**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**

Photo courtesy: Miles Postema

DOUBLE DRIBBLE: BOYS BASKETBALL RECAP 1/29/2023

1/23/23

  • Fremont picked up a solid win on the road over Mason County Central, 71-60.
  • North Muskegon picked up a win over Muskegon Heights Academy, 57-54. The Norse were led by a balanced scoring attack in Sam Gallo (13 points, 10 rebounds), Troy McManus (12 points), James Young (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Jaxon Lisinski (11 points). Jaquan Matthews knocked down 7 three-pointers and put up 29 points for the Tigers. North Muskegon now sits at 10-2 (4-2 in conference). They will play at Oakridge on Monday.
  • Ravenna was able to pick up a much needed win over Holton, 83-43. Everything would click in this one for the Bulldogs as they held a big advantage from the start. Caleb Forsythe (23 points) and Wyatt Young (16 points) led the way for the Bulldogs. Drew Mabrito added 11 points. Carter Brant put together a big game for the Red Devils with 18 points and 7 rebounds. Brodrick Fialek pitched in 14 points and 5 rebounds.

1/24/23

  • Benton Harbor cruised to a win over Niles, 77-59. The win puts the Tigers at 10-2. With the loss Niles falls to 5-4.
  • Big Rapids picked up a win over Kent City, 66-54. Seth Vanderwest (18 points) and Jaret Jaramillo (17 points) led the Eagles. Head coach David Ingles thought his team played well despite the loss but admitted, when a team is hot, they’re hot. “They made 9 of 10 threes in the second quarter. Not much you can do when a team shoots like that. I thought we played solid because we were still in the game after that barrage”.
  • Boyne City put together a big win, defeating Traverse City St. Francis 50-44.
  • Byron Center was impressive in their win over East Grand Rapids, defeating the Pioneers 57-38.
  • Calvin Christian cruised over Wyoming Kelloggsville, 63-38. The Squires now sit at 11-1 on the season. The Rockets fall to 1-11.
  • Coopersville picked up a gritty road win over Holland Christian, 46-41. The win moves the Broncos to 5-1 in conference play.
  • East Kentwood picked up a win over West Ottawa, 67-54. With the win the Falcons improve to 8-3 on the season. The Panthers will fall to 3-10.
  • Forest Hills Eastern cruised to a win over Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, 86-55. The win moves the Hawks to 7-3 on the season. With the loss the Trojans fall to 2-9.
  • Frankenmuth beat Birch Run, 63-33. The Eagles were able to jump out to a 24-10 lead after one quarter of play. Will Soulliere led Frankenmuth with 15 points. Carson Knoll tallied 13 points while Aidan Hoard added 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists. Riley Hubbard pitched in with 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Gage Martinus led the Panthers with 11 points.
  • Grand Rapids Catholic Central An absolute thriller in the OK Gold on Tuesday when South Christian and Grand Rapids Catholic Central squared off. The game started with high energy and momentum being taken by the Sailors. After one, South Christian with the 18-12 lead. The 2nd quarter was as back and forth as it could get, the Cougars would win the scoring spilt in the quarter 20-19, but at the half South Christian would have the lead, 37-32. The 2nd half would continue with the high-powered offenses and makes nearly every possession down the court. Catholic Central would trail after 3, 57-50. The final 8-minutes is when the stars would start to shine for the Cougars. Their offense could not be stopped and on the other end their defense would shut down the Sailors attack at a high percentage. The 3rd quarter deficit did not affect CC as they would pull off the win, 71-67. Catholic Central was led by KK Brown with 32 points and Phat Phat Brooks with 21 points and 9 rebounds.
  • Grand Rapids Union grabbed a solid win over Zeeland East, 65-59. With the win the Red Hawks improve to 7-3 on the season. The Chix fall to 7-6. Kyale Lockridge was big on the night with 19 points. Brian Parks was vital with 16 points. Ronnie Burton (12 points) and Marquan Ross (11 points) helped propel a balanced Union scoring attack.
  • Grandville defeated Jenison, 60-53. Tyson Mann had a big night for the Bulldogs, putting up 25 points on the night. Cam Regnerus pitched in 10 points. Grandville will have a big matchup on Friday when they face Rockford.
  • Hamilton beat West Catholic, 59-43. The Hawkeyes held a solid first half lead but were really able to put together a dominant 2nd half to fend off the Falcons.
  • Hart put together a big win over Muskegon Catholic Central, 76-30. The Pirates remain undefeated on the season. The Crusaders will fall to 5-6. Braden Gustin finished with 9 points and 5 steals. Jacob Lyonnais was big on the boards grabbing 10 rebounds. Owen Lyonnais added 7 points.Crusaders head coach Rob Recknagel thoughts his team did some things well but was also impressed with the Pirates, “We battled and did some good things in the game but Hart was too much on both sides of the floor. We handled the ball well but couldn’t capitalize when we had numbers and good scoring opportunities. Hart plays some of the best high-tempo, unselfish basketball I’ve ever seen at this level. They have the composition and intensity to make a deep run”.
  • Hudsonville picked up a dominant win over Grand Haven, 66-48. The Eagles knocked down 7 three-pointers in the game and would cruise all night.
  • Kalamazoo Central would prevail in a battle of two ranked teams over Mattawan, 58-44. Ryan Kiesling led the way for the Wildcats scoring 17 points on the night. Connor Walsh added 14 points.
  • Kalamazoo Christian would defeat Fennville, 64-45.
  • Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep led by a big defensive night were able to knock off White Pigeon, 47-32. Logan St. Martin led the Irish with 16 points. Niklas Johansson added 10. Bennett Carpenter (12 rebounds) and Owen Brown (9 rebounds) were big on the glass. Hackett heads into Friday with a big matchup looming when they face Parchment.
  • Kenowa Hills defeated Cedar Springs, 58-50. Javion Otten made some history on the night by scoring his 1,000th career point as he went for 28 big ones on the night. TJ Nicolette (11 points), Derek Chapin (10 points) and Sutton Tutas (10 points) all helped in the win for the Knights.
