**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**

**PHOTO BY LOU MURRAY**

 

1/16/23

  • Fremont dropped a tough one to Mason County Central, 30-42. The Spartans jumped out to an early halftime lead led by their defense. The Packers were led by Jessica Bennett who finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Olivia Hansen added 7 rebounds on the night.
  • Hart defeated Manistee, 72-31. The Pirates would dominate most of this game as they held a 40-16 lead at the half. With the win Hart continues their solid season as they improve to 8-2 overall and 6-0 in conference play. Aspen Boutell (17 points, 7 steals, 5 assists) and Abby Hicks (17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 assists) both led the way for Hart with big nights. Addy Hovey chipped in a big game of her own with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
  • Montague picked up a solid win over Fruitport, 25-17. The offense wasn’t pretty on either side but the Wildcats would pull out the win to improve to 7-4 on the season.
  • Newaygo grabbed a win over Orchard View, 38-25. The Lions held a solid lead at the half and were able to continue their solid play in the 2nd half.

1/17/23

  • Byron Center grabbed a big win over Forest Hills Northern, 84-42. McKenna Ferguson was the big story on the night as she would reach the 1,000 point milestone for the Bulldogs.
  • Dowagiac improved to 6-4 on the season with a 32-19 win over Lawton. The Blue Devils fall to 4-5 with the loss. The Chieftains look to keep their momentum when they face a very good Buchanan team on Thursday.
  • East Grand Rapids picked up a huge road win over previously unbeaten Lowell, 49-40. The Pioneers improve to 9-2 with the win. Macy Brown led the way with a monster night going for 32 points and 13 rebounds. Claire Weaver was big on the defensive end for East.
  • Edwardsburg picked up a tough road battle win over Paw Paw, 44-41. Caitlin Tighe led the way for the Lady Eddies with 15 points. Edwardsburg improves to 8-3 on the season as they get ready to face a tough Vicksburg team on Friday. The Red Wolves fall to 7-4 with the loss.
  • Fennville fell to Black River on Tuesday night, 30-58. The Rats built a solid 27-15 halftime lead and would cruise the rest of the way. Kyli Bushee led the Blackhawks with 14 points. Lila Rosema added 12 points.Head coach Josh Weimer still has positivity with his team, “I thought we played well early and then things got away from us. Offensive production needs to improve all around, and we know that. We’re still young and learning, and the inconsistency from agme to game reflects that. We’re back in the gym tomorrow to get better and prepare for the next one”.
  • Gobles pulled off a thrilling win on OT over Allegan, 41-40. Kaya Huizenga 14 points, 11 rebounds), Kennadi Killeen (8 points, 10 rebounds), Deanna Wood (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Charlotte Zantello (13 rebounds) put together a balanced night for the Tigers.
  • Greenville picked up a much needed win, defeating Northview 49-39. Alexus Dunn led the Yellow Jackets with 18 points. Megan Leslie and Jordyn Keselring each had 10 points. Greenville looks to keep things rolling when they take on Forest Hills Central on Friday. They improve to 7-4 on the season.
  • Hamilton defeated Fruitport, 55-25. The win marks the Hawkeyes 5th win in a row as they move to 8-3 overall and sit at 4-0 in the OK Blue.
  • Holland Christian put together a solid win over Allendale, 43-31. Jenna VandenBrink paced the Maroons with 15 points on the night. Tryna Vander Zwaag pitched in 10.
  • Hopkins picked up a dominant win over Wyoming Kelloggsville, 54-20. Mady Weber made her way up to 3rd all-time in school history for points in a game as she was dominant putting up 29 points on the night (7 three-pointers). With the win the Vikings move to 8-3 on the season and sit at 4-0 in the OK Silver.
  • Kalamazoo Central picked up a road win over Lakeshore, 69-55. Jada Collins led the way for Central with 24 points,9 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Tayla Dillard had herself a night with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Angel Gardner was big late and finished the night with 11 points. The Lady Giants are rolling as they improve to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the SMAC. The loss ends the Lancers 6-game winning streak as they now sit at 7-3 on the season.
  • Kent City grabbed a win over Covenant Christian, 55-49. The Eagles would set a 3-point record as they would knock down 13 three-pointers in the game. Hailey Kamphuis led Kent City with 18 points (6 three-pointers). Savannah Miller added 12 points. Madelyn Geers had a big night with 9 points and 14 rebounds. Northwood commit Lexie Bowers finished the night with 7 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. The win improves the Eagles record to 10-2 on the season.
  • Martin would have a tough night as they fell to Watervliet, 27-49. The Clippers would find themselves down but still with a shot to grab the win in the 4th before the Panthers would put together a big 4th quarter. Grace Chisek (18 points), Madison Flowers (14 points) and Sam Dietz (11 points) led a potent scoring attack for Watervliet.
  • NorthPointe Christian cruised to a 46-33 win over Sparta on Tuesday night. The win makes the Mustangs 3-1 in conference play.
  • Otsego welcomed in Sturgis defeating the Trojans, 59-23. The Bulldogs were led by a balanced attack in Tessa Prough (12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals), Aly Aldrich (12 points) and Hannah Fitz (10 points, 7 steals, 5 assists). The win improved Otsego to 7-5 on the season. Sturgis would fall to 2-10.
  • Rockford would host Jenison on Tuesday. The Rams would come out on fire. The Wildcats had no idea was coming, when Rockford put up 20 in the 1st compared to the Jenison 8. The 2nd quarter say both teams improve their scoring splits benefitting the Rams. The Rams led at the half 42-20. Jenison could not keep up with Rockford in the 2nd half still, allowing the Rams to score another 27 points in the 2nd half, while the Wildcats only put up 17 in that timeframe. Rockford would get the win 69-37. Jenison was led by Terin Maynard with 17 points. Alyssa Wypych put 22 in the scorebook. (Recap by Hudson Harkness)
  • Spring Lake lost a tight battle to Unity Christian, 43-45. The Lakers had a chance to tie it up late but the Crusaders defense would make it be for not. Spring Lake was led by Brook Bolthouse with 19 points (10/12 from FT), 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Alexa Carter provided 6 points and 7 rebounds.Emma Nicles chipped in 5 points and 9 rebounds.
  • West Ottawa would drop their first game of the year to Caledonia, falling 39-54. The Scots had everything going early on as they held a 29-18 lead at the half. The Panthers would put up a big 4th quarter but it just wouldn’t be enough to grab the comeback. Gabby Reynolds was the leading scorer for West Ottawa with 16 points. They’ll look to bounce back against a tough Rockford team on Thursday.
  • Zeeland West defeated Mona Shores, 48-31. The Dux got it done on both ends of the floor to cruise to the win over a very good Sailors team. Jordyn Klaasen put together a big night with 22 points to lead West. Ally Yonker finished with 10 points.

