Photo Credit: Eric Tuori

 

The first Friday of the 2021 MHSAA Basketball season was full of exciting action. A recap around the MSR coverage area:

 

BOYS BASKETBALL

Baldwin 74 Big Rapids Crossroads Academy 26

Belding 58 Wyoming Lee 48

Benton Harbor 69 Muskegon 66: The Tigers topped the Big Reds with a shot at the buzzer. Kentrell Pullian buried a three-pointer from twenty-five feet to deliver the victory for Benton Harbor, just moments after Jordan Briggs tied it up for Muskegon.

 

Big Rapids 68 Central Montcalm 46: These two teams battled throughout the first quarter, but the Big Rapids offense caught fire in this victory. They extended the lead to as many as 27, shooting 11/20 from beyond the arc. Mason Dunn led Big Rapids with 15 points, while Jack Ruggles added 14. Trey Chapin and Cole Olsen each scored 12 points for Central Montcalm.

Brethren 70 Mason County Eastern 46

Byron Center 67 GR Christian 51

Caledonia 48 East Kentwood 46: The Fighting Scots trailed 40-30 entering the fourth quarter, and they mounted a furious comeback to get the victory. Andrew Larson, who led Caledonia with 19 points, scored the game-winner with seconds to play. Aiden Gortmaker added 11 points for Caledonia. East Kentwood was led by Jy’Air Harris (17) and Christian Humphrey (14).

Coloma 50 Martin 41

Coopersville 68 Spring Lake 44

Covenant Christian 73 Western Michigan Christian 31

Fennville 56 Delton-Kellogg 53

Forest Hills Northern 82 Forest Hills Central 70: The Huskies won the crosstown showdown with a 30-13 advantage in the fourth quarter. Ethan Erickson finished with 25 for FHN, while Dallas Hopson led FHC with 15 points.

Godwin Heights 64 Tri-Unity Christian 52

Grandville 57 Zeeland West 39: The Bulldogs won this out of conference battle thanks in large part to the stellar play of Tommy Gregwer. He led all scorers with 17 points as Grandville improves to 2-1 on the season. Landon Regenerus added 15 for Grandville, while Carson Gulker led Zeeland West with 11.

Grand Haven 66 West Ottawa 59

Grand Rapids Christian 68 Byron Center 44: The Eagles move to 2-0 on the season with a win over the Bulldogs. Kobe Bufkin led GRC with 29 points.

Grant 64 Tri-County 58

Gull Lake 56 Kalamazoo Central 37

Hamilton 60 Allendale 44

Holland Christian 50 Fruitport 19

Holton 60 Lakeview 26: The Red Devils edged the Wildcats to capture a win on Friday night. The second quarter was key, as Holton outscored Lakeview by twenty points to create a thirty-point halftime edge. Aidan Poling led the victorious Red Devils with 22 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds, while Wyatt Monette added 16.

Hopkins 51 Sparta 49

Kalamazoo Christian 60 Constantine 30

Ludington 57 Manistee 28

Kent City 78 Hesperia 17: The Eagles rode a 22-4 first quarter lead to a commanding victory over the Panthers. Riley Taylor led Hesperia with 6 points.

Mesick 65 Manistee Catholic Central 38

Morley Stanwood 60 White Cloud 34: The Mohawks topped the Indians on Friday night. White Cloud was led by a trio of players (Sam Venema, Jared Watson and Mason Ruether) who all had seven points.

Northpointe Christian 64 Kelloggsville 44

Northview 88 Lowell 55: Kyler Vanderjagt led Northview to a comfortable victory by scoring 26 points. Jalen Charity (16) and EJ Ryans (13) joined him in double figures. Lowell was led by Dawson Deuma, who scored nine points.

Pentwater 55 Marion 27

Potter’s House 45 Muskegon Catholic Central 44

Reed City 59 Chippewa Hills 37

Unity Christian 71 West Catholic 50

Watervliet 75 Gobles 36

Wellspring Prep 60 Zion Christian 52

 

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Allendale 44 Hamilton 43

Belding 71 Wyoming Lee 11

Big Rapids 40 Central Montcalm 25:  The Cardinals bested the Hornets on Friday night, thanks to strong defensive play. London Eldridge led Central Montcalm with 7 points and 4 rebounds. Big Rapids moves to 3-0 on the season, while the Hornets sit at 0-2.

