Story and photos by Mike Gesler Grant 58 Comstock Park 51 The Tigers faced another OK Conference opponent as the Comstock Park Panthers looked to bring their young season to.500. Even though the Panthers were sitting on a 1-2 record, those two losses were close against some worthy opponents in Montague and Forest Hills Northern. The Tigers were returning home from a victorious road game up north against Reed City this past Friday, and wanted nothing more than to keep that winning feeling alive. “Coming into the game we really didn’t know what to expect because we don’t play anyone comparable, or haven’t in anyone yet,” stated Coach Delamater. “We knew, obviously, Comstock Park can be a good team. Obviously they’ve had great seasons, they have a great coach, so we knew coming in it would be a battle.” And what a battle it was. Both the Tigers and the Panthers played fast and aggressive creating many turnovers and finding early foul trouble. So much foul trouble that Grant put Comstock Park into bonus within three minutes of the second quarter. But that did not deter the Tigers. They had the Panthers by the tail, and they were not about to let go. At the half, Grant led by eight and seemed to have control of the court. Grant came out of the locker room slowing their tempo slightly while still continuing to play aggressive against the boards and pressuring Comstock Park into a multitude of forced turnovers. Putting up twenty more, the Tigers appeared to be well in control as the third quarter ended with Grant up by fourteen. Fourteen. That’s how many points the Tigers would allow to slip out of their paws. Over the course of the next six minutes, Grant would only score three points while Comstock Park found a resurgence putting up seventeen and tying things up at fifty-one a piece. This would have been the game in previous Grant teams, but not this time. The Tigers showed that they now possess the grit and determination to dig deep when needed. Just when Comstock Park thought that the momentum had swung their way, Grant locked down and kept the Panthers from stealing one on the Tiger’s court. “I said to the girls this is the first time since I’ve taken over that we’ve won that kind of game; tight down the stretch, have to make our free throws, so that was a big step forward for us. It puts us in a position to go into Christmas break at least above five hundred,” stated Coach Delamater. “We’ve got Chip Hills on Friday so we can potentially go in two games above five hundred. Go in potentially 2-0 in the conference. That’s a big, huge step in the right direction for us. That grit and determination now is turning into some good things happening on the basketball court.”
Leading the Tigers tonight in double digits was Julie Ashbaugh with fifteen and Jayci Hance with ten. “Jayci Hance played a great basketball game coming off the bench tonight with some good steals, good lay-ups. Julie Ashbaugh, you know she’s our steady rock in there, played a great basketball game too,” stated Coach Delamater. Also sharing in the Tigers victory was Chloee Chase with nine, Sara Arends and Jocee Pleune each with seven, and Jaycee Rider and Jocelyn Kruitoff each with five. The Tigers remain home for one more before the Winter Break hosting the Chippewa Hills Warriors this Friday evening beginning at 6:00.
0 Comments
By Joseph Mclean N3- We became fans of the writing style of JMac during the Holton football season so we asked if he might continue with putting that unique style into some basketball coverage. He didn’t disappoint. The stage is set for a rematch of the CSAA Title game last year where the Devils beat the Mohawks on the road 56-45 to go a perfect 10-0 in conference. This opens up conference play this year as both teams look to be power players in this stacked conference. Both teams are 1-0 as the Devils got a win over Tri County in the gold, and the Mohawks beat Pine River. Both teams will have to rely on their veteran experience, and their big time playmakers to pull out the win. Through the first 4 minutes it’s been defensive heavy with the Mohawks getting out to 4-0 lead, but a huge rebound and put back by Monette gets the Devs on the board. The Devils get their first lead at the 30 second mark after Wyatt Monette scores, blocks a shot on the other end, and finds Albright to go ahead 9-7 to end the quarter. Both teams need to clean up the turnovers and missed shots. Mercer’s free throws for Morley pull them within 3, but Monette hits his right after to push the lead. Fowler comes up clutch as he hits a three to go up 19-11, and then steals the ball and gets fouled. His free throws get it to 21-11, and then Erickson in the double bonus hits 2 free throws to go up 23-11. The half ends with Zade Garrett making an acrobatic play to end the dry spell. We go into the break with Holton having a comfortable 23-13 lead. The Devils come swinging out of the break as Fowler hits a three, and Monette gets a