2008-09 Concord Varsity Boy’s Basketball

Team Results
 Game 1
“The Opener”
Michigan Center 66
Concord 58
The Michigan Center High School boys basketball team spent much of Monday night
looking up at the big guy from Concord.
In the end, however, it was visiting Michigan Center standing tall on the scoreboard as
the Cardinals scored a 66-58 nonconference victory over Concord on opening night of
the 2008-09 season.
Jordan Craig, a 5-foot-9 senior guard, led the Cardinals with 24 points, while 6-1 post
player Nic Stevens added 16-points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Josh Woolworth scored 21 points, and 6-10 senior Zach Hersha had 10 points, 10
rebounds and six blocked shots for Concord. Nick Thorrez added 11 points, all in the
first half.
Hersha, who got into a little foul trouble early with two fouls in the first quarter, was
the player that Michigan Center had to worry about throughout the game.
"The big guy just changes things," Michigan Center coach Greg Vieau said of Concord's
man in the middle. "He passes the ball real well. He's tough to drive on.
"Jordan (Craig) was all heart. He went right at Hersha. He didn't care."
Craig scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter, including two baskets on drives
through traffic, and was 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the game.
 Game 1 “The Opener”—
Michigan Center 66 Page 2
Concord 58
Michigan Center jumped out quickly, leading 14-3 after 4 minutes. The Cardinals went on
to lead 18-12 after one quarter, 35-31 at intermission and 47-43 after three quarters.
"We missed some layups early, and that hurt us," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "It
wasn't the start that we wanted, but we gutted it out and fought all the way back and took
the lead."
Concord's only lead of the game was 43-41 after Hersha scored down low with 2:18 to play
in the third quarter.
Michigan Center's biggest lead of the game was 12 points at 61-49, following Craig's
driving layup over with 2:22 left.
"You've just got to go right at them," Craig said. "You can't alter your shot. If it gets
blocked, it gets blocked.
"We're aggressive. We believe in ourselves."
Three 3-pointers by Woolworth in the fourth quarter kept the final margin under 10 points.
"We're going to be just fine," Lehman said. "Michigan Center is probably going to be one of
the top three teams in their (Cascades) conference. I'm disappointed that we lost, but I
liked the unselfishness.
"We've got some nice pieces. We'll be fine."
 Game 2
Concord 88
Athens 57
Concord came back from a 22-14 first-quarter
deficit for a blowout victory to open Big Eight
play.
Zach Hersha had 19 points, 10 rebounds and
seven blocks for Concord.
Joshua Saldana had a game-high 23 points and
seven assists, and Josh Woolworth added 18
points and five assists for the Yellow Jackets
(1-1).
"(Saldana's) a nice player," Concord coach
Matt Lehman said. "We got off to a slow start.
We were sluggish out of the gate. At halftime,
we made some adjustments, and he helped
get us going."
 Game 3
Hanover-Horton 64
Concord 59
The Hanover-Horton High School boys basketball team shook off the
cobwebs of a three-week holiday break and knocked off Concord 64-59
Saturday in a game between two teams expected to contend for
conference championships this season.

And, as Comets coach Chad Mortimer admitted, the rust showed. "At
times we played pretty well, and at times it was really sloppy,"
Mortimer said. "We'd get up and then take some ill-advised shots and
turn the ball over. "It was an ugly win, but we take it and move on."

Hanover-Horton (2-1) was led in scoring by Sam Spink with 16 points.

Senior center Ken Warren added 13 points and a game-high 14
rebounds.

