**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**

Photo by Lou Murray

2/6/23

  • Gobles took down Marcellus Howardsville Christian, 55-32. Kennadi Killeen was big on the nights for the Tigers with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Charlotte Zantello helped with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Freshman Kylee Killeen pitched in with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Gobles improves to 11-5 on the season. The Eagles will fall to 8-7.
  • Hart picked up a solid win over Wyoming Potters House Christian, 44-26. Addi Hovey (19 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals) and Abby Hicks (17 points, and 12 steals) both had big nights to lead the Pirates.
  • Lawton came out on fire as they defeated Delton Kellogg, 54-20. The Lady Blue Devils would get out to a 28-0 lead heading into the half and cruise the rest of the way. Kenzee Terpstra led the way for Lawton with 14 points. McKenna Macon added 12 points and 4 steals. Kylee Somers finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Addi Price pitched in 8 points and 5 steals.
  • Newaygo pulled out a tight battle over Ravenna, 38-35. The Lions would hit a three- pointer with just 1.4 seconds remaining to pull off the thriller.

2/7/23

  • Big Rapids put together a big win over Reed City, 51-25. The Cardinals jumped out to a 28-11 halftime lead and never looked back. With the win they now sit at 16-1 overall and 8-0 in the CSAA as they now set up a big showdown with Pewamo Westphalia on Thursday. The Coyotes will fall to 7-11 with the loss. They have a chance to bounce back when they take on Cadillac a week from now.
  • East Grand Rapids improves to 13-4 overall and 7-2 in conference as they knock off Northview, 67-42. Macy Brown put together a monster game for the Pioneers with 29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 steals. Claire Weaver added 12 points. Reagan Weaver had a big effort with 6 points and 10 rebounds. It sets up a big matchup as they take on Grand Rapids Christian in their next outing. The Wildcats fall to 4-14 on the season. They’ll look to pick up a win at Greenville on Tuesday.
  • Edwardsburg picked up a road win at Marshall, 51-24. Caitlin Tighe led the way for the Lady Eddies with 20 points and 6 steals. Abby Bossler added 7 points. Edwardsburg moves to 11-5 with the win. The Redhawks now sit at 8-9.
  • Frankenmuth went on the road to Garber and put together a big win over the Dukes, 52-19. The Eagles had no trouble getting up early as they held a 30-8 lead at the half. Frankenmuth was led by Lexi Boyke who finished with 19 points. Sophomore Izzy Bernthal added 9. The Eagles are now 10-0 in conference play.
  • Fremont held off Montague to grab a win, 31-22. Fremont will move to 6-13 with the win. The Wildcats will drop to 10-7. Emma Peterson led the Wildcats with 10 points on the night. Riley Chase led the Packers with 9 points.
  • Gobles knocked off Coloma, 44-12. Kaya Huizenga led the charge for the Tigers with 13 points and 5 steals. Kylee Killeen pitched in 8 points and 3 steals. Gobles will move to 12-5 on the season. The Comets fall to 0-7. Next up for both teams is Delton Kellogg as the Tigers will take them on Friday. Coloma will tangle with them on Monday.
  • Hart cruised to a win over North Muskegon, 80-25. Addi Hovey led the Pirates with 20 points and 6 steals. Abby Hicks was big with 14 points. Aspen Boutell added 12 points, 7 assists and 5 steals. Mariana VanAgtmael pitched in 7 points and 4 steals. Grace Philpot and Emma Buchmiller led the Norse with 8 points apiece.
  • Holland Christian picked up an impressive win at Hamilton, 44-33. Camryn VandenBosch led the Maroons with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Tryna Vander Zwaag added 9 points. Bria Lampen knocked down 3 three-pointers in the 2nd half. Holland Christian will move to 12-5 overall and 6-2 in the OK Blue. The Hawkeyes fall to 11-6 overall and 6-3 in the conference.
  • Hudsonville cruised at home in their win over West Ottawa, 56-45. The Eagles held a big 30-17 lead at the half and they put themselves up 18 points to head into the final quarter. Chelsea Overbeek led the Panthers with 20 points. Magaly Lemus finished with 8 points and 14 rebounds. Hudsonville rides a 3-game win streak in Fridays matchup with Rockford. West Ottawa will look to see if they can build some momentum as we come down the stretch when they face Jenison their next time out. Josie DeSmit finished with 16 points for the Eagles. Maddie Petroelje knocked down a corner three-pointer to record her 1,000th point of her career which only has been done 3 times at Hudsonville.
  • Jenison pulled out a tough battle with Grand Haven, 51-47. The Wildcats will have a chance to take on Holland West Ottawa in their next game. The Bucs will look to bounce back against the Fighting Scots of Caledonia on Friday.
  • Kalamazoo Central rolled to a big win over Portage Northern, 72-50. The Lady Maroon Giants now sit at 15-1 on the season. With the loss the Huskies fall to 3-13.
