**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**
**PHOTO CREDIT: LOU MURRAY**

DOUBLE DRIBBLE: BOYS BASKETBALL RECAP

12/31/2022

  • Holton couldn’t get the best of Buckley as they would fall to the Bears, 35-77. Buckley would get off to a hot start in this one as they led 51-21 at the half. The Bears were able to continue the pace led by Landon Kulawaik who finished the night with 25 points. Carter Williams (17 points), Jeremiah Pasbuirg (15 points) and Jackson Kulawiak (10 points) rounded out the scoring for Buckley. Brodrick Fialek and Carter Brant pitched in 9 points apiece to lead the Red Devils.

1/2/2023

  • Wyoming Lee would defeat West Michigan Aviation, 57-49. Joe Russau led the way for the Legends with 17 points. Ny’Zhem Marshall and Marc Whitfield pitched in 10 points apiece. Joseph May led the Aviators with 13 points. Lee moves to 5-0 on the season as the Aviators fall to 2-3.

1/3/2023

  • Forest Hills Eastern defeated Potters House Christian, 78-53.
  • Frankenmuth would defeat Lake Fenton, 56-38. Carson Knoll led the way for the Eagles with 16 points and 5 rebounds on the night. Riley Hubbard added 12 points with 9 rebounds. Aidan Hoard chipped in with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Ashton Hunter paced the Blue Devils with 19 points.
  • Fremont would grab their second win in a row by grabbing a win over Tri-County, 68-41. The Packers set the tone early with some high energy that led to some big things on the defensive end. Jordon McDonald led the way for the Packers with 20 points, 7 steals and 5 rebounds. Chaz Miller had a solid game with 11 points, 10 assists and 4 steals. Gavin Richards added 8 points and was a monster on the glass with 12 rebounds on the night. Ben Mellema added 12 points. With the win Fremont improves to 3-2 on the season. They look to grab another when they face Montague on Friday night. The Vikings would fall to 2-3 before taking on Central Montcalm Friday night.
  • Grand Rapids Catholic Central defeated East Grand Rapids, 65-49. Durral Brooks led the Cougars in scoring with 20, but the story of the game was KK Brown. Brown edged his name in the records books moving to 1st All-Time in Catholic Central scoring with 18 points on the game. After a rough 1st quarter from East Grand Rapids they battled back in the 2nd quarter to knot the game up at 25. The Cougars shut down the Pioneers offense in the 3rd quarter outscoring them 17-4. Simon Neuhaus kept East Grand Rapids in the game with 15 points, but the effort was not enough. Catholic Central takes the game, 65-49. (Hudson Harkness reporting)
  • Grand Rapids South Christian defeated Byron Center, 71-56. Carson Vis (28 points) and Jake Vermaas (22 points, 5 assists) led the way for the Sailors. Austin Buckley (22 points) led the way for the Bulldogs. Isaac Lee added 13. This would be the first notch in the loss column for Byron Center on the young season.
  • Holland Christian pulled off a thrilling win over Covenant Christian, 57-52. The Maroons would rally from 17 points down and end the game on a 27-5 run to take this one. Kyle Cannon returned for the Maroons and set a career-high scoring mark with 32 points in the game.
  • Lowell would hang on to win in a tough matchup over Wayland Union, 78-68. Drew Veldman led the way for the Red Arrows with 26 points in the win. Ben Gaskin had himself a night with 19. Brett Bultsma finished the night with 27 points for the Wildcats with 27 points. Elijah Maas helped with 14 points. Kaharrie Pureifoy chipped in 11 and Peyton Moore added 10.
  • Mona Shores picked up a win over Montague, 75-48. The Sailors would use great starts to each halve to cruise in this one. Jordan Bledsoe (22 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals) and Jonathan Pittman (17 points and 8 rebounds) put together big games to lead the victors on the night. Chrishawn Chapman added 11 points (career-high) and 2 steals. Jeremiah Foster-Thomas was great on the defensive end and added 9 points with 8 rebounds. Rodney Brassfield paced the Wildcats with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the game.
  • Muskegon Catholic Central would drop a tough game at home to Hopkins, 26-52. The Crusaders trailed 18-12 at the break but would struggle offensively in the second half. Chase Willer led MCC with 15 points. Jake Westoff was big on the glass with 9 rebounds. Crusaders head coach Rob Recknagel was extremely impressed with the Vikings, “They’re coached by MCC graduate Jake Jewett and he’s doing an outstanding coaching job. They play the best defense we’ve seen and are very disciplined offensively”. Hopkins would move to 5-1 with the win as the Crusaders fell to 3-3.
  • Ravenna would lose a tough one to Newaygo, 55-66. The Bulldogs showed some good things throughout but would falter at times. Ravenna was led by Wyatt Young with 16. Carter Schullo and Dylan May had 11 apiece.
  • Rockford would grab a win over Grand Rapids Union, 61-55. The Rams were led by Andrew Landis who finished with 17 points. Landis started the game on fire from behind the arc splashing a trio in the first frame. Caden Pokorzynski added 13 of his own. At the half, Union led 30-28 but a big 3rd quarter from Rockford eventually propelled the Rams to the win. Rockford outscored the Red Hawks 16-4 in the 3rd quarter. Marquan Ross kept Union in the game in the 4th quarter with 7 of his 13 points. (Hudson Harkness reporting)
  • Unity Christian topped Schoolcraft, 57-43.

