Boys Hoops: Cloud No Match For MS, Lions Rebound Over Vikes, Eagles Cruise, Devils Drop ‘Cats2/22/2020 Morley Stanwood 70 White Cloud 48 The visitors showed why they are co leaders in the Silver as they took control early raining down triples from 3 different players in the first to take a 17-9 lead. A 14-2 run by the ‘Hawks in the second made it a 20 point game as Stepan Holt, Sam Venema and Dexter Cox scored to keep the Cloud in the game but MS kept their hosts at bay the rest of the night and secured their 15th win of the season against just 2 losses. Next week White Cloud (3-6, 6-10) will visit undefeated Ravenna and finish up conference play at Lakeview. Newaygo 76 Tri County 61 The Lions fell behind early trailing by 3 after one but the offense got hot in the second outscoring the Vikings 22-12 to go to intermission up 35-28 The visitors edged the lead to 10 after three and outshot their hosts in a final frame scoring flurry to secure the win and snap a 4 game skid. Coach Barrette. “This was a good team win. We played together well and looked for each other in transition.” Ashton Stephen knocked in 5 triples as part of his game high 25 points and Carlos Magana ruled the glass with 14 rebounds while dropping in 7 points. Fransisco Rios dished out 7 assists and scored a half dozen points and Wyatt Mortensen scored 17. Newaygo (4-8, 5-11) hosts Grant and Reed City next week Kent City 76 Hesperia 20 Coach Worcester: “As expected Coach Ingles and his team were very classy yet competitive. Our guys gave 100% effort the whole game. Our seniors have dug deep and put it all on the line each night. After the game I commended my team for the progression we have made on fundamentals. However, I reminded the seniors and underclassmen that we still have a few more games left and districts left to earn a win. I believe in these guys and I don’t think it’s too late to edge a win out.” Freshman Armando Escobedo led the Panthers in scoring with 6. Hesperia (0-9, 0-18) play at Morley next week Holton 47 Lakeview 34 The Red Devils made it 3 in a row with a conference win over the Wildcats. Lakeview put out a good effort in front of their fans but the visitors possesed far too many weapons for the ‘Cats to stay close. Nathan Slowik led the Devs with 23 pints. while Drew Trygstad scored 8, Aidan Poling 7, Lukas Ramaekers 4, Wyatt Monette 3 and Austin Fowler 2. Holton (6-3, 11-6) will visit Shelby and Kent City next week. Hesperia/Kent City photo by Sue Harrison
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Girls Hoops: “Hawks Clip Cloud, Vikes Sail By Lions, Eagles Fly Past Panthers, Devs Nip ‘Cats2/22/2020 By Ken DeLaat Morley Stanwood 43 White Cloud 25 Morley Stanwood is a good team. A very good team. Ok, they may not be able to beat the powerhouse of the Silver known as the Eagles (currently ranked #8 in D3), and there was that recent loss in Newaygo but beyond those games they have mostly dominated opponents. Only 2 teams they have beaten have come within 10 points, a 5 point win over the state ranked Trojans of Lake City… And White Cloud. The Cloud was at home with a large supportive crowd and got off to a quick start as Olivia Bowman opened the scoring by canning one from distance then after a stop Carsyn Scarlavai drew a foul and converted both shots to deliver a 5-0 lead. But it was early. After a Brooke Brauher free throw Breanna Berry took over for the Hawks to find her way to the bucket three times in a row then answered a Bowman 2 to give MS a 9-7 edge after one. The second saw the visitors come out like gangbusters as Kalee Ramsey, Braelyn Berry and Brauher each scored followed by a Ramsey triple and the lead went to double digits. Alexis Strait fired in a 3 but Hailey Dard scored twice and after an exchange of baskets the teams went to break with the ‘Hawks up 23-12. In the second Cassie Watson followed an MS basket with a triple to cut the lead to 9. It was the last time the Cloud would be within double figures. When Abby Derks hit 3-4 from the line in the late third and ewrly 4th it cut the lead to 11 but Ramsey rained in a pair of triples that sealed the game and gave MS a season sweep. Give the WC team credit, they gave it all they had and fought for every possession but the ‘Hawks were able to control the glass most of the night and hit their shots when needed. Next week the Cloud will host Ravenna and travel to Lakeview while MS brings in Evart and Hesperia. Then it’s tourney time and should Morley get past Holton as expected these two teams will face off once again for the likely opportunity to take on their hosts. Kent City. Tri County 64 Newaygo 52 Following a week that delivered a pair of close, gut wrenching losses at home the Lions traveled to Tri County to try and shake off those losses and get back on the winning track. The Vikes had played them close on the Lion court last month and came into the game riding a 5 game winning streak. Make it 6. "We really did