**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**

Photo courtesy: Lou Murray.    You can check out Lou’s pictures here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/45681226@N02/

DOUBLE DRIBBLE: GIRLS BASKETBALL RECAP 1/29/2023

1/23/23

  • Edwardsburg defeated St. Joseph, 42-33. Avery Markel had a big night for the Eddies finishing with 19 points on the night.
  • Loy Norrix had their defense earn them a victory over Potterville, 34-31. Kaylee Bush had a big game for the Vikings with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 4 steals. Kyra Marciniak added 12 points and 8 rebounds. The two battled it out at Little Caesars Arena.
  • Ravenna fell to Western Mchigan Christian, 23-59.

1/24/23

  • East Kentwood got hot in a win over West Ottawa, defeating the Panthers 59-40. The Falcons knocked down a whopping 11 three-pointers on the night. West Ottawa was led by Gabby Reynolds with 24 points. The Panthers are now 11-3 overall.
  • Frankenmuth picked up a 64-17 win over Birch Run on Tuesday night. The Eagles were out and running early as they held a 31-9 lead at the half. Frankenmuth will move to 7-0 in conference play. Sophomore Clare Conzelmann led the Eagles with 23 points on the night. Mia McLaughlin was big with 15 points and 5 steals. Lexi Boyke tallied 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ella Persails was big off the Eagles bench with 12 points.
  • Gobles picked up a win over Bloomingdale, 36-28. The Tigers were led by Kaya Huizenga (9 points, 6 rebounds), Charlotee Zantello (8 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals), Kennadi Killeen (14 rebounds) and Deanna Wood (7 points, 2 steals).
  • Grant would fall to Central Montcalm, 55-70. The loss would drop the Tigers to 9-6. With the win the Hornets improve to 7-7.
  • Hart set the tone early and often in Tuesdays matchup with Shelby, knocking off the Tigers 56-13. Abby Hicks finished with 20 points on the night and dominated at will during spurts. She added 4 steals on the defensive end. Addi Hovey had a monster night filling the stat sheet with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 8 steals, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Hart is now 10-2 overall and 7-0 in conference play.
  • Holton picked up a tight win over Ravenna, 43-36.
  • Hopkins picked up a tough win over Comstock Park, 48-39. Mady Weber had a big night for the Vikings with 24 points. Ellie Sebright (8 points) and Nevaeh Helderop (7 points) both had some pivotal moments for Hopkins. The Vikings are now 10-3 overall and 6-0 in the OK Silver.
  • Hudsonville put together a huge performance to pull off a griding win over Grand Haven, 47-46. The Bucs would be hot in the first half knocking down 5 three-pointers to hold a 29-21 halftime lead. The Eagles put together a big defensive 3rd quarter to cut the Grand Haven lead to one point heading into the final eight minutes. Hudsonville would finally take the lead but it wouldn’t last long. They would be down by 1 with just 5.9 seconds remaining. Grand Haven would steal the inbound and be fouled immediately making the first free throw and missing the second. The Eagles would grab the rebound and be able to push the ball up the court to get off a final heave, the shot would come up empty but Maddie Petroelje would be fouled sending her to the line for 3 free-throws. She would come up clutch as the Eagles would pull off the thriller in what is likely to be one of the most memorable high school games of the season. Josie Desmit led all scorers with 19 points.
  • Jenison would defeat Grandville, 57-46. This would be a big one for the Wildcats as they would snap a 7-game losing skid with the win.
  • Kalamazoo Central would cruise to a 56-17 win over Mattawan. The win moves Central to 11-1 on the season and 8-0 in the SMAC.
  • Kalamazoo Christian cruised to a 63-30 win over Galesburg-Augusta. Jordyn Bonnema finished the night with a ‘do it all’ effort to lead the Comets with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Aubrey Herder had a big night with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Allison Pschigoda added 9 points and 7 rebounds.
  • Kalamazoo Hackett would put together a dominant win over Marcellus, 51-24. Layne Ridderman put together a career-high 19 points in the game and would add 3 steals on the defensive end. Alyse Baughman had herself a night with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Sophomore Addie Smucker finished with 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
  • Kent City would struggle shooting from the floor as the Eagles would drop their first conference game, losing to Big Rapids 37-48. Madelyn Geers led Kent City with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Lexie Bowers had a solid night with 16 points and 4 steals.
  • Lowell notched a win over Forest Hills Central, 73-33. Piper Risdon (19 points), Braxcynn Baker (18 points) and Taryn Jackson (17 points) all had monster nights for the Red Arrows. Lowell will improve to 11-2 as they host a big game with Byron Center on Friday.
