**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**
DOUBLE DRIBBLE: BOYS BASKETBALL ROUNDUP 2/19/2023
2/13/23
- Fruitport knocked off Fremont, 62-35. The Trojans would lead this one throughout as they held a 31-16 lead at the half.
- Kent City picked up a tough win over Grand River Prep, 64-62. Jaret Jaramillo led the Eagles with 19 points in what was a very balanced attack for Kent City which saw four players in double-digits.
2/14/23
- Coopersville cruised to their 5th win in a row in a win over West Catholic, 45-29. With the win the Broncos improve to 12-6 on the year. The Falcons fall to 3-15.
- East Kentwood finds themselves tied for first place in the OK Red after they picked up a road win at Grand Haven, 53-47. The Falcons (13-5) will look for their 5th win in a row their next time out. With the loss the Bucs (14-4) 5-game win streak was snapped. Marshaun Flakes (12 points), Darryl Thompkins Jr. (12 points) and Christian Humphrey (11 points) were all instrumental in the win for the Falcons. Will Korenstra led the Bucs with 11 points.
- Grand Rapids Catholic Central hosted Wayland. The game started just as expected, with the Cougars coming out firing from all spots on the floor, dropping 22 in the 1st quarter compared to Wayland’s 12. The 2nd was more of the same, going into the half, GRCC 43 Wayland 19. The Wildcats came out of intermission like a completely different team, outscoring their 1st half total by a point. The Cougars kept pacing scoring 19 in the quarter. Going into the final 8-minutes, CC 62, Wayland 39. The Wildcats stayed hot in the 4th, but their effort got started too late. Grand Rapids Catholic Central takes the win 85-54. Leading the way for Wayland was Bultsma with 13 points. For CC it was the sophomore Jack Bowen with 15 points. (Recap by Hudson Harkness)
- Hamilton put together a solid all-around performance to defeat Fruitport, 73-39. The Hawkeyes move to 15-3. Fruitport will drop to 11-7.
- Hart was off and running in their win over Ravenna, knocking off the Bulldogs 73-31. It was all Pirates from the start as they held a 22-11 after one and would lead 39-18 at the half. Hart continues a historic run for their program as they sit at 17-0 on the season. Ravenna will fall to 6-12 with the loss.
- Hackett Prep put together a huge first half offensively en route to a 91-43 win over Holland Black River. Gabe Gamsho put together a monster performance with 30 points on the night. Niklas Johansson helped the Irish with 18 points (5 three-pointers).
- Holton picked up a dominant win over Hesperia, 64-35. Brodrick Fialek (18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals) and Carter Brant (15 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 7 steals) had big games to lead the Red Devils. Keon McMillian was big with 15 of his own and adding 4 steals. Jayce McMillian added 14 points. Holton head coach Keith Swanson was beyond happy for his team after the win, “Our guys haven’t stopped working all year. Tonight that really showed through on both sides of the ball. Very proud of them and their resillience this year. We hope to keep building on it down the stretch”.
- Hopkins beat Wyoming Kelloggsville, 56-39.
- Hudsonville pulled out a hard fought win at home over Grandville, 49-48. The Eagles improve to 13-5 with the win. With the loss the Bulldogs fall to 10-9. Hudsonville was led by Brayden Szamrej who finished with 21 points. Tyson Mann led Grandville with 25.
- Hudsonville Unity Christian knocked off Spring Lake, 55-50. Both teams will move to 9-8 on the season.
- Kalamazoo Central put together a big 4th quarter to grab a tough road win over Benton Harbor, 74-69. This one was a tightly contested battle throughout as neither team would have more than a two-point lead after any quarter. JP Spybrook led all scorers with 25 points. Quey Calvin was big with 19. Hutch Ward added 12.
- Kalamazoo Christian beat Delton Kellogg on the road, 68-49. The Comets move to 8-8 and would be back in action on Friday for senior night to take on Constantine. The Falcons head into that one at 5-13.