put back. Morley takes a timeout just 58 seconds into the 3rd. The Mohawks get on the board with a Lintemuth layup. Holton immediately shuts down the momentum as the feisty defense comes alive. Garrett gets the Mohawks back on the board, but it’s Fowler being clutch from deep again to give them a 20 point lead. Going into the final 8 minutes, Holton leads 37-21. The Mohawks and Devs go back and forth for a little bit, but the nail in the coffin came when Garrett gets called for the intentional foul that would send Brant to the line for 2 makes. The Devs dribble out the clock, and get a big time win over the Mohawks with a 46-28 score. The Devs beat Morley in the first conference game last year, so this could foreshadow a Holton back to back conference champs season. Holton proves they can finish a game here, and the Mohawks need to figure it out as they have a date with Kent City next week. Holton will host White Cloud on Friday. Coach Swanson “Our defense was really locked in tonight. Offensively, after a slow start we found our rhythm much better than Tuesday night. Wyatt and Austin led us once again in scoring while Carter Brant did a great job controlling the game and keeping us efficient. “Tonight is a big win for us knowing the basketball program Morley has. It seems like they are always a mountain you have to climb in order to take the silver” Fowler paced the Devs with18 points 3 steals and 3 assists Monette hit for 17 points while grabbing 9 boards and nabbing 5 steals and Erickson added 4 steals. Newaygo 63 Central Montcalm 42 Newaygo was up 30-25 at the half. Central Montcalm hit two straight three's to start the third to go up 31-30 but Newaygo ended the game on a 33-11 run. "Great road win for us tonight. Central Montcalm has played some tough competition and will win a lot of games this year. We really need and had a lot of girls step up and contribute. I thought Painter, Welch and Swinehart really gave us a lift and did a lot of little things to make that run in the second half happen. We'll enjoy the win tonight and prepare for a talented Big Rapids team in a week.” Emmerson Goodin led the Lions with 22 points, 13 rebounds. Jaxi Long had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Kayla Fisk chipped in 9 points and 4 rebounds while fighting foul trouble. Emily Putnam led the Hornets with 13 points. Newaygo (1-0, 3-0) will host the Cardinals on Friday Big Rapids 59 Fremont 29 Fremont dropped the conference opener at home against Big Rapids The Packers fell behind early again due to a large number of missed shots in the paint. The score after one quarter was 16-2. Fremont was better from the field in the second quarter but the Cardinals held a 13-11 advantage to set the halftime score at 29-13. BR held a 13-10 advantage in the third and a 17-6 fourth quarter set the final score. Fremont was led by Mia Witte with 12 points and Jessica Bennett had 7 points and 6 rebounds. Big Rapids was led by Rylie Haist's 13 points, while Hanna Smith added 10. The Packers travel to Cedar Springs next Tuesday, December 14 to face the Red Hawks. Coach Zerlaut: "It was another very frustrating night. We are losing games by wide margins. The girls are frustrated, the coaches are frustrated, and I am sure it is frustrating for fans watching our games. The girls are working hard and doing a lot of things right, but are often just a step out of position on defense, or execute on offense only to miss a short shot. These are correctable things and we will keep working to get better." Fremont (0-1, 0-3) will head to Cedar Springs Tuesday then return home on Friday to resume league play against Central Montcalm. Grant 46 Reed City 23 The Tigers began conference play with a dominant win over the Coyotes in Reed City Coach Delamater: “ The girls executed our game plan extremely well and controlled the tempo from the get-go. On Tuesday, Kent City exposed some of our weaknesses, including our defensive rotation. We emphasized that the past few days and Reed City didn't get many uncontested looks. We also rebounded the ball very well giving up no second-chance points. Julie Ashbaugh led the scoring with 17 and also had 7 rebounds. Jocee Pleune finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds (not too shabby for being the shortest girl on the court). Chloee Chase added 8 points and 4 rebounds. Jaycee Rider and Jocelyn Kruithoff both got 4 steals apiece. Grant (1-0, 2-2) will host Comstock Park Tuesday before returning to conference play on Friday when Chip Hills comes to town. White Cloud 38 Hesperia 22. The Cloud opened conference play with a solid win over the Panthers. Coach Wilk: “This was our first early game playing on the road alongside our varsity boys team, and it was a scrappy game that came down to who could hit shots and who could get stops. We did just enough in both categories to put Hesperia away tonight. Coach Grodus knows a thing or two about making adjustments throughout