By: Nate Dreyer
OK-Red-Deciding Battles
The hunt for the OK-Red is well underway, Thursday night Grandville and Rockford boys gave us our first clarity in the conference race, as the Rams went to 3-0 with a win over the ‘Dawgs while EK and Hudsonville saw their first meeting postponed due to weather.
Tonight MSR has live video coverage from Grandville and Rockford as the top contenders in west Michigans ‘Big School Conference’ do battle.
In Grandville, the Falcons of East Kentwood make the trip – First on the girls side, as the Lady Falcons look to win their sixth game in a row against a Bulldogs team looking to break a six game slide of their own and defend home floor in upset fashion vs the run-and-gun Falcons.
On the boys side, Grandville saw a six-game win streak snapped last Friday at Rockford,in the second half of a back-to-back for the ‘Dawgs. Last year the Grandville and EK split, with each defending their home courts. The Grandville game was a classic, as the Bulldogs – typically known for their man-to-man defense broke out a zone to slow the game down and take a 48-41 win. We’ll see if Grandville can get back in the win column and do that again, or if the red-hot Falcons can win a fifth straight game for Coach Mike Thomas and keep pace at the top of the Red.
In Rockford, the Eagles of Hudsonville come to town. In the girls matchup, it’s a battle of the 2021 vs. the reigning state champs. The Rams fell to #2 in the most recent BCAM state rankings, despite a pair of dominant wins last week – They will look to set course to regain that if they can earn a big win over Coach Glass and the Eagles, who are looking for a statement win to shake up the OK-Red.
Rockford’s boys now sit with the most impressive conference win of the year after taking down Grandville while EK and Hudsonville set idle last weekend. Sharpshooter Andrew Landis and the Rams can take a firm early hold on the top of the Red if they can win back-to-back vs. the neighboring rivals Grandville and Hudsonville. But, the Eagles are unbeaten outside of top-flight losses to GR Christian and South Christian, and with the heating up play from senior PG Brayden Szmarej – The Eagles are looking to make a similar league-topping statement on the road.
Catholic Central Cruising On?
Spurred on by their huge OK-Gold-opening win over rival South Christian, GR Catholic Central has been blazing hot through the opening part of conference play in the boys draws. Coach Meerman’s looks to stretch their mark to 4-0 in conference as they travel to Forest Hills Eastern. Coach Jason Yelding’s Hawks sit at 4-6 on the season and will be looking to make a splash win and shake up the OK-Gold. FHE has dropped four in-a-row, going back to their championship game at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament vs. Godwin Heights, so an upset win would be a huge boost for a Hawks team that have shown the ability to light it up on offense this year at points, including scoring 91 points in a December win over Kelloggsville.
We also will have Forest Hills Northern and Greenville in girls and boys doubleheader action to round out our packed evening of action on MSR. Enjoy the games, and check back on Friday for a preview of all the action on Michigan Sports Radio coming up then!
As always, be sure to check out upcoming schedules along with results and standings, right here on Michigan Sports Radio – your one stop hub for live action and keeping up with everything else in west Michigan (& beyond) high school sports.
