 Fremont Wrestling Claims Title at the Hopkins Invitational
The Packers have found a lot of success this season and when it comes to tournaments they have marched through their brackets and generally dominated pool play. The finals however, is where they have run into a roadblock while competing against some of the top teams in the region. Saturday they knocked that roadblock down posting 41 pins enroute to the trophy stand at the Hopkins Team Tournament. Chase Knudsen with 4 pins at 160 and Chaz Wheater who went undefeated at 285 with 5 pins took top individual honors. Trey Breuker placed second at 152 as did Austin Kukal at 285 and Gage Breuker battled to a third place finish at 119. Other Packers that contributed to the team's victory were: Eli Beasley, Matt Halasinski, Jager Kibart, Kyler Kolk, RJ Thome, Matt Long, Gage Montague, Caden Christofferson, Dennis Halasinski, and Payton Mansfield. The top 5 team scores were: Fremont 222 Shelby 177 Plainwell. 154.5 Otsego. 154 Wayland 128
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 Francisco Rios steps back for the jump shot  Connor Swinehart reaches for the tipoff against Reed City Cloud snaps streak, Tigers get edged at home Photos by Alexis Mercer Reed City 73 Newaygo 62 The Lions may have fallen short in their matchup against the conference co leaders Friday but the scrappy squad refused to yield to a hot shooting and opportunistic Coyote team. Several times the visitors had their hosts on the ropes and on the brink of a blowout but the Lions clawed back to stay in contention before running out of time. Reed City was coming off a week’s rest from their disappointing loss at home to the Cardinals and put their impressive offensive weaponry on display early jumping to a 10-2 lead before Noah Cantu hit one followed by a steal and basket by Kade Bhuyan. Swinehart answered a Coyote bucket with a three pointer and the Lions were within 3. RC went on an 9-0 run to go up a dozen then Cantu hit for two and followed with a three. Two Coyote fouls shots followed and the quarter ended with the visitors on top 23-14. The teams played fairly even from then on with Reed City pushing the lead into double figures only to have the Lions find a way back into the game. Early in the third the Coyotes built the lead to 19 and it looked to be over but Ryan Brummel scored twice and Bhuyan finished the quarter with a bucket. The 4th began with Bhuyan hitting two from the stripe and a Swinehart triple to make it a 9 point game. A personal foul that evolved into a technical foul sent RC to the foul line where they hit 2 and on the ensuing possession they fired in a three to stretch the lead to 14. From there the Coyotes slowed things down forcing the Lions to send them to the line where they were able to convert and come away with the win. Swinehart finished with 25 points and 8 boards while Bhuyan and Canti finished with 11 points apiece and Brummel hit for 9. Francisco Rios scored 5 and provided some strong defense in the backcourt. Preston Johnson (18) Cody Kailing (16) and Payton Hanson (11) each reached double figures as part of the 9 Coyotes who scored on the night. Newaygo is now 7-3 and 4-3 in the Gold while Reed City moves to 8-2 on the season and 5-1 in conference play. (Photo gallery at bottom of article.) Fremont 74 Chippewa Hills 30 The Packers rolled past an overnmatched Warrior team to notch their 7th straight win.The dominant performance began with a 27-10 first quarter that built to a 52-18 margin by the half. “All 13 packers played in the second quarter and in the second half contributing to a total team effort tonight,” said Coach Zerfas. By the time the third period was running down the game the running clock was put into place as the lead had increased to 41 points. Braiden McDonald led the team in scoring with 19 points and Joshua Zerfas had career highs with 10 assists and 5 steals. Calvin Miller finished with 10 points, Logan Karnemaat dropped in 9, and Julian Echavarria finished with 8. Cody Moon grabbed 7 boards to go with his 7 points Chris Kennedy snared 4 steals while hitting for a half dozen points and Jaxx Miller dished out 6 assists. Carter Moon and Noah Christensen added 5 points apiece and Moon collected 5 steals. Fremont is 9-1 with a 5-1 conference record. They share the top spot in the Gold with Reed City who will be coming to town on Friday. Big Rapids 44 Grant 42 A packed house saw an exciting game as the Tiger defense held back a strong Cardinal scoring attack before falling just short in the conference tilt. The