1/18/23

  • Mason County Central picked up a win at Newaygo Wednesday night, defeating the Lions 50-36. Mallory Miller led the Spartans with 13 points in the game. Wren Nelson finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Grace Weinert added 8 points and 7 steals. The Lions were led by Naomi Schillman with 11 points. Grace Painter added 10 points. Central improves to 10-1 on the season as they gear up for a big showdown with Glen Lake on Thursday. The Lakers come in at #1 in Division 4 in the Associated Press poll.
  • Portage Central fell to St. Joseph, 28-38.

1/19/23

  • Hart defeated Montague, 45-41. The win gives the Pirates their 5th in a row as they improve to 9-2. They’ll face a stiff test in Shelby in their next game. The Wildcats fall to 7-5 but have a chance to respond when they take on struggling Orchard view on Tuesday. Addison Pranger led the Wildcats with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
  • Kalamazoo Central would cruise past Battle Creek Central, 61-38. Tayla Dillard had 17 points and 10 rebounds on the night. Jada Collins put together a big game of her own with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Kynnedy Brown finished off the balanced attack with 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Lady Giants move to 10-1 on the season with a couple of big games looming next week.
  • Loy Norrix fell to Battle Creek Lakeview, 34-44. The Knights would trail big heading into the 4th before gaining some momentum but it just wouldn’t be enough as the Spartans were able to keep them at bay. Loy Norrix moves to 6-5 and will have a chance to bounce back when they take on Potterville at Little Caesars Arena on Monday at noon. Lakeview continues their solid season as they improve to 7-3.
  • Ravenna picked up a hard fought win over Fremont, 32-26.
  • Rockford picked up a huge win over a very good West Ottawa team, 61-47. The Rams used a big 2nd half (36-19) to really cruise in this one. Anna Wypych led Rockford with 19 points on the night. Alyssa Wypych (12 points), Grace Lyons (11 points) and Sienna Wolfe (10 points) helped in what was a another scary scoring attack for the Rams. Gabby Reynolds (28 points) and Chelsea Overbeek (17 points) were big for West Ottawa.Rockford trailed this one before their big 2nd half surged them to improve to 11-1. The Panthers now sit at 11-2 after dropping two in a row.

