PHOTO CREDIT: Louis Murray
DISTRICT 9
Rockford 54 Cedar Springs 41: In a battle of teams with double-digit wins, Rockford ran away with a double-digit win against Cedar Springs to advance to the district finals.
Lowell 48 Forest Hills Northern 33
FINALS: Rockford (12-6) vs Lowell (8-9)
DISTRICT 10
East Kentwood 41 Byron Center 34: The Bulldogs built a narrow halftime lead (17-15), but East Kentwood captured a 26-17 second half edge to advance past Byron Center. The score was knotted up at 30 midway through the fourth quarter when Lexi McCully buried two clutch triples to push EK ahead.
East Grand Rapids 64 Caledonia 45: The Pioneers got out to a fiery start, creating a 46-18 halftime edge. Caledonia outscored EGR in the second half 27-18, but it would not be enough.
FINALS: East Grand Rapids (12-2) vs East Kentwood (13-3)
DISTRICT 11
Jenison 51 Zeeland East 34: The Wildcats bested the Chix in the semifinals. Jenison led after each quarter, taking a 15-5 second quarter edge to create some separation.
Hudsonville 45 West Ottawa 39: The Eagles and Panthers were all square at halftime, but Hudsonville was able to push ahead of West Ottawa to advance to Friday’s title game.
FINALS: Hudsonville (17-1) vs Jenison (10-6)
DISTRICT 12
Union 55 Muskegon 48: After two six-point victories in the regular season, Muskegon was unable to complete the three-game sweep in the district finals. The Red Hawks are now on a five-game winning streak entering the district finals.
Mona Shores 50 Grand Haven 34: The Sailors advanced to Friday’s championship game after racing out to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter. They pushed their lead to 15 points at halftime, and managed to win the second half by one point. Brooke LeRoux paced Mona Shores with 12 points and Olivia Sobczak chipped in 11. Grand Haven was led by Zoe Spoelman with 11 points.
FINALS: Mona Shores (13-3) vs Union (9-6)
DISTRICT 35
Ludington 50 Manistee 25: The Orioles took down the Chippewas in Wednesday night’s semifinals. It was a low-scoring first quarter (8-4 Ludington), but the Orioles won all four quarters in this game. The fourth quarter allowed Ludington to separate, as they won 16-3. RyAnn Rohrer and Abi Bandstra each had 13 for the Orioles, while Lacey Zimmerman paced Manistee with 9 points.
Cadillac 46 Benzie Central 25: The Vikings built a 12-4 advantage after the first quarter, and extended that lead to 15 points after the third quarter. Benzie battled back in the fourth quarter, but they could not draw close enough to threaten Cadillac.
FINALS: Cadillac (13-1) vs Ludington (12-4)
DISTRICT 36
Standish-Sterling 42 Big Rapids 37: The Panthers edged the Cardinals in a battle of two talented teams in District 36. Strong defensive play helped Standish-Sterling create a 12-point lead before they held off a Big Rapids charge. Macey Fegan led the Panthers with 22 points and 9 rebounds, Elle Adrian posted 6 points and 14 rebounds, and Brenna Bartlett did a bit of everything with 6 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.
Clare 64 Ogemaw Heights 17: The Pioneers got out to a blistering start, creating a 21-3 lead after the first quarter of play. They pushed that tally to 37-11 at halftime, and they won the second half 27-6.
FINALS: Standish-Sterling (15-4) vs Clare (11-3)
DISTRICT 37
Belding 51 Ionia 42: The Black Knights edged the Bulldogs to advance to the district finals. Ionia got within five points in the second half, but never closer. Brook Simpson led Belding with 25 points, while Ashtyn Cegelis added 14. Brynn Reams led Ionia with 13 points and 7 rebounds.
Portland 50 Alma 16: The Raiders had little trouble advancing to the district championship game, taking down Alma. Ashley Bower led Portland with 15 points and Ava Guilford added 10.
FINALS: Portland (14-2) vs Belding (9-3)
DISTRICT 38
Freeland 49 Saginaw Arthur Hill 28
Bay City John Glenn 32 Essexville Garber 30
FINALS: Freeland (10-7) vs Bay City John Glenn (14-2)
DISTRICT 39
Frankenmuth 62 Carrollton 15: The Eagles had little trouble taking down Carrollton to advance to the district finals. Lexi Boyke led the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds, while Zoey Persails nearly recorded a triple-double with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. Laney Soulliere also finished in double-figures with 11 points.
FINALS: Frankenmuth (16-1) vs Bridgeport (9-8)
DISTRICT 41
Whitehall 40 Oakridge 35: The Vikings secured a victory over WMC rival Oakridge to advance to Friday’s title game. Oakridge held an 11-5 first quarter lead, but Whitehall won the final three quarters to capture the victory. Karleigh Jeffries had 16 points, 8 of them in the fourth quarter, along with 6 rebounds. Greta Hosticka added 6 points, while Jade Taylor recorded 8 rebounds and 4 steals.
Montague 60 Spring Lake 38: The Wildcats remained unbeaten and clinched a spot in the district championship game with a win over the Lakers. Montague led 37-29 after the third quarter, but they embarked on a 23-9 fourth quarter to lift them to victory. Kendall Osborne (15), Claire Meachem (11) and Braquelle Osborne (10) all finished in double figures for Montague. Jennifer Judge led Spring Lake with 12 points and 7 rebounds, while Meah Bajt added 10 points and 6 rebounds.