Concord (1-2) of the Big Eight Conference got 16 points and seven
rebounds from 6-foot-10 senior Zach Hersha. Nick Thorrez was next
with 13 points.
 Game 3
Hanover-Horton 64
Concord 59
Hanover-Horton of the Cascades Conference led most of the game
and ran its advantage to a game-best 14 points when Warren
scored off an inside move to give the Comets a 47-33 lead with
2:55 to play in the third quarter. Concord spent the rest of the
game playing catch-up, and the Yellow Jackets made things close
down the stretch. Hersha scored six points and Jordan Bulloch five
points in a fourth-quarter run that cut the lead to four points. Two
Bulloch free throws with 27 seconds to play pulled Concord to
within 61-57. Spink answered with a pair of free throws for
Hanover-Horton 2 seconds later to inch the margin back to six
points. A basket by Hersha with 6 seconds to play made it 63-59,
but Concord could get no closer.

"If the players thought I was going to chew them out after this one,
they were totally wrong," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "They
played their butts off against a good team. We were down 14, and
we fought back and had our chances. "I'm proud of my guys. We
showed that we can play with the good teams."
 “SLAM”
Zach Hersha dunks
on Hanover-Horton
 Game 4
Concord 68
Jonesville 40
The Concord High School boys basketball team capitalized on a slow start by
Jonesville on Tuesday night, pouncing on the Comets in the first half and
cruising to an easy 68-40 victory.

It was a nice turnaround for Concord after a 64-59 loss to Hanover-Horton on

Saturday. "The intensity level from the Hanover-Horton game carried over,"
Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We played with a little bit of a chip on our
shoulder.“

Concord (2-2, 2-0 Big Eight Conference) jumped out to an 18-8 lead after one
quarter. The Yellow Jackets limited Jonesville to two field goals and three free
throws, including a basket on a disputed goaltending call.

Zach Hersha scored seven of his nine points in the first quarter, including a
dunk that helped stir a previously subdued Concord crowd. Concord
continued to control the action in the second quarter, even with the 6-foot-
10 Hersha on the bench for most of the quarter with two fouls. In Hersha's
absence, sophomores Christian Anderson and Zach Brigham stepped in to
fuel the Concord offense. Anderson finished with 13 points, while Brigham
added eight.

"Christian Anderson was a monster," Lehman said. "He played great.“

 Game 4
Concord 68
Jonesville 40
Concord relentlessly pushed the ball up the court and burned the Comets
repeatedly with transition offense. As the Yellow Jackets pulled away, Lehman
decided there was no reason to take his younger bench players out of the game.
"It became an opportunity for me, because I saw the confidence level of the
second unit," Lehman said. "Those young guys stepped up, and we're going to
need them. Now they have something to draw from.“

Concord made nine of 11 free throws in the first half and finished 15-for-20 from
the line.

Concord's Jordan Bulloch scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half, and the Yellow
Jackets held a comfortable 40-21 lead at halftime. Jonesville went on a brief 4-0
run early in the third quarter but was unable to sustain it. "We have a good
basketball team," Lehman said. "That score is not indicative of how good
Jonesville is. They just didn't play well.“

Hersha finished with a game-high 10 rebounds, and the Yellow Jackets dominated
the glass at both ends of the court. Concord outrebounded Jonesville 33-16.
Josh Saldana had 10 points and four assists for Concord.

Travis Haas scored 11 points to lead the Comets.

 Game 5
Concord 70
Springport 53

Josh Woolworth scored 20 points for

Concord, which remained unbeaten and
atop the Big Eight Conference standings.
Nick Thorrez added 12 points and 12
rebounds, and Jordan Bulloch scored 10
points for Concord (3-2, 3-0). Springport
(1-4, 0-2) got 17 points from Brian Vogel.
Concord blew the game open by
outscoring Springport 43-25 in the second
half.
 Game 6
Homer 76
Concord 64
A dose of adversity didn't faze the Homer High School boys basketball team Friday
night. With three key players on the bench with three personal fouls in the second
quarter, Homer's reserves helped the Trojans maintain their lead and beat Big Eight
Conference leader Concord 76-64. "They were ready to go in there," Homer coach Tom
Fleming said of the second unit. "They showed that they really believe in their roles.“

Starters Evan Camburn and Lincoln Hackworth and backup Blake Hinkle each picked up
three personal fouls in the first half. But other backups Reid Bagwell, Brian Edwards,
Adam Boden and Zach Collmenter gave the Trojans some valuable minutes. Edwards
scored six points to lead the second unit.

