By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting local Boys Basketball MHSAA Playoff clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting basketball clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Truck Game of the Week includes two play-by-play announcers, an occasional field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
You can count on our very experienced, exciting game announcers for both football and basketball to guide you through your local team’s games. If you are interested in volunteering at WKTV Sports for our Truck or Studio productions, please email me at greer@wktv.org
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. You also can watch these games on our WKTV YouTube Channel.
South Christian junior Max Zichterman (1) scored six points and hit a game-tying three-point shot with a minute remaining in a loss to Coopersville. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
By Greg Chrapek WKTV Contributor greer@wktv.org
Leading up to the boys basketball state tournament, the South Christian Sailors got in a pair of good tune-up games with road trips to Coopersville and Wyoming.
The Sailors, who are ranked in the top five in the state in Division 2 in the Michigan High School Activities Association power rankings, dropped a 45-43 decision at Coopersville last Monday, posted a 72-47 win at Wyoming last Tuesday and then wrapped up the regular season with a 73-27 win against Middleville Friday.
Monday’s game against Coopersville was a perfect state tournament tune-up as it was not only a road game, but a road game against a Division 1 opponent with a 15-6 overall record.
The game was a tight, defensive struggle that came down to the end. South Christian tied the contest at 43-43 with a minute remaining in the game when junior Max Zichterman hit a three-point shot. Coopersville then scored the eventual game-winning bucket on a shot by Clayton Bosch with 20 seconds remaining. South Christian had a final opportunity to claim a win, but a three-point shot at the buzzer missed its mark giving the host Broncos the 45-43 win.
“They (Coopersville) are just a really, really good team,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “Coopersville is really well coached and they run a system probably unlike anyone in the state and they were just better. They were better defensively and really, really good in the passing lanes. They create so many turnovers and hecticness and we were just not there today.”
The game was close from start to finish with South leading 10-7 at the end of the first quarter and up 22-17 at halftime. Coopersville gained momentum early in the third quarter when the Broncos went on an 18-5 run to take a 37-33 lead heading into the fourth.
The Broncos led most of the final quarter until South tied the game at 43-all on Zichterman’s three-point shot.
South Christian junior guard Austin Burgess (10) sets up the offense against Coopersville. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
While the Sailors came up a bucket short, the game was an excellent primer for the state tournament. The contest also was an excellent learning opportunity for an overall young Sailor team that counts just four seniors on the roster and has four combined freshman and sophomores on the varsity.
“I think there is always value in losing,” Johnson said. “You can learn a lot from losing. I’d rather lose now then a week from now. This was a game that we needed to kind of humble ourselves a little bit. To get back to work and to get better. This is a young group, we are still growing and we haven’t been in these situations much.”
South Christian senior JJ Modderman (22) totaled 11 points in the game against Coopersville. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
Despite the setback, the Sailors have been putting together an impressive season. A win Friday against Middleville in the home finale would give the Sailors an 11-1 conference mark and a share of the league championship with Northview, a team that is ranked 11th in the state in Division 1. South also entered the Coopersville game riding a nine-game winning streak that began after a 43-41 overtime loss against Northview on Jan. 9. South Christian turned the tables on Northview when it defeated the Wildcats 50-47 in overtime at Northview on Feb. 6.
“I think it’s been a great year because it’s such a new group, a young group, such a different group,” Johnson said. “We don’t have a 20-point scorer, we have seven guys that average over five, six points. I really like our team. I believe in our team. I think we are still growing. As much as we have been able to win, I still think we haven’t seen our potential. We just have to continue to get better and we have to do it fast with the tournament right around the corner.”
The young Sailors have made steady progress since the season began.
“I think we have made the most improvement by just believing in our culture and letting our culture take what we need to do in order to win games,” said Johnson, “and that’s defense, which again our defense has been pretty good. We share the ball, being an unselfish team and knowing it can be a different guy every night. We’ve had six different guys score 20 points this season so that makes us hard to scout and a fun team to coach.”
Senior Caleb Krosschell led with 13 points and senior JJ Modderman added 11 points and six rebounds. Junior Max Zichterman added six points followed by senior Josh Fles with five points.
In South’s 72-47 win against Wyoming the Sailors were led by Caleb Krosschell with 16 points, followed by Max Zichterman, 11 points and 11 rebounds, and JJ Modderman, 11 points and nine rebounds.
South Christian wrapped up the regular season by defeating Middleville 73-27. Zichterman with 15 points, while Josh Fles added 11 points, and JJ Modderman, 10.
The Sailors ended the regular season with a 19-3 overall record and shared the conference championship with Northview with an 11-1 OK Gold mark.
