2009-10 Concord Varsity Season

Big 8: 9-5 (2nd)Overall: 13-8

Concord Works Overtime to Beat Michigan Center

Jordan Bulloch scored 24 points and handed off 4 assists to lead Concord to a 76-73 overtime victory over Michigan Center.Joshua Saldana added 22 points. Christian Anderson netted 18 and grabbed 9 rebounds. Zach Brigham scored 8 points and handed off 3 assists. Michael Kaplinski and Jesse Wilson each chipped in 2 points for the Jackets.

Concord boys basketball uses 68 free throw attempts to beat East Jackson

The path to the free throw line was well-worn Thursday by the Concord High School boys basketball team.Concord shot 68 free throws - the second-highest in the state record book - in a 78-68 victory over East Jackson.The Yellow Jackets made just 39 of their free throws for 57 percent. They took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter and held on by making 19 of 30 at the line.St. Johns holds the state record with 75 free-throw attempts in a 1997 game.East Jackson committed 41 fouls and had three players foul out. The Trojans were 7-for-20 at the line.Jordan Bulloch scored 19 points, Zach Brigham had 17 with 13-of-20 free throw shooting, Joshua Saldana netted 14 and Christian Anderson 11 for Concord (2-0). Anderson grabbed 13 rebounds, and Brigham made five steals.Tyler Riske scored 12 points and Keith Poole had 10, and Brandon Payne made five assists for East Jackson. The Trojans committed 16 turnovers in the first half and two in the second half.

Undefeated Concord High School boys basketball team jumps on Lenawee Christian early in 73-57 victory

The undefeated Concord High School boys basketball team is making a habit of fast starts this season. On Monday, the Yellow Jackets broke out quickly, leading 24-8 after one quarter, and rolled past visiting Lenawee Christian 73-57.Christian Anderson scored eight of his 21 points in the first quarter. Jordan Bulloch and Michael Kaplinski also chipped in with six points each in that breakout as Concord improved to 3-0.Lenawee Christian fell to 2-1."We've had three good games where we've gotten off to a good start," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "A lot of guys contributed."Concord scored 27 points in the first quarter of its previous win over Michigan Center and 25 in its victory over East Jackson.Joshua Saldana, who was 11-for-13 from the free throw line, shared scoring honors for Concord with 21 points. Bulloch, who hit three 3-pointers, scored 16 points.Corey Greene scored 18 points for Lenawee Christian.Anderson led all players with 12 rebounds.

Concord boys basketball stays unbeaten

Concord heads into the holiday break unbeaten in four games after opening defense of its Big Eight Conference title with a 72-53 victory over Athens. The Yellow Jackets led 19-8 after one quarter and took an 18-point margin into the fourth quarter."We defended them very well," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "They're a good team. They have a lot of kids back from last year, and they battled us last year. At their place early in the year, that's a good win on the road."Concord shot 59 percent from the field, including 26 of 35 from inside the arc."I like the way we're playing," Lehman said. "We're playing hard and playing smart. They're confident. They're taking the floor feeling like they can win."Joshua Saldana had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead Concord. Jordan Bulloch scored 13 and Christian Anderson and Zach Brigham 12 apiece.

