The Flivvers (22-4, 7-1) accomplished that goal, but ran into a loaded Romulus Summit Academy North (24-3, 10-0) squad on Friday.

The Dragons pounced on Kingsford early and held on to secure a 52-40 win in the MHSAA Division 2 state semifinals in the Breslin Center.

“We got down early and the pressure got to us a little bit,” Olsen said. “We just weren’t able to climb out of that hole. We talked about how important it was to start quick and get a lead, so we could play the game on our terms. That didn’t work out how we wanted.

“The game was played on their terms. Late in the game, we had to go get them and that’s not our style. They’re a disciplined team and they did what they needed to do. They’re a great team.”

Kingsford senior Morgan Sleik (12) waits for the opening tip-off on Friday in the Breslin Center.

Although the Flivvers fell short of the ultimate goal, making the Breslin accomplished a childhood dream for senior Gavin Grondin.

“At the beginning of the year, coach gave us a piece of paper and told us to write our goals down,” Grondin said. “Every single one of us had make it to the Breslin. We fell short of our ultimate goal — a state championship. But we made it here, with the guys that I love the most.”

All season long the Flivvers have made a name for themselves playing stingy defense. On Friday, Romulus Summit Academy North took a page out of Kingsford’s book.

“They did to us what we do to other teams,” Olsen said, “We get up early, we play extremely hard defense. We keep games in the 40s and then score just enough to win. The script was flipped on us tonight.”

Grondin entered the game averaging 24.9 points per game, something Dragons head coach Derek “D.J.” Clark was well aware of.

Kingsford senior Gavin Grondin (20) drives to the basket for a layup attempt during Friday’s MHSAA Division 2 state semifinal.

“We tried to keep the ball out of his hands,” Clark said. “You can’t score without the ball.”

Grondin finished with 12 points.

“Their pressure was uptempo the whole game,” Grondin said. “They were denying me at the beginning. I was a little passive in the first half, but I was able to show I could get downhill on them in the second half. They’re a great defensive team that’s firing on all cylinders.”

The teams battled through the opening minutes and Romulus Summit Academy North held a 4-3 advantage. However, that’s when the Dragons took over. They went on a 12-3 run over the final five minutes of the frame and took a 16-6 advantage into the second.

The Flivvers found their footing in the second quarter, scoring 10 points. A Grondin 3-pointer cut the deficit to five points with three minutes left in the frame. Again, Romulus kept the pressure on and went on another run. It ended the quarter on a 9-0 run and took a 30-16 advantage into halftime.

Backed into a corner, Kingsford turned to each other.

“(Coach) said, ‘We’ve just got to keep fighting, there’s no 14-point shot,'” Grondin said. “You’ve got to take it one shot, one stop at a time.”

“We always say, ‘one heartbeat,’ and that’s what this team has,” senior Morgan Sleik said. “We play for each other.”

The Flivvers came out of the locker room in attack mode and managed to cut the lead to 12 off a Jack Kriegl mid-range jumper.

“That’s these kids,” Olsen said. “This group of guys has been playing together since the third grade. I’ll tell you what, they haven’t lost a lot of games. And we’re not just talking basketball. We’re talking football and baseball. It’s a group of kids that are resilient for each other. They love each other. I love them.

“We said we weren’t going to stop until that horn blew. We didn’t lay down, we didn’t die. We kept fighting. Kudos to them.”

The Dragons, however, weren’t backing down.

“We chipped away at them, but they kept chipping at us,” Grondin said.

Romulus closed the quarter on a 7-2 run and took a 42-25 lead into the final frame.

The Flivvers kept battling in the fourth, cutting the deficit back down to 12 points late. But, the hole was too big.

The loss means the end of the road for Kingsford’s five seniors –Grondin, Sleik, Gavin Trevillian, Joey Weber and Andres Finley.

“It means everything,” Olsen said. “That’s what’s tough about the end of a season, this team, this group of guys, it changes. This core group of guys won’t ever be together, practice tighter and that’s hard.

“We’re losing some really, really good basketball players that are going to be hard to replace. We’re going to miss these seniors for sure.”

Although the Flivvers didn’t get the result they wanted, their fans never let them down.

“We’re 450 miles from home, a seven-hour drive, and it felt like a darn home game today,” Olsen said. “The love that the community has given us, I can’t brag about Kingsford enough. The school district, the administration, the community, these players, the kids, the parents, I’m so blessed to be where we are.

“We’re so far away from home and it really truly felt like a home game tonight. I’m just so blessed.”

For Grondin, that support meant the world.

“The stands are all blue,” he said. “It was an awesome experience and atmosphere. Thank you to all the people who came out.”

Grondin’s 12 points led the Flivvers. He also tallied two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.

Kingsford also received contributions from Owen Olkkonen (2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal), Trevillian (1 point, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 assists), Sleik (11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal), Kriegl (8 points 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals), Jett Buckley (3 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal), and Gaige Sorenson (3 points).