**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**

**PHOTO BY LOU MURRAY**

DOUBLE DRIBBLE: GIRLS BASKETBALL RECAP

1/3/2023

  • Byron Center grabbed a big win over South Christian, 64-32. The Bulldogs were cruising on all cylinders despite a near three week layoff.
  • East Grand Rapids came away with a 53-44 win over Catholic Central. Macy Brown had herself a monster game with 31 points and 8 rebounds. With the win the Pioneers move to 6-1 on the season. They would be looking to keep their momentum on Friday when they take on a 7-0 Greenville team.
  • Fremont began their 2023 with a home win over Tri-County, 46-19. The Packers were able to control much of the game led by their defense. Fremont would hold a 30-9 advantage heading into the half. Lily VandenBerg (10 points), Riley Chase (9 points) and Khaila Noordyk (8 points) led a balanced scoring attack for the Packers. Fremont head coach Wes Zerlaut couldn’t have been happier with his squad, “We took a step forward tonight. The girls have been working hard. We had a good stretch of practices over Christmas break and it was good to see their effort rewarded tonight with a positive outcome”.
  • Greenville picked up a big win over Comstock Park, 60-27. Alexus Dunn led the way for the Yellow Jackets with 19 points. Megan Leslie helped with 16 points. Greenville will look to keep their strong season going when they face East Grand Rapids on Friday to open conference play.
  • Hart would battle but come up just short in a double OT loss to a very good Holland Christian team, 57-62.. The Maroons would hold a solid 20-12 lead at the half before the Pirates stormed back. Hart used a big 3rd quarter to tighten things in a hurry. The Pirates would take the lead in the 4th in which they led most of but the Maroons continued to respond.Holland Christian will move to 5-3 on the season while Hart drops to 4-2. Addi Hovey put together another big game for the Pirates with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Aspen Boutell had 16 points and 9 assists. Abby Hicks had a solid all-around game with 11 points, 10 assists and 6 steals.Chloe Coker added 6 points and 7 rebounds. Hart looks to bounce back when they travel to Mason County Central on Thursday for a big conference showdown.
  • Hudsonville came away with a tight win over Zeeland West, 53-48. Maddie Petroelje (Loyola commit), broke the record for Hudsonville surpassing the previous record of 187 to hit a mark of 191 through her Eagles career.
  • Kent City pulled out a big win over Fowler, 66-52. This one was quite the show as both teams combined for 16 three-pointers on the night. Lexie Bowers made some history on the night leading the Eagles with 34 points (6 three-pointers) and hitting the 1,000 point mark in her Kent City career. Madelyn Geers put together a heck of a game with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.
  • Mona Shores would pick up a win over Shelby, 61-26. The Sailors led this one big at the half and wouldn’t let up. Khaleeya Cook led Mona Shores with 19 points on the night. Ali Philiips finished with 18. Molli Schultz led Shelby with 12 points.The Sailors look to keep their momentum when they take on Holland Friday night. They sit at 5-3 on the season. The Tigers fall to 4-4 and will have a chance to bounce back against Holton on Thursday.
  • Morley Stanwood would drop their first game of the season against a very talented Lake City team, 43-58. The Mohawks move to 5-1 while the Trojans improve to 7-1 on the season. MacKenzie Bisballe finished with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Alie Bisballe had a big game with 15 points, 18 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks.
  • North Muskegon would lose a tight battle with Fruitport, 38-40. This one would come right down to the wire as the Norse had a chance to steal the game with one last possession but time would run out on the last shot. Even with the loss North Muskegon head coach Sarah Knuth loves what she sees from her team moving forward, “All of the girls played hard and should be proud of their effort and performance. We will continue to learn and improve with each game”. Emma Buchmiller led the Norse with 9 points and 7 rebounds. Kaylee Martin, who put on a show pre-game with her singing the National Anthem received an uproar from everyone in the gym, and proceeded to have a heck of a game with 6 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Abbie Wiegers would hit a big three late to keep the game within reach, finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds. Ash Olson was big for Fruitport, especially late, finished with 15 points in the game. Auebre Johnson was hard to contain and added 12 points. Grace Sweet finished with 12 points of her own.
  • Ravenna would fall to an undefeated Mason County Central team, 17-37. The Bulldogs were able to do some things defensively but couldn’t find their offense derailing the comeback attempt. Ravenna falls to 2-4 but have been through a gauntlet of a schedule with their last three being against Hart, Manistee and Mason County. They’ll look to respond when they take on Hesperia Thursday night.
  • Reeths-Puffer picked up a big win over Jenison, 55-40. The Rockets were off and running in this game by getting out to an early 16-8 lead after one quarter of play. That wouldn’t be it though as the Wildcats cut into the lead heading into the half. Reeths-Puffer would continue to grow the lead as they would lead by double-digits for much of the second half. Terin Maynard scored a team high 17 points for Jenison, while Rudy Maynard added 10 points. Ariel Walker and Sophia Hekkema both led the Rockets with 19-points apiece. Reeths-Puffer and Jenison now sit at 3-4 on the season.

