**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**

Photo by Lou Murray

2/6/23

  • Frankenmuth fell to Arthur Hill, 41-60. Aidan Hoard led the Eagles with 12 points. Tyler Dorsey led the Lumberjacks with 14 points.
  • Mason County Central picked up a win on the road over Kent City, 51-40. The Spartans were able to end a 2-game losing streak with the win. Mason County Central was led by Jayden Perrone with 25 points. Will Chye followed that by stuffing that the stat line with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
  • Niles beat Buchanan, 65-48.
  • Plainwell defeated Edwardsburg in what was a thriller, 54-52.

2/7/23

  • Big Rapids grabbed a win over Reed City, 49-35. Jack Ruggles led a balanced Cardinals scoring attack with 12 points. Max Hammond paced Reed City with 18 points on the night. Big Rapids improves to 13-1 with the win. They will look to pick up their 11th win in a row when they take on Lakeview in their next outing. The Coyotes will drop to 9-7 and will face a stout Cadillac team next Tuesday.
  • Byron Center grabbed a win over Forest Hills Central, 61-50. They’ll look to keep their momentum when they face Greenville their next time out. The Rangers will have a tough task ahead against a Northview team that has lost 3 in a row as the two will face off Friday.
  • Calvin Christian pulled out a gritty win over a solid Hopkins team, 62-54. The Squires move to 9-0 in the OK Silver and 14-1 overall. The Vikings fall to 5-4 and 11-5 overall. Carson DeHaan finished with 21 points for Calvin. Jace Hogan added 10. Jack Agema, Matthew Elderkin and Camren Hendrickson all finished with 9 apiece. Tristen Perry led the Vikings with 26 points.Trent Baugh added 9 for the Vikings. Hopkins led 37-33 to begin the 4th.
  • Coopersville pulled off a thriller over Unity Christian to win their 3rd in a row, 46-45. With the win they continue to put the pressure on division leader, Hamilton. Mark DeVries led the Broncos with 13 points on the night.
  • East Grand Rapids stays hot as they pick up their 3rd win in a row as they defeated Northview, 54-46. Simon Neuhaus led the way for the Pioneers with 18 points. Will Tewinkle added 14. Drew Caswell pitched in 8. East Grand Rapids is now tied for first place in the division as they have a big matchup with Grand Rapids Christian looming on Friday. The Wildcats have now dropped 3 in a row as they look to rebounds against Forest Hills Central when they take the floor again. Parker Swartz led Northview with 16 points. EJ Ryans added 12 points.
  • East Kentwood picked up a big win over Rockford, 56-41. The Falcons improve to 10-5 as they drop the Rams to 10-6.
  • Forest Hills Eastern beat Kenowa Hills, 79-35. The Hawks have now won 4 of 5 as they now focus on Catholic Central in a big showdown Friday night. With the loss the Knights fall to 7-10 as they shift gears to Wayland in their next outing.
  • Frankenmuth fell to Garber, 48-51. Carson Knoll led the Eagles with 12 points on the night.
  • Fruitport knocked off Allendale, 61-53. The Trojans are now 10-5 and 6-3 in the OK Blue. The Falcons knocked down a three-pointer right before the buzzer to send the game to OT. From there the Trojans took over in the extra session outscoring Allendale, 14-6. Two young guys really made their mark in this one as Sophomore Grade Anspach and freshman DayDay Williams both led Fruitport with 12 points apiece. Paschal Jolman added 10 points. Andrew Spyke had 8 points and 7 rebounds.
  • Grand Haven knocked off Jenison, 51-38. The Bucs were able to start the 4th quarter on an 8-0 as their offense poured it on late. Harrison Sorrelle finished with 18 points. With the win the Bucs improve to 12-3. The Wildcats fall to 5-11.
  • Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Cedar Springs faced off in a conference matchup. The Cougars took over from the get, putting 29 points up in the 1st quarter compared to the Red Hawks, 10 points. The 2nd quarter was more CC and not much Cedar Springs, at the half, CC with the lead 41-18. Grand Rapids CC picked up the pace in the 2nd half and held Cedar Springs down. The game ended with the Cougars winning, 77-37. The Red Hawks were led by Kenny Mitchell with 12 points. GRCC was led by Phat Phat Brooks with 27 points, which of 17 that came in the 1st quarter.  (Recap by Hudson Harkness)
  • Grand Rapids Christian picked up a win over Forest Hills Northern, 40-28. The win moves the Eagles to 11-4 on the season. The Huskies fall to 5-10.
  • Grand Rapids Union picked up a win at Reeths-Puffer, 62-49. MarQuan Ross had a big night lead the Red Hawks with 21 points (5 three-pointers). Ronnie Burton added 14 points. Kyale Lockridge pitched in 13 points. Union improves to 11-5 on the season. The Rockets will fall to 7-8 as they drop their 3rd in a row.
  • Grandville came up with a win over a tough Caledonia team, 72-58. The Bulldogs were led by Cam Regnerus with 23 points. Tyson Mann added 13. Grandville now sits at 10-5. The Fighting Scots will fall to 5-9.
  • Greenville held on to knock off Lowell, 55-48. Trevor Zamarron (17 points) and Caleb Clements (15 points) led the Yellow Jackets with both having big nights. Marco Fontanella helped with 14 points. Greenville now sits at 6-9 on the season. The Red Arrows will fall to 8-7.
  • Hart improves to 16-0 on the season as they would defeat Western Michigan Christian, 67-48. The Pirates cruised the entire way as they held a 36-20 lead after one half of play.
  • Hamilton stays hot as they beat Holland Christian, 66-43. The Hawkeyes improve to 8-1 in the OK Blue and 14-2 overall. The Maroons drop to 4-12.
  • Holton fell to White Cloud, 43-54. The Red Devils fall to 0-15 on the season. With the win the Indians improve to 9-6. Carter Brant led Holton with 26 points and 9 rebounds. Broderick Fialek finished the night with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Mason Ruether paced White Cloud with 15 points. Kevin Strait (12 points), Jared Watson (9 points) and Noah Robinson (9 points) were all vital in the win for the Indians.
  • Kalamazoo Central grabbed a win on the road against Portage Northern, 74-43. Wayne State commit Hutch Ward led all scorers with 29 points (7 three-pointers) on the night. Terrance Jones add 11 points. Freshman Isaiah Theodile finished with 10 points.
  • Kent City cruised to a big win over Orchard View, 50-32. Will Harrison led the Eagles with 15 points. Dylan Sutton and Jaret Jaramillo both pitched in 13 points apiece on a nice offensive night for Kent City.
  • Lawton picked up a win over Vicksburg, 63-52. The Blue Devils were led by Luke Leighton (18 points) and Parker VanPeteghem (15 points) who both had big nights in the win. Aiden O’Brien added 10. Lawton will improve to 8-7 while the Bulldogs fall to 3-12.
  • Loy Norrix picked up a win over Stevensville Lakeshore, 65-57. Devin Knight (13 points), Cedric Huntley Jr., (13 points) and Justin Proctor (10 points) were all big to lead the Knights. Loy Norrix has now won 3 in a row.
  • Mattawan lost to Battle Creek Lakeview, 59-66. With the loss the Wildcats now sit at 13-2 on the year. The Spartans improve to 12-3. Noah Vanlaningham led the Wildcats with 14 points. Connor Walsh had a solid night with 11 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. Brendan Garza finished with 11 points. Lakeview has now picked up wins over Kalamazoo Central and Mattawan in consecutive weeks.
  • Montague fell to Shelby, 49-66. Owen Raeth led the Wildcats with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Isaiah Atchison added 7 points and 13 rebounds. Montague will fall to 9-6 as they look to bounce back on Thursday against rival Whitehall. Shelby improves to 6-9 and will take on Ravenna on Friday.
  • Muskegon picked up a win on the road at Zeeland East, 68-32. Jordan Briggs and David Day III both led the Big Reds with 17 apiece. Muskegon currently ranks #3 in the state as they improve to 14-1 on the season. The Chix fall to 7-9, they were led by Layne Risdon with 11 points. Muskegon led 28-12 at the half and cruised the entire night.