hosts led by a point late in the game before Trevor Woodard popped in a triple to give the Cards a lead they would hold to the buzzer thanks to a pair of free throws by DJ Lee. Connor Vanderwilt paced the Tiger attack with a dozen points, Seth Schuitema hit for 10 and Carter Chase knocked down 9. Cardinal Jackob Martinson led all scorers with 23 points. White Cloud 52 Lakeview 47 The hosts fell behind early but chipped away at the Wildcat lead and emerged on top in the conference clash. The win snapped a four game skid for the Indians. Cloud players went 11 for 15 at the stripe down the stretch to seal the win. Steven Holt paced the scoring for White Cloud with 17 points while Dexter Cox dropped in 14, Trent Jones hit for 10 and Jacob Foster nailed 9. Morley Stanwood 59 Hesperia 28 The Panther 6 took to the court against the undefeated Mohawks who ran their record to 10-0 with the conference win. ”My guys give me everything they have, but we struggle to score,” said Coach Bolles. Jacob Klemundt led the Panthers in scoring with 10 points. Logan Balkema pulled down 11 rebounds to go with his 9 points. Kent City 89 Holton 33 Central Montcalm 61 Tri County 57
Photos by Alexis Mercer and Justice Long Newaygo 42 Reed City 29 The Long sisters accounted for all the Lion offense during a 13-2 run to start the game with Jaylee scoring 8 and Jaxi adding 5. Unable to solve the Newaygo press, the Coyotes yielded a rash of turnovers to put themselves in an early hole. Alison Duddles hit a basket for RC to start the second but a Lily Ruehmeier bucket followed by a pair of sweet scoring passes from Sophia Frisbie to Kendall Mathis, and a Mathis baseline hit put the hosts up 15 before Madelynn Morgan laced a triple for the ‘Yotes to make it an even dozen. With time winding down in the half the Lions struck again running off 6 quick points by Jaylee Long, Mathis and Jaxi Long to pull into halftime with a 27-10 lead. The second half the Coyotes looked to slow the tempo and the tactic seemed to cool off the Newaygo offense a bit but the visitors were unable to get much closer as the Lions defense continued to limit their good looks at the basket. "I thought we played good defense in the first half,” said Coach Thomasma. “ We got a little loose with our assignments in the second half but we were able to hang on. Reed City made a lot of things difficult for us tonight." Jaylee Long led all scorers with 15 points while Jaxi Long hit for 13 and Mathis knocked down 8 while grabbing 4 rebounds. Emmerson Goodin showed a lot of grit holding her own during some pretty physical inside play and Frisbie created havoc in the Coyote backcourt with her tenacious defense. Newaygo is now 6-3 on the season and 4-3 in conference play. Reed City drops to 2-7, 1-5. (Photo gallery of game at bottom of article.) Fremont 50 Chippewa Hills 23 Paige Vandenberg had a huge 1st half scoring 16 of the 25 Packer points as the hosts built a 10 point lead then ran away after the break. “Defensively we did a very good job of taking away their dribble penetrating in the 2nd half limiting them to just 7 2nd half points, “ said Coach Krim. Vandenberg finished with 21 points while Calla Miller and Natalie Jamieson each canned 8. Miller also dished out 5 assists and Jamieson put on a defensive clinic swiping seven steaks while rejecting 5 Warrior shots The Packers are now 7-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play a game behind league leading and undefeated Central Montcalm. White Cloud 53 Lakeview 39 The Cloud was lighting it up from a distance Friday with Hannah Brown scorching a quintet of triples and Olivia Bowman adding another 4 from the arc. The hot shooting led to the 4th straight win for the Indian squad. Jemi Perrin provided a huge spark as she stepped in for the injured Alexis Strait and responded with 9 points and 6 rebounds while dishing off 3 assists. Brown continues to add to her school scoring record as she drained 27 points to go with 6 boards, 6 assists and a trio of steals on defense and Bowman finished with 12 points. White Cloud is now 7-2 on the season and 4-1 in the Silver, one game behind Kent City who will be visiting the Cloud this Friday Kent City 89 Holton 33 Morley Stanwood 66 Hesperia 39 Central Montcalm 70 Tri County 30 Grant 51 Big Rapids 35  By Ken DeLaat