- Kent City beat Big Rapids Crossroads, 73-22. Cole Shenkenberg paced the Eagles with 11 points.
- Lawton knocked off Galesburg-Augusta in a game that came down to the wire, 46-43. Nolan Collins led the Blue Devils with 16 points on the night. Parker VanPeteghem added 12. Cole Burk finished with 10. Lawton will move to 9-8 with the win. The loss drops the Rams to 14-4. A big matchup looms for the Blue Devils on Friday night when they face division leader Hackett Catholic Prep.
- Lowell would pull out a gritty home win over East Grand Rapids, defeating the Pioneers on a buzz-beater 60-59. Ben Gaskin, who was big all night for the Red Arrows, knocked down the game winner as he led Lowell with 20 points on the night. He was helped by Drew Veldman who finished with 15 of his own.
- Loy Norrix fell to Coldwater, 44-58. The Knights were down by just five heading into the 4th before the Cardinals put together a big final quarter to cruise to the win.
- Ludington beat Montague, 90-48. Owen Raeth led the Wildcats with 17 points on the night. The Orioles will face a tough Whitehall team on Friday. Montague travels to Fremont. David Schillinger finished with 29 points to lead Ludington. Matthew Westhouse added 11 points. Levi Laman poured in 10.
- Muskegon picked up a solid win over Grand Rapids Union, 68-41. Jordan Briggs (21 points) and David Day III (16 points) had big nights for the Big Red. Marquan Ross led the Red Hawks with 14 points. Muskegon moves to 16-1. Union will fall to 12-6.
- Muskegon Oakridge defeated Fremont, 61-58. Chaz Miller had a big night for the Packers with 21 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Jordon McDonald was big with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Gavin Richards finished with 10 points.
- North Muskegon picked up a win at home over Shelby, 62-29. Troy McManus (14 points, 4 steals), Jaxon Lisinski (11 points) and Adam Dugener (10 points) led the way for the Norse. Wyatt Dickman and Bishop Lee paced the Tigers with 8 points apiece. North Muskegon improves to 15-3. Shelby will drop to 6-11.
- Northview beat Greenville, 70-44. Parker Swartz put up a season-high 23 points to lead the Wildcats. Jacob Szurna was big with 18. Northview improves to 14-4 on the season. The Yellow Jackets will drop to 6-11.
- Otsego got back on the right side of the win-loss column beating Three Rivers, 94-51. Blake Marks (19 points) and Coop Smalldon (16 points) led the way for the Bulldogs. Carsen Miller and Bronkema both added 14 points apiece to finish off what was a potent scoring attack for Otsego.
- Ottawa Hills took down Forest Hills Eastern, 71-60. Craig Hureskin (20 points) and Derrick King Jr. (15 points) both had big nights to lead the Bengals. Qua Hatchett added 13. Daten Strickland had a big night on the boards to finish with 16 rebounds. Ottawa Hills will move to 12-7. The Hawks fall to 12-6.
- Paw Paw fell to Niles, 49-77. Truman Brennan and Troy Vandenberg finished with 10 points apiece to lead the Red Wolves.
- Reeths-Puffer knocked off Zeeland East, 54-44. Jaxon Whitaker led the way for the Rockets with 22 points. Travis Ambrose added 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
- Rockford beat Jenison, 58-34. With the win the Rams improve to 12-6 on the season. The Wildcats have now dropped three in a row as they sit at 5-13. In news related to Rockford, Charlie Deutsch committed to Olivet College to continue to his basketball career.
- South Christian would roll past Kenowa Hills, 87-34. Sam Medendorp would go off for a career-high of 28 points. Jake DeHaan added 14. Caleb Pleune and Carson Vis pitched in 11 apiece. Derek Chapin led the Knights with 11. The Sailors will improve to 15-3 on the season. With the loss the Knights will fall to 7-11.
- South Haven defeated Dowagiac, 51-41. The win would move the Rams to 13-4 on the season. With the loss the Chieftains fall to 2-15. South Haven held the momentum throughout much of the game as they cruised to a 21-8 halftime lead.