  • Kalamazoo Christian fell in a tough one to Covenant Christian, 43-41. The Comets will move to 14-3. With the win the Chargers improve to 7-9. Kalamazoo Christian will look to get back on track Friday when they take on Parchment. Covenant Christian, who has now won 3 in a row, will face off with Potter’s House Christian.
  • Lawton fell to Vicksburg, 34-47. The Lady Blue Devils competed throughout as they were playing in back to back nights against a very good Bulldogs team. Lawton will drop to 8-9 after the loss. Vicksburg remains undefeated on the season. Adi Price led the Lady Blue Devils with 11 points and 3 steals. Mckenna Macon finished with 10 points and 6 steals.
  •  Lowell picked up a win over Greenville, 86-30. The Red Arrows were scorching hot from deep as they would knock down 17 three-pointers on the night. Lowell will move to 13-4 with the win. The Yellow Jackets fall to 9-8 on the season. Braxcynn Baker went off for 31 points to lead the Red Arrows. Piper Risdon (13 points), Gracyn Hamilton (12 points) and Lexi Howell (10 points) finished off an incredible offensive effort from Lowell. Alexus Dunn led Greenville with 8 points. Freshman Alix Court finished with 7.
  • Loy Norrix fell to Stevensville Lakeshore, 43-49. Kennedy Lockett had 14 points for the Knights. Loy Norrix will fall to 8-8 on the year. The Lancers sit at 12-5. The Knights will have another tough test on Friday when they head to Kalamazoo Central. Lakeshore will face off with a Battle Creek Lakeview team that has been playing some solid basketball.
  • Ludington got out to a quick start over Whitehall, knocking off the Vikings 54-20. The Orioles jumped out to a 15-6 lead early and never looked back outscoring Whitehall 35-10 in the 2nd half. With the win the Orioles improve to 12-5 overall and 9-1 in the WMC Lakes. The Vikings will drop to 10-7 and 3-6 in the conference. Emma McKinley led all scorers with 13 points. Keelyn Laird finished with 11.
  • Martin put together an impressive performance over Allegan, defeating the Tigers 48-35.
  • Portland came up with their 4th win in a row as they defeated Laingsburg, 47-24. The Raiders were led by Malia Thelen who finished the night with 17 points. Lilly Thelen added 12 points. Summer Stopczynski helped with 9. Portland will improve to 11-6 on the year. The Wolfpack fall to 8-9.
  • Ravenna fell to Mason County Central, 25-39. The Bulldogs will look to bounce back when they take on Hesperia Friday night. For the Spartans, they will take on Hart in what will be a big matchup when they look for their 5th win in a row. The Hart Pirates have won 11 in a row.
  • Rockford put together a win over a tough East Kentwood team, knocking off the Falcons 61-49. Anna Wypych (19 points) and Sienna Wolfe (17 points) led the way for the Rams. Grace Lyons added 11. Rockford has now won 10 games in a row as they will take on a tough Hudsonville team, winners of 3 in a row, on Friday. East Kentwood takes on Grandville in their next outing.
  • South Christian defeated Ottawa Hills, 57-10. With the win they’ll improve to 12-5. The Bengals will fall to 5-11.
  • Three Rivers came out and set ablaze as they knocked off Dowagiac, 55-30. Freshman Dani Glass had herself a night with 24 points. Sophomore Jennaya Decker pitched in 12. Gabby Charvat added 11. The Wildcats continue their momentum as they sit at 10-5 on the year. The Chieftains will fall to 8-8.
  • Vicksburg came away with a win at Lawton, 47-34. With the win the Lady Bulldogs move to 17-0 on the season. The Lady Blue Devils fall to 8-9. Vicksburg will look to see if they can knock off a solid Three Rivers team in their next outing. Lawton will welcome in Constantine when face off Friday.
  • West Catholic continues their dominant season as they cruise past Spring Lake, 55-23. The Falcons now sit at 17-0 on the season with no signs of slowing down. They’ll look to keep it going when they face Allendale on Friday. The Lakers fall to 7-8. They’ll look to bounce back when they take on another real solid team in Holland Christian. The Lakers were led by Ella Andree who finished with 7 points and 2 steals.
  • Wyoming picked up a nice road win at Mona Shores, 44-39. The Wolves now sit at 10-7 overall and 5-4 in the conference. The Sailors fall to 10-7 overall and 5-4 in conference. Laynie Russell (12 points), Logan Clausen (8 points) and Ali Phillips (7 points) provided much of the offense for Mona Shores.
  • Zeeland West picked up a home win over Holland, 61-38. The Dux set ablaze early as they led 17-1 after one quarter of play. West was led by a balanced scoring attack in Jordyn Klaasen (13 points), Marissa Ybarra (11 points), Georgia Kuyers (10 points), Lindy Gulker (8 points) and Tessa Rindfliesch (8 points). The Dux improve to 10-7 on the season while the Dutch fall to 3-13. West will face a stiff test on Friday when they take on Muskegon. Holland will look to see if they can grab a win over Zeeland East when they take the floor again.