the game. His squad kept us on our toes. They made us earn this one. Gaby Reeve led the way with 11 points and Kiara Edwards was right behind her with 10. Carsyn Scarlavai contributed 8 tough points while running the offense and making sure our defense was aggressive enough to force some turnovers. Cerea Bode stepped up big for us tonight filling in for Abby Derks in the post. She was able to contribute to our scoring, but more importantly she played some good defense and pulled down rebounds when we needed them. We have a short turn around and play Walkerville on Monday. Coach Grodus: “A scrappy game by both teams. White Cloud made 10/24 free throws, which proved to be a big factor. Good effort by our team, especially since it was our first game.” Emmi Tinkham paced the Panthers with 7, Emma Joppich hit for a half dozen and Adriana Slater grabbed 8 rebounds Morley 58 Holton 26 The visitors took control early and captured the conference opener for both teams. Coach Jordan: “Tonight was a tough one.It basically came down to us not being able to handle the pressure they put on us from the jump, and they shot the ball very well in the first half. It was 40-13 at halftime and really was never a game. “We had a ton of forced turnovers as well as a ton of unforced turnovers, not a good formula for competing. We have to get better with dealing with pressure, we will get better but it’s not an overnight process, this is one of the tougher games on our schedule. I’m hoping we can regroup quickly as we have some great opportunities over the next few games to try to build some momentum and confidence.” Ryan Robins took down 10 boards to go with her team high 8 points and Abby Fowler dished out 5 assists grabbed 5 steals and added 4 points Holton (0-1, 1-2) heads to Holland Black River for a Tuesday game before getting back to conference play Friday when White Cloud comes to town. Photos by Renee Gillhespy Hanshue
Newaygo 65 Central Montcalm 63 At Central Montcalm Newaygo came away with a tight victory. The Lions took an early lead and went into halftime leading by 11 points. Central Montcalm battled all the way back and both teams traded scores until Newaygo was able to pull out the 2 point victory. Newaygo was led by sophomore Josiah Long with 27 points and Junior Bryce Decker who scored 15 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. "This was a good team win. I thought we had good effort the entire night." Coach Jason Long. Newaygo (1-0, 2-0) host Wellspring Academy Monday and Big Rapids on Friday Big Rapids 62 Fremont 60 The Pack took the Cardinals into overtime but the visitors from Big Rapids escaped with the narrow win Coach Bowen: “It was a back and forth close game, and we just came up a little short in overtime. Our effort was much better than in our first game and I thought both teams played extremely hard. Our guards did not handle their pressure very well and we just had too many untimely turnovers. Jordon McDonald fouled out early in overtime and I thought that really changed the momentum of the game. I'm really proud of the kids for the effort they played with and the fight that they showed. We will take this as a positive step in the right direction and learn from our mistakes. McDonald had a great game for us with 23 points and 3 steals.” Fremont (0-1, 1-1) is home next week facing Whitehall Tuesday and Central Montcalm on Friday. Reed City 66 Grant 60 The visiting Tigers lost a tough conference game at Reed City. Despite trailing by as many as 15 in the 3rd quarter, the Tigers battled back to take the lead in the 4th before Reed City closed the deal down the stretch. Seth Schuitema led the team in scoring with 22, followed by Lucas Swanson with 15. Grant (0-1, 1-1) visits Oakridge Tuesday and returns to conference play Friday with a visit from Chip Hills White Cloud 65 Hesperia 26 The Cloud traveled to Hesperia tonight and came away with the conference victory. The visitors jumped out early taking a 22-4 lead after one and stretching the lead to 42-11 by the half. Coach Worcester: “We failed to make appropriate adjustments on defense. We had a plan for White Cloud’s zone press, but were unable to achieve our desired goal. Offensively we picked it up in the second half, but it was not enough to make up the difference. Coach Jones did a great job with his guys. My hats off to them. They were clearly the better team tonight.” Taylor Bode and Mason Ruether led the way for WC with 14 points each, Jared Watson hit for 13,Tray Brunson scored 10 and Donavon Stevens added 7. Maddox Mosley paced the Panthers finishing with 9 points White Cloud (1-0, 2-0) will host Mason County Central on Tuesday while Hesperia takes on Calvary Christian in Fruitport. By Ken DeLaat The Boys swing into action with a full slate of conference matchups. Early in the season to be sure so Friday may help show teams what they have. And also, perhaps, what they need. Big Rapids at Fremont. These two teams