By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org
With time winding down and its double-digit lead gone, it could’ve been easy for the South Christian girls basketball team to play it safe in a Division 2 state quarterfinal game against Grand Rapids West Catholic.
Instead, the Sailors kept their foot on the pedal and continued shooting open shots from beyond the three-point arc. The aggressive approach worked like a charm on St. Patrick’s Day as the Sailors went on to defeat the green clad Falcons 61-48 Tuesday at Hudsonville Unity Christian High School.
With the win, they head to the Division 2 state semifinals Friday evening at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University, facing Goodrich at 7:30 p.m. in a battle of teams with identical 27-0 records.
(WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
Up 51-38 halfway through the fourth quarter, the Sailors were zeroing in on the win when West Catholic made one last run. In less than 30 seconds the Falcons strung together six points to cut the South lead to 51-44 with under four minutes remaining.
At that point, when many basketball teams might decide to back off and play conservatively to protect the lead, the Sailors answered by attacking. Senior Sophia Prins stepped up first and nailed a three to get the margin back to double digits. After a stop on the defensive end, freshman Kinley Regnery then came down the floor and drained another three-ball putting the Sailors up 57-44 with 3:12 left and putting an end to the West Catholic run.
“That is just who we are,” said South Christian Coach Erika Brown. “To ask them to slow down would put us in a weird feel. We just know that’s us and we like to run. We just have to be smart. If it’s not there, first and foremost, we look to then kick it out and run offense. I wasn’t going to stop them. The horses were running today.”
The game was a tight struggle most of the way as the two teams were meeting for the third time this season, with South having won the two regular-season meetings between the state-ranked powerhouses.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Brown said. “First, playing a team three times and second, playing the second-best team in the conference. We knew it was going to be a battle from start to finish. We really talked about staying composed and not getting rattled. We are at the point in the season where discipline matters and we have to rise to the challenge.”
South Christian was up 16-12 at the end of the first quarter and had a slim 18-17 lead late in the first half. The Sailors, however, closed out the first half with a flurry as they went on a 9-2 run in the final minutes to take a 27-19 lead into halftime. A three-point shot from Regnery was a key part of the Sailor run.
Up 33-26 midway through the third quarter, the Sailors went on another major run. South outscored West 12-4 on the run to build a 45-30 lead late in the third.
“I thought we played hard,” West Catholic Coach Derek Paiz said. “We didn’t make enough plays tonight. When you play a team as great as South Christian is there is little margin for error. There was a drought in the second quarter when we didn’t score, they went on a run.
“We went from being down one to being down by eight and that same thing happened in the third quarter. We tried to limit the three-point shot and we didn’t do a good job of that. I don’t know how many they hit, I know it was at least six plus. Credit to South Christian, they are a great team.”
South Christian finished the game hitting seven treys, with Regnery leading the way with three and Lizzie Wolthuis and Sophia Prins adding a pair each.
The win was especially gratifying for the Sailors as South fell to West Catholic in last year’s state quarterfinal game that was also played at Unity Christian.
“I have to give this one to my senior leaders,” Brown said. “The girls that have been on this journey for four years. Being on the varsity as freshman and getting to that point last year. Now this year as seniors, no, they didn’t want this to be the end. They were there, they felt it and there was just a fire lit. The real special thing about this group, the senior leaders that we have, the younger girls respect and really follow them and that’s a really huge part of who we are.”
South Christian was paced by a balanced offensive attack. Sophia Prins led the way with 14 points, while Lexi Vermaas and Regnery added 12 points apiece, Meredith Helmus, nine.
“Normally, you see that kind of talent and depth at a Division 1 school,” Paiz said. “They (South Christian) are very talented. Probably the most talented roster in the whole state. They don’t lose much when they sub one through eight.”
West Catholic, which finished the season with a 20-6 record, was led by sophomore Kenley Slanger with 19 points and junior Alexis Asekomah, 13.
