 Photos by Ryan Schultz The Tigers had a limited number of wrestlers travel to Northview on Saturday the 18th. 5 of the 6 wrestlers placed top 3 at the 12 team invite. Senior Alex Russo picked up 4 more wins to claim the 126lbs weight class championship with 3 pins and a major decision in the finals. Kashton Atwood at 132lbs and Antonio Santana at 106lbs each finished runner ups to take home silver medals. Malchi Dawe at 113lbs and Cameron Espinoza at 120lbs finished in 3rd place. Sophomore Markie Davis competed at Hopkins also on Saturday winning her 145/155lbs weight block with 3 dominating first period pins in the girls division. Grant hosts Big Rapids and Newaygo at the middle school in CSAA conference action on Wednesday January 22nd.
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 Photo by Matthew Zerfas Fremont 76 Manistee 44 The lengthy road trip aside, the Packers took awhile to get hot in their visit to the Mariners. It was knotted at 14 after one but the second saw the visitors take command with an 8 point lead at intermission. The second half was all Packers as they outscored their hosts 41-17 and solidified their hold on the top spot in the Lakes. Taylor DeKuiper led the Pack firing in a career high 23 points while taking 11 off the glass. Mia Clamence filled the stat sheet with a triple double knocking down 21 points hauling home a dozen boards and pilfering the Mariners for 10 steals.Riley Chase added 8 points and tallied.5 steals. EveryPacker player got into the book in the romp. .Fremont (6-0, 9-2), heads to Pine River Friday to take on the Bucks. Newaygo 50 Chippewa Hills 22 The Lions took an 8 point lead into intermission then ran away from the Warriors in the second half to secure the Red Division win. Coach Thomasma: "Good win for the team tonight. I thought defensively we played really well and it kept us ahead in the first half when we didn't play our best on offense. We were able to gradually start getting our hands on passes which led to some easy buckets for us. I thought Schultz, Hughes and Lathrop stood out on the defensive end." Kaelyn Stephens led the Lions with 8 points and 4 steals. Naomi Schillman, Morgan Andres, Kija Schultz and Ruby Hughes each had 7 points on a well balanced scoring night. Newaygo (4-1, 8-2) will host Central Montcalm on Tuesday  Photos by Brent Foondle White Cloud 36 Central Montcalm 34 It was an exciting night in Stanton for the White Cloud squad who picked up their first Division win. We will let Coach Caleb Wilk tell the story Coach Wilk: The girls earned this one. From start to finish this game was a thriller. I would be curious to know how many lead changes were in this game. Coming into the game we were without two of our players, so we ended up starting our three freshmen together for the first time this year (Vincent, Cook, and Coon). All three of them have been working hard this season, and with the guidance of our upper classmen who have shown excellent leadership they have helped these youngins get up to speed playing varsity basketball. The game started off nice and slow with the 1st quarter showing a 4 to 2 lead for our host. It was one of those quarters where both teams were trying to figure out the other team a bit and gain some momentum. The second quarter both teams dropped in 13 points so our host led by two at halftime. I felt like during the 2nd quarter we moved the ball well enough against their zone and Andi Vincent had the hot hand. She canned in three triples and another two in the quarter with Izzy Shockley putting in another basket. Make no mistake this was not a one man show. Every girl on the court was making the correct passes. Foondle, Burgess, and Williams did a phenomenal job of setting up the offense during the 2nd quarter. At halftime we talked about being more aggressive. We only shot one free throw in the first half, so that was a priority. Towards the end of the second quarter CM went man to man, so we were able to game plan at halftime to face it during the 2nd half. To start the third quarter CM made a little run. While the attention shifted at slowing down Vincent, Brooklyn Foondle started to heat up and hit for all seven of her points in the third. These points were extremely crucial to keep the game close. To end the third we managed to pull back within one point. At the start of the 4th CM made another little run to go up five points. Andi made a nice move to the basket to cut their lead back to three. On the next defensive possession Burgess dove on the ground for a loose ball and was able to throw it to Andi who was able to gain a step on her defender and was fouled on her layup attempt. Unfortunately she missed both, but Addyson Cook snagged the rebound and put it in to close the gap to one point. On the following defensive trip we took another stand and Courtney Coon came up with a steal. After a quick timeout we went back to Andi and she was able to shake her defender and was fouled on another layup attempt. This time she split the pair to tie us up at 31. Fifteen seconds later CM found their sharp shooter who canned in a three pointer with just under four