1/4/2023

  • Montague used a big first half to hold on and grab a win over Grant, 42-41. The Wildcats stormed in with a 27-14 lead after one half of play before Grant put together a big half of their own. Emma Peterson did a little of everything to lead Montague with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Haylee Schwarz added a solid night of her own finishing with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Vikings head coach Nick Thaler had his resolve heading into this one but couldn’t be happier with his teams effort, “This was our first game in 14 days so I was a little worried about what our energy level might be. I think as a group we really learned a lot from our game with Mona Shores. That can really test you mentally and I thought we responded well. The girls executed our game plan perfectly in the first half. We some great ball and it was great to see our team flying around defensively. Grant is a very well coached team and Julie Ashbaugh can really go. We knew she would be key so we just really tried to make things difficult for her because she’s a threat every time she has the ball”.

1/5/2023

  • Fennville would drop one to Bridgman on Thursday night, 21-30. This one was a defensive battle throughout as the Bees held just an 11-7 advantage at the half. Kyli Bushee led the Blackhawks with 8 points. Lila Rosema finished with 7 points. Despite the loss Fennville head coach Josh Weimer likes the way his team continues to improve, “We’re competing and we are moving in a direction that we can build on. The outcome was a loss, but there were a lot of good results within this game that we can take and build on”. The Blackhawks will fall to 2-5 after this one but they will have a chance to bounce back Tuesday night at home against Parchment.
  • Fremont would travel to Orchard View Thursday night and leave with 29-20 win. The Packers really controlled much of the pace of this one until Orchard View made a run in the second half. Struggling from the floor, the Packers really leaned on their defense to hang on. Fremont was led by Jessica Bennett with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Khaila Noordyk added 6 points and 8 rebounds. The win moves the Packers to 3-6 as they had a quick turnaround against Montague the following night. Packers head coach Wes Zerlaut was pleased with his team following the win, “Points were obviously hard to come by tonight. I thought we executed well offensively but just couldn’t get shots to fall. The girls played hard, moved the ball well, and were solid defensively tonight. I was pleased with the perseverance we showed to find a way to still win this one”.
  • Hart grabbed a big win over Mason County Central, 54-38.The visiting Pirates would really put together a solid first half before Mason County would keep it close heading to the half. A big second half from Hart would actually build the lead to over 20 points at a point in the half. Aspen Boutell was big for the Pirates leading them with 19 points. Abby Hicks added 15 points and 6 rebounds. Addi Hovey finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. The win will improve the Pirates to 5-2 on the season. This will be the first tally in the loss column for the Spartans as they fall to 6-1.
  • Holton would drop a tight battle to Shelby, 38-46. The loss moves the Red Devils to 4-5 while the Tigers improve to 5-4.
  • Ravenna welcomed in Hesperia and would grab a home win over the Panthers, 49-15. The Bulldogs would get off to a slow start before really ramping up their defense in the 3rd and having it lead to offense to take complete control of the game.The win improves the Bulldogs to 3-4 on the season. The loss will move Hesperia to 1-7.
  • Wyoming Lee picked up their first win of the season over New Buffalo, 35-29. The Bison move to 2-7.