  • Muskegon Catholic Central fell to Fruitport Calvary, 61-70. Sam Zelenka had a big night for the Eagles with 21 points. Braden Gustin had a huge night to lead the Crusaders with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Bryan Convertini added 13 points and 7 rebounds. Catholic Central will fall to 6-10 on the season. Calvary improves to 10-5.
  • North Muskegon dropped a tight battle West Michigan Aviation Academy , 55-63. Lamarkis Graham (18 points, 8-11 shooting) and Troy McManus (15 points) led the Norse. Joey Gallo added 12 points and 9 rebounds. Luke Riebel had a big night for the Aviators with 22 points (5 three-pointers). Joseph May was dominant inside going for 16 points (10-14 from the FT line).
  • NorthPointe Christian was able to pull off a nail-biter over Godwin Heights, 69-67. The win improves the Mustangs to 11-5. With the loss it ends a 3-game win streak for the Wolverines as they fall to 10-4 on the year. Jakhary Towns led Godwin Heights with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
  • South Christian picked up a win over Ottawa Hills, 73-51. The Sailors are rolling as they improve to 13-3 on the season. It halts the 5-game winning streak for the Bengals as they are now 10-7. Sam Medendorp (20 points) and Jake DeHaan (17 points) both had big nights for South Christian. Craig Hureskin led Ottawa Hills with 17, respectively.
  • South Haven beat Galesburg-Augusta, 53-33.
  • Spring Lake defeated West Catholic, 55-47.
  • Watervliet picked up a hard fought win over a very good Schoolcraft team, 61-47. The Panthers now boast a 14-1 record with the lone loss coming by just 3 points to a very solid
    Benton Harbor team. Watervliet was off and running early in this one as they led 22-14 after one quarter of play. Tyson Williams led the Panthers with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Shane Rykse scored 24 points for the Eagles. Watervliet would go on an 11-0 run midway through the 4th quarter to cruise the rest of the way. Rykse did all he could in this one and would eclipse his 1,000th point on the night as just a junior.
  • Wayland picked up a tough win over Thornapple Kellogg, 60-47. Brett Bultsma put together a big night for the Wildcats with 15 points. Kaharrie Pureifoy added 12 points. Elijah Maas finished with 10. Kyle VanHaitsma led the Trojans with 13. Wayland will take on Kenowa Hills on Friday in their Coaches VS Cancer game. Thornapple Kellogg will head on the road to face South Christian.
  • Wyoming pulled out a tough win over Mona Shores at home on Tuesday night, defeating the Sailors 71-57. Leading Mona Shores was JT Foster with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Ryan Opsommer had a big night with 15 points and 6 steals. Sophomore Laydyn Smith added 11 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore Avonte Williams led the Wolves with 18 points and 4 steals. Quintin Williams added 13 points and 5 steals.
  • Wyoming Lee beat Saranac, 81-47. With the win the Legends move to 13-1 on the year. The loss drops the Red Hawks to 1-14. Lee will take on a solid Tri-unity Christian team on Friday in what should be a great matchup. Saranac will look to end their losing streak when they face Potterville on Thursday.
  • Wyoming Tri-unity Christain got off to a quick start in their win over Ravenna, defeating the Bulldogs 71-39. The Defenders took a lead of 39-16 into the half and would never let up on the night. Wyatt Young led Ravenna with 11 points.
  • Zeeland West dominated from start to finish in their win over Holland, 81-41. Merritt Alderink (23 points and 11 rebounds) and Myles Steffen (21 points, 6 assists and 4 steals) had big games for the Dux. Deklen Klamt (12 points) and Orion Yant (11 points) finished off a strong performance for West. Jacob VanHekken and Cameron Ferguson led the Dutch with 7 apiece. The Dux improve to 11-4 and face a big showdown with Muskegon on Friday. Holland falls to 3-13.