Jonesville High School boys basketball team's defense the difference in win over ConcordThe Jonesville High School boys basketball team withstood a 24-point fourth quarter comeback effort by Concord and held on for a 57-51 victory Tuesday in a matchup of Big Eight Conference unbeatens. Concord entered the game averaging 75 points per game with four players averaging double figures, while Jonesville had allowed just 35 points per game. The teams met somewhere in between."With did it with defense again," Jonesville coach Dustin Scharer said. "It was just enough to win."Concord found itself in a hole early with its leading scorer, Josh Saldana, on the bench with three fouls in the first five minutes. Saldana entered the game averaging 20 points.Jonesville led 18-15 after the first quarter before cold shooting slowed both teams in the second.The teams combined for just 14 second-quarter points, including a scoreless stretch of almost four minutes. Jonesville led 26-21 at halftime.The shooting woes continued in the third quarter as Jonesville opened up an 11-point advantage, but Concord wasn't ready to give up just yet.The Yellow Jackets turned up the pressure, and the shots began to fall in the fourth quarter with Saldana and Jordan Bulloch leading the attack.Concord cut the lead to six with just more than 3 minutes remaining.Saldana completed a three-point play with 47 seconds left to cut the lead to three before Jonesville answered with a quick layup by Logan Jenkins.Jordan Bulloch connected on a 3-pointer with 29 seconds remaining to bring Concord within two points, but that was as close as the Yellow Jackets got. Jenkins and Spencer Neilsen each made two free throws to seal the victory for Jonesville.Neilsen scored 10 fourth-quarter points for Jonesville and finished with a game-high 16. Jenkins added 15 points for the Comets (6-0, 2-0).Jordan Bulloch scored 15 points, while Michael Kaplinski and Saldana scored 12 points apiece to lead Concord (4-1, 1-1). "We missed a lot of opportunities, but they had a lot to do with that," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "They're a solid defensive team - give them credit."

Springport boys basketball gets first victory over Concord since 2004-05

The Springport High School boys basketball team knocked off Concord 52-43 in a Big Eight Conference game Thursday, its first victory over the Yellow Jackets since the 2004-05 season.The Spartans turned the ball over 12 times, just four times in the first half."We turned the ball over on our first two possessions, but after that we were locked in," Springport coach Brandon Baum said. "It was very exciting to see how our guys responded after a loss to Quincy on Tuesday."Springport jumped out to a 29-17 lead at halftime and held on down the stretch, knocking down seven of 11 free throws."Our kids are focused and driven," Baum said. "They're starting to believe we can compete with anybody."Ace Russell led the Spartans with 16 points and 11 rebounds. T.M. Russell added 11 points for Springport (3-3, 2-1).Josh Saldana scored 14 points to lead Concord (4-2, 1-2).

Hanover-Horton boys basketball ready for Napoleon after beating Concord

The Hanover-Horton High School boys basketball team used a big fourth quarter as a springboard to top Concord 69-59 on Monday in its final tune-up for a showdown Thursday at home against unbeaten Napoleon.Tyler Hull hit seven of nine free throws in the final quarter, when the Comets outscored Concord 21-9. Hull finished with 21 points, including 14 in the second half.Visiting Hanover-Horton led by just four points with a minute and a half to play.Sam Spink led Hanover-Horton (4-1) with 23 points, and Dylan Schuette added 16.Concord (4-3) was led by Joshua Saldana with 17 points. Jordan Bulloch and Zach Brigham were next with 12 points apiece."They came out in the fourth quarter and really shot the ball well," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "I was proud of the way our guys played. We played probably our best first half of the season, and we've played some very good first halves."Concord, which led 41-33 at halftime, lost its third game in a row.

Concord boys basketball gets hot to beat Union City

Concord put up the second-highest point total in the area this season to snap a three-game losing streak with an 84-59 victory over Union City. The Yellow Jackets were a blistering 72 percent (31 for 43) from the field. Concord jumped out 25-6 after the first quarter and never relinquished the lead in picking up its first victory since Dec. 17."We got off early and really had a bounce in our step," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We played like we were not happy after losing three in a row."Josh Saldana led the Yellow Jackets with 31 points and six assists. Michael Kaplinski scored 15 points, and Zach Brigham added 10 points and four assists for Concord (5-3, 2-2 Big Eight).

Homer High School boys basketball team keeps pace with Jonesville with win over Concord