not do anything well tonight and a lot of that had to do with Tri-County,” said Coach Thomasma. “ They came out ready to play and played an excellent game. We need to regroup and get better this last week of the season before District play." Varsity newcomer Kayla Fisk dropped in 7 points and provided some inspired defensive play with 4 steals while Emmerson Goodin hauled down 9 boards and scored 8 points. Jaxi Long paced the scoring with 13 points while dishing 5 dimes and Jaylee Long led in assists with a half dozen hitting for 11 points as well. Newaygo hosts Grant and Reed City next week before getting ready for their first tourney game, a third go-round with the Packers at Fremont and Tri County finish their regular season with a visit to Fremont and a visit from CM before prepping for their post season opener against Comstock Park, also at Fremont. Kent City 71 Hesperia 35 The Eagles rained down 29 first quarter points to take a commanding 23 point lead after one and by the break the lead had pushed to 30. Kenzie Bowers put on a sharpshooting show knocking down 9 triples enroute to a 29 point performance while Joan Carr hit for 13 and Jenna Harrison dropped in 9. Coach Grodus: “We improved from our last performance against Kent City. Kent City is a well coached, athletic team. They played very well tonight.” Emily Bayle paced the Panther scoring matching 13 points to her 13 rebounds and Emmi Tinkham equalled her 10 boards with 10 points Hesperia (4-5, 8-9) will be on the road for 3 games next week at Shelby, North Muskegon and Morley Stanwood before heading to postseason play and the winner of Kent City/ Ravenna. Holton 36 Lakeview 32 The Red Devils picked up their first conference win and first road win by defeating the Wildcats in Lakeview. Holton was down 6-2 at the end of the first quarter before Gianna Reed came off the bench in the second quarter and hit two huge baskets to jump start the offense and the Devs pulled into intermission with a 19-19 tie. A hard fought third ended with Holton holding a tight 27-26 lead and they were able to hold off the Wldcats for the win. Madi Bosset and Kennedy Greene went a combined 7/9 from the line late to seal the win. Coach Mason:”Defensively our girls knew they couldn’t get in foul trouble or we would be in for a long night they did really well keeping their feet moving instead of reaching.” Hesperia/Kent City photos by Sue Harrison
Photos by Alexis Mercer
BOYS Fremont at Grant Best game to see Friday night. Title on the line. Well, a share of it perhaps. While the winner of this game has an easier road to the top spot and the Hornets mathematically eliminated an enigmatic Big Rapids team on Tuesday the Cards can turn it on and Grant will play them in their conference finale next week. So the Tigers need this one. But so does Fremont. After Friday the Packers finish up with two teams they handled easily first time around and the teams the Hornets face in their last three didn’t give them much of a problem earlier in the season. So barring some unusual circumstances a Fremont win would seem to forecast a likely share of the title. The Tigers nearly took the Packers down during a mid January week when Fremont was coming off a bruising win over an inspired Newaygo team. The Packers rebounded with a pair of convincing wins over their next two conference opponents but since then have gone 3-4 and at times have struggled on the offensive end. McDonald scored more than half of Fremont’s 71 points Tuesday. These aren’t the same Tigers that have surged to the forefront this season. They lost defensive standout Long and battled to a tough win Tuesday without the services of arguably the area’s best player in Chase. But they did win. In the first clash between these two quality teams Campbell proved to be the deciding factor for Fremont taking down 14 boards, rejecting an octet of Tiger shots in the process and adding in a dozen points. Rose came up big for Grant as did Chase and Schuitema. The Tigers won’t have Long but Chase will hopefully return from illness and we hope it shapes up to be another classic. Newaygo at Tri County On Tuesday the Lions gave Fremont fits early but went cold from the field at the same time McDonald was lighting it up for the Packers. Both teams have 4 wins and the last time out the Lions put together a great game and put the Vikes away early. While they struggle to finish at times they aren’t facing a team like BR or Fremont who take any opening and split it wide open. Still, the Vikes are at home playing for pride and have a pair of games against 2 of the co-leaders to wind up the conference season. Morley Stanwood at White Cloud The ‘Hawks are coming off an emotional win over KC to pull into a tie for the Silver lead. While the Cloud will go at them hard MS won’t let this game stand in the way of what appears to be a shared title looming ahead. Kent City at Hesperia The Eagles have lost 3 in a row and 4 out of 5. The last time out the bested the Panthers by 61 points. 