  • Ludington took a win over Fremont, 53-23. It was all Orioles early as they would take a 28-14 lead into the half. Keelyn Laird scored a game-high 14 points. Sophomore Elianna Jeruzal added 10 points. Ludington improves to 10-3 overall and 7-0 in the WMC Lakes. The Packers will fall to 4-11 overall and 2-5 in the WMC.
  • Mason County Central overcame a slow start to get past North Muskegon, 36-18. The Spartans were able to hold a 19-10 lead at the break. They will move to 11-2 overall and 6-1 in the WMC. The Norse fall to 3-10 and 2-5 in the WMC. Wren Nelson and Mallory Miller paced the Spartans with 10 points apiece. They duplicated each other on the rebounding side with 7 each. Nelson added to her night with 3 blocks.
  • Newaygo fell on the road in Reed City, 29-46. Maria Riddering led the Lions with 6 points and 3 steals. Barabara Toth pitched in 6 points. Despite the loss Newaygo head coach Nate Thomasma was happy with his teams second half performance, “The girls picked up the energy and the effort in the second half tonight but we just couldn’t make up for the first half performance. We give them credit, they hit some shots and came ready to play”. The Lions will fall to 4-10 (2-5 in conference). The Coyotes improve to 5-9 (3-3 in conference).
  • Oakridge picked up a close win over Manistee, 44-40. With the win the Eagles move to 10-3 on the season and 5-2 in the WMC Lakes. The Chippewas fall to 6-7 and 3-5 in the WMC.Manistee would actually hold a solid 20-13 lead at the half in this one before Oakridge bounce backed in the 3rd quarter. Jayna Edmondson led the Chippewas with 11 points. Allison Kelley had a big rebounding night with 15 boards. Anna Lundquist led all scorers with 21 points for the Eagles.
  • Portage Central grabbed a win over Battle Creek Lakeview, 38-25.
  • Reeths-Puffer would grab their 5th win in a row grabbing a rivalry victory over a very good Mona Shores team 52-43. Sophia Hekkema was big on the night with 18 points. Ariel Walker added 16 of her own to help the Rockets. Brooklynn Tornes chipped in 10. Ali Phillips led the Sailors with 10 points.Katie Phillips finished with 9. Lauren Hylland added 8.
  • Rockford made their way past Caledonia with a dominant effort, 58-32. Grace Lyons would set the record for most three-pointers made in a career with her mark now sitting at 121.
  • Schoolcraft pulled out a tough win over Martin, 43-38. The Eagles would hold a solid 19-14 lead at the half before the Clippers took the lead back heading into the 4th. Despite the loss Martin head coach Ben Schipper was proud of his team, “It was a great battle by both teams. Proud of the way our girls fought tonight. We’ve been challenging them to be more aggressive and I felt like we had some improvement in that area. We had a lot of contributors tonight. Very proud of our effort, we just came up a little short”. Makayla Goddard had a monster night for the Clippers scoring 17 points (3 three-pointers, 6-6 from FT).
  • South Christian pulled off a thrilling win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 65-64.
  • Spring Lake picked up a win over Fruitport, 63-31. The Lakers were led by Alexa Carter with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Ellie Wrona had 13 points, while Ella Andree added 10 points and 5 assists. The Trojans were led by Ash Olson with 15 points. Grace Sweet added 7. Spring Lake is now 5-5 overall (2-4 in the OK Blue). Fruitport falls to 4-10 (0-6 in the OK Blue). The Lakers would take on Allendale on Friday. Packers head coach Wes Zerlaut was happy with his teams effort on the night, “The girls gave really good effort tonight. Ludingtons size wore us down throughout the game and things got away from us on the scoreboard. I didn’t feel like the final score reflected how well we battled tonight”.
  • Traverse City St. Francis dominated Boyne City, 45-28. The Gladiators improve to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Lake Michigan. With the loss the Ramblers fall to 2-12 overall and 1-7 in Lake Michigan. Maggie Napont finished with a team-high 16 points and 4 steals for St. Francis.
  • Vicksburg would overcome a slow start to knock off Dowagiac, 43-22. With the win the Bulldogs now sit at 13-0 on the season. They will take on Otsego on Friday.
  • West Catholic cruised to a 71-32 victory over Hamilton as they improve to 13-0 on the season. The Falcons would run out to a 50-19 lead at the half. Kyra Kleinheksel scored a team-high 12 points for the Hawkeyes. West Catholic used their defensive pressure to force 20 turnovers in the game. Elisha Dykstra led all scorers with 15 points on the night. She pitched in 8 rebounds and 6 assists to top off her night. Toledo commit, Cadence Dykstra, had a big night with 14 points, 9 steals, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Rebecca Tuttle and Reese Polega both scored 10.
  • White Cloud defeated Lakeview, 56-43. With the win the Indians improve to 7-5 on the season.
  • Zeeland East defeated Grand Rapids Union, 45-36.
  • Zeeland West picked up a road win over Wyoming, 55-41. Kara Bartels led the way for the Dux with 15 points. Ally Yonker (9 points), Lindy Gulker (8 points) and Marissa Ybarra (7 points) were all vital in the win for West.