1/4/ 2023

  • Grand Haven cruised to a win over Portage Central, 57-43. Will Korenstra had a big game with 15 points for the Bucs. Joey Basil and Harrison Sorrelle both chipped in with 11 points apiece. With the win Grand Haven improves to 6-0 while the Mustangs fall to 2-3 on the season.
  • Hart would defeat West Michigan Aviation Academy on Wednesday night, 64-59. The Pirates would remain undefeated and would take on North Muskegon Friday night. The Aviators take on Morley Stanwood on Tuesday.

1/6/2023

  • Calvin Christian would grab a big win over Belding, 73-31. The Squires improve to 6-1 on the season. Belding drops to 2-5.
  • East Grand Rapids put together a nice win over Greenville, 54-37. Simon Neuhaus led the way for the Pioneers with 20 points while Drew Caswell added 14. East Grand Rapids will look to keep some momentum when they take on Northview on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets will fall to 5-3, they will have a chance to bounce back against a solid Lowell team their next time out.
  • East Kentwood started league play off with a win over Jenison, 52-45. Darryl Thompkins and Jah Hatchett both pitched in 11 points apiece for the Falcons. Marshaun Flakes added 10 points while Christian Rembert led the team with 12 points. East Kentwood would have a quick turnaround against Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice on Saturday in the Mike Turner Classic at Albion College. The Wildcats would fall to 3-5 on the season.
  • Forest Hills Central put together a big win over Forest Hills Northern, 56-27. Levi McKenzie led the way for the Rangers with 16 points on the night. Central will improve to 3-4 and will get right back at it tomorrow against Traverse City Central. The Huskies fall to 3-3.
  • Frankenmuth would defeat Swan Valley, 68-28. The Eagles were really able to jump all over the Vikings early as they would hold a 48-11 lead at the half. Carson Knoll would break out in the 2nd quarter scoring 21 of his team high 27 points in the quarter. He was solid on the defensive end with 8 steals on the night. Frankenmuth had themselves a fun night all night but probably none more then when Knoll would grab an assist on an off the glass alley to Aidan Hoard. Hoard finished the night with 7 points while Will Soulliere added 8. Drew Kaeckmeister led Swan Valley with 6 points.
  • Grand Haven picked up a gutsy win over a very good Rockford team, 59-53. The Bucs keep up their momentum to improve to 7-0 on the season. With the loss the Rams move to 5-2 but will look to get back on track when they face East Kentwood in what should be a great game between two real good teams. Harrison Sorrelle was at it again to lead Grand Haven with 20 points in the win. Kyler Cotton came up with a big shot late to help the Bucs. Joey Basil added 11. Andrew Landis led Rockford with 17 points.
  • Grandville picked up a win over West Ottawa, 52-47. Tyson Mann put together a big night to lead the Bulldogs with 25 points on the night. Cam Regnerus finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Nash Bosma led the Panthers with 19 points. Theo Borgman had a solid night with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Grandville faces Caledonia on Tuesday at 7:00. West Ottawa looks to pick up the pieces quickly before they face a solid Hudsonville team on Tuesday.
  • Grand Rapids Catholic Central took down Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 76-57. KK Brown extended his led in the All-Time scoring books on Friday against Thornapple-Kellogg, where he put 22 points on the board. He was followed by DJ Nystrom will 20. The Cougars started off on a run and never looked back. The Trojans tried to throw everything at their face but at the end Catholic Central’s strength on both ends of the ball prevailed. (Hudson Harkness reporting).