  • Lawton picked up a big win over Holland Black River, 74-47. Luke Leighton was big for the Blue Devils on the night leading with 20 points. Parker VanPeteghem contributed 13. Lawton faces a tough test on Friday at Kalamazoo Christian.
  • Ludington would overcome a slow start against Traverse City Central to improve to 13-0 on the season. Trailing on the road to the Trojans by 19 on the road, the Orioles would be able to get things rolling to survive. Taking the home team into OT on a game-tying shot to beat the buzzer at the end of regulation to pull of the win after things looked bleak early. David Schillinger exploded for 17 points in the 4th quarter and would end the night with a game high 35 points. Anthony Ribel was big for Central with 31 points on the night. Spencer Holmes added 14 points for the Orioles.
  • Montague picked up a win over Ravenna to improve to 7-5 on the year defeating the Bulldogs, 66-37.Owen Raeth was big for the Wildcats with 18 points. Isaiah Atchison did a little bit of everything adding 12 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Rodney Brassfield finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Braden Johnson picked up 10 rebounds. Montague will have the next week off before they take on Mason County Central next Tuesday.
  • Muskegon cruised to a win over Holland, 74-25. This one was really all Big Red from the onset as they would hold a 40-13 lead at the half. JT Foster led the Sailors with 15 points. Daryl Robinson picked on 10 rebounds. Mona Shores will look to respond when they take on Whitehall on Tuesday. With the win Muskegon moves to 11-0 on the season. Holland will fall to 2-10.
  • Muskegon Catholic Central was knocked off by Muskegon Heights, 48-55. The Crusaders would really go through it offensively for much of the game. They would still hang around in this one but it just wouldn’t be enough. Braden Gustin led the way for Catholic with 14 points and 4 steals. Bryan Convertini added 8 points and 7 rebounds. Chase Willer pitched in 8 points and 7 offensive rebounds. Finn Maschino was a big spark • Northpointe Christian was dominant in their win over Belding, beating the Black Knights 73-48.
  • Newaygo fell to Reed City, 33-60. The Lions will fall to 7-5 on the season. With the win the Coyotes improve to 7-4.
  • Northview beat Forest Hills Northern, 59-31. EJ Ryans led all scorers with 17 points. Parker Swartz finished with 11. Cam Ryans and Tyran Thomas both pitched in 9 apiece.
  • Ottawa Hills picked up a big win over Wayland, 88-52. Craig Hureskin was incredible on the night as he would go off for 10 three-pointers to set the school record for the Bengals. He finished with 33 points in the game.
  • Parchment would grab a win over Sturgis, 58-46.
  • Paw Paw fell to Allegan, 54-59. Truman Brennan (13 points), Troy Vandenberg (8 points), Ashton Toliver (8 points) and Aydn Roth (8 points) paced the Red Wolves.
  • Portage Northern fell to Battle Creek Central , 34-44.
  • Reeths-Puffer picked up a road win at Mona Shores, 59-48. With the win the Rockets improve to 6-5 on the season. The Sailors fall to 4-7. This one was tight throughout but Reeths Puffer would put together a big 4th quarter that would propel them to the win. The Rockets were led by Jaxson Whitaker with 19 points. Travis Ambrose finished with 13. JT Foster and Mason Hallett both finished with 13 points apiece for the Sailors. Jordan Bledsoe added 10 points and 8 rebounds.
  • Rockford Caledonia traveled to Rockford on Tuesday. The Rams took control in the 1st quarter going up on the Fighting Scots, 15-8. Caledonia did not go away easily. The Scots saw a pair of triples fall in the 2nd quarter to get them moving and put them at only a 2-point disadvantage at the half, 26-24. The 3rd quarter was a back-and-forth battle between two solid offenses. After 3, Rockford 39, Caledonia 36. The Rams took over the 4th quarter outscoring the Scots by 5-points and picking up the win, 59-45. Andrew Landis had 13 points and Caden Pokorzynski had 11 of his own. Caledonia was led by Googins with 12 points and McKenzie with 11.A big non-conference matchup between two of the top teams in Division 1 took place on Saturday, when Rockford and Grand Blanc squared off at Aquinas. The Bobcats came off the bus firing from all levels in the first quarter. After one, the Rams trailed 18-14. The 2nd quarter was a different story, Rockford attacked the rim and got mid-range looks to give them the lead over Grand Blanc at the half, 32-29. The 2nd half started with both teams going at each other’s throats with big time punches as we saw in the 1st half, the Bobcats won the scoring split, but the Rams led after 3, 44-43. A rough 4th quarter for Rockford on the offensive side saw them step up on the defensive side, but not enough to pull out the win. Grand Blanc would take the win on the trip over to the West Side, 53-50. Johnson and Boyd both had 15 for the Bobcats. Caden Pokorzynski had 14 points for Rockford.
  • Sparta was able to fend off Godwin Heights in what was an absolute thriller. The two would battle into the night for 3 OT’s before the Spartans prevailed, 104-98. Jakhary Towns led the Wolverines with 36 points. The Spartans improve to 6-6 on the year. Jax Wilson led all scorers with 37 points.
  • Spring Lake would pull away behind a big 2nd half to defeat Fruitport, 51-35.
  • Whitehall put together a win over Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, 76-33. It was another game in which the Vikings were able to dominate the glass, outrebounding the Warriors 38-15. They would force Christian into 19 turnovers in the game. Sophomore Camden Thompson led Whitehall with 23 points and 11 rebounds. DJ Jamison added 12 points and 5 rebounds. Jack Houtteman pitched in 11 points and 5 assists.
  • Wyoming Tri-unity Christian picked up a win over Schoolcraft in a battle of two very good teams, 51-46. The Defenders would actually be down 15-2 in this game early before mounting a comeback to take down the Eagles.
  • Zeeland West cruised to a big win over Wyoming, 79-41. The Dux were led by Merritt Alderink who went absolutely out of his mind as he would break the school record for points in a game with 42 on the night.