61 points. They have to win out for a share of the Silver after the loss to MS and while Holton could give them trouble, Hesperia is building a program and averages just 24 points a game. On four occasions KC has tripled that output. A lot of bench time on tap for the Eagle starters Friday. Holton at Lakeview Lakeview hasn’t been able to keep it close against any team with a winning record. The Red Devils have a winning record. GIRLS Fremont at Grant The Packers have a share of the title in their sights and need this one on the road and two next week at home to accomplish it because we have seen the Cardinals play and doubt they will falter down the stretch unless unforeseen circumstances should arise. The Tiger girls have had a bit of an up and down season wiith some inconsistent play hurting them particularly against the more talented teams. They have some scorers but Miller and Shriver are consummate defenders and the rest of the 7 or 8 possible Packer starters are no slouches either. Newaygo at Tri County The Lions have dropped a pair of heartbreakers this past week and will have to find a way to finish against the really good teams because their first opponent in the upcoming tourney is a really good team they had on the ropes Tuesday. In the meantime they face a Viking team whose loss to the Lions first time around led to a 5 game skid. Since then they have answered with a 5 game winning streak and are playing at home against a team they nearly beat back in January. The Lions need to shake off those two losses and get on track because the Vikes could be dangerous. They began the win streak by taking down Montague the co-leader in the WMC. Morley Stanwood at White Cloud The Cloud has won four in a row and nothing would make them happier than to make it 5 against the Morley team they will all but certainly meet in upcoming tourney play. They will have to be at their best though and the 'Hawks will be keying on stopping Strait and Bowman and keeping Watson off the glass. A win also gives WC a shot at a second place finish in the Silver behind the basketball behemoth that is Kent City. Kent City at Hesperia. The Panthers are still young and have good seasons ahead of them. For the Eagles the future is now and while a win here clinches the Silver title they are looking at making a long tournament run. The Panthers are gamers and have put together a strong second half but they are going to have a tough time to keep up with the scoring prowess possessed by the Eagles. Holton at Lakeview The Wildcats have won just a single game this year. They beat the Red Devils. By 7. Holton has improved since then and could snare their first Silver win but it’s in Lakeview and the Devs are 0-5 on the road. Ken DeLaat- N3 Sports Fremont 35 Newaygo 30 It was a defensive battle from the get-go. Fremont showed their hand early on when they looked to neutralize the Lion scoring attack by putting Calla Miller on Jaylee Long and Chloe Shriver on Jaxi Long. The teams reached the end of the first with the visitors holding a 6-5 lead and not because the shots weren’t falling but because the respective defenses slapped on by both teams made even getting a shot off difficult to say the least. It was halfway through the opening period when Kendall Mathis ripped the nets from distance to stake the hosts to a 3-0 lead. Paige Vandenberg took a pair of passes from Haley Zerlaut and Miller to put the Pack up 4-3 then Goodin and Vandenberg traded shots to end the quarter. Mathis opened the 2nd quarter scoring with a bank shot from the wing then rifled a pass to Jaxi Long who converted. After a stop Jaylee Long got into the books with a pull up jumper and Newaygo held a 5 point edge. With a minute and a half remaining Vandenberg got the Packers on the board with a long 2 then a minute later Miller drained a triple and the teams went to break with the Lions up 15-11. The Lions kept the lead throughout the third with Jaxi Long connecting twice, Goodin hitting for 2 and Lily Ruuehmeier scoring while Fremont got buckets from Vandenberg, Natalie Jamieson and Miller and the teams entered the 4th with Newygo holding a 23-18 advantage. Jamieson opened the 4th with a score courtesy of a Miller pass then stole the ball and went full court to pull the Pack to within a point. Bennett split from the line to tie the game but Jaxi Long drove in for a pair and was answered by another drive to the hoop by Miller. Jaylee Long got to the stripe and went 2-2 and once again Miller answered for the tie. With 2 ½ minutes left Goodin fouled out and Miller converted both free throws. Those shots from the charity stripe gave Fremont the lead they would hold to the end as a technical foul with a minute and a half left forced Newaygo into fouling and the Packers hit enough of them to secure the win. Coupled with the Big Rapids win over Central Montcalm the victory kept the two teams tied for the conference top spot. Coach Thomasma: "Give Fremont all the credit. They made some shots at the end of the game to get the win. Extremely proud of my girls. They battled and played hard all night." Miller finished with 11 points while dishing out a quartet of dimes and Jamieson scored 9. Vandenberg worked the glass with 10 boards to go with her 10 points. Jaxi Long finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds while Goodin tallied 6 points and added 6 boards The win improves the Packers' overall record to 12-5, 10-1 in the conference. They travel to Grant for another league matchup with the Tigers on Friday. Newaygo (6-5, 11-6) heads to Tri County to take on the Vikings. Fremont 71 Newaygo 60
