Fast Start, Strong Finish: Portage Northern Holds Off Vicksburg

Portage Northern came out firing, using fast-break points to jump out to an early 10–0 lead in the opening minutes. The quick start didn’t faze the Vicksburg Bulldogs, though, as Mitchell Beyer helped lead a strong response. Vicksburg battled back and took a 30–27 lead into halftime.

Quinton Swanson drives into the paint on tuesday night.  Photo by Chris Carpenter | Team TBM

Coming out of the break, Amri Lewis and Quinton Swanson went on the attack. With strong ball movement and relentless effort, Portage Northern found scoring opportunities against Vicksburg’s tough zone defense. Heading into the fourth quarter, PN held a slim 51–46 advantage.

BJ Jones goes up a contested lay-up tuesday night. Photo by Chris Carpenter | Team TBM

The final period was back-and-forth, with both teams scoring 15 points. Portage Northern did just enough to protect their lead, securing a 66–61 victory on their home floor.

Play of the Game (presented by Pit Training League): Vicksburg’s aggressive, trapping zone defense caught Portage Northern off guard at times. Head coach Randy Small was essentially a sixth man on the court, constantly calling out cutters and directing when to trap. You could practically hear him all the way down the road at Red Robin!

Player of the Game: Portage Northern's Quinton Swanson was dominant on both ends of the floor, especially on offensive put-backs. He was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, including two clutch shots that sealed the win. Swanson finished with a game-high 29 points.

Carpenter Action Shots thoughts from Behind the Camera: In my opinion, the Igloo is one of the coolest gyms in the Kalamazoo area—maybe even the entire state!

  Keep an eye on https://carpenteractionshots.smugmug.com/2026/Portage-Northern-vs-Vicksburg-Bo this week for the rest of the photos!

Scoring Leaders

Portage Northern

Quinton Swanson 29 points

Amari Lewis 11 points

Dylan Smith 8 points

Khimere Irving 8 points 

Codae Watkins 5 points

BJ Jones 3 points

Greg Patrick 2 points

Vicksburg

Mitchell Beyer 26 points

Anthony Marchese 12 points

Rocco Marchese 6 points 

Graham Kubiak 5 points

Peyton Hudgins 5 points

Caden Chrisholm 4 points

Nathan Vallier 3 Points