Hollywood's Night

SHERWIN SHINES, BRONCHOS STEAL ROAD WIN AT FENTON

By SCOTT M. BURNSTEIN

FENTON

With a nickname like, "Hollywood", it seems only natural that Holly senior swingman Kyle Sherwin would take center stage and shine as bright as a shooting star in the Bronchos' biggest win of the year on Friday night. Led by Sherwin's 19 points, Holly went into the unfriendly confines of the jam-packed Tigers Den and came away with a 69-67 comeback win over host-Fenton, a squad the Bronchos hadn't beaten since 2008.

"Hollywood" Sherwin, is normally Holly head coach Lance Baylis' fourth-scoring option, but he was "feeling the flow" all night long against the Tigers and Baylis wasn't afraid to keep calling his number. Down by double-digits early in the fourth quarter, Sherwin's eight points highlighted a 17-3 run that propelled the Bronchos into a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Holly defense held Fenton to just four points in the final 5:42 of the game.

Lance Hopkin flanked Sherwin's effort with 17 points – 10 in the first quarter – and eight rebounds. Justin Fowler scored 11 points, including a key jumper in the fourth quarter that kick-started the Bronchos' fourth quarter rally.

Baylis led Holly to a school record 19 wins last season and the Bronchos appear poised to challenge the mark again this year. Stocked with veteran talent and a pair of "Grade A" transfers in Thomas Lovachis and Josh Fugate, Holly has a legitimate chance at taking home the program's first modern-day district championship come March.

Last season, Holly and Fenton shared the Flint Metro League championship despite the fact that the Tigers defeated the Bronchos both times they faced each other. Holly lifts its record to 12-4, 12-3 in conference play, good for second place in the standings. Fenton is now 13-2, but is still in first place in the league, tied with Swartz Creek.

Ahead 36-30 at halftime, Holly fell victim to Fenton's hot shooting in the third quarter and were on the ropes heading down the stretch. The Tigers scored 29 points in the third – connecting on a torrid 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point distance – and had a 59-51 lead going into the fourth. Dylan Hickoff's basket with a little more than seven minutes left to play took the Fenton advantage to 61-51, before Fowler downed his jump shot to ignite the Bronchos' iron-willed comeback.

Fenton had an opportunity to get off a potential game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer, but Tyler Hamilton's attempt was off the mark due to some air tight defense being played by Thomas Lovachis and Holly had its first true signature win of the year.

Not traditionally a powerhouse conference, the Flint Metro is surprisingly strong this season. The road doesn't get any easier for Holly in the post-season as the Bronchos will fight it out for the district title with league foes Fenton and Swartz Creek, as well as state power, Flint Carmen-Ainsworth.