Friday night marks the halfway point in the conference season for area basketball teams and races in each of the CSAA leagues have heated up as expected. In Girls Gold Central Montcalm isn’t just undefeated., no one has even come close but for one team. Grant. The Tigers gave them a battle at home but the Hornets are unlikely to stumble with a deep and talented team that hasn’t lost a regular season game in two years. A game and a half separate the next four teams with the Packers in front followed by the Tigers, TC and Newaygo. In the Silver Kent City continues to hold the top spot with the Cloud a game back and Hesperia and Holton holding the bottom two spots. For the Boys the route to the top spot in the Gold was going through Reed City before they were knocked off by Big Rapids and fell into a tie with the Packers. Newaygo is a game back with 2 losses to the co-leaders and Grant is just a game and a half back but staring up at four teams in front of them. The Mohawks of Morley are good. Real good. They are not only undefeated in the Silver, they have a 3-0 record against cross conference teams in the Gold as well. Kent City is a game behind and stayed with the ‘Hawks on the road and Holton is also just one back however they were manhandled by MS in their December contest at the Delta Plex that ended 74-32 Boys: Reed City 4-1 7-2 at Newaygo 4-2 7-2 This is a big one and will define the race going forward.The ‘Yotes were rolling through their Gold schedule until last Friday when the Cardinal team showed up and took them down in RC’s home gym, no easy feat at any time. Of course Jackob Martinson dropping 35 on the Coyotes helped the Cardinal cause considerably. The Lions need to contain Zac Saez and Cody Kailing and Connor Swinehart will be challenged inside so a few key three pointers will help free him up Chip Hills 1-4 3-5 at Fremont 4-1 8-1 The Packers are at home where they haven’t lost.They are healthy, deep, and tall. The Warriors are coming off of three straight losses to start the new year but they have hung around against the top tier teams in the league so they can’t be taken lightly. They won’t. The Packers might be waiting on the rematch at home against the Coyotes next Friday but there are two games to play before that one and this team has been taking care of business at home this year. Big Rapids 2-3, 4-5 at Grant 3-3, 5-5 The Tigers have played well but are hurt by a lack of depth with just 8 players on the team. This game features a pair of the best players in the league. If Martinson gets hot early for the Cards it could be a long night for Grant defenders but the Tigers have their own scoring machine in Carter Chase. Watching Chase and Martinson on the court is alone worth the price of admission because both are consummate ball handlers with sweet shots. Lakeview 1-3, 3-6 at White Cloud 1-3, 1-9 Neither team scores a lot so whoever finds a hot hand and makes a run will likely decide the outcome. Each team has a conference win and both are against the much depleted Hesperia squad Hesperia 0-4, 0-11 at Morley Stanwood 4-0, 9-0 Doug Bolles and his team have weathered a lot of adversity this season going up against teams who have had the luxury of more than one substitute player on their bench. Teams that didn’t have to ask most of your players to go the full 32 every night. But these guys show up and they show up ready to compete. As we said in the intro, the Mohawks are a really really good team without a loss. At home and playing a team who has yet to win. Holton 3-1, 4-5 at Kent City 3-1, 6-5 Are the Red Devils for real? Should find out tonight. The Eagles are a strong team that plays well at home. Both teams have lost to MS but Kent City was decidedly closer. The Devils might struggle to keep up with the scoring power of the Eagles should they make a couple early runs because Holton is unlikely to win a shootout, but if they can keep the score down they might find some of that leftover magic from the football season. Central Montcalm 3-2, 4-7 at Tri County 0-5, 1-9 The Hornets are in the thick of the Gold race after shaking off a 4 game skid with a pair of conference wins over the Cards and Warriors. The Vikes are getting better but seem to have scoring lapses that take them out of games. Girls: Reed City 1-4, 4-6 Newaygo 3-3, 5-3 The Lions are an enigmatic team who can look unstoppable when they limit turnovers that seem to come in bunches at times.Jaylee Long makes the engine fire. Her intensity is shared by her teammates who leave absolutely nothing on the court at game’s end. Lily Reuehmeier was not in the lineup during the lss to Grant on Tuesday and she was missed as was the inside presence of Emmerson Goodin who saw most of the game from the bench due to foul trouble. When all the parts are in place this is