Byron Center 67 GR Christian 51

Comstock Park 38 Calvin Christian 34

Constantine 54 Kalamazoo Christian 52

Delton-Kellogg 61 Fennville 17: The Blackhawks fall to 0-2 on the season with a tough loss against Delton-Kellogg. After a 25-5 first quarter, the Panthers cruised to victory.

East Kentwood 74 Caledonia 32

Forest Hills Central 49 Forest Hills Northern 33: The Rangers topped the Huskies on Friday night. Theryn Hallock led FHC with 28 points, while Sophie Richards led FHN with 12.

Frankenmuth 55 Swan Valley 16: After a 15-5 first quarter, Frankenmuth continued to build out their lead. Their defense recorded 12 steals and blocked 6 shots. Lexi Boyke led the Eagles with 20 points, while Zoey Persailis added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Holland Christian 47 Fruitport 11

Kent City 85 Hesperia 22: The Eagles cruised to another victory on Friday night. Kenzie Bowers continued her hot start with another 20 point effort, Madelyn Geers added 18 points, and both Jenna Harrison and Kierra Flegel added 16.

Lowell 49 Northview 19

Ludington 51 Manistee 9

Martin 43 Coloma 26: The Clippers move to 2-0 with a strong defensive effort against Coloma. Bri Warner led Martin offensively with 15, while Gracie Shettler added 10. After yielding 13 points in the opening quarter, Martin allowed 13 points in the final three quarters.

Mason County Central 32 Ravenna 26: The Spartans took down the Bulldogs on Friday. Delaney Mabrito was Ravenna’s leading scorer with 8 points, and he added 7 rebounds.

Mason County Eastern 32 Walkerville 21: The Cardinals won their Friday night contest with a strong defensive effort. Corinna Hernandez led MCE with 9 points, while Lucia Huarte Hilgado added 8. Mickey Berumen led Walkerville with 12 points.

Montague 57 Shelby 24

Morley Stanwood 42 White Cloud 35: The Mohawks trailed against the Indians, but they rallied to move to 2-0. Brooke Brauher led the way with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Brae Berry added 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists. Lila Hoisington added 10 rebounds for Morley Stanwood.

Newaygo 57 Fremont 37: The Lions captured a win over the Packers in CSAA-Gold action. Jaylee Long led the team with 26 points, while Emmerson Goodin added 12 points and 7 rebounds. Jaxi Long also had 12 points for Newaygo, adding 5 assists to her tally.

Northpointe Christian 43 Kelloggsville 30

Potter’s House 54 Muskegon Catholic Central 30: After a slow first quarter that saw Potter’s House hold a 6-2 edge, the Pumas’ offense exploded to build a 24-6 halftime lead. McKenna Gentry led MCC with 10 points.

Reed City 47 Chippewa Hills 38

Saugatuck 53 Lawton 36

Sparta 45 Hopkins 39

Spring Lake 41 Coopersville 17: The Lakers opened the game on a 10-2 run, and they never looked back. Jennifer Judge led Spring Lake with 13 points, while Meah Bajt did a little bit of everything, posting a final stat line of 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Hayley Anderson was Coopersville’s top scorer with 10 points.

Standish Sterling 59 Ithaca 25: The Panthers captured a victory thanks to a strong team effort on defense, and the ability to run the floor. Macey Fegan paced the way with 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Elle Adrian finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Brenna Bartlett had 12 points and 7 assists for Standish Sterling.

Tri-County 58 Grant 43

Watervliet 53 Gobles 32

West Catholic 60 Unity Christian 25

West Michigan Aviation Academy 45 Grand River Prep 39

West Ottawa 44 Grand Haven 30

Western Michigan Christian 47 Covenant Christian 36

Whitehall 53 Oakridge 25: The Vikings earn their first win, starting with a 17-2 first quarter and building from there. Makenna Russell had 16 points, and Karleigh Jeffries matched her 16 points along with 10 rebounds.

Zion Christian 51 Wellspring Prep 24