split their series last year as the Cards edged out the Packers for the title. And while Fremont got hit hard by graduation, the Cards have nearly everyone back from that championship squad. This will definitely be a tough one for the hosts and McDonald and DeLong are sure to see the best defense BR has to offer. It’s the first game for the visitors and the Pack has already had to contain a really good player in the matchup with Shelby. But the Cardinals have a bunch of really good players and the Packer defense is going to be challenged to keep them reined in. Newaygo at Central Montcalm The Lions nearly grabbed a road win from a determined Sparta squad. Decker, Long and Schillman all put up productive points in the opener. The Hornets got hammered by the Yellow Jackets (Greenville) in what should have been called the All Apiary Classic. Tough to win on the road but the Lions have the players to do so if they can keep from starting slow, always a road game nemesis. Grant at Reed City The Coyotes put a whipping on Evart but the Wildcats aren’t expected to be the cream of the Highland Conference. The Tigers won their opener over Kent City, a game that impressed writer Mike Gesler. https://www.nearnorthnow.com/sports1/tigers-open-with-moxie It’s a long bus ride to Reed City and few teams enjoy the Coyote court, but I have to assume the Tiger defense is better than Evart’s and they definitely have more offensive artillery. Look for a physical game and hopefully a pleasant ride home for Grant. White Cloud at Hesperia The Panthers halted a lengthy losing streak dating back a couple of seasons with the win over Walkerville. Watson, Reuther, Bode and Brunson all hit double figures for WC in their win over MCE while McKinnon absolutely lit it up for the Panthers. He’ll see a lot of WC shirts whenever he’s near the ball. Again, early season game, but one will emerge with a conference win and a share of first place. With only 9 games left in the conference season. Holton at Morley Stanwood The Red Devils hope to stop Moore and VerMaas from catching fire offensively and to break through the vaunted zone defense MS employs. Another big game from Monette, Fowler, and Brant would be a plus and hitting some outside shots would help loosen that zone a lot. After years of looking up the standings at MS, the Devs needed to beat them twice last year to nab the conference crown. The 'Hawks who remain from last year’s team haven’t likely forgotten it. Should be a really good game. By Ken De Laat The conference season kicks off with Kent City and Newaygo beginning their defense of last year’s titles. One opinion here is that both teams will be tough to dethrone from early indications, but it is a long season there is talent throughout both conferences. Hang on, it’s going to be a fun season. Newaygo at Central Montcalm The Lions haven’t exactly picked up where they left off last year , but they are looking pretty good at this stage of theseason as the new additions to the starting lineup and some key role players find their niche. Long continues to be the area’s best sharpshooter, Goodin is unmatched in the paint and few can defend with the tenacity of Fisk. The Hornets are 0-2 going into this one, a 2 point loss in the opener at D1 Greenville and a double digit defeat at the hands of perennial powerhouse Pewamo Westphalia. Last season CM challenged the Lions for the title but lost both games to the eventual champs and finished second. Should the Lion offense get cooking early the bus ride home from Stanton won’t seem quite as long, but should the Hornets be buzzing around late in the game the Lions will need to make a strong finish. Big Rapids at Fremont The Cards are poised for a run at the title with a couple of all conference returnees in juniors Gorczewicz and Haist while sophomore Warren is a tough stop who can work the glass. They lost to Kent City but, hey, so has everyone else. This will be a tough early season test for the Pack. The defense will need to come up big time because the Cards aren’t going to yield a lot of points. A hot hand from Zerlaut, VandenBerg, or whoever might step up would be a huge in improving the Packer chances. Grant at Reed City The Tigers are still finding themselves. They’ve hit a couple of tough losses after their nearly flawless opener but one was to KC and, like we said, who doesn’t lose to the Eagles? The Coyotes aren’t the Eagles. They are 0-3 but their best players from last year's cellar dwelling squad are back and they will likely avoid another last place finish. The Tigers have a number of offensive options and should be able to shake off that loss to KC and outscore their hosts who haven’t exactly been filling the basket thus far. But the Yotes are home in a notoriously unfriendly court to visitors so that offense wants to get rolling early, White Cloud at Hesperia First year Coach Wilk saw 2 pretty different teams between games 1 &2. From seeing the defense