They begin district tournament play Wednesday against West Michigan Aviation Academy at 7 p.m. in a Division 2 district semifinal game at Godwin Heights.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting basketball clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Truck Game of the Week includes two play-by-play announcers, an occasional field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
You can count on our very experienced, exciting game announcers for both football and basketball to guide you through your local team’s games. If you are interested in volunteering at WKTV Sports for our Truck or Studio productions, please email me at greer@wktv.org
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. You also can watch these games on our WKTV YouTube Channel.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting basketball clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Truck Game of the Week includes two play-by-play announcers, an occasional field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
You can count on our very experienced, exciting game announcers for both football and basketball to guide you through your local team’s games. If you are interested in volunteering at WKTV Sports for our Truck or Studio productions, please email me at greer@wktv.org
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. You also can watch these games on our WKTV YouTube Channel.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting basketball clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Truck Game of the Week includes two play-by-play announcers, an occasional field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
You can count on our very experienced, exciting game announcers for both football and basketball to guide you through your local team’s games. If you are interested in volunteering at WKTV Sports for our Truck or Studio productions, please email me at greer@wktv.org
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. You also can watch these games on our WKTV YouTube Channel.
Grandville at East Kentwood Boys Basketball (WKTV Friday Night Highlights/1-30-26/Gerrit Nickel)
Bill Rohn — who served as a trial lawyer for 40 years at the Varnum law firm in Grand Rapids — calls himself a “newspaper junkie.“ Bill edited his high school and college newspapers. He also has covered sports for Midwestern newspapers such as The Grand Rapids Press, The South Bend Tribune, and The Niles Daily Star. He is a co-host of WKTV Friday Night Highlights. Bill holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from GVSU and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Notre Dame.
By Bill Rohn Wyoming-Kentwood News Today Contributor Friday Night Highlights Host greer@wktv.org
The East Kentwood boys team remained unbeaten in the OK Red, finishing the month of January with weekend wins over Grandville and Grand Haven.
The Falcons, 13-1 overall and ranked second in numerous statewide polls, continued their winning ways with a come-from-behind 54-52 win Friday over a tough Bulldog squad. After that, EK’s players went home, got some sleep, and returned to their gym 16 hours later to outpace Grand Haven, 73-44.
“We owed Grandville because they beat us twice last year,” said EK Coach Mike Thomas following Friday’s win over the Bulldogs.
Early on, it looked as though Grandville might make it three in a row over the Falcons. The Bulldogs confronted EK with a flexible zone defense, causing Thomas’ kids to miss from the outside. EK hit only two of 15 first quarter shots, which helped the Bulldogs to a 10-4 lead.
Grandville continued its pressure behind the shooting of Anthony Richardson and Brendan VanderHart, taking a 31-19 halftime lead following a 14-point run late in the second quarter.
But the Falcons weren’t finished.
“At halftime, I told the kids I thought we were OK on defense,” Thomas said. “Grandville was getting buckets on turnovers and getting the ball quickly down the floor, so we worked on that. I just told them to settle down at halftime.”
Richardson also told his team to keep “pushing“ the ball down the court. And in the second half, EK solved the Grandville zone. A third-quarter surge, led by RJ Chapman‘s nine points and 6-9 Andrew Kenyi’s rebounding and scoring, pulled Kentwood close. Grandville led 44-40 entering the fourth quarter.
“Winning is hard, but we’ve got some very good athletes and the idea was to keep the pressure on against that zone in the second half,” Thomas explained.
East Kentwood’s push produced a 46-44 lead with six minutes to play, and then a 54-52 lead with five seconds remaining. The visitors then missed a last-second shot, following an intentionally missed free throw, sealing the Falcon win.
Kenyi led the Falcons with 15 points, followed by Chapman, 13. Grandville’s Carter Wade nailed four three-pointers and totaled 13 points. Teammate Anthony Richardson led Grandville with 15.
East Kentwood’s Andrew Kenyi from an earlier game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
The Saturday matinee: Grand Haven at East Kentwood Early play included a sluggish first half, which saw EK lead 30-26 at halftime. The Falcons then turned it on in the third quarter, outracing Grand Haven 22-5, for a 52-31 lead.
Fourth quarter play featured more of the same, as the Falcons cruised to a 73-44 win and clean 5-0 conference record. Kenyi led the winning effort with 16 points, while Samuel Makaug energized a small crowd with nine points and two slam dunks in a row.
Grandville dropped to 2-2 in OK Red play and 10-3 overall, while Grand Haven fell to 1-4 in the Red, 12-5 overall.