The Packers kept pace with their conference co-leaders with a hard fought win over the Lions in Newaygo. The hosts got off to a good start taking it into the paint and battling to a 22-18 lead. The second quarter saw the Packer defense take hold yielding just 5 points while scoring 17 and the teams hit intermission with the visitors in front 35-27. The second half saw Fremont able to hold off any Newaygo runs to keep the lead hovering around 10 points and come away with a much needed win. Coach Zerfas: “We definitely have to clean a few things up defensively and rebounding, but it's always good to get a win at Newaygo.” Coach Barrette: “ We played with good energy, but were unable to finish enough plays. When we didn’t finish or made a mistake Fremont took advantage.” Braiden McDonald went wild on the offensive end pouring in 36 points while hauling down 10 rebounds Tristan Campbell also took down 10 boards to go with his 10 points and Martin Curiel cam off the bench to fire in 9 points.Chris Kennedy had 7 points, Carter Moon had 5 points and Joshua Zerfas had 4 points and 8 assists. Ashton Stephens knocked down a dozen points and snared an equal amount of boards for the Lions, Wyatt Mortenson finished with 15points and Carlos Magana dropped in 14 points. A huge game looms ahead for the Packers (9-2, 13-4) when they visit co-leader Grant on Friday. Newaygo (3-8, 4-11) visits Tri County. Story and photos by Mike Gesler Grant 63 Tri County 59 A month ago when the Grant Tigers met up against the Tri County Vikings, it was on Tri County’s court and the Tigers stunned the Vikings with an 87-63 win. A month ago the flu hadn’t claimed any players for either side, but now it had. Most notably was the absence of Grant’s Carter Chase. A huge blow to the Tigers. And if Chase’s absence wasn’t enough, the Tigers would also have to do without their main defensive hustler, Brett Long, who is out for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle he suffered in last Friday’s game against Chippewa Hills. Because of the absence of Chase and Long, the Tigers were forced to put an untested lineup into the start of the game. Retaining their starting positions were Seth Schuitema, Diesel Rose, and Elliot Butchart. Orion Evans and Gage Burrows would replace Chase and Long to fill out the remaining two spots. “We have never had that lineup on the court, and I thought they handled themselves well,” stated Grant’s coach, Joel Schuitema. Tri County would be first to put points on the board with two from Nicholas Braunschneider. Grant’s Gage Burrows then answered back with three, followed by two from Seth Schuitema. Yet, the Vikings knew they had the opportunity to take one from Grant, and began to put up one tremendous fight coming back with four of their own. This is how the game would go. Both teams battling hard with physical and aggressive play. By the time the half buzzer sounded, the Vikings were only down by four and had made a statement they were not the same team they were a month ago. Like sharks circling a wounded prey, Tri County could smell the blood in the water. The third quarter saw the Vikings out hustle and out board the Tigers. They held the Tigers to eleven points while amassing sixteen points of their own to go into the fourth quarter with a four point lead. However, wounded prey are not dead prey. Tri County was more than content on slowing play down to start the fourth. Who could blame them? After all, what is the best way to keep your opponent from scoring then by keeping the ball out of their hands. And for the first couple minutes, it seemed that Grant was content in allowing Tri County to have their desire. However, Coach Schuitema has been down this road, and called a time out. With his team back on track, Grant came out of that time out and quickly evened the score. This is how the next three minutes would play out. Tri County would go up by a point or two, and Grant would tie it up. That was until Seth Schuitema hit a three point bucket with less than two minutes on the clock which finally gave Grant their first lead since the third. Schuitema and Burrows then went on to combine for nine points to re-edge the Vikings, and ensure a four point Tiger victory.