shredded against Grant then rising up to put the clamps on MCE might say a lot about the relative opponents but the win against the Cards should instill some confidence in this squad. If Scarlavai and Gomez can get the ball into Reeve and Derks scoring shouldn’t be a problem and despite the rout at Grant the defense looks to be pretty solid. Hesperia is a latecomer to the party and are opening their season with this game. Tinkham is their only starter back from last season and will draw a lot of attention to be sure. We’re anxious to see the contribution to be had from the team’s lone sophomore, Mia Milner. Morley Stanwood at Holton After dusting off Lee the Red Devils traveled to Tri County and held their own with a tough Viking squad before the hosts went on a late run to put it away. Now the ‘Hawks come to town with Hoisington, Berry and Garbow all able to light up the scoreboard. Robins is developing into one of the area’s best players and Boes can rack up points but it’s Fowler who really puts the Holton game in motion and her defensive skills will be badly needed to try and quell an explosive MS offense. Photos and Story by Mike Gesler Grant 82 Kent City 74 Tonight opened the MHSAA Boys Basketball season, and the Tiger faithful were in the house waiting with anticipation to see what this year’s season would bring. And to have the opening game against Kent City, which Grant has not beaten for at least as long as Joe Schuitema has coached the Tigers, would make that sense of hope that more heightened. The Kent City boys had just witnessed their lady counterparts put a thumping on the Tigers, and were psyched up to showing their dominance on the court as well. “When we stepped into this season, one of the things that I commented on, and our coaches believe, is this the most versatile team I have been able to coach; that we’ve been able to coach,” stated Coach Schuitema. “You’ve got guys that can play multiple positions, and do multiple things. It’s exciting, but we really didn’t know what to expect. We’ve had one scrimmage, and it looked pretty good. But still this is a legitimate game against a well-coached team who can shoot the lights out. They pass. They cut. They play good basketball. And how do we deal with that?” Right from the start, Kent City showed Grant that if they want to defend the boards down low, then the Eagles have no qualms about shooting from atop the arc as they put on a three point clinic. Of Kent City’s first quarter twenty-eight points, eighteen came from distance. And while Kent City knew that shutting down Grant meant shutting down Schuitema, they were not prepared for Grant newcomer and foreign exchange Senior, Giovanni Follador. Follador, who Coach Schuitema describes as a soccer player with acute court knowledge, kept the Tigers in the game with thirteen of Grant’s nineteen points. During the second quarter, Grant stepped up their pressure by not giving Kent City the looks they wanted outside the arc, and thus forced Kent City into ten-fifteen foot attempts where Schuitema was more than willing to show his dominance against the boards. Offensively, Grant was finding ways to involve their open players as now Kent City was realizing they needed to not only defend against Schuitema but Follador as well. As Coach Schuitema stated, “The cat was out of the bag.” And while Grant had brought the game within three with two minutes remaining, Kent City headed into the half with a seven point margin. No one wanted a win against Kent City more than Schuitema, and the second half would become the Seth Schuitema show. Now locked into a battle, Grant and Kent City duked it out during the third with an almost equal exchange of twenty to eighteen points. Yet of the twenty that Grant put up, Schuitema owned thirteen, helping to bring the game within one with three minutes left in the quarter before slipping and allowing Kent City to remain on top by five. “I know I heard Seth say it in the huddle, ‘We’re not losing this game. Let’s go. Let’s finish the deal,’” shared Coach Schuitema. The Tigers were feeling the momentum swing, and it wouldn’t take them long to steal the lead from the Eagles. From that point on there was nothing that Kent City was going to do to stop Schuitema and company. Schuitema would put up another sixteen points in the fourth as Kent City had no answer. “So tonight all eleven guys got in. Everyone contributed in a way that makes sense to their skill set so we’re excited about that. We have not beaten Kent City so that was a big win,” stated Coach Schuitema. “I feel like we showed some moxie there especially down early like eight or ten points because of their shooting but also because we weren’t executing perfectly. I’m excited about this team. I say I, but Coach Couturier, Coach Swinehart, the three of us have really been talking a lot about them, and we just feel really good about where we’re going to get, and I think this was a great first step.”