1/25/23

  • Buchanan won its 11th game in a row defeating Watervliet, 44-32. The Bucks now sit at 11-1 with their only loss coming to an undefeated Vicksburg team.

1/27/23

  • Fennville fell to Watervliet on Friday, 31-59. The Blackhawks would find themselves looking up at a 10-30 deficit heading into halftime. Kyli Bushee led Fennville with 16 points. Christina Mendoza added 7 points. The Blackhawks will fall to 3-9 on the season.
  • Fremont came away with a gritty win on Friday night over Muskegon Catholic Central, coming from behind to win 30-28. The Crusaders really controlled much of the pace in the first half to take a 21-10 lead into halftime. The Packers were able to get right back in the game in the 3rd and would head into the 4th with a chance to steal one. They would finally tie the game in the final 1:30. Fremont would get a big defensive stop that would allow their offense to bleed the clock for one last shot. It would come to fruition as Lily VandenBerg knocked down a 15-footer that would give the Packers the lead. Catholic Central would have one last shot as they pushed the ball up the floor and would actually get a good look at a three-point attempt that wouldn’t fall. Carrie Ladd finished with 12 points to lead the Crusaders. Claire LaVigne helped with 10 points. The duo would do most of their damage in the first half as Fremont was able to really clamp down defensively. The Packers were led by Jessica Bennett’s 13 points and 5 rebounds. Olivia Hanson and Lily VandenBerg pitched in 6 points apiece. Packers head coach Wes Zerlaut was ecstatic for his team, “I am just really happy for our kids tonight. They could have gave up down 11 at the half but instead they committed to work hard on the defensive end and we found a way to score. I’m really proud of our perseverance tonight”.
  • Jenison earned a win over Caledonia, 56-42. The Wildcats are now riding a 2-game win streak.
  • Kalamazoo Central picked up a 33-29 win over Lakeview on Friday night. The Maroon Giants are now 12-1 overall and 5-0 as they sit atop the SMAC East. They will face a solid Plainwell team on Wednesday.
  • Kent City rolled past White Cloud, 56-16. The Eagles were able to contributions from all over on the night as they had seven players score in the game. Savannah Miller led Kent City with 17 points (5 three-pointers) and 6 rebounds. Madelyn Geers put together a big night with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Lexie Bowers finished with 10 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.
  • Martin picked up a win over Holland Black River, 39-19. Makayla Goddard led the Clippers with 13 points and 4 steals. Avery Jager finished with 8 points. Liz Reinke provided 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Martin head coach Ben Schipper was happy with his teams performance, “We really did a great job defensively tonight. We’ve been talking about really trying to jump on teams when we have the chance to and we finally did that tonight. Our defense was very good in the first half in holding Black River to five points. Liz Reinke gave us a big spark tonight being back in the starting lineup”.
  • Montague put together a big win over Whitehall, 51-27. The Wildcats were led by a balanced scoring attack in Ella King (10 points), Britta Johnson (10 points), Addison Pranger (7 points) and Amanda Cederquist (7 points).
  • Muskegon defeated Mona Shores, 38-27. The Big Red were able to put together two solid halves of basketball both offensively and defensively. Ty’Veonna Davis led Muskegon with 19 points. Khaleeya Cook paced the Sailors with 14 points. Laynie Russell added 8.
  • North Muskegon grabbed a home win over Hesperia, 44-14. This one was really all Norse from the start as they cruised into the half with a 18-4 advantage. They were able to keep the dominance throughout by putting together a 26-10 2nd half. North Muskegon improves to 4-10 overall (3-5 in conference). The Panthers fall to 1-13 overall (0-7 in conference). Grace Philpot led the Norse with 11 points. Layla Hurst added 8 points. Francine Vinson was dominant on the glass with 10 rebounds. Marilyn Gaston added 9 rebounds. Lucy Fricke added 7 rebounds. Grace Weberg paced Hesperia with 8 points. Norse head coach Sarah Knuth was happy with what her team put together, “We played our best third quarter of the season tonight. We often come out flat after halftime but not tonight. Everyone on the team contributed. It was a fun game”.
  • South Christian picked up a win over Cedar Springs, 63-37. The Sailors would dominant for much of the game as they would hold a 55-29 advantage after three quarters of play.
  • Spring Lake came up with a road victory on Friday night over Allendale, 48-42. The Lakers would actually find themselves down at the half, 22-33. The Spring Lake defense stifled the Falcons offense in the 3rd quarter, holding them to just 2 points in the quarter. That would give the Lakers a 36-35 lead heading into the final quarter. Spring Lake was led by Ella Andree who finished with 21 big points on the night. Brooke Bolthouse added 14 points while Emma Nicles pitched in 7 points and 5 rebounds. Alexa Carter and Tessa Britt were big on the boards, combining for 15 rebounds. The Lakers are now 6-5 overall (3-4 in the OK Blue). Allendale now sits at 4-10 overall (2-5 in the OK Blue).