Tigers Open With Moxie

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.