Leading for the Tigers tonight was Seth Schuitema with thirty-five; just one shy of tying his career high. Also in double digits was Giovanni Follador with eighteen (12 on 3’s), and Austin Whitney with eleven (9 on 3’s). Sawyer Carr and Mason Woodard each put up seven. Zach Barnhart added 3, and Lucas Swanson added one. The Tigers go on a two game road trip first to Reed City on Friday evening and then to Oakridge next Tuesday before returning home for their final game before the winter break against Chippewa Hills on December 17. Story and photos by Mike Gesler Grant 29 Kent City 68 Our neighbors from the south came onto the Tiger’s court tonight with hopes of keeping their young season perfect. Kent City had already beaten Muskegon and Big Rapids, and now had their sites on the Tigers. The Tigers, for their part, had been battle tested in a narrow defeat against Cedar Springs out of the OK Conference on Friday evening, and were hoping to add Kent City to the same column that they relegated White Cloud to a week ago. Out of the gate, Grant jumped to a four point advantage with two points from Ashbaugh and Chase each before Coach Holcomb called a time out to focus her Lady Eagles. That time out would prove to be pivotal. Kent City found their focus, and would keep the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the quarter while Preston, Bowers, and Madelyn Geers would go to work putting up thirteen for Kent City. The Preston, Bowers, Geers trio would continue the damage they started into the second quarter. The Eagles pressed hard against the Tigers shutting down lanes and creating multiple turnovers. The best the Tigers could muster from the dominance of the Eagles was two points from Pleune, and two from Ashbaugh at the line. It was all Kent City with five three point field goals and ten points from Madelyn Geers to help give the Eagles a commanding half time lead of 44 to 8. The Tigers came out of the locker room with their heads up and smiles on their faces ready to attempt a second half rally. Kent City backed off their press which would open up some lanes and looks. This was what Grant would need to have their best quarter putting up fifteen while holding Kent City to eight. In the end though, Kent City was just too good of a team for the Tigers to overcome as the Eagles went home with their thus far perfect season intact. “It’s Kent City, and it’s one of those programs that have that mystique. You come into the game and the girls are already, you know, the expectations for them in their heads are already down. And then you have a couple things go the wrong way, and then their heads go down again. That’s just the battle,” shared Grant’s Coach, Josh Delamater. “When you play good teams like that, you gotta bring it but you have to bring it for the whole game. You got to do all the little things right. It’s something that we are trying to learn; get through. I’m glad we’re playing teams like Cedar, Kent City, because when we get into the heart of our conference, those are some good teams. So these battles are going to helps us, I think, there.”
Leading for the Tigers tonight was Julie Ashbaugh with fourteen. “I thought Julie Ashbaugh played a heck of a game tonight,” shared Coach Delamater. “Stayed out of foul trouble which is something she is really working hard on trying to do. Scored a bunch for us. Definitely got some things going for us. Got some boards so that was very good.” Also scoring tonight for the Tigers was Jocee Pleune with five, and Sara Arends, Jayci Hance, Chloee Chase, Jaycee Rider, and Jocelyn Kruitoff each with two. Next up the Tigers will face the Reed City Coyotes in Reed City on Friday night before returning home to face Comstock Park on December fourteenth. Boys: Pack, Devs, Cloud and Panthers win openers
Girls: TC Downs Holton, Fremont Falls to Shelby Boys Fremont 54 Shelby 47 Coach Bowen: “Shelby deserves a lot of credit for this game. They were very short handed, but really took it to us. They outworked us for most of the game. Bishop Lee for Shelby was the best player on the floor. We could not keep him off the glass. He finished with 24 points and had 11 offensive rebounds. We were lucky to escape with a win. The effort we put forth was not good enough for a Fremont team, but we will turn that around starting in practice tomorrow. Joey DeLong had a good game for us and finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.” Fremont (1-0) hosts Big Rapids Friday in the conference opener for both schools and the season opener for the Cards Sparta 50 Newaygo 48 The Spartans built a 7 point lead by intermission but the Lions roared back and forged a tie going into quarter 4 with some inspired defense. From there on the game went back and forth until the buzzer sounded with Sparta pulling out the 2 point win Newaygo was led by Bryce Decker with 13, Josiah Long added 10 points and Gabrial Schillman tossed in eight. White Cloud 69 Mason County Eastern 56 Coach Jones: “Not a bad start to the season We must clean up our defensive rebounding. This will probably be our Achilles heel all year. Proud of the men and how they played together. If we keep improving we will be a tough team to beat.” Jared Watson led the balanced scoring attack with 17points, Mason Ruether had 16, Tray Brunson 14 and Taylor Bode added 13 points. The Cloud will open league play Friday at