Homer led by nine in the first quarter before Concord pulled within three on two
occasions in the second quarter. But Homer opened the second half with a 17-4 run to
build a 60-43 lead, and Concord never made a serious run the rest of the way.

Each Homer starter scored in double figures for the second consecutive game. Jordan
Robinson had a team-high 16 points. Camburn added 15 points, while Hackworth and
Taylor Dow each scored 13 and Wade Brodock had 11. "That's tremendous balance,
and it makes us hard to defend against," Fleming said. "Our execution was excellent as
we moved without the ball and passed it very good."
 Game 6
Page 2
Homer 76
Concord 64

Concord, meanwhile, had trouble finding balanced scoring. Joshua Saldana

scored 26 points, and Josh Woolworth was next with just 10. Concord 6-foot-10
center Zach Hersha got into foul trouble and finished with seven points. "That's
always a key," Concord coach Matt Lehman said of Hersha's foul situation.

Homer had a 44-31 edge on the boards but shot just 5-for-14 from the foul line.
The Trojans did make nine 3-pointers, with Hackworth, a freshman, sinking a
team-high three.

"They shot the lights out," Lehman said. "Defensively, we struggled, and it
seemed like we just couldn't find the right group to put out there, so that's on
me.“

Concord came into the game unbeaten in conference play and dropped to 3-3
overall and 3-1 in the Big Eight. Homer is 4-4 and 2-1.
"I'm sure they didn't want to go to 1-2 in the league this early," Lehman said,
"and it's tough to win on the road in the Big Eight."
 Game 7
Vandercook Lake 77
Concord 66
Mat Negus scored 23 points as the Vandercook Lake
High School boys basketball defeated Concord 77-66
in a nonconference game at Concord on Monday.
The score was tied after the first quarter, but
Vandercook Lake went into halftime with a 46-35
lead.
"It was a combination of we didn't play good defense
and they shot the ball very well," Concord coach Matt
Lehman said.
Bryant Smak added 14 points for the Jayhawks (5-3),
and Zach Austin had 12.
Nick Thorrez led the Yellow Jackets (3-4) with 14
points. Joshua Saldana added 13 points, and Zach
Hersha had eight points and a team-high 10
rebounds.
 Game 8
Concord 49
Quincy 35

Concord limited Quincy to four points in the

second quarter and four points in the third as it
built a 39-17 lead after three quarters.
"Our defense was awesome," Concord coach Matt
Lehman said.
"We kept them out of transition and didn't give up
second shots."
Zach Hersha led the Yellow Jackets (4-4, 4-1) with
16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. Joshua
Saldana also scored 16 points.
 Game 9
Concord 62
Reading 37
Zach Hersha had 16 points and nine rebounds and
Trevor Martin had 12 point and 13 rebounds for
Concord in a road victory to stay atop the Big Eight.

Josh Woolworth added 13 points for the Yellow

Jackets (5-4, 5-1), who outrebounded Reading 44-27,
including 15 offensive boards.

"We won back to back at Quincy and Reading,"

Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "Those are tough
places to play, but we're playing very well."
 Game 10
Concord 54
Athens 46
Nick Thorrez scored 17 of Concord's 31 points in the first half
and went on to score a career-high 24 to go along with eight
rebounds and three assists.
"Thorrez had a great game," Concord coach Matt Lehman said.
"He came out red hot, and we needed him."
Zach Hersha added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Concord (6-
4, 6-1), which took over sole possession of first place in the Big
Eight Conference.
Concord has collected three consecutive road wins in the Big
Eight against Quincy, Reading and Athens.
"Those are not easy places to play," Lehman said.
 Game 11
Concord 92
Litchfield 57
Zach Hersha had 15 points, 10 blocks and seven rebounds
while playing just more than half the game as Concord
rolled to a nonconference victory.
Joshua Saldana scored 15 points and had six assists for
Concord, while Christian Anderson added 14 points and Josh
Woolworth 13. Jordan Bulloch chipped in with nine.
"It was obviously a team effort when you have four guys in
double figures and another guy with nine," Concord coach
Matt Lehman said. "That was really the focus, getting a lot
of guys some playing time."
Concord had 19 assists on 36 baskets and blocked 15 shots.
 Game 12
Concord 86
Springport 63
Concord coach Matt Lehman said he can tell his Big Eight-leading
team is playing with a target on its back.
"That's why I was really impressed with the way the guys came out
(Friday night)," Lehman said after an 86-63 victory over Springport.
"We came out hot."
Concord, 8-4 overall and 7-1 in the Big Eight, led 23-10 after the first
quarter and 41-27 at halftime. The Yellow Jackets won their fifth
straight game and topped the 80-point mark for the third time.
Josh Woolworth hit four of Concord's eight 3-pointers and finished
with 26 points. Zach Hersha added 18 points, 15 rebounds and four
blocked shots, while Josh Saldana added 11 points and Nick Thorrez
had 10 points and four blocked shots.
Springport (3-10, 2-6) was led by Brian Vogel, who had 14 points.
Shane Trudell added 12 points, while Ben Hawes and Seth Reinicke
each scored 11.
 Game 13
Concord 60
Stockbridge 50
The balanced Concord High School boys basketball team continued on a
roll Saturday night.
Concord defeated Stockbridge 60-50 at Spring Arbor University for its sixth
consecutive victory.
Joshua Saldana scored 21 points to lead the Yellow Jackets. Zach Hersha
scored 12 and Christian Anderson 10. Saldana is one of five players who
have led Concord in scoring this season.
"We've had different guys each night," Concord coach Matt Lehman said.
"Saldana stepped up."
Trailing by a point after the first quarter, Concord went on a 20-10 run in
the second quarter that included two 3-point baskets by Jordan Bulloch and
one by Josh Woolworth. Those were Concord's only 3-pointers of the night.
Hersha had 14 rebounds and six blocked shots, and Saldana and
Woolworth made four assists apiece for Concord (9-4).
Thomas Lovachis scored 22 points and Jeff O'Brien netted 15 for
Stockbridge (5-8).
 Game 14
Concord 47
Jonesville 34
Joshua Saldana led all scorers with 17 points as Concord
held on to the Big Eight Conference lead.
Concord led 26-20 at halftime and inched away despite
being held 20 points under its season scoring average.
"I thought we did a good job defensively," Jonesville coach
Dustin Scharer said. "(Saldana) was getting looks. He's been
playing well lately. He's a solid player."
Nick Thorrez added 10 points for the Yellow Jackets (10-4, 8-
1).
Kyle Flint and Chase Jacks each scored nine points for
Jonesville (7-7, 4-5).
 Game 15
Concord 56
Union City 47
When Concord High School boys basketball coach Matt Lehman pulled his
starting five early in the first quarter Friday night, it was by design.
It was Parents' Night, and Lehman wanted everybody to play. He just did it a
little sooner than he planned because the first string was sluggish at the start.
"I was going to let them go a little longer," Lehman said after his Big Eight
Conference-leading Yellow Jackets defeated Union City 56-47 in Concord. "We
didn't have a good rhythm."
Concord trailed 7-4 when Lehman pulled the starting five just 2 minutes and 15
