The Coldwater crowd was all over Sturgis’ Chance Stewart Friday night, making fun of the “Row The Boat” motto of the Western Michigan University football program, which Stewart will join next season. That was one of the few taunts that could actually be published.
But as the jeers grew more inappropriate, Stewart, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Trojans quickly quieted the gym on their way to a 41-25 victory.
“The things they were saying were a little aggressive,” Stewart said. “It was fun though. We shut them up early by getting a lead and just rode that all the way to the win.”
Sturgis had a 14-11 lead at halftime and limited the Cardinals to just three points in the third quarter to extend the lead to 23-14 heading into the final eight minutes.
Jack Scheske hit 3 of 5 attempts from 3-point land to finish with 13. Ryan Schuller added seven and Tristen Stewart tallied two for the Trojans (5-2, 2-2 SMAC).
Coldwater, which shot just 6-for-33 (18.2 percent) from the field, slipped to 1-4 overall and 0-3 in SMAC play.
The Trojans were 13-for-28 shooting (46.4 percent), including a 3-for-6 effort from behind the arc.