a formidable team and the Coyotes will have a hard time if the Lion offense is clicking. Big Rapids 1-4, 3-5 at Grant 4-2, 4-5 The Tigers were impressive in their win over Newaygo Tuesday. Kirstyn Throop spent so much time at the free throw line she started getting mail there and Arends, Male, and Whan seemed to be everywhere on defense. The Cardinals don’t have any players who will light up the scoring sheet. The Tigers do. Chip Hills 0-5, 1-6 at Fremont 4-1, 6-3 Two Overtime wins in a row for the Pack a scrappy group of players with talent. Paige Vandenberg, Calla Miller and Natalie Jamieson have settled nicely into their roles and Chloe Shriver has ice in her veins when it comes to crunch time. Lots of good players, fun team to watch. The Warriors have lost a couple of close ones in conference play but they are going to have trouble scoring against this Packer defense. Central Montcalm 5-0, 8-0 at Tri County 3-2, 4-3 The Hornets went undefeated last year then got bounced in the districts by a Big Rapids team they had beaten twice earlier. They are on a mission and capturing the Gold again is just a part of that mission. The Vikings have some talent, but have dropped 3 of their last 4 and the swarming defense of the Bees enables lengthy and productive offensive runs. Lakeview 2-2, 4-4 at White Cloud 3-1, 6-2 The Cloud is rolling. They’ve won 5 out of 6 since the loss to Kent City 6 weeks ago and face a Wildcat team that is unlikely to keep up with the scoring ability of this group led by sharpshooter Hannah Brown. Next Friday the Eagles land in WC for a rematch on the Indian home court, but while that game might be looming in the minds of the players they will have no trouble being focused on the game at hand. Hesperia 1-3, 5-4 at Morley Stanwood 2-2, 4-4 We haven’t heard much about the Panthers but they’ve won a few games along the way and the Mohawks have played decent ball with losses to KC and WC in conference play. Holton 0-4, 0-8 at Kent City 4-0, 7-2 The Eagles have a whole lot of firepower and can smother a team when they press. The Devils haven’t won a game and that streak is unlikely to end Friday  Fremont defeated the Grant Tigers by a final score of 51-24 at Fremont High School. The Packers who won by pin were Jager Kibart, Trey Breuker, Chase Knudsen, Kyler Kolk. Other Packers that tallied wins were Gage Montague, Matt Halasinski, Payton Mansfield, Austin Kukal, and RJ Thome. Fremont will finish their CSAA conference duals next week against Chippewa Hills and Newaygo.
The Packers are now 26-5 on the season.  By Ken DeLaat Photos by Alexis Mercer Newaygo 74 Grant 60 The Lions and Tigers faced off in the latest edition of this forever rivalry, the kind that tends to upgrade the importance in any of their athletic competitions. Both teams came into the game with 3-2 conference records and looking up at Fremont and Reed City the teams sitting a game in front at the top. And on this night the win went to Newaygo. The Lions literally roared out of the gate scoring 9 unanswered points before the game was a minute old.The distance had grown to 13-0 before Connor VanderWilt ended the drought with a basket. A split at the line from Brett Long, a Diesel Rose bucket and another 2 by VanderWilt and the Tigers crept back in. Ryan Brummel canned a triple and Swinehart worked inside for 2 but VanderWilt answered with a 3 pointer and Grant got a bucket by Long and another by Carter Chase. The lead looked to be 5 at quarter’s end but Brummel fired in another from distance at the buzzer and the 1st ended at 22-14 Lions. Kade Bhuyan and another Brummel three took the lead to 13 but the Tigers clawed their way back and twice got within 5 as Chase and Seth Schuitema hit a pair of 3 pointers then when the half was winding down Chase fended off a trio of defenders to snap a another triple in at the buzzer and make it a 6 point game. Then came the second half. The Lions ripped off a 16-4 run at the start and never let the visitors closer than 10 from there on out. “Great win against a good Grant team tonight,” said Coach Barrette.” We made things very tough for them and executed on offense.” Swinehart led the scoring parade with 27 points to go with a dozen boards and Noah Cantu fired in 20 while snaring 8 rebounds. Bhuyan dished out 6 dimes, grabbed 5 steals and scored 11 points while playing tough on the defensive end. Brummel finished with 9 points courtesy of his trio of triples. Chase led the Tigers with 23 points and put on an offensive clinic with his ball handling and shooting ability. Long