minutes remaining to retake the lead. After a CM timeout. They sent a double team to Andi and she found an open Foondle who then sent the ball to Coon who then hit Andi coming off from two screens. She drove and made the floater but missed the and one. We were now down one. Over the next two possessions we traded turnovers. CM started to stall with about 2 and a half minutes left in the game, so we extended our zone. We forced them into a turnover when Addyson Cook jumped a pass on the block. On the next possession we were called for a moving screen, but we got the ball right back when Burgess was able to get a hand on it, and she found Andi flying down the court for a layup. CM called a timeout with 15 seconds left, and Andi blocked the three point shot that was attempted. Cook rebounded the block and was fouled shortly after. We weren't in the bonus yet so we inbounded the ball and Andi was fouled. She split the pair to give us a two point lead. CM was able to get up two shots before time ran out, but both were heavily contested. I'm extremely proud of how hard the girls played tonight. This summer CM beat us up pretty bad during a camp, so to see the growth of our team since then has been a fun journey to be a part of. Andi Vincent led us with 22 points and Brooklyn Foondle chipped in 7 points. White Cloud (1-3, 2-7) visits Chippewa Hills on Tuesday  
Photos by Brent Foondle Newaygo 61 Chip Hills 55 The Lions snapped a 3 game skid and notched a conference victory with a thrilling come from behind win over the Warriors.Newaygo took an early lead but trailed by 7 at halftime. Chip Hills extended the lead to 13 entering the fourth quarter when Newaygo began its comeback. Newaygo outscored Chip Hills 22-3 in the fourth quarter to pull out the tough win. Blake Kerr led the Lions with 16 points, followed by Isaiah Miedema with 15 and Hunter Yearsovich and Ethan Reyburn with 9 each. Newaygo (3-2, 5-6) gets back into action Tuesday when they visit Central Montcalm to take on the Hornets Central Montcalm 57 White Cloud 43 The Cloud dropped their 4th in a row and their 3rd straight Division game when they came up short in a visit to the Hornet hive. Coach Jones: “We have to work harder to get better.” Coleson Cruzan fired in 18 points while Jayden Robinsin hit for 13. David Higgs and Brady Sraik finished with 6 apiece. White Cloud (1-3, 7-6) will host Chippewa Hills on Tuesday Manistee 55 Fremont 33 The Packers win streak ended at one with a lopsided loss to the Mariners in Lakes Division play Mossen Green hit for 7 points and Noah Hansen finished with 6 for the Packers Fremont (1-5, 3-10) visits Mason County Central on Tuesday.    Grant owns the glass in win over BR Photos by Amanda Louck-Booth Story by Ken DeLaat Grant 61 Big Rapids 47 Make no mistake about it. The CSAA Red title runs through Grant. This one came with a lot of expectations as the top two teams in the Red faced off with both undefeated in division play and Grant undefeated on the season. Aiden Booth opened the scoring with a bucket and BR answered. Then the Tigers took charge with a 9-0 run taking advantage of missed shots and turnovers by the visitors as Ethan DeLong tripled followed by two Sincere Hatch buckets and another by Blake Rider. BR stopped the bleeding with a couple of baskets before Hatch fired one from long range to make it 14-5. The Cards fought back to end the quarter down 17-13. The second saw another Tiger run, taking advantage of their smothering defense and control of the glass to run off 8 straight and it was a 12 point lead with a couple minutes left in the half. Jack Swanson and Rider connected while BR put up a pair of threes and a basket and the teams hit intermission with Grant up 29-21. The second half saw more of the Tiger dominance on the boards allowing Swanson, Booth, DeLong and Phillips to push the lead to 13 heading into the 4th. A Hatch basket opened the quarter giving Grant a 15 point lead but the Tigers got teed up for celebrating the basket too overtly for the referees so BR went to the line for 2 and the ball. They split at the line and could not convert on the possession and the Tigers kept the pressure on building a 21 point lead. The Cards went on a small run but it was too little too late and the Tigers took sole possession of first while running their winning streak to 10. Coach Dan George: “I was pleased with our rebounding and defensive efforts tonight.We still have some things to work on but I'm very proud of my guys." And proud he should be. Coach George has done a masterful job with his team and the Tigers are tearing up their schedule behind well balanced scoring and a lengthy bench. They have a couple of tough non conference opponents this week but there does not seem to be anyone in the Red who might stand in their way of a title. That is until the final game of the regular season when they cap off Division play in a rematch with the Cardinals. In Big Rapids. Hatch led the Tiger scoring attack with 16 points. DeLong hit for 15 and Swanson came off the bench to tally 10 while playing some wicked defense. Grant (4-0, 10-0) will host Sparta on Monday.
