HAZEL PARK >> In the Rams’ eyes, it’s better late than never.

Lamphere would have preferred to lock up the MAC Bronze title six days beforehand on its home floor, but the Rams avenged their loss then to Hazel Park on Thursday, beating the Vikings 55-49 to win the MAC Bronze title outright.

The Vikings trailed in the standings by two games prior to last Friday, when they won 59-52 in Madison Heights, but Lamphere was able to deny them a split of the league on their home floor in the rematch, a make-up from a matchup that was originally scheduled for Jan. 21.

“Just straight up revenge,” Rams junior Jack Robinson said when asked of the emotions heading into Thursday’s affair. “None of us in that locker room thought they should have beat us the first time, so we knew we had to come out and play our game. It feels great (to win the title). First one in 23 years, so it feels phenomenal to just get the weight off our shoulders.”

Unsurprisingly, it was a nail-biter of a finish once again. Trailing by one inside the final four minutes, Aidan Grzesikowski’s steal and layup put Lamphere back ahead, then Mychael Foster’s second-chance bucket made it a three-point Rams’ lead before Chris Hana (12 points) knocked down a deep 3-pointer to tie the game with 2:11 to go.

However, Robinson got to the baseline on the ensuing possession and was fouled on a pull-up shot that he knocked down, and Robinson made his free-throw to put Lamphere ahead for good, 50-47.

“I saw a smaller defender on me, so I just took advantage, went baseline, and luckily I got the call and the bucket to go,” Robinson said. “It was a huge shot, but that comes from the whole team having confidence in each other, no matter who it is. We all trust the other person taking that shot.”

The Rams broke full-court pressure that resulted in layups by Foster and Quincy Tymon (12 points) in the final minute, while Hazel Park missed its final three 3-pointers, each of which steadily secured their fate as league runners-up.

“It just didn’t fall our way tonight,” Vikings head coach Cecil Goff said. “We’ve got to learn how to close games out. I’ve been preaching it all year. If we play as a team and we stay disciplined, we’re tough to beat, but when we’re selfish and do too much 1-on-1 stuff, we beat ourselves.”

About midway through the second quarter, Lamphere (16-6, 9-1) went up on the Rams by 13 points, but junior Ki’Shaun Stewart scored all but two of Hazel Park’s dozen in that period that helped keep it to within eight at halftime.

“We just came out a little hungry tonight after that last loss,” Lamphere head coach Bobby Robinson said. “I think we were eager to get back out here. We were playing loose, because we didn’t have anything to lose. We were league champs regardless, right? So all the pressure was on them after beating us and they had to beat us twice. But they fought back. I knew they weren’t just going to roll over and let us roll away with the game. (Cecil’s) got his kids playing really well at the right time.”

Whereas the Rams had answered with a triple several times previously when Hazel Park had gotten it to within six, the Vikings finally vanquished the lead with senior Mike Riley’s mid-range make from the elbow, then a trey by Hana that deadlocked it with 1:20 to go in the third quarter. Riley converted a layup just before the end of the quarter that put the home side up 35-33 entering the fourth.

As they had in the last meeting, the Vikings (13-9, 7-3) switched it up from man-to-man and zone on defense to try and create confusion.

“We sped them up — I believe that resulted in their shot selection — and we started playing more as a team,” Goff said. “And we started playing more as a team. That’s what got us back into it and got us the lead, eventually.”

Stewart, who had 18 points in the triumph over Lamphere last week, led the Vikings in Thursday’s loss with 22 points.

Three of the Rams’ four 3-pointers on the night came from Robinson, who equaled Foster with a team-high 15 points.

Coach Robinson gave his own perspective on winning the title, saying, “I told these guys that they’re going to remember this for the rest of your life. I do. I won one as a junior in high school, which is a long time ago, and I still talk to those guys. We still talk about stuff like that when we get together, and I told these guys they’re gonna do the same thing when they get together, whether it’s five, 10 years (from now).

“You can’t take down that ’25 on that banner. You can take a lot of things away from our season, but that’s the one thing that’ll be up there forever.”

Hazel Park hosts its district and opens up play Monday against Ferndale University. The Rams, meanwhile, will begin the playoffs against Cranbrook-Kingswood in a district hosted by Pontiac.

Lamphere lost to the Cranes 56-53 in overtime back on Feb. 4.

“We let one get away against Cranbrook,” Coach Robinson said. “We were up 16, and then they took it to us last game. But this is the first game we’ve had everyone dressed and healthy all year … this is huge, right? But unfortunately, we’ve got to leave it all at the door and get ready for Cranbrook on Monday.”