and Schuitema hit for 10 apiece and Rose finished with 5. The Lions 4-2 in the Gold and 7-2 overall will be hosting the Coyotes of Reed City Friday night while Grant (3-3, 5-5) will return home to face the Cardinals of Big Rapids (2-3, 4-5)  Photos by Alexis Mercer Grant 54 Newaygo 43 Early on Sophia Frisbie hit a basket to give the host Lions the 2-0 lead in the game between these two long time rivals and Grant answered with a Kylie Patton bucket. Then the whistles began to blow. The Lions picked up two quick fouls then another on a Nicole Whan basket who converted to make it 5-2. Kirstyn Throop scored off a steal then Whan was sent to the line again where she canned both.Jaylee Long stopped the bleeding with a Lion basket before Throop would stand at the charity stripe where she would split the first 2 of the 22 trips she would make there on the night. Jaxi Long scored and Jaylee Long followed with a triple to get Newaygo within one but Throop scored from the field and the line to stretch the lead to 6 before Jaylee Long stuck one in from beyond the arc to keep it close. Throop hit again for the Tigers then Jaxi Long hit a basket at the buzzer and it was a 17-14 Tiger lead after one. In the second the Tigers twice created some distance only to have their hosts fight their way back into the game.At intermission Grant held a 28-25 edge and had been at the foul line 20 times converting 12. Frisbie opened the scoring after the break then Jaylee Long went to the line and delivered twice giving the Lions their first lead since the beginning of the contest. Whan scored twice off steal then two Tiger trips to the line later it was an 8 point Tiger lead. Frisbie scored before Jill Arends fired in a three pointer for Grant but Newaygo cut the 9 point edge to 5 with Jessica Sanchez and Jaylee Long scoring. The final frame was all Tigers as they went on another run to push the lead to as much as 12 and seal the win. Lion Coach Nate Thomasma: "It was a game of spurts and Grant had the most important one at the end of the game. Give credit to them, they really dictated the tempo. We played hard like always but didn't make the plays when we needed to.” Throop led all scorers with 17 points,13 from the line, and teammate Whan hit for 15. Jaylee Long knocked down 16 points while passing off 4 assists, Frisbie delivered an even dozen points and also notched 4 assists and Kendall Mathis took down 10 boards to go with her 5 points. Grant improves to 5-3 (4-2 in conference) while Newaygo falls to 5-3 (3-3 in conference). The Lions will host Reed City Friday while Big Rapids makes a trip to Grant to take on the Tigers. White Cloud 67 Walkerville 15 The Indians took command early and never looked back delivering a convincing win over the Wildcats. Hannah Brown finished with with 20 points, 8 assists, and 5 steals, Olivia Bowman added 16 points, and 5 assists and Layna Yeiter controlled the boards with a team high 10. White Cloud resumes league play Friday when they host Lakeview.  Karnemaat going in for 2 of his 37 points. Photo by Alicia Jaimes Karnemaat Dominates Cantu Cans A Bunch Slowik Heats Up Devils Fremont 66 Grant 48 It had been 7 long years since the Packers pulled off a win on the Tiger home court and Logan Karnemaat made sure the streak ended there as he put together a monster game pouring in 37 points while ruling the glass with 20 rebounds. For good measure Karnemaat spent some serious time on defense as well slapping away 7 Tiger attempts as part of the dominant performance by the Fremont senior. The Packers took advantage of some cold shooting by the hosts to jump off to a 9-0 lead before triples by Seth Schuitema, Connor Vanderwilt and Brett Long got the Tigers back in the game. But not for long. Karnemaat scored in double figures each of the last three periods and teamed with Calvin Miller to keep the Tigers from scoring inside. Of the 17 shots that fell for Grant, 11 were from beyond the arc. Miller totaled 9 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists while Joshua Zerfas dished out 6 assists and Carter Moon added 4 assists and 4 steals. Carter Chase fired in a team high 19 points for the Tigers with Schuitema hitting for 11, Vanderwilt scoring 8 and Long adding 6. The win, along with the Big Rapids win over Reed City puts the Packers in a tie with the Coyotes for the top spot in the Gold. Fremont is now 4-1 in conference play and 8-1 overall. The Tigers are now 3-2 in the league with a 5-4 mark overall. Newaygo 66 Tri County 49 The Lions took control early and held a 15 point