- Sparta picked up a monumental home win over NorthPointe Christian, 67-60. The Spartans now sit at 11-7 on the year. With the loss the Mustangs fall to 12-6.
- Whitehall picked up a win over Manistee, 70-36. Sophomore Camden Thompson had another strong performance with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Ca’Mar Ready added 8 points (4-7) , 7 rebounds and 2 steals. It was all Vikings throughout as they held a 37-17 heading into the half.
- Wyoming Lee inches closer to their first conference title since 1980 by grabbing a win over Muskegon Catholic Central, 69-58. The Legends now sit at 15-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play. The loss moves the Crusaders to 6-12 overall. Marc Whitfield had a monster game for Lee with 34 points. This would mark the third time on the season that Whitfield, just a junior, has gone for thirty-plus points. Ny’Zhem Marshall added 14 points. Joe Russau finished with 12. Braden Gustin had a big night for the Saders with 26 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. Bryan Convertini added 12 points. Owen Lyonnais and Finn Maschino both added 8 points apiece.
- Zeeland West knocked off Mona Shores, 72-59. The Dux were led by Marritt Alderink (20 points, 9 rebounds) and Myles Steffen (16 points). Deklen Klamt added 12. Jordan Bledsoe led the Sailors with 17. JT Foster added 14. Paul Ritter pitched in 10. West improves to 13-4 overall and 8-3 in conference. Mona Shores will drop to 4-14 overall and 1-10 in conference play. The Sailors were able to keep this one close before West got things going in the second half.
2/15/23
- Holton fell to Chippewa Hills, 43-47. Jordan Hansen (13 points), Gage Soathoff (13 points) and Tyler Jones (8 points) led the Warriors. Brodrick Fialek paced the Red Devils with 15 points. Carter Brant added 14 points and 9 rebounds. Keon McMillian pitched in 8 points.
2/16/23
- Loy Norrix fell to a tough Battle Creek Central team, 42-52. Freshman Taveon Vaughn paced the Knights with 12 points. Loy Norrix will have another tough test when they face Battle Creek Lakeview next Friday. The Bearcats, now winners of 3 straight, take on Gull Lake in their next outing.
- Ravenna suffered a loss to Mason County Central, 47-70. Carter Schullo (12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) paced the Bulldogs. Dylan May (11 points, 2 steals) and Hunter Hogan (8 points, 3 steals) provided solid performances for Ravenna.
2/17/23
- Big Rapids pulled out a tough win over Newaygo to clinch the CSAA conference, 79-74. Dawson Dunn (22 points) and Mason Dunn (18 points) were big for the Cardinals. Big Rapids is now 16-1 overall and 9-0 in conference. The Lions fall to 11-7 overall.
- Calvin Christian beat Sparta, 64-48. The Squires are now 17-1 on the season. Sparta falls to 11-8. Matthew Elderkin and Jace Hogan had big nights for Calvin with 16 points apiece. Carson DeHaan added 11. Jax Wilson led Sparta with 14.
- Coopersville knocked off Allendale on the road, 53-33. Porter Kretschman led the Broncos with 18 points on the night. Eli Spencer added 12 points. Mark DeVries helped with 9 points and 9 rebounds. With the win, Coopersville now sits at 13-6 overall and they now sit in first place atop the OK Blue at 10-2. The Broncos cruised most of the way as they held a 23-12 lead at the half.
- East Grand Rapids got back to their winning ways as they defeated Forest Hills Northern, 50-37.
- East Kentwood beat Caledonia, 81-59. The Falcons win their 5th in a row as they move to 14-5 on the season. With the loss the Fighting Scots lost their 5th in a row and fall to 5-12. Marshaun Flakes (24 points) and Jah Hatchett (19 points) both had the Falcons rolling in this one.
- Forest Hills Central beat Greenville, 57-39. The win snaps a 3-game losing streak for the Rangers as they improve to 9-9 on the season. Greenville is now in the midst of their own 3-game losing streak as they fall to 6-12.
