Friday Hoops: A Basketball Preview

By Ken De Laat

Girls

Big Rapids (3-2, 1-0) at Newaygo (3-0, 1-0)
The Cards are looking to derail the Lions hopes of repeating and they have a team worthy of a lot of respect. They lost a close one to a good Sparta team and had the wind knocked out of them by Kent City, as do most teams that face the Eagles. Haist can score as well as rebound and  Gorczewicz and Langworthy should draw attention from the Lion defense. The Cards struggle against the press and Newaygo has a good one, led by Fisk who doggedly drives opponents into mistakes.
The Lions are at home, Goodin, Long and Fisk seem to be coming into full stride and Painter and Swinehart are fitting in well. That being said the hosts need to ignite the offense early. The Cards don’t have the firepower of the Lions but you don’t want to have them hanging around at games end.

Chippewa Hills (1-2, 0-1) at Grant (3-2, 1-0)
The Tigers have gone through a few growing pains already this season but they shook off a beating by Kent City to post 2 wins in a row. Against C. Park they let a lead slip away but rallied to wrest control back from the Panthers and notch the win. Ashbaugh has been the centerpiece of a pretty deep squad, but Arends, Pleune Hance, Chase, Rider and J. Kruithof can all find the bottom of the basket at any time. They will consistently score 50 or more points and while that won’t win every game, it should win this one. 

Central Montcalm (0-3, 0-1) at Fremont (0-4, 0-1)
Tough call. One will get off the schneid after the buzzer but these teams are both better than their record. The Hornets ran into the Lions and perennial powerhouse Pewamo Westphalia for 2 of their losses but stayed close in the opener against Greenville. The Packers have struggled to stay in games and have been falling behind early. Averaging about 34 points a game, my hunch is they’ll need more to beat CM. Zerlaut and Witte  can light it up when they get going and the Bennett sisters can score but the Packers need to avoid the cold streaks that have plagued them and forced the team to play from behind.

Holton (2-2, 0-1) at White Cloud (3-1, 1-0)
This one should be interesting. The Devils have some talented players but they don’t have a deep bench. Their losses were against a pair of pretty good teams who both play a physical style. Robins and Fowler are players in every sense of the word and when they get help the Devs can be pretty tough.
The Cloud has improved a lot since they were smothered by Grant in their opener. Three wins in a row and beginning to see some offense from Reeve, Derks, and Edwards while Scarlavai flashes her defensive prowess and scores when needed.

Hesperia (0-2, 0-1) at Lakeview (0-5, 0-1)
Again we have two teams searching for W #1.
The Panthers need to score more points. They know that, but someone needs to emerge  beyond Tinkham and Joppich if they are to do so. 
The Wildcats have similar scoring issues.
Neither team has been in a close game yet.
This one looks to be close and whoever can get to 40 will likely win.

Boys

Big Rapids (1-1, 1-0) at Newaygo (2-1,1-0)
The Cards seemed to be preseason favorites to defend their title but they have looked vulnerable with a loss to OV and a near loss to Fremont.
The Lions have Decker in the paint and Long is developing the kind of confidence in that sweet shot of his to be able to take over a game, ala sister Jaxi. The Lions would likely have to put together a game where all the elements meld together if they’re to win. Either way this game should tell us a lot about both teams.

Chippewa Hills (1-1, 0-1) at Grant (1-2, 0-1)
The Tigers need to score more points.
And as Mr. Obvious as that sounds, they are a team that will rise or fall on the production of their offense. Their game is fast paced and most times they will yield a lot of points so they need to outscore opponents.
And when they're cold, they’re in trouble.
The Warriors won’t light up the scoreboard so that falls in Grant’s favor.
But if the shooting begins to chill Schuitema or Follodar or Whitney will need to step up.

Central Montcalm (0-3, 0-1) at Fremont (1-2, 0-1)
Sandwiched between a win over Shelby and a loss to Whitehall was an overtime loss to a strong Big Rapids team. A team that looked to be well stocked with the talent needed to defend their title were almost taken down by the retooled Fremont lineup. Are the Packers that good? Did the Cards have an off night on the road?  Had McDonald been on the floor in the final minutes…?
The Hornets have begun the season  with 3 home games. They were edged by Newaygo and lost the other 2 games by double figures.
If the Packers are to be a contender they need to win this one. 

Holton (2-0, 1-0) at White Cloud (2-1, 1-0)
The Red Devils have a team focused on repeating last year's success with another conference crown. Monette is having a banner season and Fowler, Brant & Co. are looking like a pretty cohesive group.
Reuther, Watson, and Bode  have stuffed the WC stat sheet and Coach Jones has others who can get in the book as well.
The Cloud has one of it’s better teams in recent years but the Devils will be a tough hill to climb.

Hesperia (1-1, 0-1) at Lakeview (0-3, 0-1)
Two teams in search of more offense.
After dropping 51 on a struggling Walkerville team the Panther offense has been declawed, managing just 45 points in their last 2 games combined. 
Those numbers won’t win many games.
The Wildcats can score from time to time  but they can’t keep anyone else from scoring.
Might see some breakout offense  from the players on Coach Worcester’s squad.

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