2/8/23

  • Fennville lost a tough matchup with Saugatuck, 26-46. The Blackhawks would have an uphill battle most of the night as they trailed 12-27 at the half. Kyli Bushee led the Blackhawks with 20 points.
  • Lake City returned to action and didn’t skip a beat as they picked up a win over Beal City, 49-30. MacKenzie Bisballe had a big night for the Trojans with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Payton Hogan finished with 9 points. Alie Bisballe pitched in with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 4blocks.

2/9/23

  • Pewamo-Westphalia picked up a big win over Big Rapids, knocking off the Cardinals 36-34. The Pirates move their record to 12-5 on the season. Big Rapids falls to 16-2. In what was an absolute thriller, Mackenna Weber would make the game winning floater with just four seconds left in the game over a great Cardinals team. Elly Bengel scored a team-high 13 points for Westphalia. Weber would finish the night with 9 points and 5 rebounds.
  • Potterville picked up a win over Saranac on Thursday night, 57-20. Kaylee Bush led the Vikings with 25 points (14-15 from the FT line), 14 rebounds and 5 steals. Emily Cates had a big night as well with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Potterville improves to 10-9 with the win. The Red Hawks drop to 0-16. The Vikings will take on a solid Fowler (5 wins in a row) team in their next outing. Saranac will look to see if they can pick up a win over Kentwood Grand River Prep on Friday.

2/10/23

  • Byron Center defeated Greenville, 72-30. The Bulldogs have now won 13 games in a row as they improve to 15-3 on the season. The Yellow Jackets fall to 9-9 in the midst of a 3-game losing streak. Alexus Dunn led Greenville with 18 points.
  • Fennville fell to Bridgman, 7-39. The Blackhawks were down a couple players with other nursing injuries, head coach Josh Weimer knows his team will never give in, “I can never question their resilience, commitment and effort”. Fennville falls to 3-12 with the loss. The Bees are now 14-3.
  • Fremont came away with a 43-15 win over Orchard View on Friday. It was all Packers throughout as they would lead 30-10 at the half. Jessica Bennett (11 points) and Sydney Moon (7 points) led Fremont. The Packers would put together a solid win on their last home game of the season and Coach Wes Zerlaut was happy his team made memories of it, “We talked with the girls about making a memory tonight and they did just that. It was a great night for our basketball program and our kids”.
  • Hamilton picked up a tough win over Unity Christian, 35-28. Kaitlyn Geurink (13 points) and Jessica Berens (9 points) led the Hawkeyes. Makara Obande (14 points) and Maleya Obande (7 points) led the Crusaders.
  • Hart picked up a big win over a solid Mason County Central team, 51-32. The win gives the Pirates a now 2-game lead over the Spartans in the MCC. Aspen Boutell led Hart with 20 points on the night. Addie Hovey did it all with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Abby Hicks was big with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.
  • Holland Christian grinded out a win over Spring Lake, 49-45. The Maroons win their 3rd in a row as they improve to 13-5 overall and 8-2 in the OK Blue. The Lakers will fall to 7-9 overall and 3-7 in the OK Blue. Spring Lake was led by Ella Andree with 19 points. Alexa Carter added 9 points and 8 rebounds.
  • Kalamazoo Hackett Prep defeated Schoolcraft, 39-28. The Irish will improve to 11-7. They drop the Eagles to 10-8. Layne Ridderman paced Hackett with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Alyse Baughman added 9 points and 8 rebounds.
  • Kent City had a big night as they defeated Central Montcalm, 63-29. They improve to 16-3 with the win. The Hornets fall to 10-9. Lexie Bowers (27 points, and 10 steals) and Madelyn Geers (17 points, and 11 rebounds) both had monster nights for the Eagles who have now won 5 in a row.
  • Lawton pulled out an impressive win over Constantine, 55-30. McKenna Macon had herself a night as she went for 19 points and 10 steals. Adi Price pitched in 12 points and 7 steals. Freshman McKenzee Terpstra added 10 points and 4 steals. Ella Richter was solid with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
  • Ludington cruised over Manistee to secure the West Michigan conference, as they defeated the Chippewas 52-40. The Orioles improve to 13-5 with the win. The loss will drop Manistee to 7-11.
  • Martin put together their 5th win in a row to knock off Saugatuck, 43-36. The Clippers were led by a balanced attack on the night as they had five players score at least 7 points on the night. They move to 14-3 on the season and now look ahead to Kalamazoo Christian in a big matchup on Tuesday. The Trailblazers fall to 9-8 as they will look to bounce back against Constantine in their next outing.
  • Mona Shores beat Grand Rapids Union, 49-30. Khaleeya Cook (13 points), Katie Phillips (9 points) and Ali Phillips (8 points) led the Sailors. Mona Shores improves to 11-7 on the year. Maiya Hill paced the Red Hawks with 12 points while Tanayah Porter added 9. Union will fall to 5-10 with the loss.
  • Montague put together a balanced effort on both sides of the ball knocking off Western Michigan Christian, 54-30. The Wildcats came out strong as they held a 25-18 lead at the half. They would go on to outscore the Warriors 29-12 in the 2nd half. Braylyn Bultema (12 points, 5 rebounds), Haylee Schwarz (12 points), Amanda Cederquist (8 points, 11 rebounds) and Emma Peterson (7 points, 5 assists) led Montague. The Wildcats will look to grab another when they face North Muskegon on Monday. West Michigan will have the task of taking on a very good Hart team that is playing some of their best basketball.
  • Newaygo cruised to a home win over Tri-County, 46-32. Grace Painter had a big night for the Lions with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Barbara Toth finished with 12 points. Newaygo led the entire game which included a big lead at the half of 26-11. Head coach Nate Thomasma was proud of his group, “Good win for the girls tonight. We battled foul trouble the entire game but we were able to hang on to get the win. Our two seniors stepped up with some great shooting and our younger girls continue to gain experience”. The Lions improve to 6-13. With the loss the Vikings drop to 1-18.
  • Otsego grabbed a win over Edwardsburg, 45-30. The Bulldogs will improve to 10-7 on the year. The Lady Eddies fall to 11-6 with the loss. Otsego was led by Aly Aldrich (9 points), Haley Guerrant (9 points, and 5 rebounds) and Hannah Fitz (8 points).
  • Portland runs their winning streak to 5 in a row as they knock off Ionia, 45-39. The Raiders were led by Malia Thelen who had a big night with 23 points.
  • Ravenna beat Hesperia, 45-20. Addy Gillard scored 20 points to lead the Bulldogs. Head coach Luke Houseman was nursing the flu in this one but Ravenna didn’t skip a beat. The Bulldogs improve to 6-11 on the year as they drop the Panthers to 1-17.
  • Rockford and Hudsonville squared off on Friday night, and it was taken over by the Rams early. The 1st quarter, Rockford took over and doubled the score of the Eagles, 19-8. Hudsonville picked it up offensively in the 2nd quarter, but Rockford kept pace and kept their lead to 11 at the half, 32-21. Out of intermission, the offensives slowed down a bit, but not enough for Rockford to keep their lead big, 44-29. The Rams would take the 4th quarter to the wire and take the win, 59-40. Ella Reifschneider had a high for Hudsonville with 9. Grace Lyons had a game high with 17 points.  
  • South Christian picked up a big win over Thornapple Kellogg, 59-29. Freshman Lizzie Wolthuis had a big night to lead the Sailors with 17 points on the night. Ashley Raredon added 11. Freshman Sophia Prins pitched in 9. Freshman Jordan Pranger led the Trojans with 11 points on the night. The Sailors have now won 7 in a row as they sit at 13-5 on the season.
  • Thornapple Kellogg finds themselves in the midst of a 3-game slide as they fall to 2-15. They’ll have a chance to bounce back against Cedar Springs on Tuesday. South Christian will welcome in Kenowa Hills in a big game in their next outing.
  • Zeeland West defeated Muskegon at home, 58-50. The Dux held a 43-29 lead over the Big Reds before holding on in the 4th for the win. Jordyn Klaasen had a big night for the Dux with 23 points. Ally Yonker and Kara Bartels both added 10 points apiece.