      Comeback win keeps BR atop the Division Photos and story by Ken DeLaat Big Rapids 44 Grant 36 A tough loss for the Tigers who played head to head with the Red Division leading Cardinals throughout the contest. This was a very physical game that resulted in a lot of trips to the free throw line. An early foul sent Payton Bouwkamp to the line where she split a pair. Soon after, Alexa Obenauf canned one from distance and following a Cardinal 1 for 2 at the stripe, Emma Thompson scored to make it 6-1. A triple by Cardinal Kayleigh Knopf cut the lead to 2 but another foul followed by a technical put Obenauf once again at the line where she knocked down 3 of 4 The Cards came back with a basket plus one and Lily Gee responded with a basket plus and the quarter ended with Grant holding a 15-11 lead. The second began with a Thompson bucket and a missile from behind the line by Gee and the Tiger lead was 9. BR fought back with a 10-2 run to intermission and the teams went to the locker rooms with the Tigers clinging to a 24-23 lead. The second half began with the Fricke sisters scoring the first 6 and Grant was down for the first time in the game. They responded with Thompson hitting a 2 and Gee adding a bucket and a triple to put the Tigers back in front but with time expiring in the 3rd, BR’s Ava Pedigo ripped a three and the teams headed to the final frame with the Cards up by 1. The 4th began with a Nuray Fricke bucket and Gee once again hit from outside to tie the game at 34. The Cards went on another run going 7-0 before Bouwkamp found net. The visitors took the air out of the ball, hitting their shots when Grant was forced to foul and securing a hard fought win. I had not seen Grant play since a lopsided loss to Newaygo in Mid December and this is a different squad than the one that took the floor back then. There is a strong core of varsity experience and Gee gives them a consistent outside threat. On Friday they tossed everything they had at the Red Div. leaders, banging the boards and playing some nasty defense. In the end it was too much Nuray Fricke the Cardinal freshman phenom who fired in 19 points including critical shots down the stretch, but this brand of Tiger basketball should be primed for the second half of the season. And Newaygo comes to town the 31st for a rematch. Gee led the Tigers with 17 points, Obenauf hit for 9 while Thompson finished with 6 and Bouwkamp, 5. Grant (2-2, 4-6) will host a winless Sparta team on Monday.     Photos by Matthew Zerfas Fremont hosted Muskegon Heights tonight in a non league matchup. The Packers jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead behind Mossen Green's 7 first quarter points, and led 11-9 after 1. Muskegon Heights took a 18-16 lead at the half. Both teams traded runs in the second half and were tied with .05 seconds to go. A missed dunk by the Heights sent it into Overtime. Both teams traded buckets back and forth in Overtime which then led to double OT. Fremont jumped out to a 6 point lead and the Heights hit a big three to cut it to three, but that was as close as it got. Fremont pulled away late in the second overtime to secure the win. Fremont was led by Mossen Green with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Redick Powell had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Brayden Crosley had 9 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Carter Sherman had a massive night on the boards with 7 points and 14 rebounds. Logan McLain had 6 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Noah Hansen finished with 6 rebounds. Fremont plays at Manistee on Friday in a WMC Matchup.    Mystery Ref is a stickler about no pre game dunking Friday Matchups for Lions, Packers, Tigers and White Cloud
Girls Newaygo (7-2) at Chippewa Hills (1-7) The Lions bounced back from a mistake-filled loss to Big Rapids to take a hard fought win over White Division co-leader Kent City. We’re a little less than a month away from a rematch with the Cardinals and it’s difficult to see another loss in the Red before then. It’s even more difficult to see the Warriors being in this one at the end. If the Lion offense can get some traction early there should be some court time for the bench and the long bus ride home from Remus should be a happy one. Big Rapids (9-1) at Grant (4-5) The Tigers are 4-0 against teams with a losing record and 0-5 against teams with a winning record. The Cardinals don’t have an offensive juggernaut but defensively they are strong and have allowed over 40 points just once all season. The Tigers have struggled to find a consistent offense lately making their chances of an upset more than a bit tenuous. Fremont (8-2) at Manistee (4-5) The first of 5 straight road games for the Packers. The Mariners have dropped 4 straight to a quartet of pretty solid WMC teams, but they were in the Ludington game right up to the buzzer. In their two losses that bookend 8 straight wins, teams held the Packers under 40 points. I doubt Manistee’s defense will be able to do that . A new streak begins Friday. White Cloud (2-7) at Central Montcalm (4-5) That was a gritty performance by the WC defense holding the Red Division leading Cardinal team to 34 points. If that D shows up again they might have a shot against the Hornets, but they have to score more than 30 and they’ve only done that twice all season. Boys Big Rapids (9-2) at Grant (9-0) This should be a dandy. The Tigers are having a magical season under new coach Dan George and Friday they will have their biggest test of the season when the Red Division co-leader Cardinals come to town. How good are the Tigers? They have steamrolled through their schedule thus far and a win over BR would solidify their status as one of the elite teams in the region. It’s not going to come easy though and they haven’t been in a dogfight like this one looks to be. Newaygo (4-6) at Chippewa Hills (4-6) The Lions defense has opened the floodgates for opponents yielding over 70 points in each of their last 3 losses. The Warriors aren’t a great team but they have won 4 out of their last 5 and while they don't score a ton of points, neither did Montague before they hung 71 on the Lions last week. . Toss up game but the Warriors are at home. Fremont (3-9) at Manistee (5-7) The Mariners have won 3 in a row and are at home. The Packers bounced back from a beatdown by Whitehall to give a solid Big Rapids team a game and then went into double overtime to beat the Heights, a regular tournament rival back in the day. Interesting side note, this was the 4th OT game for the Tigers this season. The teams, along with Montague, share the bottom rung of the Lakes Division and neither team is likely to light up the scoreboard. I like the Packers chances here. White Cloud (7-5) at Central Montcalm (3-8) The Hornets have yet to find a consistent offense which should sound familiar to Coach Jones. He was down a shooter in the loss to BR and we don’t know the status going into Friday. If the defense can do what they’re capable of and a couple of players get hot WC can get a win here and stay in contention for a title but a loss here and those slim hopes are gone. 