1/25/23

  • Mason County Central was off and running against Orchard View as they would pick up a 60-48 win over the Cardinals. The win would improve the Spartans to 10-2 on the season. Will Chye led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jayden Perrone did some damage at the free-throw line to finish with 13 points and would grab 7 rebounds. Jack VanderHaag chipped in with 10 points and 2 steals. Keith Mcallister led the Cardinals with 14 points. Delaney Oakes added 12.

1/26/23

  • Hart picked up a big win over Manistee, 74-48.
  • Loy Norrix grabbed a win over Gull Lake, 52-49. Cedric Huntley had a big night with 23 points for the Knights. Kai Watts led the way for the Blue Devils with 23. Isaac DeVisser added 12.
  • Mattawan pulled off a thriller over Portage Northern, 50-49. Noah Vanlaningham had himself a night with 15 points. Ryan Van Liere chipped in 10 points. Ryan Kiesling added 10 points and 7 rebounds. The Wildcats improve to 11-1 on the season. With the loss the Huskies fall to 3-10.
  • Newaygo picked up an OT win over Oakridge, 62-60. The Lions will improve to 8-5 on the year. Oakridge drops to 2-7.
  • Whitehall dominated Shelby, 92-61. The Vikings were big on the glass all night as they held the rebounding advantage, 43-23. Whitehall would knock down 10 three-pointers in the game as everything seemed to go right for the home team. Whitehall was led by Camden Thompson (28 points, 12 rebounds, 5 steals) and DJ Jamison (19 points, 5 three-pointers, 7 rebounds, 2 steals). Jack Houtteman chipped in 14 points.