“We are excited to get a victory. It was a tough battle. Both teams were without some players, and dealing with sickness as many teams are right now. We had guys come off the bench and handle themselves well. Kind of the next man up mentality, and I’m really proud of them for that. It felt a little bit chaotic at times, and I thought they mentally handled it,” shared Coach Schuitema. “We’re proud of them.” Seth Schuitema had a season high thirty points to lead the Tiger victory. Gage Burrows also put up a season high with fourteen. Orion Evans hit for nine points while Cole Lesley and Diesel Rose each had four. Elliot Butchart also contributed with two of his own. Grant retains its share in a three way conference tie for first at 9-2 with Central Montcalm and Fremont. They will face Fremont for a conference showdown on Friday night in Grant. Story and photos by Mike Gesler Tri County 47 Grant 40 The last time Grant Tigers and Tri County Vikings met it was on Tri County’s court, and the Vikings escaped with a one point victory over the Tigers. This meeting would take place on the Tiger’s home court, and the Tigers were hungry to keep their two game win streak alive. “We got off to a slow start tonight, but I thought we did a great job of climbing back, and starting to play our brand of basketball,” stated Paige Paulsen, the Tigers head coach. A slow start was certainly an understatement. Grant’s play in the first quarter was uninspired. Tri County jumped to an eight point lead before Kassidy Doornbos found the net for the Tiger’s first points. Just as Grant brought the game within two, Tri County’s Ashley Bialek hit for three. Despite a sluggishness to Grant’s step, the Tigers only found themselves behind by four at the end of the first. I don’t know what Coach Paulsen said to his girls between quarters, maybe he had them drink a shot of espresso, whatever it was, the Tigers came out a different team in the second. They were more aggressive on the boards, moved the ball with purpose, shut down the lanes on defense, and basically frustrated any opportunity for Tri County. The Tiger’s put up fifteen for the quarter while holding the Vikings to only four, and went into the locker room with a seven point lead. The third quarter started out with Tri County’s Ashley Bialek hitting for two and Alayna Merlington putting down three. That brought Tri County within two. But then Grant’s Kirstyn Throop got involved and answered back with a three and two of her own. Unfortunately, that would be Grant’s only point for the third as Tri County went on a twelve point run to end the third which gave themselves a four point advantage to begin the fourth.
The Grant girls were not about to go gentle into that good night, and with just less than four minutes on the clock, the Tigers clawed their way back to tie up the score at thirty-seven a piece. However, Tri County’s aggression and physical play was too much for Grant to sustain any sort of advantage. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Vikings swung the momentum back to their side putting up ten more points while the Tigers only stitched together three. “We came out in the third, had a couple of chances, and credit to Tri County. They certainly stayed with it and played hard, played aggressive, very physical, and we couldn’t get back on track come later,” shared Coach Paulsen. “We had some opportunities, scored some points, but they certainly had an answer for everything with some hustle plays. Going into the last couple weeks here, we certainly got to be able to match that with all the teams we play.” Leading in tonight’s efforts for the Tigers was Kassidy Doornbos with thirteen points, followed by Sara Arends with eleven. Kirstyn Throop put up eight, Trinity Swanson shot for four, and Savannah Passage and Jaycee Rider each had two. The Tigers fall to 5-6 in the conference, and will face Fremont on Friday evening in Grant. Story and photos by Mike Gesler Grant 54 Chippewa Hills 29 The Lady Tigers have been looking at turning the tide having won only one game since January 14. They put a halt to their six game losing streak last week against Reed City, and tonight hoped that their matchup against Chippewa Hills would continue to put notches in the win column. The first quarter of play saw both teams pressing hard, fighting at the boards, and shutting down looks. Kassidy Doornbos would get the Tigers on the board first. Another two points from Sara Arends, and a point from Kirstyn Throop would have the Tigers up five nothing before Addison Fate of Chippewa Hills would find the bucket twice and bring the game within one. When the buzzer sounded on the first, Grant would only lead by three. The second quarter started with Chippewa Hills and Grant trading buckets, but then the Tigers started to find the chinks in the Warriors’ armor. The Tigers put together their best quarter of the game with six different players hitting the net, and never looked back. In fact, by the time this game finished, nine of the ten players on Grant’s roster would contribute points. Coach Paulsen rotated his players continuously giving each player plenty of time and experience on the floor. Everyone on the Tigers’ roster made significant contributions to the game as Grant easily defeated Chippewa Hills 54 to 29. “We tried really hard to focus on a few things in practice and translate them onto the court, and we certainly did tonight,” stated Grant’s coach, Paige Paulsen. “I thought the girls started to believe a little bit more, and we’re certainly gaining some momentum into the district push here and the last few conference games.”