- Forest Hills Eastern picked up a road win at Cedar Springs, 57-50. With the win the Hawks move to 10-6 on the year. Cedar Springs falls to 3-14.
- Frankenmuth would lose a back and forth game to Freeland, 39-49. The Falcons would go 8-8 from the free-throw line late to secure the win. Aidan Hoard led the Eagles with 16 points.
- Fremont pulled out a win at home over Montague, 47-44. Isiah Atchison (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Owen Raeth (11 points, 5 rebounds) paced the Wildcats. This one was back and forth as Montague led at the half, 19-16. Fremont put together a big 4th quarter to secure the win. Jordon McDonald was big to lead the way for the Packers with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
- Fruitport knocked off West Catholic, 55-37. The Falcons trailed 32-40 before the Trojans put together a big 4th quarter to grab the win.
- Grand Haven picked up a big win over Grandville, 74-54. With the win the Bucs improve to 15-4. Grandville will fall to 10-8. Harrison Sorrelle with a big night for the Bucs with 27 points. Joey Basil added 12. Will Korenstra finished with 10.
- Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Ottawa Hills squared off, in what became a historic night for Phat Phat Brooks. The 1st quarter was a battle between two tough teams, but it was the Cougars that out did the Bengals, 16-15. Another closely fought 2nd quarter had CC go to the locker room up 33-29. The 3rd quarter did not see any changes in the advantage for GRCC as both teams put 15 points up. Heading into the 4th, Ottawa Hills had to close a 4-point gap, but it just got larger. The Cougars would pick up the win 72-66 over Ottawa Hills. The Bengals were led by Quadir Hatchett with 22 points and Craig Hureskin with 21. KK Brown had 24 points, but the story was Phat Phat Brooks who crossed the 1000-point career milestone in his 20-point performance. Brooks becomes the 2nd Catholic Central player to score his 1000th point this season, along with KK Brown. (Recap by Hudson Harkness)
- Grand Rapids Union grabs a big Senior Night win as they defeated Holland, 69-42. Kyale Lockridge (13 points), Ronnie Burton (12 points) and Tayshaun Allen (10 points) led the Red Hawks. Union is now 13-6 on the season. The Dutch fall to 3-16.
- Hackett Catholic Prep cruised past Lawton, 76-37. Logan St. Martin (25 points), Nick Verduzco (15 points) and Gabe Gamsho (15 points) all had big nights to lead the Irish. Parker VanPeteghem paced the Blue Devils with 9.
- Hart picked up a win over North Muskegon to stay undefeated on the year, knocking off the Norse 67-51. The Pirates held just a two-point lead at the half before putting up a big second half to gain complete control. Jaxon Lisinski paced the Norse with 20 points. Joey Gallo (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Lamarkis Graham (11 points, 5 rebounds) helped North Muskegon stay in the game. Parker Hovey was hard to contain for the Pirates finishing with 32 points on the night. Blake Weirich was big with 15 points.
- Hudsonville picked up a win over Jenison, 52-38. Breylan McPhaul had a big night to lead the Eagles with 15 points. Jonah Dennis added 12. Hudsonville improves to 14-5 and sit at 9-3 to remain tied for first place in the OK Red. The Wildcats fall to 5-14 overall.
- Kalamazoo Central moves to 18-2 on the season as they grab a win over Portage Central, 63-62. Hucth Ward led the Maroon Giants with 18 points and 6 rebounds.
- Kalamazoo Christian picked up a Senior Night win over Constantine, 53-43.
- Kent City fell to Grant, 68-75. The Eagles were down big in this one but would come back with a chance to tie the game in the last 11 seconds.
- Mattawan grabbed a big win over Stevensville Lakeshore, 56-33. The Wildcats improve to 15-3 overall. Lakeshore will fall 6-11. Connor Walsh (14 points and 3 steals) led Mattawan. Ryan Kiesling stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 6 blocks.
