Abbreviated Hoop Action

Boys: Karnemaat’s Last Second Bucket Gives Pack Comeback Win, Devils Stake Claim to Second in Silver
Girls: Cloud Keeps Holton Winless, Packers Feel the Sting

The weather continues to be a big player in the local hoops schedule with many games being cancelled out and a limited amount of teams taking to the hardcourts.

Boys
Fremont 55 Central Montcalm 53
Cruising along with a 2 game lead in the Gold and riding an 11 game  winning streak the Packers were stalled by weather Friday and forced to head into Stanton for a Saturday game against the Hornets.
A huge crowd saw the home team take charge early  and hold a 17 point lead halfway through the third quarter.
Once again it was the bench that pulled the Packers out of the doldrums as they battled back to knock 8 points off the lead running off 9 straight points to end the third.
In the final frame the starters came back on the floor and finally caught the Hornets with 3 minutes still  the clock.
Coach Zerfas: “ At that point it was back and forth with all five starters making big plays down the stretch.  Carter Moon was fouled on a 3 point attempt and made all three free throws. Braiden McDonald had a late steal and made 2 free throws.  With 45 seconds to go Calvin Miller made a go ahead jump shot, then with 8 seconds CM hit a 25 foot bank-in 3 point shot to tie. After we called time out Joshua Zerfas drove the length of the floor, split two defenders and lobbed a pass to Logan Karnemaat who had his man sealed above him.
Logan dropped in the  two footer as time expired.
“It was not a good first 20 minutes for us. We were completely outplayed, but afterwards I told the team you cannot play your best game of the year all 20 games. It's a long season, and being able to come back in front of a boisterous crowd on the road after playing our worst 20 minutes of the year shows just how tough and good we are.”
Braiden McDonald and Carter Moon had 13 points, Karnemaat finished with 8 points  and 8 blocks, Miller and Julian Echavarria had 7 points each and Zerfas had 7 assists, 4 in the last 4 minutes to go with 4 points and 0 turnovers.
Fremont 9-1, 14-1 Central Montcalm 5-5, 6-10

Holton 63 White Cloud 43
The Red Devils moved into second place in the Silver by grabbing a road win over the Indians while Kent City fell to Morley Stanwood.
“It was hard fought game on both sides,” said Cloud  Coach Bob Jones.”Holton’s lead was down to 3 at one point in the fourth quarter but we just couldn't get over the hump.”
Nate Slowik fired in a game high 21 points while Aaron Herron and Derek Pouch popped in a dozen apiece. Sam Venema led the Cloud with 11 wnd Steven Hilt and Dexter Cox each hit for 10.
Coach Jones also singled out the valuable minutes logged by Jake Foster, Trent Jones, Chance Montemayor and Alex Doke.
Holton 6-2, 8-8 White Cloud 3-5, 3-13


Girls
White Cloud 55 Holton 25
It was a frigid night outside but things got hot in the  White Cloud gym as the Indians poured in 10 from beyond the arc enroute to  convincing 55-25 win over the winless Red Devils.
Hannah Brown continues to add to her school scoring record firing in 26 points while dishing out a six-pack of assists and working the glass for 5 boards.
The team welcomed back Alexis Strait who has missed a month with an ankle injury and she shook off the rust with a dozen points while also collecting 6 dimes on the night.
Cassie Watson continues to be a force for the Indians as she numbered 5 in points, assists and rebounds and Jemi Perrin found the basket for 8 points..
The win combined with Morley’s loss to Kent City gives the Indians sole possession of second place in the Silver.
White Cloud 6-2, 10-3  Holton 0-9, 0-14

Central Montcalm 65 Fremont  24
There has been no doubt all season who was in charge of the Gold. The Hornets continue to buzz through the opposition as they smothered the Packer offense and rolled to their 14th straight win on the season.
Coach Krim: “I've been coaching a long time and can honestly say that is one if not the best team I have ever coached against. We had a very good week of practice, we were prepared as to what they like to do both offensively and defensively, and really thought if we played well we could keep the game competitive.”
The Bees scored the first 7 points before Fremont got on the board and the Packers battled to pull within 4 points at 9-5.
An 8-0 Hornet run in a raucous gymnasium filled with CM fans spelled doom for the packer hopes for an upset and the rout was on.
It was the 9th time in 10 games CM has bested an opponent by 20 or more points and in 7 of those the margin was more than 30.
Natalie Jamieson was a bright spot for the visitors with a team high 7 points and 5 steals.
Fremont 7-3, 9-5  Central Montcalm 10-0, 14-0

​