2/8/23

  •  Paw Paw knocked off Buchanan, 73-64. Truman Brennan (21 points) and Adyn Roth led the way for the Red Wolves. Joe Miller and Ashton Tolliver added 10 points apiece. Troy Vandenberg finished off the balanced offensive attack from Paw Paw with 9 of his own.
  • Plainwell fell to Marshall, 45-62. The loss moves the Trojans to 9-6 on the season. With the win, the Redhawks improve to 11-5.

2/9/23

  • Kalamazoo Central defeated Loy Norrix in a tough battle, 53-45. Hutch Ward had another big night with 16 points. Darren Varnesdeel was big with 15. Cedric Huntley was big for the Knights with 15 points. Justin Proctor added 11. The Maroon Giants move to 15-2 on the season. Loy Norrix falls to 9-9. Central will be right back at it on Saturday when they take on a solid Hamtramck team at the Wilson Chandler Shootout in Benton Harbor. The Knights will look to respond when they face Coldwater on Tuesday.
  • Ludington picked up a dominant win over Oakridge, 84-46. The Orioles now sit at 15-1 on the season. With the loss the Eagles fall to 6-10. Oakridge came out firing early as they held a 13-6 lead after one quarter of play. It wouldn’t last long as Ludington’s offense would get going in the 2nd by putting up 30 points in the quarter. David Schillinger scored a game-high 24 points on the night. Matthew Westhouse also had a big game for the Orioles with 17 points.
  • Mason County Central knocked off Holton, 68-40. Jayden Perrone led the Spartans with 15 points. Will Chye added 14 points. Braylin Thuraw finished with 8 points. Carter Brant put together a great offensive performance for the Red Devils with 23 points on the night. Holton head coach Tim Stoudt is still proud of his group despite the loss, “We got off to a really slow start tonight. Credit Mason County Central for making things very difficult. That said, our guys didn’t hang their heads and really played four quarters. Carter Brant put together another outstanding night on the offensive side for us”.
  • Mattawan would fall to St. Joseph, 47-50. For just the first time on the season, the Wildcats lose their 2nd game in a row. They move to 13-3 on the year. With the win the Bears continue to stay hot as they improve to 12-3. Mattawan will look to get back on track in a hurry as they take on Harper Woods on Saturday. St. Joseph faces a tough test in Edwardsburg on Wednesday.
  • North Muskegon picked up a win over Hesperia, 94-38. Troy McManus had a huge night for the Norse with 28 points on the night. Lamarkis Graham added 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. TJ Byard pitched in 11 points. Denny Belmonte dished out 7 assists. Adam Dugener finished with 9 points and 5 assists. Maddox Moseley (10 points) and Matteo Matterdominni (7 points) paced the Panthers. The Norse move to 13-3. Hesperia will fall to 3-12.
  • Portage Northern defeated Portage Central, 66-65. With the win the Huskies improve to 4-13 on the year. The Mustangs fall to 3-12. Central held a 55-39 lead after three quarters before Northern put together a huge 4th quarter en route to the win.
  • Ravenna put together a well-rounded game on both ends as they picked up a win over Shelby on Thursday night, defeating the Tigers 59-54. Dylan May was big on the night to lead the Bulldogs with 15 points (5 three-pointers), 8 rebounds and 2 steals. . Caleb Forsythe added 13 points. Carter Schullo was big with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Ravenna will have a quick turnaround when they face North Muskegon on Saturday, the Bulldogs improve to 6-10. Shelby falls to 6-10 as they will play that same Norse team on Tuesday.
  • Whitehall put together a big win over Montague, 84-49. The Vikings improve to 12-5 overall and 6-1 in the WMC Lakes. The Wildcats are now 9-7 overall and 5-3 in the conference, respectively. Whitehall faces Manistee on Tuesday on the road. Montague will have the tall task of taking on a very good Ludington team in their next outing. Owen Peterson led Montague with 11 points. DeCarri Williams finished with 9 points. Owen Raeth added 8 points. The Vikings shot lights out all night and knocked down 14 three-pointers on the night.