 Photos by Brent Foondle Newaygo 37 Kent City 31 The Lions put together a comeback win over the White Division leading Eagles . A sluggish Lion offense in the first half sent them to the locker room trailing 21-12 but they came roaring out in the third with a 14-3 run that put them in the drivers seat entering the 4th. KC’s team put together a couple of charges to move back into the lead but the Lions held them off down the stretch to earn their 7th win in the last 8 contests. Ruby Hughes absolutely ruled the glass taking down a game high 17 boards while tossing in 9 points. Kija Schultz knocked down a team high ten points and snared 9 steals while Amaya Lathrop hit for 8 points and added 5 steals and a trio of rebounds. Coach Thomasma: “I am so proud of how the team fought and battled tonight. We didn't shoot the ball well (7-23 from the FT line) and we had a rough game on Friday and then had a subpar first half but the girls dug deep, answered the bell in the second half and got the win. Our defense really settled it and it helped give us some transition offense along with better rebounding.” Newaygo (3-1, 7-2) visits Chip Hills on Friday . Big Rapids 34 White Cloud 15 The Cloud couldn't get their offense going against the visiting Cardinals but the defense held the Red Division leader to their lowest output since early December. Coach Wilk: “Tonight we held Big Rapids to 15 points in the 1st half and 35 overall for the game. Defensively, I was extremely proud of how we played. Offensively we couldn't get much going. Their athleticism and length is very tough to play against. We held our own against a really good team, and we showed a lot of growth tonight even though we struggled to score. “Before the game we talked about being aggressive, and we did a great job of getting to the free throw line, but unfortunately we only sank 5 of 16.. On Friday, we will be looking at getting our offense going early. White Cloud (0-3, 2-7) heads to Stanton Friday take on the Hornets in a White Division matchup Grant 41 Central Montcalm 40 The Tigers took a big lead but the Hornets whittled away at it and it took a free throw in the final second to salvage the win for the hosts. Coach Delamater: “We ran out of gas and allowed them to come back after being up by double digits.” Alexa Obenauf hit the free throw that sealed the win for the Tigers, finishing with an even dozen points and taking down rebounds. Emma Thompson had a big night on the glass grabbing 11 boards to go with her 12 points.
Photos by Matthew Zerfas Evart 54 Fremont 39 There are a fistful of outstanding teams playing out of the Highland Conference this season. State-ranked teams from McBain and Roscommon as well as a highly regarded Manton squad are among their best but it is Evart who currently sits atop the league. The Wildcats came into town Tuesday and in Coach Pete Zerfas’ words, “...did to us exactly what we have been doing to other teams.” “It was a good lesson for us. They were more physical, rebounded better and were able to score in transition. We played hard, but just not as well as Evart.“ The Pack edged out to a slim 11-9 lead after one but the ‘Cats had their way on the court in the second outscoring their hosts 17-8 and taking a 7 point lead into intermission. Evart came out of the break with 6 straight points and by the time the teams were entering the final frame the visitors were up 18 and cruised to the win. Ella Shriver and Mia Clemence hit for 7 apiece while the trio of Grace Evans, Khalia Noordyk and Taylor DeKuiper each notched 5. Riley Chase and Taylor Johnson both finished with 4 points and Anna Norris added 2. Fremont (5-0, 8-2) returns to Division play with a road game against Manistee Friday. It is the first of 5 straight road games before the Packers return home on February 4th to face Ludington. The Orioles are currently a game behind the Packers in the Lakes title race.   |
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