1/27/23

  • Benton Harbor dominated from start to finish to knock off Buchanan, 77-40. With the win the Tigers improve to 11-2. The Bucks fall to 7-5. Antwan Callahan Jr. was big on the night with 18 points and 3 steals.
  • Big Rapids beat Grant 74-58 to improve to 9-1 on the season. The Tigers fall to 7-6 with the loss.
  • Caledonia improved to 4-7 on the season with their 62-60 win over Jenison. The Wildcats were down at one point by 18 but would put the pressure on before falling. Jenison now sits at 4-10.
  • Calvin Christian continues their torrid pace by knocking off NorthPointe Christian, 83-66. Carson DeHaan led the Squires with 33 points on the night. Jake Agema was big with 20. Matthew Elderkin finished with 12. Kayden Bird (20 points), Jamari Hughes (19 points) and Mitchell White (17 points) put together a balanced scoring attack for the Mustangs.
  • Another OK Gold battle for Catholic Central on Friday night against Kenowa Hills. Another tight 1st quarter for the Cougars kept the Knights in the game but after one, GRCC 15, Kenowa Hills 14. The 2nd quarter is when CC turned it into gear, they put 22 points up in the quarter alone and held the Knights to 8 points. After 16-minutes of game action, GRCC 37, Kenowa Hills 22. Despite the Knights trailing after two quarters, they had their biggest offensive quarter of the night putting 21 up. The Cougars 3rd quarter was slow and was allowed Kenowa Hills to crawl back in the game. After 3 CC led 52-43. Another big quarter for the Knights when it mattered the most, putting 20 more in the scorebook and held the Cougars to 15. However, KK Brown stepped up big for the Cougars in the final minutes being sent to the free throw line twice and converting on all four of his attempts, propelling the Cougars to a 67-63 win. Brown finished with 24. Phat Phat Brooks had 19 for Catholic Central. Javien Otten led the way for Kenowa Hills with 25 points. Sutton Tutas also put 17 in the book for the Knights.
  • East Grand Rapids picked up a big road win over Forest Hills Central, 53-40. Arjun Taylor (16 points) and Drew Caswell (15 points) led the way for the Pioneers. Tommy Cavanaugh added 11 points.East will have a week off as they face Greenville next Friday.
  • Forest Hills Eastern cruised to a 78-64 win over Wayland.
  • Frankenmuth knocked off John Glenn, 61-35. Aidan Hoard led the way for the Eagles with 20 points and had a big dunk in the 3rd quarter that sent the Frankenmuth crowd over the top. Travis Brenner had a heck of a game finishing the night with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Sean Wesolek led the Bobcats with 12 points.
  • Fremont knocked off Ravenna, 69-42. Jordon McDonald led the Packers with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Gavin Richards was solid with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Chaz Miller filled the stat sheet with 9 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. The win gives Fremont three in a row and improves their record to 7-4 overall and 3-3 in conference. They will face Grant on Tuesday. Head Coach Adam Bowen was happy with his teams effort, “I thought we played with good effort again. We didn’t execute defensively as well as we have been but overall there are a lot of positives to build on. We shot the ball well for the second game in a row. Credit the kids for working hard on their shooting over the past few weeks”. Carter Schullo had a team high 17 points for the Bulldogs. Drew Mabrito added 10 points.
  • Grand Rapids Catholic Central pulled off a tight one over Kenowa Hills, 67-63. Javion Otten put together a strong performance to lead the Knights with 27 points. Sutton Tutas was big with 17 points. Derek Chapin finished with 12 points.
  • Grand Rapids Union pulled off a thrilling win over Zeeland West, 61-59, as Ronnie Burton grabbed a steal and put in the game winning layup. The Red Hawks sit at 8-3 and are riding a 3 game win streak. Brian Parks paced the Red Hawks with 19 points. Kyale Lockridge (11 points) and Ronnie Burton (10 points) helped a balanced scoring attack.
  • Hamilton took a battle of an OK Blue first place showdown over Coopersville, 51-35. The Hawkeyes now sit at 11-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. With the loss the Broncos fall to 7-6. Hamilton never really looked back in this one as they held a big 27-14 advantage at the half.
  • Hopkins dominated their matchup with Belding, defeating the Black Knights 69-40.
  • Hudsonville would be able to put together a bif effort to grab a win over a solid East Kentwood team, defeating the Falcons 54-45. Brayden Szamrej led the way for the Eagles with 20 points and 6 assists. Breylan McPhaul finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Mason Dykstra added 12 points.