1/6/2023

  • Central Montcalm cruised to a win over Tri County, 57-26. The Hornets were off and running early in this one led by their offense. They would hold a 33-11 advantage heading into the half. Maia Sexton played absolutely out of her mind on the night to lead Central Montcalm with a 26 point effort. Allison Johnson had 9 points for the Vikings.
  • East Grand Rapids came away with a big win over a very good Greenville team, 72-43. The win moves the Pioneers to 7-1 on the season with their only loss coming to an undefeated West Catholic team. They look to keep rolling on Tuesday against Northview. This will be the first tally in the loss column for the Yellow Jackets who now sit at 7-1. They’ll have a chance to get right back on track in what will be a great battle when they face Lowell on Tuesday. Megan Leslie paced Greenville with 19 points. Alexus Dunn added 15 for the Yellow Jackets.
  • East Kentwood defeated Jenison, 40-37. Tianna Daye led East Kentwood with 12 points and 4 steals. Harmonie Belton finished with 8 points and 7 steals. Makayla Porter added 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. The Falcons improve to 5-2 and will look to keep their momentum when they face a very good Rockford team on Tuesday. The Wildcats fall to 3-5 but will have a chance to get back on track when they face a solid Grand Haven team.
  • Frankenmuth grabbed another tight win over a very good Swan Valley team, 42-39. This was a tight battle between two teams that met for the Regional final last season. The Eagles would head into the half with a solid lead, 21-12, but the Vikings just wouldn’t go away. Swan Valley would actually have a chance to tie the game on their last possession but a suffocating Frankenmuth defense would let it be for not. Mia McLaughlin put together a big game for the Eagles to lead them with 17 points on the night. Lexi Boyke was big on the glass and defensively grabbing 10 rebounds and adding 4 blocks. Frankenmuth will enjoy the win as they improve to 6-1 but they will shift their focus quickly to a solid Garber team who is coming off a close loss to Freeland. The two will face off Tuesday in a home game for the Eagles.
  • Grant would cruise to a win over Newaygo, 52-42. The Tigers took a solid lead into the half, 27-16, but the Lions would put together a big 3rd quarter. The Lions would hold a slim three-point lead heading to the 4th. Grant would use a big final quarter led by some crucial rebounding to take the momentum right back and get the win. Barbara Toth led the Lions with 11 points and 5 rebounds.
  • Hopkins started conference play with a win over Sparta, 37-25. Mady Weber was big for the Vikings all night leading the way with 17 points in the win. The Bulldogs will look to grab another win on Tuesday when they take on a solid Calvin Christian team. The Spartans will look to bounce back when they take on Belding in their next game.
  • Kent City picked up a win over Morley, 61-28. Lexie Bowers led the way for the Eagles with 20 points, 9 steals and 8 rebounds. Madelyn Geers put together a nice night on both sides of the ball with 19 points and 7 steals. Savannah Miller pitched in with 11 points and 5 rebounds.
  • Lowell would remain perfect on the season after their win over Northview, 66-22. Braxcynn Baker had herself a huge game with 27 points. Piper Risdon had a big night with 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Red Arrows look to keep rolling when they face a very good Greenville team on Tuesday. The Wildcats fall to 4-5 but have a chance to grab a big win over a good East Grand Rapids when they pick back up on Tuesday.
  • Martin picked up a solid win over a good Saugatuck team, 39-32. The Clippers used a big first half to grab this one as there wouldn’t be much distance between the two teams as the Trailblazers really kept it tight in the second half. Avery Jager and Makayla Goddard both led Martin with 11 points apiece. Sophomore Kennedy Gustafson led Saugatuck with 11. The Clippers improve to 6-1 on the season while the Trailblazers fall to 4-3. Martin head coach Ben Schipper liked what he saw from his team coming out of the holiday break, “Very proud of the way we battled tonight against a very physical Saugatuck team. Coach Tringali’s teams are always tough and they made us earn this one. We did a good job of seeing some things that they’ve thrown at us before. We did a good job with that. Avery Jager and Marybeth Ritchie hit some big shots for us early that really propelled us. I liked the looks that we were getting offensively. Makayla Goddard and Cirsten Coburn did a great job of handling their pressure. Ball screen defense was big for us heading and I thought it paid off. It was a great win for us coming out of the break but we will continue to clean some things up so we can really reach our full potential”.
  • Montague picked up a gutsy win over Fremont on Friday night, 37-34.The Wildcats would trail this one at the half but we’re able to really find a way to take the momentum in the second half. With the win the Vikings improve to 5-3 on the season. Haylee Schwarz led the way for Montague with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Addison Pranger had a solid game with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Mia Clemence led the Packers with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Fremont will fall to 3-7 on the season.Wildcats head coach Nick Thaler was happy with the performance from his team, “Nice win for us tonight. Fremont played very hard and were relentless attacking the glass. I liked some of the flow that we were getting from our offensive scheme but we still have to knock some shots down. Winning games like this will make us better. We can go back and look at what we’re doing well. We’re getting good looks but we can feel rushed at times. Our defense was big tonight with 13 steals but we’ll look to take more advantage of that when we have the opportunity”.
  • North Muskegon would grind out a win over West Michigan Aviation Academy, 39-33. Francine Vinson led the way for the Norse with a solid all-around performance in notching 9 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Grace Philpot added 5 points but was big late in going 3 of 3 from the free throw line to seal the win. Audrey Mileski would foul out with about three minutes remaining in the game but he put together a monster effort for the Aviators leading the team with 16 points on the night. She was helped by Ava Bazuin who had a heck of a game with 15 points.
  • Pewamo Westphalia picked up a big win over Laingsburg, 47-16. The Pirates move to 5-2 on the season while the Wolfpack drop to 5-3.
  • Rockford would cruise by Grand Haven, 62-31. The Rams were led by Alyssa Wypych with 20 points. Anna Wypych pitched in 13 while Grace Lyons added 11. Rockford now sits at 7-1 on the season. The Bucs fall to 3-3.
  • Zeeland West came away with a rivalry win over Zeeland East, 43-30. Kara Bartels (15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Jordyn Klaasen (15 points, 3 steals, 3 three-pointers) led West. The Dux improve to 4-4 on the season while the Chix fall to 3-5.