DISTRICT 42
Newaygo 61 Tri-County 48: The Lions clinched a spot in the district finals by taking down Tri-County for the third time. Newaygo built a 17 point halftime lead, but six triples allowed Tri-County to get within 6 points heading into the fourth quarter. Newaygo succeeded at the free throw line to ice this game, as they were 28-38 on the night. Jaxi Long led the Lions with 23 points, Jaylee Long added 19 points and 5 assists, and Emmerson Goodin finished with 8 points and 11 rebounds. Newaygo Head Coach Nathan Thomasma added afterwards that it’s “always tough to beat a good team three times and that’s what we had to do against Tri-County tonight. Give them a lot of credit, they hit some big time shots in the 3rd quarter to battle back. I’m proud of my girls too. They hung tough and answered the bell in the 4th quarter. Any win during the postseason is a good win. We got a 12-3 Sparta team on Friday in their home gym so we will have to play our best if we want to win.”
Sparta 42 Comstock Park 21: The Panthers edged the Spartans in the regular season opener 34-33, but Sparta got the last laugh in the district semifinals. They doubled up the previously unbeaten Panthers on their way to the championship game.
FINALS: Newaygo (16-1) vs Sparta (12-3)
DISTRICT 43
Hamilton 38 Coopersville 25: With COVID quarantine in effect, the Hawkeyes JV team took to the court. They battled to take down Coopersville, and advance to Friday’s championship game. In that bout, the varsity Hawkeyes will be back to try and capture a title.
West Catholic 68 Allendale 16: West Catholic cruised in the “Battle of the Falcons” to clinch a spot in the district finals. They got out to a 16-3 first quarter lead and turned that into a 39-5 halftime edge. In the third quarter, Allendale scored a game-high eight points in the quarter, but West Catholic maintained a 57-13 advantage. West Catholic finished the impressive defensive effort by just allowing three points in the fourth quarter.
FINALS: Hamilton (13-2) vs West Catholic (14-0)
DISTRICT 44
GR Catholic Central 44 Kelloggsville 36
GR Christian 67 Forest Hills Eastern 26
FINALS: GR Catholic Central (10-3) vs GR Christian (10-5)
DISTRICT 45
South Christian 71 Grand River Prep 15
DISTRICT 46
Plainwell 54 Paw Paw 28
Otsego 65 Allegan 31: The Bulldogs punched their ticket to the district championship with a convincing win over host Allegan. Cali Miller and Kaitlyn Payseno each scored 15 points, while Aly Aldrich added 8.
FINALS: Plainwell (11-1) vs Otsego (9-5)
DISTRICT 72
Mason County Central 44 Hesperia 25
Hart 49 Shelby 27: The Pirates completed the season sweep of league foe Shelby in a 22-point victory on Wednesday night. Hart built a 19-7 first quarter edge, and proceeded to win the final three quarters in this game. In defeat, Kendall Zoulek led Shelby with 12 points. Jayd Hovey led Hart with 21 points.
FINALS: Hart (13-4) vs Mason County Central (6-13)
DISTRICT 73
Western Michigan Christian 65 Holland Black River 36
North Muskegon 48 Saugatuck 45: The Trailblazers came into this game 15-2, but they were stunned against North Muskegon in the district semifinals. A stout North Muskegon defense held Saugatuck’s offense in check, but they rallied to pull within a point late. Ultimately, the Norsemen held on for a victory.
FINALS: North Muskegon (5-10) vs Western Michigan Christian (16-1)
DISTRICT 74
Morley Stanwood 44 Ravenna 42: The Mohawks had a battle with the Bulldogs in the semifinals, emerging with a narrow two-point victory. Madison Garbow led Morley with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while Brooke Brauher chipped in 15 points. Brae Berry finished with 7 points and 8 rebounds.
Kent City 57 White Cloud 14: The Eagles cruised to victory against White Cloud, their third this season. Kent City was led by Kenzie Bowers (21), Jenna Harrison (12) and Madelyn Geers (11).
FINALS: Kent City (16-0) vs Morley Stanwood (10-5)
DISTRICT 76
Calvin Christian 49 Potter’s House 39
Covenant Christian 46 Northpointe Christian 33
FINALS: Calvin Christian (7-11) vs Covenant Christian (9-5)
DISTRICT 78
Gobles 56 Lawton 28: The Tigers doubled up the Blue Devils in the district semifinals, punching their ticket to Friday’s title game. Amanda Barber led the Tigers with 15 points and 6 steals, while Emily Baxter posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Mckenzie Lisowski added 11 points in the victory.
DISTRICT 108
McBain Northern Michigan Christian 58 Pentwater 21
Mason County Eastern 36 Marion 27: The Cardinals avenged a 30-29 defeat in the regular season with a nine-point win in the district semifinals. After MCE built an 11-2 first quarter lead, Marion clawed back with a 12-8 second quarter advantage. MCE responded with a 9-4 third quarter to re-create separation on the scoreboard. Corinna Hernandez had a phenomenal game for MCE, as she racked up 19 points. Lucia Huarte chipped in 7 points.
FINALS: McBain Northern Michigan (10-3) vs Mason County Eastern (11-7)
DISTRICT 113
Walkerville 48 Muskegon Heights 43
FINALS: Walkerville (10-5) vs Muskegon Catholic Central (6-7)
DISTRICT 114
FINAL: Martin (8-5) vs Zion Christian (11-1)
