Bay Port holds off Green Bay Preble 58-47 in physical matchup

The Bay Port Pirates and Green Bay Preble Hornets delivered a physical and high energy matchup Tuesday night, with Bay Port pulling away for a 58-47 win in a game that felt far closer than the final score showed.

The opening minutes were tightly contested, but Bay Port found an early spark with a 6-0 run to take a 10-2 lead, forcing Preble to call a timeout. 

From there, the tone of the game was set– intense, chippy, and physical on both ends of the floor. 

As Bay Port continued to apply pressure, the Hornets struggled to convert on scoring opportunities. 

By halftime, the Pirates had built a 10 point advantage, and the physicality only increased after the break. 

Bay Port came out strong in the second half, stretching the lead to 14 early and later pushing it to 58-35 with five minutes remaining in the game. 

Despite the margin, Preble never backed down.

The Hornets responded with a late push, cutting the deficit to 58-42 with three minutes left and forcing Bay Port to stay locked in defensively. 

Though the scoreboard suggested otherwise, the game remained tense until the final horn, as both teams battled with relentless intensity.

Bay Port ultimately closed out the 58-47 victory, leaning on a standout performance from senior Melia Lemorande, who poured in 28 points and became the Pirates’ all-time leading scorer. 

Kailynn Thompson added 18 points, providing a steady offensive presence alongside Lemorande.

Thompson said the balanced effort was key, especially given the physical nature of the game.
“It feels good to contribute to my team by obviously being the second leading scorer but also having Melia pop off as she’s not feeling the best right now, so it feels pretty good,” Thompson said.

She added that the Pirates stayed focused on fundamentals despite the pressure.
“It kept us on our toes knowing what we needed to do on the offensive and defensive end,” she said. “So, (we tried to) not turn the ball over and keep it up on defense.”

With the Pirates facing a challenging week ahead– including matchups against West De Pere and Notre Dame to close the regular season– Thompson said the intensity of Tuesday’s game was good preparation.
“Obviously, like you said it was very chippy,” she said. “So we are going to keep our foot on the gas at practice and keep going hard with our game on Friday against West De Pere.”

For Bay Port, the win was more than just another conference result. It marked a milestone night for Lemorande and showcased the toughness the Pirates will need heading into the final stretch of the season.