seconds into the game. It was 9-9 when the starting unit returned, and Concord
took the lead for good at 14-13 with 1:14 left in the first quarter.
The Yellow Jackets, 11-4 overall and 9-1 in the Big Eight, pulled away by scoring
the last 10 points of the second quarter to secure a 35-21 halftime lead. The
margin grew to a game-high 19 points in the third quarter, and Union City never
got closer than nine the rest of the way.
Despite the win, Lehman was not pleased with his club's performance.
"I thought Union City outplayed us, but we outmanned them a little bit," he
said.
 Game 15
Page 2
Concord 56
Union City 47
Lehman said his players might be thinking too much about being in first place and chasing
Concord's first conference championship since the 1999-2000 season.
"We haven't been in this position before, and sometimes it looks like we're trying to do too
much," he said. "At some points (Friday night) we were playing like we were behind."
Zach Hersha, Concord's 6-foot-10 senior center, was a presence in the post. He finished with 15
points and 15 rebounds and blocked five shots. Union City altered many other shots as it tried to
shoot over Hersha.
Josh Woolworth, who hit two 3-pointers and was 5-for-6 from the line, also scored 15 points,
while Nick Thorrez added 10 with two 3-pointers.
"We have a lot of weapons," Lehman said. "We have different guys every night, and I like that.
"The big thing for me right now is to try and find the right mix of players."
Concord has a one-game lead over Quincy in the conference, while Homer, which lost Friday
night to Springport, trails by three games with four to play. Concord has home games against
Reading, Quincy and Homer and plays Union City on the road. The Feb. 27 game against Quincy
could decide the league title.
"I don't want to just be good this year; I want to build a program," Lehman said. "Our youth
basketball program has been very successful, and that's very exciting for me."
 “Get That
Shot OUT of
Here!”
Concord's Nick
Thorrez blocks the
shot of Union City's
Mitchell Inman.
 “Can’t
Touch This”
Joshua Saldana
shooting off the
move!
 Game 16
East Jackson 88
Concord 84
Bryan Goostrey scored 31 points, including eight 3-pointers, 7-of-8 free-throw
shooting and five key points during the final 2 minutes as East Jackson held off a
late comeback attempt and pulled the upset.
Concord overcame a 22-point halftime deficit and tied the game at 82-82 with 2
minutes remaining. On consecutive possessions, Goostrey made two free throws
and his final 3-pointer.
Jon Moore scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Trojans (4-12), who
made 14 3-point baskets. Cody Putnam had 17 points.
"It's the story of our season. We have no problem scoring; it's defense we have a
problem with," East Jackson coach Greg Zeller said. "I told the guys at halftime
that we could give up 50 points in a half. I'll tell you, that end of the court — the
north end — was a funnel."
Goostrey made his first six 3-point attempts — all in the first half — and was fouled
on his seventh, which resulted in three made free throws.
"(Concord) played a zone in the first half, and we kept giving it to (Goostrey)
because they kind of left him open," said Zeller, who formerly coached at Concord.
"I don't think any of his shots were challenged until his seventh attempt."
Zach Hersha had 20 points and 21 rebounds to lead Concord (11-5). Nick Thorrez
scored 20 points, and Josh Woolworth had 18.
 Game 17
Concord 64
Reading 51
Concord outscored Reading 18-8 in the first quarter and 21-
14 in the fourth to remain alone in the Big Eight Conference
lead.
The Yellow Jackets (12-5, 10-1) had five players score 10 to
12 points. Joshua Saldana scored all 12 of his points in the
second half. Josh Woolworth also netted 12.
"I thought we were real efficient on offense," Concord coach
Matt Lehman said. "We just had different guys at different
times that were big contributors."
Concord won the rebounding battle 48-28, led by 12 from
Zach Hersha. Hersha also had seven blocks to go along with
his 11 points. Nick Thorrez scored 11, and Trevor Martin had
10.
 Game 18
Concord 61
Union City 47
Zach Hersha had 12 points, 17 rebounds
and six blocks for Concord, which clinched
at least a share of the Big Eight Conference