Three Tigers put up double digits tonight. Kirstyn Throop and Jaycee Rider, which included a three pointer on the buzzer to end the first half, each put up eleven points, followed with ten points from Kassidy Doornbos. Ashley Longcore (6), Trinity Swanson (5), Sara Arends (4), Savannah Passage (3), and Samantha Wolff and Makenzie Ritz each with two also contributed to the Tiger win. The Lady Tigers move to 5-5 in the CSAA Gold Conference, and will next face Tri County on Tuesday evening in Grant. Story and photos by Mike Gesler Grant 68 Chippewa Hills 43 Grant knows that if they want to win the CSAA Gold Conference title, or at least a share of the title, they cannot afford a conference loss. They also know that if they are going to make in sort of run in the upcoming district play, they will need support from deep within their bench. Tonight was a perfect opportunity to keep their starting five honed in while giving their bench plenty of game experience. As many teams are learning this year, if you focus on shutting down Carter Chase, you then have Seth Schuitema to deal with. Schuitema would dominate the first half with sixteen points while Chase’s only five would all come from the line. Adjust to Schuitema, and now you leave Elliot Butchart, Diesel Rose, and Brett Long open for damage around the boards. Readjust to close in around the boards and shut down Schuitema, and now Chase will tear you apart. That’s what happened tonight in Grant. The Tigers thoroughly dominated three quarters of play that saw Chippewa Hills’ coach, Zach Ingles, receive a technical moments before the end of the third. Honestly, who could blame his frustration? There was no answer as Grant led by thirty-four, ruled on the boards, and basically decimated the Warriors through three quarters. The fourth quarter would allow Chippewa Hills to regain some ground on Grant as Coach Schuitema rested his starters, and gave his bench some much needed game time experience. But it would be a quarter of frustrated, fast-paced, physical play from Chippewa Hills. Of the thirty-one combined points of the quarter, thirteen would come from the line.
“Real proud with the guys in the way they executed,” stated Grant’s coach, Joel Schuitema. “It was kind of a physical game and kind of an awkward game at times, and I thought we handled that real well. Everybody got to play and contribute. I think it shows too that we are pretty deep, and can do a lot of things.” The Tigers move to 8-2 in the conference in a three way tie for the top along with Fremont and Central Montcalm. Both Seth Schuitema and Carter Chase had double digits tonight at nineteen and fourteen respectively. Gage Burrows came off the bench and put up seven. Diesel Rose and Elliot Butchart each had six. Cole Lesley and Brett Long each had five. Jed Vanderweide (3), Orion Evans (2), and Eli Bradley (1) also contributed to Grant’s scoring effort. The Tigers will next face Tri County on Tuesday evening in Grant. Friday Girls Basketball: Cardinals Nip Lions; Packers Survive Hornets; Cloud Gets 4th in a Row2/15/2020 Gold: The Cardinals escaped with a win over the Lions but it was anything but easy. Had a few more shots gone in for the Lions during a couple of cold streaks the Packers would be sitting alone atop the conference, but they didn't and BR continued their winning ways. A lot will likely shake out Tuesday when Fremont goes into Newaygo to face a Lion team much improved since their loss in Packerland last month and the Cards head into the Hive to face the Hornets.
