Prior to 2024, Petoskey had taken 32 of 33 matchups over its rival. But things changed on Feb. 16, 2024, when a 48-38 Blue Devils victory started what would be a three-game GHS win streak. The Northmen got their revenge with a 49-31 triumph to start the 2025 postseason, but it had been nearly three years since PHS had won a regular-season game over the Blue Devils.
Petoskey traveled to Gaylord on Jan. 30 on a mission to change that.
Behind a large Northmen crowd on the road, PHS used elite defense in the early going and in the final minutes to put away a 51-40 victory, helping them stay in the hunt for a Big North title and ending the Blue Devils' regular-season success streak.
Here are the key takeaways:
Defensive drills in practice pay off late for Northmen
From the second the ball was tipped, Petoskey's defensive efforts were felt.
A quick GHS turnover was part of a larger story in the first quarter as PHS held the Blue Devils to four points in the opening eight minutes, storming out to an 11-point lead. Shots eventually started falling for GHS, which was led by 14 points from Cale Deer and 13 from Grayson Glazier. But when things got tight in the final quarter, that's when the extra efforts in practice paid off for coach Matt Tamm's team.
"We do a drill in practice, it's called 'defensive toughness'. You just have to get defensive stops," coach Tamm said. "We called a timeout and it's like 'okay, here is defensive toughness. Let's put it into action."
With a two-point lead, Petoskey's defense held Gaylord scoreless on its final five possessions, including three straight where a Northmen player dove out for a loose ball to end a GHS scoring threat. That helped Petoskey finish on a 9-0 run, holding Gaylord to six points in the final quarter.
Large Northmen crowd helps push Petoskey over the top
If there was ever any doubt about whether the Petoskey fans took this rivalry seriously, they put those doubts to bed on Friday night.
A student section that rivaled the home Blue Devils in numbers made their presence felt all night, turning Jim Mongeau Gymnasium into a mini home away from home — doing all they could to push the Northmen to a key rivalry victory. They were loud, at times drowning out the home student section. When Petoksey pulled away in the final minutes, the Northmen crowd wasn't shy with its celebrations.
Sure, Petoskey (10-5, 5-2 BNC) needs every conference win it can get as it hopes to track down Traverse City West (7-4, 6-0 BNC) atop the conference in the coming weeks. Still, with Gaylord's recent success in the basketball series, the girls team's stunning win the night before and a close victory in the annual football battle for the Jaycees Trophy, saying this one meant more would be an understatement.
"Gaylord's football beat us in the last two minutes of the game," Tamm said. "I think most of their guys are football players and nine of our guys are football players, so they remember. It's a little bit of a chippy rivalry, but it's fun."
Braeden Flynn and Braden Fralick led the Northmen with 11 points apiece, while Rider Bartel had 8.
Another close game slips from GHS's grasp
It would have been easy to let a 15-4 game at the end of the first quarter get uglier. To Gaylord's credit, it made sure that did not happen.
The Blue Devils found their offensive rhythm in the second and third quarters, combining for 30 of their 40 points in the middle two periods. However, finishing those close games has been the step coach Justin Johnson is hoping his team can take in the next few weeks.
"We're a very resilient team. That's because you got a lot of seniors, of course, so no one's coming down. But my guy's battle, battle, battle. I'll give them credit for that all the time," Johnson said. "We've got to get shots to fall. It's kids who never took those shots before. They're getting used to it this year, getting those shots to go. We're getting good looks, getting lots of layups, just those little pressure moments. Just keep putting ourselves in those situations and keep building off of it."
Gaylord won't have to wait long for another crack at Petoskey as they'll face off again Friday, Feb. 6, in Petoskey.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey's defense helps Northmen to key Big North win over Gaylord
Category: General Sports