  • Kent City defeated White Cloud, 46-35. Eagles head coach David Ingles was excited by his teams effort, “Our defense was really solid tonight. They can really shoot the ball. We worked hard at running them off the three-point line into our help. They still made nine triples but we were able to limit them to eight other points”. Kyler Larson, Jaret Jaramillo, and Will Harrison all led the Eagles with 10 points apiece on the night.
  • Lawton notched a tough win over Kalamazoo Christian, 53-46. It wouldn’t be the Comets night on their homecoming as they will look to bounce back Tuesday night at Battle Creek Lakeview. Luke Leighton led the way for the Blue Devils with 19. Aiden O’Brien (13 points) and Parker Vanpeteghem (11 points) helped Lawton lead their balanced attack to a big road win. They will face off with Allegan on Tuesday.
  • Muskegon was off and running early as they would cruise pat Mona Shores, 68-25. The Big Red would lead this one 12-5 after one quarter of play really setting the tone early and would ride that to a 26-12 halftime lead. Jordan Briggs had a big night with 15 points. Justin Watson (13 points) and TJ Davis (11 points) helped a balanced Big Reds scoring attack. JT Foster led the Sailors with 13 points.
  • Northview would pick up a big win over Grand Rapids Christian, 57-50. Ty Thomas led the Wildcats with 14. Parker Swartz added 13. Cam Ryans and EJ Ryans both netted 10 apiece. This was a big one as Northview now leads the OK White by 2 games. Dono Thames led the Eagles with 20 points. The Wildcats sit at 7-0 in conference and 12-1 overall. Christian falls to 5-2 in conference and 8-3 overall.
  • Otsego would improve to 10-1 using OT to knock off Vicksburg, 57-50. The Bulldogsmove to 7-0 in conference play. Blake Marks had a big night for Otsego with 16 points. Samuel Bronkema added 13.
  • Ottawa Hills defeated Middleville, 62-48. Craig Hureskin finished with 17 points to lead the Bengals. Qua Hatchett added 11. Ottawa Hills has now won 3 straight at sit at 5-2 in the OK Gold.
  • Parchment came out strong in their win over Hackett Catholic Prep, knocking off the Irish 50-46. The Panthers have some momentum as they improve to 9-5. Hackett falls to 9-5 as well with the loss. The Irish will have a tough week ahead as they face South Haven on Tuesday and Kalamazoo Christian on Friday. Parchment will face a tough Watervliet team on Tuesday.
  • Portland dominated the 4th quarter to grab momentum late in their win over Eaton Rapids, 51-26. The Raiders would lead 30-23 after three before outscoring the Greyhounds 35-7 in the final quarter. Sophomores Dom Novara (12 points) and Evan Gross (11 points) led the way.
  • Reeths Puffer picked up a big win over Holland, 66-36. The Rockets improve to 7-5 but wouldn’t have much time to celebrate as they would take on Detroit Catholic Central the following day.
  • Rockford faced off with Grandville on Friday. The Bulldogs kept it interesting for the first quarter, 9-5. After that rough quarter for the Rams, they kicked into high gear and only saw Grandville in the rearview mirror. Grandville could only put 2 points on the board in the 2nd quarter thanks to two free throws. Rockford put 16 in the book and kept building from there. The halftime score had Rockford leading, 25-7. The 2nd half was all Rams. Rockford would come out on top, 47-21. Charlie Deutsch led all scorers with 13 points. Cayden Lepper also had double-digit for the Rams with 11. Tyson Mann led Grandville scorers with 5.
  • Schoolcraft picked up a win on the road over Constantine, 57-38. The win improves the Eagles to 8-5. This drops the Falcons to 1-10.
  • South Christian picked up a road win at Cedar Springs, 59-36. The win has the Sailors sitting at 11-3 on the season. The Red Hawks fall to 2-10. Carson Vis led the way for South Christian with 16 points.
  • South Haven picked up a win over Allegan, 50-43. The win moves the Rams to 9-3 on the season. Allegan falls to 5-7.
  • West Catholic put together a 47-33 win over Holland Christian. Bernie Varnesdeel paced the Falcons with 15 points. Connor Olszewski pitched in 7 points to go with 8 rebounds. Carter Spencer led the Maroons with 9. West Catholic really set the tone in the game as they held a 28-15 lead at the half.
  • Wyoming picked up a win at home over Zeeland East, 82-78. Alyjah Chandler and Quintin Williams both had big nights for the Wolves with 23 points apiece. B.J. Walker (33 points) and Layne Risdon (20 points) led the Chix.