Silver: There has been little doubt who owns the conference this year. The talent laden Eagles have a single loss on their record a 3 point defeat at the hands of the D1 Big Reds on Muskegon’s home court. They are a team looking to go farther in post season play than last season when they fell 2 points short in the Regional opener against the eventual State Champion Pirates of Pewamo Westphalia but in the meantime will undoubtedly claim the Silver crown. The Cloud is one back of MS for second and the teams play at WC next Friday. Big Rapids 30 Newaygo 29 It was a defensive war from the start. Two quality teams went to the trenches in a physical battle with the Cardinals emerging with the victory to hang onto a share of first place in the Gold and the Lions left thinking about what might have been. “We just couldn’t hit the shots we needed,” said Coach Thomasma after the fray. “Close game throughout. Give credit to Big Rapids, they made the winning plays tonight." True enough, but the shots were never easy to come by for either team. The visitors got on the board first with a three pointer and halfway through the first Lily Ruuehmeier got the Lions on the board with a bucket. Ariana Costie answered with another triple and Jaxi Long knocked one down for the hosts but that was all the scoring in the opening frame and the score sat at 6-4 after one. Kayla Fisk split from the line to start the second and answered a BR basket with one of her own then after the Cards Holly McKenna wet 1-2 at the stripe a Kendall Mathis shot pulled the Lions even. Jaxi Long scored again to answer another Cardinal 2 before Rylee Haist the BR freshman phenom drew a foul and converted both shots as the team hit the break with the Lions down 13-11. The second half saw the Cards break out to a 6 point lead but the Lions battled back. Jaylee Long hit from distance then drew a 3 point foul and drained each of them to forge a tie. Jaxi Long drove inside twice to get to the line and hit 4-4 and Newaygo grabbed a 25-21 lead entering the 4th, Then the shots went cold. Outside of a pair of scores by Emmerson Goodin the Lions could not find the nets while a Joslin Prince three, a pair of baskets by Haist and 2 splits at the stripe allowed BR to escape with the win. Coach Thomasma: "Proud of my team. They played hard and executed what we wanted. It was just one of those nights where the ball would not go through the hoop.” Jaxi Long led the Lions with 10 points while Goodin and Jaylee Long hit for a half dozen apiece with Goodin adding a team high 8 rebounds. Haist paced the Cards with 11 points with Costie adding 7 and Prince 4. Newaygo (6-4, 11-5) will host the other leader in the gols when Fremont comes to town on Tuesday. Big Rapids (9-1, 15-1) heads for Central Montcalm. Fremont 43 Central Montcalm 38 Fremont jumped out to a 10-4 lead after one quarter, but a 12-6 advantage for Central Montcalm in the second quarter tied the score at 16-16 at the half. Scoring picked up in the third quarter, but the Hornets outscored the Packers 16-14 to take a 32-30 lead into the fourth quarter. The Packers also got into foul trouble in the third, with both Calla Miller and Paige Vandenberg sitting the final few minutes of the third and much of the fourth after picking up their 4th fouls. Chloe Shriver led the scoring attack for the Packers in the third quarter, scoring 7 points in that period. The Packers trailed for much of the fourth before Shriver scored off a Miller assist to bring the score to 38-37. A five second call gave the Packers the ball back, and on the next possession, Miller scored on her own to put the Packers ahead 39-38. Central Montcalm had to foul three times before the Packers headed to the line, with Haley Zerlaut and Vandenberg each hitting one of two free throws to extend the lead to 41-38. Central Montcalm still had the ball with a chance to tie, but a Shriver steal and layup set the final score at 43-38. Shriver led the Packers with 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals. She also keyed the defensive effort against the Hornets' Bailey Vissman, who ended with 9 points, with one basket and going 7-8 from the free throw line. Miller had 10 points for the Packers, while Zerlaut andVandenberg each had 8. Courtney Guelzo led the Hornets scoring attack with 14 points. The win improves the Packers record to 11-5, 9-1 in the conference. The Packers travel to Newaygo on Tuesday to play the Lions. White Cloud 50 Holton 22 Alexis Strait fired in 19 points and grabbed 4 steals as the Cloud ran their winning streak to 4 to move within a game of second place in the Silver.Layna Yeiter and Cassi Watson pulled down 10 rebounds apiece and Naomi Thompson knocked in 8 points. White Cloud (5-3, 