lead by the half in their road win over the Vikings. “It was a good team effort tonight,” said Coach Barrette. “ We moved the ball well and people on offense were getting a lot of great looks.” Noah Cantu canned 19 points to led the Lions while Ryan Brummel hit 7 of his 9 shots to finish with 15 points. Kade Bhuyan nabbed 5 steals on defense to go with his 5 assists and 6 boards while Francisco Rios filled the stat sheet with 5 rebounds 4 assists, 4 steals and a half dozen points. Newaygo moves to 2-3 in the conference and 5-3 overall while the Vikes drop to 1-4 in the Gold and 2-8 overall. Morley Stanwood 72 White Cloud 40 The Mohawks rained down a record 18 triples as they routed the Indians to remain undefeated on the season at 9-0 and all alone atop the Silver at 4-0. “We lost to a really good team tonight, “ said Coach Jones. “ Our guys played their hearts out.” Jake Foster fired in 13 points to lead the Indians while Sam Venema hit for 8 and Steven Holt added 7 Aiden McLaughlin led the Mohawks with 18 points, Landon Elenbaas had 15 and Axel Woolworth finished with 11 White Cloud is now 1-3 in the Silver and 1-9 overall. Holton 64 Lakeview 52 The Red Devils held onto a second place tie with Kent City in the Silver with a win over the visiting Wildcats. “Our kids executed the game plan well,” said Coach Luke Francis. Nate Slowik was on fire knocking down a game high 27 points for the Devils while Derek Pouch fired in 18. The win gives Holton a 3-1 record in the league and evens their season mark at 4-4. Lakeview drops to 1-3, 3-6. Kent City 61 Hesperia 21  Grant's David Jaimes setting a pick for Carter Chase on Packer Carter Moon. Photo by Alicia Jaimes  Jaxi Long firing a pass to Emmerson Goodin in a previous game against Big Rapids. Photo by Alexis Mercer Shriver Shines Again
Jaylee Long Cans 22 Cloud Defense Stifles MS Fremont 46 Grant 44 For the second time in a row the Packers took the opposition into overtime and for the second time they emerged on top. Once again Chloe Shriver played a pivotal role hitting a baseline runner as time expired to send the game into that extra period. “It was a close and exciting game the whole whole way as both teams played hard and tough defense,” aid Packer Coach John Krim. “Both teams played well enough to win.” Paige Vandenberg took down 10 boards to go with her team high 15 points for the Pack and Natalie Jamieson hit for 14 including 4 straight points to open the overtime period. KirstynThroop finished with a game high 16 points for the host Tigers including accounting for all 6 of Grant’s points in OT.. Fremont is now 6-3 and alone in second place at 4-1 in conference play. Grant is now 3-5 overall and 3-2 in the Gold. Newaygo 63 Tri-County 45 Newaygo was coming off a tough loss on Thursday and on the road at Tri County where the Vikes forged a 32-31 lead by intermission. The Lions roared out of the locker room canning 24 points in the third while holding their hosts to 7. The 16 point edge entering the final frame proved to more than enough as Newaygo got back on track with their 3rd win in the last 4 games. Lion Coach Nate Thomasma: "It was a good bounce back win for us. After a slow start, we came out and played a great 2nd half. It was great to get back into the win column but we have to play more consistently." Jaylee Long led the way for the visitors pouring in 22 points and dishing out 6 assists while Jaxi Long hit for 14 points and pulled down 5 rebounds. Lily Ruehmeier rejected a trio of Viking attempts, grabbed a team high 7 boards, and knocked down 9 points in the win Jessica Thompson paced the Viking scoring finishing with 13 points. Newaygo improves to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play while Tri-County drops to 4-3 and 3-2 in the Gold. White Cloud 38 Morley Stanwood 31 The White Cloud Girls hosted arch rival Morley Stanwood and came out victorious in a hard fought, defensive game. Hannah Brown fired in 19 points to go with 3 steals, and 3 assists while Hallie Schulz added 5 points including a huge three pointer late in the 4th quarter to help the Cloud take control of the game. Olivia Bowman pulled down a half dozen boards to go with her 5 points. The Indians went 8-8 from the line in crucial moments to seal the victory. Breanna Berry led the Mohawks with 16 points. White Cloud is now alone in second place with a 3-1 conference mark and sits at 5-2 overall. MS falls to 2-2 in the Silver and 3-4 overall. Lakeview 39 Holton 28 Kent City 87 Hesperia 23  A quick look at Friday's matchups in the N3 coverage area.