Hesperia. Holton 47 Tri County 31 The Red Devils edged ahead after the first quarter and held a 17-11 lead at the half. The Vikes made a run in the third pulling within 4 points but the Devs outscored TC 19-7 in the final period to secure the win Coach Swanson: “(Wyatt) Monette was huge for us and Fowler got hot from outside in the second half. It was a pretty sloppy game for both teams but we're happy to move forward with the win.” Monette finished with 20 points 11 boards and 5 assists to led the RD’s. Austin Fowler dropped a dozen to go with his 4 assists and Carter Brant pulled down 5 rebounds while scoring 7 points. Blake Nelson led Tri County with 9 points. Hesperia 51 Walkerville 47 The Panthers grabbed an early lead then hung on through a number of Wildcat runs to secure the win. Coach Worcester: “Great way to start off the season. I’m proud of how our guys executed our game plan. Maverick McKinnon did a great job offensively keeping us ahead with 25pts for the game. Every guy played his role and we ended up with the win tonight. Our great coaching staff kept our guys focused and I couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out.” McKinnon fired in 25 points, while Zach Glenn hit for 13 and Maddox Mosely added 8. Girls Tri County 52 Holton 34 The Red Devils saw their hosts jump out early taking the lead to double digits before Holton settled in, getting back to within 2 points. The Vikes went up 7 going into the final frame and sealed the win in the 4th. Coach Jordan: “We just couldn't get anything going offensively tonight, credit to Tri County. The score doesn't reflect how close the game was, we were right within striking distance for all but the last 3 minutes of the game, then they went on a run and busted it open. “I'm still very optimistic about the season. We only had 7 players tonight and 4 of them are underclassmen, so we are getting some great experience and games like this should only help us in the long run.” Ryann Robins had a huge night finishing with 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Devs. Courtney Boes also hit double figures hitting for 10 points and Abby Fowler dished out 6 dimes while nabbing 5 steals Holton (1-1) will host Morley Stanwood in their conference opener. Shelby 53 Fremont 41 Monday White Cloud 43 MCE 14 Coach Wilk: "We started off slow tonight giving Mason County Eastern hope, but it didn’t take too long to find our groove. Mason County Eastern hit the 1st two shots of the game to go up 5-0, and after that the only points they scored were from the free throw line. Tonight I was able to see glimpses of the team I know these girls can be. We knew some girls needed to step up with our defensive leader Carsyn Scarlavai sitting out the first half, and the girls were up for the challenge. "Defensively we were led by sophomore Jaden Gomez who disrupted their main ball handler all night. Jaden led the team with six steals. After halftime our energy picked up to a new level once Carsyn got in the game. Her tenacity led to many fast break opportunities. On the offensive end we were led by Gaby Reeve who dropped in a sweet 16 to go along with 7 rebounds. Fellow post player Abby derks had a solid showing with 8 points. Kiara Edwards had a great night on both ends of the floor registering 12 points and 5 steals. The end result was a White Cloud Victory. "We take on Hesperia later this week." Long fires in 7 triples, Goodin dominates the glass Photos by Alexis Mercer, Story by Ken De Laat Newaygo 50 Whitehall 25 The visiting Vikings got on the board first when Marissa Stanberg split her tosses from the line to give Whitehall their first lead. It was also their last lead because though they also put up the final points of the first quarter via an Onnyka Dempsey three pointer the Lions scored 15 points in between including three of the nothing but net triples Jaxi Long launched. Newaygo’s smothering defense took the wind out of the Vikings sails early. Steals, blocks, and tie ups frustrated the visitors and when intermission arrived Newaygo held a 27-10 advantage Scoreboard evidence to the contrary aside Whitehall has a good team. They play rugged defense and though loaded with youth they look like they can hold their own. But the Lions were too fast too quick and too tenacious for them on Tuesday. When the Vikings tossed out a press the Lions broke it with crisp passing and speedy exchanges. Returning starters Long, Emmerson Goodin, and Kayla Fisk are the drivers of this team but Painter and Swinehart have fit well in the starting lineup and add to the defensive prowess on display when the Lions take the court. Also impressive was the play of sophomores Isabella Welch and Maria Riddering. The team is deep and talented and will likely take their fans on an exciting ride this season. Long led the Lions with 24 points, 5 steals and 4 rebounds. Goodin had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. Coach Thomasma:
"Happy with the victory tonight. Whitehall is a tough physical team and really made us earn everything we got. We shot the ball well which obviously helped us on offense and I thought our bench really stepped up for us when a few starters got in foul trouble. League play starts Friday and we have a tough game with Central Montcalm." The Lions travel to Stanton Friday to face the Hornets of Central Montcalm. |
Archives
March 2024
Categories |