  • Grand Rapids South Christian put together a big win over Forest Hills Eastern to give the Hawks their first loss of the season, pulling out a close battle 45-44. The Sailors would take the lead with just thirty seconds left in the game. South Christian improves to 5-2 and will look to keep it going when they face a good Ottawa Hills team on Tuesday. Forest Hills Eastern will look to bounce back against a Kenowa Hills team that is hungry after losing two in a row.
  • Hart picked up a win at North Muskegon, 61-44.Hart would get off to a solid start but North Muskegon would keep it close heading into the half. The Norse would struggle shooting in the second half led by some great Pirates defense that would propel Hart for the rest of the night.Parker Hovey led the Pirates with 26 points on the night while Blake Weirich put together a solid game with 16. Sam Gallo paced the Norse with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and shot 6 of 7 in the game. James Young added 10 points and 6 rebounds. Troy McManus added 10 points and 8 rebounds. With the win the Pirates improve to 8-0 on the season. They’ll be on the road again for a big game with Mason County Central on Thursday in a battle between two unbeaten teams. The Norse fall to 5-2 but they’ll look to bounce back when they take on Kent City on Tuesday.
  • Hudsonville grabbed a win over Caledonia, 54-34. The Eagles improve to 5-2 on the season while the Scots drop to 2-3.
  • Kent City would defeat Morley Stanwood, 56-48. Jaret Jaramillo had a big night to lead the way for the Eagles with 24 points. Kyler Larson pitched in 11 points. Kent City grabs some momentum with their first win of the season while the Mohawks drop to 3-4.
  • Lawton would get off to a bit of a slow start after a long break off but would together a big second half to cruise to a 54-38 win over Constantine. Luke Leighton (17 points) and Parker VanPeteghem (16 points) led the way for the Blue Devils. Aiden O’Brien added 10. Lawton will take on South Haven on Tuesday. The Falcons will have a chance to bounce back when they take on Allegan.
  • Mattawan would defeat Lansing Everett, 77-42. Mattawan would everything things rolling in this one by dishing out 21 assists as a team on the night. Ryan Kiesling paced the Wildcats with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals. Ryan Van Liere pitched in 11. Mattawan finishes the break at 6-0 on the season.
  • Mona Shores pulled out a win over Holland, 64-50. The Sailors would get off to a solid start in this one and they would end the game the same way to control the pace throughout. Jonathan Pittman was the man of the hour on the night. Pittman led the way with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals to lead Mona Shores. Youth and veteran leadership would be big for the Sailors as Ryan Opsomer (Freshman) and Jeremiah Foster-Thomas (Senior) both provided 14 points apiece while Opsomer pitched in 3 steals and Foster-Thomas added 6 rebounds. Jacob VanHekken did all he could to propel the Dutch providing 24 points and 5 rebounds.
  • Montague would grab a win over Fremont, 57-49. Braeden Johnson had a big night for the Wildcats with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Owen Raeth, who was aggressive in attacking the basket all night, helped with 14 points of his own.Montague did a great job of ending both halves strong to hold off Fremont. With the win the Wildcats now sit at 4-3 on the season. The Packers fall to 3-3 and will have a chance to bounce back against Orchard View in their next game.
