Bilski

ESCANABA — North Central freshman Dawson Bilski could have taken a “that’s the breaks” attitude at Michigan Tech University this past men’s basketball season.

Instead, Bilski kept his nose to the grindstone after facing some initial adversity.

“I started off with a broken nose which set me off a little bit,” said Bilski. “That didn’t stop me and I put in a lot of hard work. Coaches and teammates kept believing in me. I put in a lot of hard work and eventually I got to where I wanted to be and I ended the season very well.”

Bilski started the season coming off the bench while averaging 15.25 minutes per game. The final nine games saw Bilski get the starting nod and also saw his minutes go up to 29.33 mpg.

“The college game, the speed and strength aspect of it, I think he got adjusted to,” said North Central coach Adam Mercier. “He also started to shoot the ball extremely well the later part of the year. I think Dawson’s improvement from year one to year two will be something their coaching staff is going to be really proud of.”

Bilski played in 29 games this season and averaged 4.4 points per game, 2.6 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 32.6 percent from the 3-point line.

Bilski’s first start came Feb. 3 against Purdue Northwest where he scored a season-high 18 points while also collecting nine rebounds, three assists and one steal. He scored all his points from deep, hitting on 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) from behind the arc.

“Before the game started we knew they were going to run a 2-3 zone on us,” said Bilski. “I thought what a better way to start your first game as a starter than to hit a bunch of threes. The first half I didn’t shoot very well, but the second half I came out and shot the lights out. It was really nice to have a game like that. It was definitely a confidence booster for the rest of the season.”

He followed up that game with a 12-point game against Davenport Feb. 24 where he shot 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from the field including 2-for-4 from three. He also had four rebounds and three assists during the contest.

Four days later in a game against Wayne State, Bilski poured in 11 points while grabbing four rebounds and one steal. He continued his efficient shooting going 3-for-6 from the field including 2-for-3 (66.7 percent) from three.

“The first half of the year I was for sure nervous and I wasn’t comfortable out there yet,” said Bilski. “I was still trying to adapt to that level of competition. The second half of the season I started those nine games and I felt more comfortable out there and I got used to playing with everyone.”

The experience and growth Bilski saw in his first year with the Huskies will hopefully benefit him next year as he tries to take the next step in his career.

Here are some other area collegiate athletes and how they fared this season:

Whitens at Western

* North Central’s Jason Whitens finished up his freshman season on the Western Michigan University men’s basketball team where he averaged 1.1 ppg, .9 rpg and had four assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in 16 games.

Whitens had a season-high six points in his first collegiate game Nov. 11 against Siena Heights.

Whitens also played well toward the end of the season, especially against Central Michigan March 3. He scored two points, but recorded a season-high three rebounds and two steals.

Sweet home Alabama-Huntsville

* Escanaba freshman Levi Wunder made the transition to Division I college hockey at Alabama-Huntsville. Wunder made two trips with the team to Marquette to face Northern Michigan University, including a recent weekend WCHA playoff series.

In 38 games, Wunder recorded nine points (seven assists, two goals) while collecting 35 shots and 23 blocks.

In a game against Alaska Anchorage Jan. 12, Wunder had a goal and an assist on three shots for a season-high two points.

On Feb. 9 against Minnesota State, Wunder contributed with a season-high three blocks.

Finlandia calling

* Escanaba’s Brandon Robinette came up big his junior season for the Finlandia University men’s basketball team.

In 21 games Robinette averaged 34.7 mpg where he scored 13.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.6 apg and 1.1 blocks per game.

Robinette averaged 17.8 ppg in his last five games.

In a game against Silver Lake Feb. 10, Robinette had a season-high 23 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

In another game against St. Scholastica Feb. 7, he had 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.

* North Central graduate Jaycee Faccio enjoyed a successful sophomore year at Finlandia where she started the last three games of the season. In 26 games, Faccio averaged 14.8 mpg while scoring 3.3 ppg and 2.8 rpg.

She scored a season-high six points five times this season. She had six points Jan. 23 against Lawrence University where she also had season highs of 11 rebounds, three assists and a block.

Tech sharp shooter

* Escanaba’s Michelle LaFave had a successful junior year at Michigan Tech University where she came off the bench to provide the Huskies with a spark.

She played in 28 games, averaged 13.1 minutes while scoring 7.6 ppg on 50.8 percent shooting from the field and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line.

In a game against Ashland Jan. 4, LaFave scored a season high 17 points going 8-for-11 (72.7) from the field while also grabbing three rebounds.

If you have news about area athletes competing in college sports, please send information to abundgaard@dailypress.net.