Staying within shouting distance of the Big Eight Conference boys basketball leader Jonesville was the goal of both Homer and Concord on Tuesday night. Homer was the team shouting and smiling as the buzzer sounded at Homer High School.Homer (5-4, 3-2) got a monster game from senior Evan Camburn, who pulled down 21 rebounds and scored 15 points, and the Trojans topped Concord 63-60 to remain within two games of the league's top spot. Meanwhile, Concord (5-4, 2-3) may have slipped into a spoiler's role with the loss as everyone in the league is still chasing unbeaten Jonesville, which improved to 5-0 in conference play Tuesday after beating Quincy."It's never easy," first-year Homer coach Ed Finch said. "I don't see Jonesville losing more than three games in the league. We've got to just keep hanging around."Camburn scored on a layup off a nice feed from Wade Brodock with 33 seconds to play to give Homer a 62-59 lead. The teams then traded free throws before Concord's Josh Saldana misfired on a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime.Homer tried to run Concord out of the Trojans' gym in the first quarter as it raced to a 22-11 lead. Brodock scored nine of his team-high 19 points in the opening quarter.The second quarter, however, was an about face for the Trojans. Concord went to a stifling zone defense, and Homer went scoreless for the final 6:50 of the half and led just 26-23 at intermission."I liked the way we were playing in the first quarter, but I figured Concord was going to keep kicking," Finch said. "Against their zone, we had some good looks. We just missed a lot of puppies."Concord saw its deficit grow to 12 points midway through the third quarter before the Yellow Jackets put together a run that brought them to within a basket late in the fourth quarter. A fast-break layup by Jordan Bulloch, who finished with 14 points, with 3:46 to play pulled Concord within 49-47.Concord got as close as a point, at 54-53 and 60-59, over the final 2:20. Saldana scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.On the other side, it was Lincoln Hackworth who came up big on offense down the stretch. The 6-foot sophomore guard scored nine points in the quarter, including a big 3-pointer with 1:30 to play."We keep digging holes," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We can't let good teams get big leads on us early. We took bad shots in the first quarter."

Concord boys basketball hangs on to beat Reading

Concord led by 15 at halftime and held on for a 73-70 Big Eight Conference victory over Reading.Joshua Saldana had 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets (8-4, 2-4). Jordan Bulloch added 17 points, Christian Anderson had 13 and Zach Brigham chipped in 10."We played a tremendous game in the first half," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We took good shots. We rebounded and played defense well. In the second half, we didn't play so well. We didn't take good shots."We get into ruts, and it's crazy why we do this."Bulloch received praise from Lehman for his defensive effort against Joe Hubbard."(Hubbard) is their No. 1 guy, and he held him to six points," Lehman said. "Whenever you take away the other team's go-to guy and they depend on other guys to score, that stops anybody."

Joshua Saldana has big second half as Concord boys basketball beats Quincy

Concord outscored Quincy 21-11 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 68-55 victory. Joshua Saldana scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half for Concord."They made things tough for him early, and he got other guys involved," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "Then he took over. He scored 23 points on 11 shots. That's an efficient night."Jordan Bulloch took the lead in holding Quincy's Eric Stetler to nine points, 11 below his average."He's taken that defensive stopper role," Lehman said.Zach Brigham scored 16 points, Christian Anderson had 13 and Bulloch had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Jordan Bulloch ties school record with nine 3-pointers in victory for Concord boys basketball

It was a special night for Concord senior Jordan Bulloch as the Yellow Jackets stayed in the Big Eight Conference race with a 79-52 victory over Athens. Bulloch hit nine 3-pointers to tie the school record set by John Thorrez in the 2000-01 season. Bulloch went 9-for-15 from beyond the arc and finished with a season-high 35 points. Josh Saldana added 24 points and three assists for Concord (8-4, 5-3). Concord led 43-26 at halftime and remained three games behind league-leading Jonesville, which travels to Concord on Friday."We played real well in the first half," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "Bulloch was just hot. He really played a tremendous game."

Concord High School boys basketball team deals Jonesville first loss in Big Eight