11-6) will face Morley Stanwood Friday. Awesome effort, great defense. Kent City 42 Morley Stanwood 30 The ‘Hawks defense kept theEagle scoring machine from running wild but it wasn’t enough as Kent City clinched a share of the Silver title with the win giving them a season sweep over MS. Kalee Ramsey led the hosts in scoring with 11 points and Breanna Berry added 6. Kenzie Bowers fired in 19 points for KC and Jenna Harrison knocked down 17. Thursday Hesperia 65 Lakeview 34 The Panthers took control early grabbing a 32-12 led at the break and cruising to the win. Coach Grodus: “We got off to a fast start with Emily Bayle scoring 12 points in the first quarter. Rachel Romero and Emily Bayle combined for 14 points in the third quarter. Defensively, we had 23 steals and 9 deflections. Bayle finished with 24, Becci Castillo knocked down 17 and Romero finished with 13. Katie Frees grabbed 8 steals and Emily Tinkham took down a team high 7 boards. Hesperia (4-4, 7-8) hists Oakridge on Tuesday. Gold: With the Packer loss to CM and the Tiger win over CH the Gold has knotted up into a 3 way tie for the top spot. With four games left you can’t count out the Cardinals of BR who loom a couple games behind but have shaken off some early season stumbles to win 6 in a row. The Packers play just one of the teams in the top half of the division and it is a big one since Tuesday they are taking on a Tiger team who are on a tear. Grant has a tougher task ahead facing both Fremont and the resurgent BR squad while the Hornets will look to keep their buzz going on the Cardinal court Tuesday. Silver: The ‘Hawks avenged their loss to the Eagles and in doing so grabbed a share of first place. With 2 games left MS faces White Cloud and Hesperia two teams they handled easily the first time around while Kent City also takes on the winless Panthers before their conference finale against the Red Devils who they bested by 25 points on the road. The Silver might just end in a tie. Central Montcalm 65 Fremont 59 The Hornets muscled their way into a share of first pace in the Gold shutting down the Packer offense as they took a 5 point lead at the break and held on to send Fremont to their 3rd loss in the past 4 games. “Cold shooting plagued us, saaid Coach Zerfas. “ We were not able to make many shots shooting 7-35 from the 3pt line and only 32% overall. Tristan Campbell led the Packers with 15 points and 16 rebounds, Brandon McDonald and Chris Kennedy hit for 12 points. Fremont (8-2, 12-4) goes to Newaygo Tuesday to try to keep pace with their co-leaders. Big Rapids 66 Newaygo 35 The Lions scored the first four points before a 12 point run gave the Cards a lead they would hold the rest of the contest. By halftime the visitors had built a 25-12 advantage. The Lions battled but the size and depth of BR wore them down in a physical battle that featured three technical fouls and saw 10 different Cardinals find their way into the scoring column. The Lions were led by Wyatt Mortensen who fired in 13 points and Ashton Stephens who finished with 10 including a prefect 8-8 from the line. Jarrod Wismar added 6 points. Newaygo (3-7, 4-10) will host Fremont on Tuesday. Holton 65 White Cloud 49 Holton built a 33-24 by the break and kept the Cloud at bay to capture the win. Aidan Poling led the Red Devils in scoring with 23 points while Nathan Slowik dropped in a dozen and Drew Trygstad and Wyatt Monette each hit for 9. Lukas Ramaekers scored 6 and Austin Fowler, Chip Wright and Anthony Crabtree each added 2. Sam Venema finished with a game high 31 points for WC while Dexter Cox and Steven Holt each added 6. Holton (5-3, 10-6) wil visit Lakeview on Friday while White Cloud (3-5, 6-9) hosts Morley Stanwood. . Morley Stanwood 59 Kent City 51 Axel Woolwotth paced the ‘Hawks with 19 points and McLaughlin added 13 as MS survived a couple of Kent City runs to take the rematch and forge a tie for first in the Silver Conference. Will Wright paced the Eagles with 19 points and Shawn Anderson scored 14. Thursday Lakeview 62 Hesperia 31 The Panthers trailed by just 6 at the half but the Wildcats went on a 14-4 run in the 3rd and ran away with the conference win. Coach Worcester: “Lakeview out played us in the second half. Our 1st half was played under control and with discipline. However, the second half was plagued with fouls and turnovers. There was evidence of improvement despite the score, but also evidence of fatigue induced decision making and turnovers. I hold my young team to high standards because I know their potential, so we will continue to work hard and improve. Logan Balkema hit for 16 points. Hesperia (0-9, 0-16) will face Silver co-leader Kent City on Friday. |
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