Boys Fremont (3-1, 7-1) at Grant (3-1, 5-3) Since the break the Packers have won twice shaking off a pesky Hornet squad and wearing down a good Newaygo team. Attempting to get Logan Karnemaat in foul trouble early seems to be the chief strategy for opponents but the Packers are long down the bench with a front line that plays tall and an abundance of quickness at guard. The Tigers have been in three close contests in a row and won the last two. They are young and prone to occasional lapses but they can knock them down from a distance which they will need to do against their visitors from Fremont who will likely control the glass. Newaygo (2-2, 5-2) at Tri County (0-4, 1-8) The Lions stayed with Fremont for most of the game Tuesday but the offense unraveled a bit toward the end of the contest and the Packers ran away from them. They won’t be facing the same type of offensive explosiveness and front line dominance in this game. The Vikes have struggled on offense and weren’t able to hold an 11 point 4th quarter lead against Grant on Tuesday falling by 3. Morley Stanwood (3-0, 8-0) at White Cloud (1-2, 1-8) The Mohawks have a really good team and look to be steaming toward more than a conference title.MS hasn’t played in three weeks but they won’t overlook their hosts. MS was putting up over 70 a game down the stretch before the break and the Indians struggle to score. Hesperia (0-3, 0-8) at Kent City (2-, 5-5) This is a good Eagles squad who will be looking for their rematch against the Mohawks who knocked them into second place before the break. The Panthers dress 6 players. They are consistently undermanned and undersized and take the floor each game not knowing if they’ll finish with five players but ready to battle for a win. They have shown a good deal of character this season and should praised for their perseverance. They have yet to score 40 in a game and KC can produce points in bunches so….. Lakeview (1-2, 3-5) at Holton (2-1, 3-4) The Red Devils are at home and this should be a close one. The 5 losses on the Wildcat side came against some of the better teams around as have the 4 for the Devils. Holton’s home crowd continues to be energized by their run in football so the excitement level should be in high gear. Girls Newaygo (2-2, 4-2) at Tri County (3-1, 4-2) The Lions are coming off a heartbreaker in Fremont. The Vikes got taken apart by Grant. Both teams will be looking to get back on track and both teams are capable of quick runs. Fremont (3-1, 5-3) at Grant (3-1, 3-4) The Packers persevered against a fiery Newaygo team and now they head to Grant. The Tigers have shown more consistency in their two games since the break. Before the Newaygo game the Packers lost to the Hornets but everyone seems to be getting stung by the Bees these days. Morley Stanwood (2-1, 3-3) at White Cloud (2-1, 4-2) This one is a big one for the Cloud who could take sole possession of second place and stay on track for a showdown with the Eagles later this month. Look for the Mohawks to try to shut down Hannah Brown but Alexis Strait has had a hot hand also of late and the two are creating problems for defenders. Lakeview (1-2, 3-4) at Holton (0-3, 0-6) The Red Devils are struggling. They will need to not allow the Cats to run away early but if the visitors jump ahead it might be a long game for the hosts. Hesperia (1-2, 5-2) at Kent City (3-0, 6-2) The Eagles are good and have dismantled teams in the Silver thus far. The Panthers have surprised some folks but might struggle on the road facing the league leader. |
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