The Concord High School boys basketball team kept its slim hopes for a Big Eight Conference title alive Friday night with a 60-41 win over Jonesville, who lost for the first time in league play. The Yellow Jackets (9-4, 6-3) now find themselves two games back with five to play in the conference."I don't think they're going to lose two more times, but the only thing we can do is hold serve on our floor," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We have to send a message that we feel like we're one of the better teams in the conference."Concord appeared to be in control after hustling its way to a nine-point lead in the second quarter. However, Jonesville slowed the pace by settling back into its zone defense, and five consecutive points from Travis Haas brought the Comets within four. Mike Kaplinski's three-point play in the final seconds of the first half stretched Concord's lead back to seven. Kaplinski grabbed a loose ball under the basket and laid it in with 0.4 seconds on the clock before making the free throw."That's probably the biggest basket we've had all season," Lehman said. "It was a momentum thing. Instead of being up four, we're up seven."Jonesville coach Dustin Scharer also noted the impact of that play."We made nice run to cut it to four, and we had all the momentum," Scharer said. "We were kind of on a roll, and then all of a sudden, it's back to seven."There were times when Jonesville (13-2, 8-1) was able to set up its zone defense and limit Concord's looks at the basket. However, there were also several occasions when Concord turned rebounds into fast breaks before Jonesville had an opportunity to get into its half-court defense."The key to our first game against Jonesville (a 57-51 loss) was that they had more transition points, but (Friday) we did," Lehman said. "We got more baskets out on the break."Jonesville is the top scoring defense in the area, but the Comets' inability to get back in transition was alarming."They were pushing the ball, releasing guys and getting us with the fast breaks," Scharer said. "That's where they broke us down. We weren't real smart about getting back and being disciplined."Jonesville relied heavily on the 3-point shot and finished 3-for-16 from long range. "We settled for threes in bad situations," Scharer said. "I didn't feel that we got into our offense very well."Josh Saldana was one of four Yellow Jackets in double figures, scoring 12 of his game-high 18 points in the second half. Kaplinski scored 11, while Jordan Bulloch and Zach Brigham each finished with 10."The guys wanted it (Friday), and they played like it," Lehman said. "We shared the ball and defended well."Haas led the Comets with 14 points.

Western defeats Concord 71-66 in a Renewal of an Old Rivalry

Joshua Saldana scored 28 points to lead Concord, but it wasn’t enough as Western defeated the Jackets 71-66.Concord Clark led the Panthers with 25 points.Zach Brigham scored 17 points and Christian Anderson chipped in 12 and 8 rebounds for the Jackets.

Joshua Saldana scores 24 points for Concord High School boys basketball team in comeback win over Springport

Joshua Saldana scored 24 and dished out four assists to lead Concord to a 55-53 come-from-behind win. Concord (10-4, 7-3) kept its Big Eight Conference title hopes alive with the win. Springport (4-11, 3-7) dropped its seventh straight game and split its season series with Concord."We played pretty well," Springport coach Brandon Baum said. "Concord ran a good half-court trap. We hit the panic button a few times, and they capitalized."Springport outscored Concord 23-10 in the third quarter and led 47-41 with three minutes to play before Concord rallied. A deep 3-pointer by Springport's Brandon Fatheree with two seconds to play accounted for the final margin.Christian Riske, Jordan Bulloch and Zach Brigham each scored nine points for Concord.Nic Aday and Seth Reinecke scored 11 points each, while Ace Russell and Devon Newsome were next with 10.

Hot shooting from 3-point range lifts Concord High School boys basketball team past Union City

Concord won its sixth straight game 48-31 over Union City by shooting 46 percent (6-for-13) from 3-point range. The Yellow Jackets made just six of 15 free throws. "I thought we played outstanding defense," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We struggled a little bit, but we knew it was going to be a dogfight even though we handled them the first time."Zach Brigham scored 14 points, and Jordan Bulloch added 11 for Concord (11-4, 8-3).

Wade Brodock's three-point play with 0.1 seconds left the difference in Homer High School boys basketball

team's victory over ConcordConcord battled back from an 18-point deficit to take a 73-72 lead before Homer's Wade Brodock completed a three-point play with 0.1 seconds remaining to give Homer a 75-73 victory. Concord (11-5, 8-4) had five players score in double figures. Jordan Bulloch scored 17 points, and Michael Kaplinski and Josh Saldana added 14 points apiece for the Yellow Jackets.Lincoln Hackworth had 24 points, and Wade Brodock added 21 for Homer (8-10, 6-6)."It was a heck of a basketball game," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We had good balance. We did a lot of things right and I'm proud of our guys, but this is tough to swallow."

