Friday Basketball Preview

Mystery Ref will not be working the NC Showcase Saturday

Couple of rivalry games, a battle of cellar dwellers, and a Hoop filled Saturday awaits.

By Ken DeLaat

Girls

Newaygo (10-2) at Grant (7-6)
Interesting game on many levels. There’s the forever rivalry of course. And one game separates them from each other in divisional standings. 
This Lion team is not the powerhouse Coach Thomasma took to the state finals a few years back. They haven’t got a shooter like Jaxi Long, a playmaker like Jayla Long, a defender like Kayla Fisk or a glass cleaner like Emmerson Goodin. But there is a similarity. They play a brand of team ball that keeps them in games when things aren’t going their way, they crush it on defense  and they believe they can win when they take the floor. They are also similar in that they have gotten markedly better as the season has progressed. There are a lot of weapons here with Lathrop, Schultz, Schillman, Andres, Arney and others and when Hughes gets going she can wreak havoc on the opposition. She is one of a number of young Varsity players in the area who have begun to shine as the season progresses.
Are the Tigers a different team than the one that was blown out of the Lion gym in mid December? That game was the start of a 4 game losing streak for Coach Delamater’s squad  but since then they have won 5 out of 6 and their lone loss was to division leading Big Rapids. In that  game the Tigers maintained a lead for most of the first 3 quarters before a Cardinal run early in the 4th sealed a win. Pleune, Obenauf, Thompson and Bouwkamp provide a solid defense and each knows how to put up points and Gee is all over the floor with a nose for the ball.
Neither team puts big numbers on the board and both rely on a strong defense. The Lions have scored more than 50 just three times and the Tigers have gone over it twice. This will be closer than the one 6 weeks ago and if the Tigers play like they did against BR they could pull an upset. And yes, it would be an upset. Grant is 0-6 against teams with a winning record so far. Newaygo has a winning record.

White Cloud (4-7) at Morley Stanwood (9-3)
Another rivalry game that saw a blowout in their first go-round. White Cloud’s loss to MS was their third straight to begin the season. Since then they are a respectable 4-4. Coach Wilk is beginning to get some scoring from a few of his players but Vincent is the go to for points and despite being the focus of the opposition’s defense she manages to get the ball to the bucket. The team has gotten better but they will be facing a strong MS team fighting for a divisional title who play a methodical brand of ball that has worked well for them thus far. 
The Cloud averages about 30 points a game. The ‘Hawks average 50. It’s hard to see the visitors hanging with their hosts for long in this one.

Fremont (11-2) at Montague (8-3)
The Packer players are getting accolades even before the end of the season with Mia Clemence getting the Detroit Free Press Girls Athlete of the week while teammate Taylor DeKuiper leads the pack for Mlive athlete of the week. The two of them along with Chase, Noordyk, Shriver, Barnhart, Norris et al have been a powerhouse in the Lakes Division pounding the opposition. The closest any Lakes team has come was when Ludington lost to the Pack by 16.
The last meetup with the Wildcats saw the Packers nearly tripled their visitors with a 68-23 beatdown. The Packers average 38 points in their 2 losses, about 30 less than their average when they win. Apparently if you hold them under 40 you have a chance. 
In this one it's not unlikely they’ll have 40 by halftime.

Boys
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Newaygo (5-8)  at Grant (12-2)
Coach George has a good team. They’re fun to watch, they have a solid line of scorers in Hatch DeLong, and Phillips who each hit double figures most nights and they can be stifling on defense. The win over Big Rapids was huge and though followed by a couple of losses in non-con games they got back on track with a pair of wins over divisional rivals. They currently rule the Red with a likely showdown in Big Rapids looming in the  regular season finale.
The Lions fell a bit short the first time these teams met. 41 points short. The game was like watching a building being torn down as the Tigers never took their foot off the pedal and blew the Lions out of their own gym. In 7 of their 8 losses the opposition put more than 70 on the board and though the Lions can score behind Yearsovich, Miedema, Kerr, Toth and Reyburn they have to put up big numbers to win. In the last 2 games Newaygo  scored 73 and 75 and lost both.
A win by Newaygo would be the kind of rivalry upset that spawns stories for decades beyond the game. I have a hard time seeing it happen. The Tigers are a well coached, talented team. And while there are occasional lapses in their game when it comes to turnovers they seem to regroup quickly. If Coach Long’s squad can elevate their defensive game they might hang around a while but a lot would have to go Newaygo’s way for this one to be very close.

White Cloud (8-6) at Morley Stanwood (6-8)
That was a sweet win for Coach Jones’ team when they got by the ‘Hawks at home in the early part of the season. Cruzan, Robinson, Strait, Higgs, Zimmer and Canning along with their teammates had it going for a nice run putting together a solid 7-2 record. But  Coach Jones was concerned all along  with their inconsistent offense and they hit a 4 game losing streak that ended with a win over Hesperia earlier this week. Morley's going to score. In their recent run they are dropping 55-65 a game and the Cloud has only reached that number in 3 games. And it’s at Morley Stanwood, a tough place to play. I’m not sure the last time WC swept MS in basketball but they have a shot here if their own shots can find net early and often. 

Fremont (3-11) at Montague (3-12)
The Packers have won three times and once was over the Wildcats. It proved to be their season  high output of points by far. The Wildcats, like the Packers, have been challenged when it comes to lighting up the scoreboard although each have had one 70+ game. Fremont’s was over these Wildcats and Montague was against Newaygo. It’s a road game for the Pack and none of their wins have been captured away from their home gym.
Tossup but slight edge to the Packers who seemed to have the Cats number in their first meetup.

And if you can’t get enough of High School Hoops, Saturday is the Newaygo County Showcase, held at Newaygo High School. 6 schools, 12 teams, 6 games starting at Noon.

Girls-Tri County vs. White Cloud 12pm
Boys-White Cloud vs Tri County  1:30
G-Fremont vs Grant 3:00
B-Grant vs. Fremont 4:30
G-Newaygo vs Shelby  6:00
B-Hesperia vs Newaygo 7:30

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