  • Muskegon would defeat Reeths-Puffer, 51-26. Jordan Briggs (12 points) and Anthony Sydnor (10 points) led the way for the Big Reds. Travis Ambrose led Reeths-Puffer with 12 points.
  • Northview picked up a win over Lowell, 58-41. EJ Ryans led the Wildcats with 23 points while Tyran Thomas added 10. Drew Veldman paced the Red Arrows with 16 points. Aiden Fitzpatrick added 12.
  • Ottawa Hills picked up a big win over Kenowa Hills, 75-53. Craig Hureskin (18 points) and Isaiah Bradford (17 points) had big nights for the Bengals. Willie Duke pitched in 10. Daten Strickland was impressive with 10 rebounds and 5 blocks. Javion Otten had a big night for the Knights with 19 points.
  • Parchment picked up a nice OT win over Kalamazoo Christian, 48-43. Jalen Kampen led the Panthers with 20 points on the night. Aaron Jasiak added 14 points. JJ Manion (18 points) and Braden Vander Meer (10 points) paced the Comets.
  • Ravenna would battle all night and have a chance late over Mason County Central but it wouldn’t be enough as the Bulldogs would fall to the Spartans, 54-58. Wyatt Young (13 points) and Blake Homoly (10 points) led a balanced scoring attack for Ravenna.
  • Tri County grabbed a win over Central Montcalm, 71-61. The Vikings actually trailed at the half in this one before they put together a monster 3rd quarter to take the lead. Tri County would go off offensively for 31 points out of the break to hold a 47-44 lead heading to the final quarter. They would hold the pace in the 4th to grab the win. Ty Marlington paced the Vikings with a big night going for 28 points. Blake Nelson had himself a night with 17 points. Gavin Rykse and Brent Flintoff both pitched in 11 points apiece. Blake Guilford (15 points), Zack Peterman (13 points) and Evan Rolston (10 points) helped the Hornets stay in the game.
  • Unity Christian grabbed a win over West Catholic on Friday, 57-53. Jeremiah Jones, who transferred from Grand Rapids Christian, put up 30 points in just his first game of the season for the Falcons.
  • Wyoming Lee defeated Bangor at the Bangor Invite, 72-13. With the win the Legends remain perfect on the season at 7-0. Bangor falls to 3-3.
  • Wayland would pick up a conference win over Cedar Springs, 68-51. Brett Bultsma led the way for the Wildcats with 16 points. Elijah Maas (13 points), Kaharrie Pureifoy (11 points) and Drew Lyon (10 points) rounded out a balanced scoring attack for Wayland. Sophomore Marek Oleneack paced the Red Hawks with 22 points. The win moves Wayland to 5-1.
  • Zeeland West picked up a rivalry win over Zeeland East, 53-41. As expected this one was tight throughout with the Dux holding a slim 25-20 lead at the half. Luke Bakker (14 points) and Merritt Alderink (13 points) came up clutch for West as they were able to hold off their rival.

1/7/2023

  • Forest Hills Central would grab a win over Traverse City Central, 56-52. This would be the second win in less than 24 hours for the Rangers as they pick up some big momentum over the weekend. Forest Hills Central improves to 4-4 on the season as they look to keep up their pace when they take on a solid Byron Center team on Tuesday.
  • Muskegon would cruise to a win over Ferndale, 62-51. This would mark the 400th career win for Big reds head coach Keith Guy. Muskegon was led by Jordan Briggs with 24 points. Anthony Sydnor (13 points) and Stanley Cunningham (11 points) rounded out the scoring for the Big Reds. Ferndale was led by Christopher Williams with 18 points.