2/10/23

  • Calvin Christian pulled off a tight win over Godwin Heights, 60-54. Carson DeHaan (19 points) and Jack Agema (17 points) had big nights to lead the Squires. Matthew Elderkin added 11. Jakhary Towns paced the Wolverines with 17. Damarie Thompson finished with 12.
  • Coopersville continues to impress as they knock off Fruitport, 48-33. The Broncos improve to 11-6 with the win and they have won 9 of their last 10. The Trojans will drop to 10-6. Porter Kretschman put in a career-high 19 points on the night for Coopersville.
  • Frankenmuth got off to a quick start in their win over Swan Valley, knocking off the Vikings 68-51. Aidan Hoard had a big night to lead the Eagles with 16 points. Travis Brenner (12 points and 5 rebounds), Thomas Conzelmann (11 points, and 5 rebounds), Carson Knoll (10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals) and Riley Hubbard (10 points and 6 rebounds) helped what was a potent scoring attack for Frankenmuth. Swan Valley was led by Isaac Beougher with 16 points. The Eagles improve to 10-7 as they drop the Vikings to 7-11.
  • Friday night was host of a nail bitter between Forest Hills Eastern and Grand Rapids Catholic Central. GRCC took the early lead over Eastern and after 1 held the lead, 23-16. A slow 2nd quarter for the Cougars allowed for Eastern to battle back into it, as the Hawks doubled the Cougars score in the quarter. At the break, 29-28, GRCC leading. Another big quarter from the Hawks gave them the lead after 3, 47-45. GRCC would not give up there though. With the clock under a minute, Phat Phat Brooks would go to the free throw line for 4 shots and would sink all 4, propelling the Cougars to the 63-61 win. Brooks led the way with 23 points. Carter Meerman put 19 in the book for CC. For Eastern, Adam Hardy and Mac DanBraber would score 14 each. (Recap by Hudson Harkness)
  • Grand Rapids Christian beat East Grand Rapids, 56-40. The Eagles were led by Dono Thames (19 points) and Jaylan Ouwinga (15 points).
  • Grand Haven put together an impressive win over Caledonia, 67-49. Harrison Sorrelle (27 points) and Joey Basil (17 points) had big nights to lead the Bucs who improve to 7-3 in conference play and 14-3 overall. The Fighting Scots will fall to 5-10. The Bucs will face a tough East Kentwood team in their next outing. Caledonia will look to snap a 3-game losing streak when they take on West Ottawa on Tuesday.
  • Grand Rapids Union won at Mona Shores, 67-51. The Red Hawks were led by MarQuan Ross (14 points), Kyale Lockridge (12 points) and Ronnie Burton (12 points). Union has won 3 in a row as they sit at 12-5 overall. The Sailors are going through it a bit as they have dropped 10 in a row and fall to 4-13. The Sailors were led by Jordan Bledsoe with 16 points. Ryan Opsommer added 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Paul Ritter finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
  • Hudsonville Unity Christian picked up a solid win over a very good Hamilton team, 62-48. Colin Nieuwenhuis (13 points), Dylan Shaban (13 points and 7 rebounds), Mitch Tebbe (12 points), TJ Fisher (9 points) and Hugo VanderWaal (9 points) led a potent offensive attack for the Crusaders who improve to 8-8 overall and 6-4 in conference play. J.D. DeGroot led the Hawkeyes with 16 points. Justin McIlwain added 10. Hamilton moves to 8-2 in conference and 14-3 overall.
  • Kalamazoo Hackett Prep notched a win over Schoolcraft after nearly a week layoff, as they defeated the Eagles 47-42. Hackett improves to 11-6 on the season as Schoolcraft will fall to 10-7. The Irish will face Holland Black River their next time out. Schoolcraft will face a tough Saugatuck team.
  • Kent City picked up a home win over Central Montcalm on Friday night, knocking off the Hornets 59-45. Seth Vanderwest and Dylan Sutton both finished with 13 points apiece to lead the Eagles.