title with a 61-47 victory over Union City.
Nick Thorrez added 15 points and six
rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (13-5, 11-
1). Jordan Bulloch had 10 points, and Josh
Woolworth had five points and five assists.
"I thought (Hersha) was real solid,"
Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "He
really dominated the boards and changed
shots for us."
 Game 19
Concord 61
Quincy 55
Concord High School boys basketball coach Matt Lehman
said the Yellow Jackets' first Big Eight Conference title since
the 1999-2000 season was quite a few years, and quite a
bit of sweat, in the making.
"When I took this program over, no offense to anybody who
was here before me, it wasn't in very good shape," Lehman
said. "I don't mean to say that to hurt anyone's feelings,
but we went through some trying times. What I see now is
what we've built over time."
Concord reaped the fruits of that construction project with a
61-55 homecourt victory over Quincy on Friday night. The
win clinched the outright title, Concord's first for the eighth-
year coach.
"We look back now on the process, and I see kids who were
in the fourth grade in the first year I was here," Lehman
said. "We got those little kids to play, and now here we are.
"We've got as good a youth program as anybody, and
that's what I'm proud of. I don't just want to be good this
year, I want to be good next year and the year after that."
 Game 19
Page 2
Concord 61
Quincy 55
Concord was plenty good on Friday.
Zach Hersha, Concord's 6-foot-10 senior center,
scored 22 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked
eight shots, and Joshua Saldana added 20 points.
"Hersha showed why he's the best player in the Big
Eight," Lehman said.
Saldana hit his last seven free throw attempts,
including four in the final two minutes to help Concord
keep Quincy down.
"This is just amazing," Saldana said. "We haven't had
this title in 10 years. This has been our No. 1 goal all
season."
 Game 19
Page 3
Concord 61
Quincy 55
Hersha dominated the middle and had two big dunks in
traffic to fire up the home crowd.
"People complain about some of our sports, but we won
something," Hersha said. "It's been our main goal."
Concord improved to 14-5 overall and 12-1 in the Big
Eight, while Quincy fell to 10-7 and 9-4.
Quincy played the Yellow Jackets tough throughout and
trailed just 44-41 after three quarters. A layup by Saldana
and a 15-footer from the free throw line by Nick Thorrez
to open the fourth quarter made it 48-41.
Quincy got no closer than four points the rest of the way.
Thorrez finished with 10 points and Josh Woolworth nine
as just four Concord players scored.
Quincy was led by Eric Stetler with 14 points.
 “Big 8
Champs”
Joshua Saldana and
Concord celebrate a
Big Eight
championship!
 Game 20
Concord 57
Homer 54
Josh Woolworth scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter
as the Yellow Jackets won for the 12th time in their last 13
games.
Concord trailed by one point in the fourth quarter until Jordan
Bulloch hit a 3-pointer. Woolworth followed with two more
from 3-point range.
"That was the turning point in the game," Concord coach Matt
Lehman said. "Woolworth hit some absolutely humongous
shots."
Zach Hersha scored 24 points, pulled down 20 rebounds and
blocked six shots for the Yellow Jackets, who finished the
regular season 15-5 overall and 13-1 atop the Big Eight
Conference.
Trevor Martin added 12 points and nine rebounds.
"He is the unsung guy on this team," Lehman said.
Lincoln Hackworth led the Trojans (12-8, 9-5) with 16 points,
and Evan Camburn scored 13.
 Game 21—Districts at Olivet
Olivet 64
Concord 50

The Eagles knocked down nine 3-pointers on their

home floor as they eliminated the Big Eight Conference
champions from the Class C district.
Concord (15-6) trailed 27-16 at halftime.
"We came out and struggled from the field a little bit
and missed open shots," Concord coach Matt Lehman
said.
The Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to seven points in the
fourth quarter but could get no closer.
"It seemed like every time we made a run, they hit a
big shot," Lehman said.
Josh Woolworth scored 14 points for Concord, followed
by Nick Thorrez with 11. Zach Hersha finished with 10
points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks.