Region 24 Championship: Harbor Beach 64, Flint International 62 (2OT)
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Harbor Beach Secures First Regional Title in Double Overtime Thriller
March 05, 2026 — MHSAA Region 24 Championship — Cass City, Michigan
It was a regional final that contained more ups and downs than all of Cedar Point. Big runs from both Harbor Beach and Flint International (IAF) were the defining factor of the Region 24 Championship, which the Pirates won in dramatic, double-overtime fashion, 64-62 on Thursday, March 05, 2026. The victory marked the first boys basketball regional title in school history, with Harbor Beach now advancing to the state quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 10 in Port Huron.
The game began with the Pirates coming out hot, leading 10-2 halfway through the first quarter, which saw Harbor Beach go on a 7-0 run in just 63 seconds. After the first eight minutes of play, the orange and black led, 12-6. The Phoenix of Flint International would promptly respond, bursting out to a 10-0 run in just two minutes to take the lead 14-12 with 6:31 left in the half. Both Benson Harper and Skiler Kruse would quickly pick up their second personal fouls, seeing them sit the bench for the remainder of the half. Remarkably, the game saw no scoring from either team for nearly five minutes. IAF broke the stalemate with a Darrio Felder three-pointer, the first of his four on the night, to lead by five points, 17-12. Matt Geiger would score the only points for the Pirates in the second quarter with 1:26 left, ending a 9:20 drought for Harbor Beach. At the half, the Phoenix would lead by just three points, 17-14, despite Harbor Beach being shorthanded and not connecting on offense.
Harbor Beach used the halftime break to regroup, bring Kruse and Harper back onto the court and fire on all cylinders, blasting out on a 15-0 run that covered over half of the third quarter. With 2:23 left in the third, the Pirates were leading 29-17, but International got hot behind the arc, hitting four threes to end the quarter and to pull within six, 37-31.
The fourth quarter saw Harbor Beach’s six-point lead evaporate when International went on a 7-0 run in two minutes from Felder and Kaland Gregory to take the lead 45-53. Harbor Beach would fight back with back-to-back baskets from Kruse to tie the game 47-47 with 1:54 remaining in regulation. No one would score in the final two minutes, forcing overtime in the regional title game.
The first overtime session was controlled mostly by International, Gregory hit a three-pointer early and then a basket later. Harper and Kruse would score a bucket each for the Pirates to keep their title hopes alive. Phoenix Kaderion Westrook missed both free throws with 18 seconds left to keep it a one-point ball game, 52-51 in favor of International, but it was Andrew Kabban who made one free throw with just 8.9 seconds left to tie the game and force a second overtime period, 52-52.
Harbor Beach won the opening tip of double overtime and took the lead with a Harper basket, followed quickly by a Kruse score to push the Pirates ahead 56-62. Damarius McMillan would score his only points of the night to bring the Phoenix back within two points, 56-54 with 2:34 remaining. That’s when Harper hit a massive three-pointer with 1:53 left to push Harbor Beach back up to five points, followed by a Luke Bischer free throw just four seconds later, 60-54 still in favor of the Pirates. After an IAF basket from Jeremiah Woods with 1:28 left and a Geiger free throw made it a five-point game once again, 61-56, International would go on an a six-point run in a matter of 32 seconds to take the lead, 62-61, led by an Antonio Santiago three and basket with just 41 seconds left. Since both teams had exceeded five team fouls in overtime (and fouls do not reset at the end of each overtime), every foul in the second overtime resulted in free throws. Harper went to the line with 36 seconds left and missed both, but he redeemed himself by making a bucket with 18 seconds remaining to push the Pirates back ahead by a single point, 63-62. With 8.1 seconds left, Matt Geiger was followed and sent to the line, where he made one, extending Harbor Beach’s lead to two points. His second free throw was rebounded by International who pushed the ball up the floor quickly; Woods was wide open in the lane, but missed the layup with less than five seconds left. A long rebound that extended out to midcourt saw the clock expire with the Pirates clinging to a two-point victory, 64-62.
Harbor Beach was led by Harper’s 30 points and Kruse finished with 19. Geiger scored 10 points, while Kabban ended with four points. Bischer was the only other scorer for the Pirates, a single free throw in double overtime. International was paced by Felder’s 18 points; Gregory scored 13 and Santiago finished with 12.
The Pirates now advance to the State Quarterfinals to face the 2025 state runner-up, Pontiac Arts & Technology. That game will take place on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at the SC4 Fieldhouse in downtown Port Huron. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm with coverage beginning at 4:40pm on Sports Radio 102.1FM, wlewsports.com and video coverage on the NFHS Network.
Please note: WLEW Sports Network is providing the official broadcast of the 2026 State Quarterfinals. When searching for the game on the NFHS Network, search “MHSAA” and the game should appear. The link will also be available on wlewsports.com.
Watch the complete broadcast on the NFHS Network (subscription required)