Third quarter the difference as Concord High School boys basketball team falls to Reading

Concord led by one at halftime but was outscored 22-13 in the third quarter and lost to Reading 68-59. Joshua Saldana had 18 points and four assists, and Zach Brigham had 12 points for Concord (11-7, 8-5). It was Brigham's fourth consecutive game with double figure points."He plays hard every night," Concord coach Matt Lehman said of Brigham. "He's just been real consistent, a real solid player."Joe Hubbard had 20 points for Reading (13-5, 8-5).

Concord High School boys basketball team beats Vandercook Lake after wild finish

Concord freshman Jesse Wilson stole a little bit of the thunder from the seniors on senior night Tuesday at Vandercook Lake High School. Wilson split a pair of free throws, missing the first and hitting the second, with 0.2 seconds remaining to lift Concord to a wild 63-62 nonleague boys basketball win over Vandercook Lake.Wilson's free throws came after Vandercook Lake senior Josh Lowe had split a pair of free throws on the other end with 1.6 seconds left to tie the game.It's a pretty good bet that what happened in the 1.4 seconds in between the two treks to the free-throw line might just be the talk around the watercoolers at both schools this morning."I didn't like the way the game ended," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "We caught a break."Vandercook Lake coach Paul Varner was also in that camp."It was an awful way to end the game," Varner said. "Both teams played so hard. But we had chances to win it."It's just so disappointing to lose on senior night like that."The game was back and forth throughout the fourth quarter. Vandercook Lake (12-7) took a 61-58 lead on a rebound follow-up basket by Jon Moore with 40 seconds left. Josh Saldana answered for Concord with a runner in the lane with 14 seconds to play to cut Vandercook Lake's lead to 61-60.Vandercook Lake had a chance to extend its lead, but the Jayhawks misfired on a pair of free throws with 12 seconds showing. Senior Jordan Bulloch grabbed the rebound on the second miss for Concord, and he was fouled with 6.9 seconds left. Bulloch hit both free throws to give Concord a 62-61 lead.Vandercook Lake then came down the court with the basketball, and Lowe was fouled outside the lane near the free-throw line with 1.6 seconds left. He hit the first free throw to tie it, but the second went off the back of the rim. On the play, Wilson was fouled on the scramble for the loose ball away from the basket with 0.2 seconds showing on the clock.Wilson was long on the first attempt, but he hit the second of two shots to give Concord a narrow escape."After (Wilson) missed the first, I told him to calm down, take a deep breath, relax, and sink it," Bulloch said.The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Concord (12-7) and sent Vandercook Lake to its third loss in its last four games."We're out here representing our conference," Lehman said of the Big Eight Conference. "Everybody feels that the (Cascades) is stronger this year, but we're trying to change that."Bulloch led Concord with 17 points, while Saldana and Wilson added 11 apiece. Mat Negus scored 15 points and Moore 13 for Vandercook Lake.The two schools are in opposite ends of the Class C district draw at Hanover-Horton and could meet in the final.

Concord boys basketball pulls away for victory over Quincy

Concord fell behind 15-13 in the first quarter but took a five-point halftime lead and pulled away in the second half for a 67-37 victory over Quincy.Joshua Saldana scored 20 points, Christian Riske scored 12 points, and Jordan Bulloch had 11 for the Yellow Jackets (13-7, 9-5 Big Eight).Saldana also had eight assists and six rebounds."(Saldana) had a good floor game," Concord coach Matt Lehman said. "It was a good night at the office for him."

Sam Spink has big fourth quarter to lead Hanover-Horton boys basketball into district final