  • Muskegon would pick up a tough home battle over Zeeland West, 60-47. Jordan Briggs led the Big Reds with 24 points. Anthony Sydnor added 11 points. M’Khi Guy pitched in 9 points. Deklen Klamt led the Dux with 15 points. Myles Steffen added 12 points. Merritt Alderink had 11 points. Muskegon will face a Grand Rapids Union team thyat is playing some solid basketball when they face off Tuesday. West will look to bounce back when they take on Mona Shores at home.
  • Muskegon Catholic Central fell to Wellspring Prep, 49-53. Braden Gustin led the Crusaders with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Bryan Convertini added 9 points and 5 assists. Owen Lyonnais stepped in to finish with 7 points. Catholic Central has now dropped 3 in a row to fall to 6-11 on the year. The Wolves move to 3-11 with the win.
  • North Muskegon grabbed a win over Ravenna, 49-39. Wyatt Young (12 points), Carter Schullo (9 points) and Drew Mabrito (9 points) led the Bulldogs. The Norse move to 14-3 on the season. Ravenna falls to 6-11. They’ll have the tall task of facing an undefeated Hart team in their next outing. North Muskegon will take on Shelby on Tuesday.
  • Northview picked up a much needed win as they defeat Forest hills Central, 48-42. With the win the Wildcats will remain in first place as they improve to 13-4 on the season. The Rangers will fall to 8-8. Cam Ryans (13 points) and EJ Ryans (12 points) led the Wildcats. Northview will look to see if they can get some momentum to finish off the season as they take on Greenville on Tuesday. Central will face a tough Grand Rapids Christian team in their next outing.
  • Ottawa Hills picked up a win over Cedar Springs, 60-49. The Bengals will face Forest Hills Eastern on Tuesday. The Red Hawks will look to see if they can get in the win column when they welcome in Thornapple Kellogg. Ottawa Hills was led by Craig Hureskin (18 points) and Derrick King Jr. (16 points). Isaiah Bradford finished with 12.
  •  Parchment defeated Kalamazoo Christian, 63-51. The Panthers are now tied for the league lead at 6-2. Jalen Kampen led Parchment with 22 points on the night. Darius Baker was big with 15. Aaron Jasiak added 11.
  • Rockford visited Hudsonville on Friday night. The Rams would come out on top of the 1st quarter with a 15-9 advantage. Rockford would extend their lead in the 2nd quarter. At the half, 31-23 Rockford. Just as fans started to think this game was going to get out of hand, Hudsonville had other ideas. A 17-point quarter for the Eagles put them back in the game to be trailing by 1 after 3, 41-40. A back-and-forth 4th quarter prevailed Rockford to the close win, 55-54. Andrew Landis had 14 for Rockford. For Hudsonville, Szamrei had 16. (Recap by Hudson Harkness)
  • South Christian has run their win streak to 5 in a row in a win over Thornapple Kellogg, 76-38. The Sailors were led by a balanced scoring attack on the night. Carson Vis led the Sailors with 18 points. Jake Dehaan put in a solid effort with 15. Jake Vermaas added 12.
  • Wayland picked up a win in their Coaches VS Cancer game, defeating Kenowa Hills 71-53. Brett Bultsma (20 points) and Elijah Maas (16 points) led the way for the Wildcats. Peyton Moore (12 points) and Kaharrie Pureifoy (11 points) finished off the balanced scoring attack. Sutton Tutas had a big night for the Knights with 26. Nolan Thayer added 12. Wayland will improve to 10-6 overall and 5-4 in conference play. Kenowa Hills has now dropped 5 in a row as they fall to 7-11. Both teams will face big tests in their next games as thew Wildcats take on Catholic Central and the Knights will welcome in South Christian.
  • Zeeland East beat Holland, 58-37. The Chix move to 8-9 on the season. With the loss the Dutch fall to 3-14. BJ Walker led East with 28 points on the night. Jacob VanHekken was big for Holland with 21.