1/20/23

  • Coopersville fell just short against Allendale, 27-36. The Broncos will look to get back on track when they face a tough Holland Christian team on Tuesday. The Falcons look to put together their first two-game winning streak of the season their next time out.
  • East Grand Rapids picked up a win over Forest Hills Northern, 53-44. The Pioneers now sit at 10-2 on the season after their second win in a row. Michigan commit Macy Brown had 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for East. Reagen Weaver was solid with 9 points and 7 rebounds. The Pioneers face a tough test when they face Byron Center on Tuesday. The Huskies will look to grab a win when they face a Northview team that has dropped 7 games in a row in their next game.
  • Fennville fell to Allegan, 35-48. The Blackhawks kept it close throughout most of the game but could never really get over the hump. Lila Rosema led Fennville with 24 points. Head coach Josh Weimer is still happy with his teams effort despite the loss, “We turned the ball over quite a bit tonight. When we start valuing the ball better, we’ll find ourselves in a position to win some more games. Our effort was great though. That’s something I never have to question when it comes to them. I’m thankful and proud of our ladies for that.”. The Blackhawks fall to 3-8 and will look to see if they can bounce back against a tough Watervliet team. The Tigers move to 3-7 and will look to keep things rolling when they face a Parchment team who has dropped three in a row.
  • Forest Hills Central stymied Greenville, 47-36. Megan Leslie paced the Yellow Jackets with 14 points on the night. The Rangers will turn their attention to another solid team in the Lowell Red Arrows when they face off on Tuesday. Greenville falls to 8-4 as they look to build some momentum the second half of the season.
  • Forest Hills Eastern grabbed a win over Cedar Springs, 61-20. Sophomore Lily Gleason went perfect from the field on the night to lead Eastern with 18 points. Grace Doherty put together a monster game to lead all scorers with 25 points.
  • Frankenmuth cruised to a win over Alma, 64-35. A dominant 3rd quarter for the Eagles all but put this one away . Mia McLaughlin led the way for Frankenmuth with 21 points. Ella Persails had a big game off the bench in the 4th quarter to knock down 5 three-point tries. Sophomore Clare Conzelmann chipped in with 12 points. The Eagles would connect on 13 three-pointers in the game as a team. Frankenmuth has a quick turnaround as they face a good Hemlock team on Saturday.
  • Gobles picked up a tough win over Galesburg Augusta, 33-30. Kaya Huizenga (12 points, 7 rebounds) and Kennadi Killeen (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) paced the Tigers.
  • Grand Haven pulled off a thrilling OT win over Grandville, 48-45. The win moves the Bucs to 7-3 on the season. They’ll turn their attention to a Hudsonville team that is playing some solid basketball when the two meet on Tuesday. The Bulldogs have now lost five in a row (6-6 on the year) but look to get off the mat when they face a Jenison team that currently rides a 7-game losing streak. Emerson Berndt led the way with 17 points for Grand Haven. Sophomore Gillian Sorrelle came up with a big block late on what would have been a game tying three-pointer.
  • Grand Rapids Catholic Central dropped Ottawa Hills, 80-36. Emily VanTimmeren and Katie Passinault led the way for the Cougars with 15 points apiece. Catholic Central now sits at 5-6 on the season.
  • Grand Rapids Christian pulled off a tough win over Lowell, 53-45. The Eagles improve to 8-3 and will face a tough Greenville team on Tuesday. The Red Arrows are now 10-2 as they look to get off a two-game losing streak when they face Forest Hills Central. Braxcynn Baker eclipsed her 1,000th career point in the game. She also becomes Lowells all-time leading scorer.
  • Grand Rapids South Christian grabbed a tough win over Wayland, 54-48. The Sailors improve to 7-5 with the win. The Wildcats fall to 10-3.
  • Grand Rapids Union rolled to a 62-23 win over Holland on Friday night. There was never a doubt as the Red Hawks went into halftime with a 30-11 lead over the Dutch. Their dominance only continued in the 2nd half as Union moves to 5-5 on the season. They’ll look to grab a second win in a row when they take on a struggling Zeeland East team on Tuesday. Losing their second in a row, Holland falls to 2-9. They’ll have to shift their attention quickly as they take on a solid Muskegon team in their next outing.