Sam Spink took over late in Hanover-Horton High School's Class C boys basketball district semifinal against Concord, and his timing could not have been better.Spink, a junior guard, scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, including six of eight free throws in the final minute, to lead the Comets to a 53-48 home victory over Concord on Wednesday.The win set up a district final showdown Friday with Vandercook Lake, which the Comets defeated twice during the regular season while winning the Cascades Conference championship.The Comets will try to win their ninth consecutive district championship."You don't want to be the team that doesn't win it," Hanover-Horton junior forward Dylan Schuette said.With his team down 42-41 with four minutes remaining in the game, Spink, the Comets' leading scorer, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Hanover-Horton (19-2) a lead it would not give up."(Spink) hit some big shots for us down the stretch," Hanover-Horton coach Chad Mortimer said. "We were going to Tyler (Hull) early in the first half, but we knew we had to get Sam involved."Concord (13-8) led 36-34 to begin the fourth quarter despite trailing at halftime and benching top scorer Josh Saldana after he picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter.Hanover-Horton went five minutes without a basket, but Concord turnovers, including four offensive fouls in the second half, allowed Hanover-Horton to fall no more than two points behind.Concord's offense heavily relied on drives to the basket, and Hanover-Horton was able to draw player-control fouls."Before the game, we knew what they were going to do, and we were practicing for it," Schuette said of Concord's constant drives to the basket. "We made some changes to step in front of them."The Yellow Jackets' last gasp came on an inbounds play with 8.2 seconds left and the score 51-48. Concord threw the ball out of bounds, and Spink hit two free throws.Hull finished with 12 points, including 10 in the first half, and four assists, and Schuette had eight points and 10 rebounds.Hanover-Horton controlled the boards and finished with a 33-26 rebound advantage, including a 24-15 mark in the first half. Schuette had five offensive rebounds, including three on a single possession in the first quarter that led to a three-point play by Spink. Concord had four offensive rebounds in the entire game but managed to score six points on them.Zach Brigham led Concord with 17 points, and Christian Anderson added 10 points.Saldana, the leading scorer in the Big Eight Conference, scored 10 points in limited minutes because of the foul trouble.

Varsity Scores       JV Scores      

Teams Concord Opponent Result Teams Concord Opponent Results

Michigan Center 76 73 Win Michigan Center 26 53 LossEast Jackson 78 68 Win East Jackson 52 75 LossLenawee Christian 73 57 Win Lenawee Christian 62 79 LossAthens 72 53 Win Athens 59 67 LossJonesville 51 57 Loss Jonesville 25 64 LossSpringport 43 52 Loss Springport 60 56 WinHanover-Horton 59 69 Loss Hanover-Horton 51 66 LossUnion City 84 59 Win Union City 45 40 WinHomer 60 63 Loss Homer 84 75 WinReading 73 70 Win Reading 44 46 LossQuincy 68 55 Win Quincy 48 49 LossAthens 79 52 Win Athens 69 58 WinJonesville 60 41 Win Jonesville 35 67 LossSpringport 55 53 Win Springport 67 33 WinUnion City 48 31 Win Union City 45 41 WinHomer 73 75 Loss Homer 62 57 WinWestern 66 71 Loss Western 59 53 WinReading 59 68 Loss Reading 50 57 LossVandercook Lake 63 62 Win Vandercook Lake 62 76 LossQuincy 67 37 Win Quincy 55 52 WinDistricts @ Hanover-Horton              

Hanover-Horton 48 53 Loss        

Big 8 Record 9-5     Big 8 Record 8-6    

Overall Record 13-8     Overall Record 9-11    

Point Averages 64.5 58.0   Point Average 53.0 58.2  

Player GP FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A REB-O AST STL BLK PTS

#22 Saldana, Joshua 21 133-286 20-67 109-160 88-27 64 35 11 395

#10 Bulloch, Jordan 21 96-202 46-117 38-60 87-20 30 20 5 276

#13 Brigham, Zach 21 76-151 5-17 58-81 72-6 52 32 9 215

#21 Anderson, Christian 21 76-134 0-1 43-72 140-40 13 11 5 195

#12 Kaplinski, Michael 21 67-108 0-1 21-50 107-33 10 10 1 155

#15 Wilson, Jesse 21 21-37 0-0 12-21 32-13 3 2 3 54

#23 Riske, Christian 17 24-35 0-1 6-21 47-9 3 7 7 54

#20 Fraser, Louis 14 2-6 0-4 0-1 1-0 1 0 0 4

#14 Riley, Chris 3 1-4 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 3

#25 Miskowski, Dylan 11 0-0 0-0 3-4 0-0 0 1 0 3

#24 Thorrez, Matthew 12 0-2 0-0 1-4 5-1 2 0 0 1

2009-10 Concord Boy’s Basketball Stats