- Muskegon clinched the OK Green with their win over Wyoming, 74-50. Muskegon was led by Jordan Briggs (19 points) and Anthony Sydnor (16 points). Freshman James Martin pitched in with 11. Quinton Williams was impressive for the Wolves with 27 points (9 three-pointers). Wyoming trailed just 29-20 at the half before a big second have from Muskegon.
- Muskegon Catholic Central fell to Potter’s House 30-67. The Crusaders struggled early to find themselves in a big hole at the half, 15-33. Hunter Schrink finished with 11 rebounds for Catholic Central. Owen Lyonnais finished with 10 points.
- NorthPointe Christian gets back on track as they beat Comstock Park, 83-36. The Mustangs move to 13-6 with the win. With the loss the Panthers fall to 6-11.
- Northview grabs sole possession of the OK White with their win over Byron Center, 48-44. Cam Ryans paced the Wildcats with 14 points. Northview is now 15-4 on the season. Byron Center will fall to 11-7.
- Otsego grabbed a rivalry win over Plainwell, 53-44. With the win the Bulldogs improve to 14-3 overall as they sit atop the Wolverine standings. The Trojans fall to 10-8 with the loss.
- Paw Paw lost a tough battle to Three Rivers, 57-68. Truman Brenan (17 points) and Aydn Roth (17 points) both had big nights for the Red Wolves. Troy Vandenberg added 10.
- Reeths-Puffer grabs their 3rd win in a row as they defeat Zeeland West, 62-51. Jaxon Whitaker (19 points, 5 three-pointers, 6 rebounds) and Travis Ambrose (19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks) with big nights to lead the Rockets.
- Schoolcraft pulled out a thrilling win over Parchment, 53-51. Aaron Jasiak led the Panthers with 25 points. Parchment falls to 12-6 with their 3-game win streak snapped. The Eagles improve to 12-7.
- South Christian beat Wayland, 72-34. Carson Vis with a big night to lead the Sailors with 16 points. Jake Vermaas added 14. South Christian is now 16-3 on the season. With the loss the Wildcats fall to 10-8.
- South Haven defeated Fennville, 46-34. The Rams improve to 14-4 on the year. With the loss the Blackhawks sit at 7-13.
- Spring Lake came away with a 74-64 win over Hamilton to improve to 9-7. The Hawkeyes fall to 15-4. Brady Tebo led the Hawkeyes with 17 points. Zach Schlepp put together a huge game with 28 for the Lakers.
- Whitehall put together a monumental win over Ludington, knocking off the Orioles 88-77. Sophomore Camden Thompson was sensational on the night to lead the Vikings with 36 points (15-19), 18 rebounds and 4 steals. Ludington was off and running early as they held a 26-18 advantage after one quarter. David Schillinger would join the 1,000-point club to lead the Orioles with 27 points. This one got off to an interesting start as multiple technical fouls were assessed on each bench for infractions that took place during warm-ups. At one point Ludington had a 17-point lead before Whitehall came storming back. Kyle Stratton had a big night for the Vikings as well finishing with 18 points. Matt Westhouse helped the Orioles with 18 of his own. Levi Laman added 13 for Ludington.
- Wyoming Lee beat Fruitport Calvary Christian, 83-63. The Legends improve to 16-1. With the loss the Eagles fall to 10-8.
- Zeeland East beat Mona Shores, 71-46. The Dux improve to 9-10 with the win. With the loss the Sailors will drop to 4-15. Sophomore BJ Walker led East with a big night going for 25 points and 10 rebounds. Layne Risdon followed up with 16 points. Will Baker added 10 points. Daryl Robinson led the Sailors with 11.
2/18/23
- Muskegon dropped a nail-biter to Grand Blanc in OT, 62-70. The loss is just the Big Reds second of the season. With the win the Bobcats have now won 14 games in a row since their last loss to North Farmington (Muskegon’s lone loss). Both teams now sit at 17-2 overall on the season.