  • Hamilton pulled off a tight win over Spring Lake, 51-48. The Hawkeyes improve to 5-0 in the OK Blue and 9-3 overall. They’ll focus their attention in a hurry as they take on a West Catholic team who is undefeated on the season. The Lakers are struggling but they have a chance to bounce back when they take on a Fruitport team that is going through it as well. Spring Lake was led by Ella Andree with 17 points and 7 rebounds.Brooke Bolthouse finished with 12 points and 5 assists. Hamilton was led by Taylor VanderZwaag with 15 points.
  • Holland Christian picked up a win over Unity Christian, 42-27. Camryn VandernBosch was big for the Maroons with 19 points. Holland Christian has now won three in a row to improve to 9-4 on the season.
  • Hopkins went on the road to grab a win over Godwin Heights, 68-49. Mady Weber put together a big night with 24 points to lead the Vikings. Kate Cleypool finished with 13 points. Nevaeh Helderop added 12 points. The win moves Hopkins to 9-3 overall and 5-0 in the OK Silver. They ride a 5-game win streak into Comstock Park on Tuesday night. The Wolverines fall to 2-7.
  • Hudsonville picked up a win over Jenison, 53-42. Terin Maynard scored her 1,000th point for the Wildcats. The Eagles have now won two in a row but another stiff test awaits them when they take on Grand Haven in their next game. Jenison falls to 3-9 but they have a chance to change their season around when they face a solid Grandville team on Tuesday.
  • Kent City picked up a big win over Reed City, 64-31. The Eagles are winners of 10 in a row and move their record to 11-2 on the season. Kent City would continue their hot shooting by knocking down another 11 three-pointers in this game. Lexie Bowers led the Eagles with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 6 steals. Madelyn Geers was big again with 17 points and 6 steals. The Eagles led big at the half to really cruise all night. They’ll look to see if they can keep things rolling as a big showdown looms with Big Rapids on Tuesday. The Coyotes have played solid ball of late, they’ll look to bounce back against a Newaygo team that is looking to build some momentum of their own.
  • Lawton cruised to a win over Parchment, 44-17. Kenna Macon (11 points, 7 steals) and Kylee Somers (7 points, 11 rebounds) led the way for the Blue Devils. Lawton moves to 5-5 on the season as they look to grab some momentum over the second half of the year when they face a solid St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran team on Tuesday. The Panthers will look to end their 3-game losing streak when they face Allegan on Monday.
  • Martin defeated Delton Kellogg, 33-18. MaKayla Goddard led the Clippers with 12 points on the night. In what was a close game at the half, Martin was able to really use a big 2nd half to knock off the Panthers. They would outscore Kellogg 19-7 in the second to take complete control of the game. Jordan Lyons finished with 12 points to lead the Panthers. Kellogg falls to 2-7 on the season. The Clippers improve to 9-2 as they look ahead to their next matchup with a tough Schoolcraft team (7-5).
  • Mona Shores bounced back in a big way over Zeeland East, 49-26. The win improves the Sailors to 9-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. Mona Shores held a big halftime lead of 27-12 to hold the pace heading into the 2nd half. Khaleeya Cook led the Sailors with 15 points. Laynie Russell had a strong night with 10 points. Mona Shores will face a big test when they take on Reeths-Puffer on Tuesday.
  • Newaygo pulled off a thriller in double OT over Lakeview, 45-44.Naomi Schillman delivered the dagger for the Lions when she hit a three-pointer with just 7 seconds remaining. Newaygo improves to 4-9 on the season as they look to grab another when they take on Reed City who is coming off a big loss. The Wildcats fall to 2-11 and will need to turn their attention quickly to a solid Whitehall team.
  • NorthPointe Christian picked up their second win in a row, defeating Comstock Park 49-37. The win improves the Mustangs record to 7-4 on the season.
  • Otsego fell to Paw Paw, 38-48. Olivia Dennis led the Bulldogs with 11 points and 9 rebounds on the night. Otsego falls to 7-6 on the season and will get a week off before they try and bounce back against an undefeated Vicksburg team. The Red Wolves improve to 7-5 and will look to keep things rolling when they face Allegan.
  • Portland fell to Lansing Catholic, 41-64. Malia Thelen (14 points) and Lilly Thelen (13 points) led the way for the Raiders. They fall to 7-6 on the season as they look to rebound next Friday when they take on Eaton Rapids.
  • Zeeland West lost a tough battle with Reeths-Puffer, 44-51. The Dux fall to 6-6 on the season. The Rockets have put together quite the run of late as they improve to 7-5. Jordyn Klaasen led West with 19 points on the night.