East Kentwood now prepares for a Feb. 3 home rematch with Rockford, currently only one game behind the Falcons in conference play. Earlier this season, the Falcons beat the host Rams in overtime by one.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting basketball clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Truck Game of the Week includes two play-by-play announcers, an occasional field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
You can count on our very experienced, exciting game announcers for both football and basketball to guide you through your local team’s games. If you are interested in volunteering at WKTV Sports for our Truck or Studio productions, please email me at greer@wktv.org
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. You also can watch these games on our WKTV YouTube Channel.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting basketball clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Truck Game of the Week includes two play-by-play announcers, an occasional field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
You can count on our very experienced, exciting game announcers for both football and basketball to guide you through your local team’s games. If you are interested in volunteering at WKTV Sports for our Truck or Studio productions, please email me at greer@wktv.org
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. You also can watch these games on our WKTV YouTube Channel.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out these new and exciting basketball clips from our latest Friday Night Highlights show.
Just like football season, every week we’ll bring you much of the local high school basketball home stadium action from your local varsity teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting Friday Night Highlights show.
Look for our fast-paced local highlights show every Monday night! Thanks for tuning in.
WKTV Game of the Week
Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Truck Game of the Week includes two play-by-play announcers, an occasional field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.
You can count on our very experienced, exciting game announcers for both football and basketball to guide you through your local team’s games. If you are interested in volunteering at WKTV Sports for our Truck or Studio productions, please email me at greer@wktv.org
Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. You also can watch these games on our WKTV YouTube Channel.
Last season was a memorable campaign for the South Christian girls basketball team. Thanks to the return of the bulk of last year’s roster, the Sailors are poised for even more success this season.
The Sailors turned in a 24-3 record last year and were co-champions of the OK Gold with West Catholic with 11-1 league records. The Sailors then went on a memorable state tournament run where they captured district and regional titles before dropping a 39-37 decision to West Catholic in the Division 2 state quarterfinals.
This season, with several key players returning from last year’s team, the Sailors are setting a course for another winning season. South has already started the season strong. After opening the new season with a 60-50 win against Unity Christian, the Sailors turned back Holland Christian 57-47 and then stopped Grand Rapids Catholic Central 73-45.
“We are off to a great start, but still have lots to work on,” said South Christian Coach Erika Brown. “We are working hard to stay grounded and disciplined. Success is built with the consistency we show up with every day.”
Leading the way for the Sailors this season is a strong core of seniors. Among those seniors are Sophia Prins and Lizzie Wolthuis. Prins is a point guard who is a solid shooter and drive. Prins also possesses good quickness and strength that allows her to get to the basket on drives or dish to an open teammate.
Wolthuis is a shooting guard for the Sailors and is regarded as one of the top shooters in Michigan. Wolthuis is also a strong driver and a tough defender on the defensive side of the floor.
Junior Meredith Helmus brings even more talent to the backcourt.
“Meredith plays both points guard and wing,” Brown said. “She is very fast and tough as nails on defense.”
South Christian’s Meredith Helmus last season. (WKTV Greg Chrapek)
The Sailors also return sophomore Abby Prins, who made an impact on the team as a freshman last season.
“Abby is a wing and small forward who has length and quickness,” Brown said. “She is a shooter, a driver and can post up.”
South Christian’s Abby Prins last season. (WKTV Greg Chrapek)
The veteran core brings plenty of versatility to the floor which is a trait of this year’s squad.
“We are a versatile team,” Brown said. “We have quickness and length, and we have three-point shooters and drivers. We have a post presence this season, too.”
Blending in with the returning veterans are some promising new players who also bring plenty of versatility to the court.
Sophomore Lexi Vermaas will be contributing along the front line for the Sailors.
“Lexi is a strong small forward who can shoot the three-ball well,” Brown said. “She is also tough as nails on defense and is a leading rebounder.”
Freshman Kinley Regnery is another versatile newcomer that gives the team plenty of options both inside and outside on the offensive end of the floor.
“Kinley is a wing,” Brown said. “She is quick, tall and is a great shooter and passer. She also has a tough presence on the court.”
With a blend of talent, experience and skill, the Sailors are set up for success this season. The team also possesses the work ethic to maximize their talent and have an outstanding team chemistry.
“I am excited about this season and our team,” Brown said. “We have a great group of young ladies, not only talented in basketball, but who are fun to work with. They love each other and work hard. We have fun.”
The Sailors will be busy over Christmas break beginning with the Cornerstone University Holiday Classic. South is scheduled to play Coopersville on Dec. 26 at 2:30 p.m. at Cornerstone University and then return to Cornerstone on Dec. 30 to play Muskegon Reeths-Puffer at 1 p.m. The Sailors open 2026 in a big way hosting West Catholic, currently 4-1, in a key conference game on Jan. 6.
One would think that a high school basketball team that graduated eight seniors from a group of players that went 20-5 would be in for a rebuilding spell. That kind of thinking may be the norm for many squads, but not at South Christian where the Sailors don’t rebuild, but more aptly, restock.
Despite a young roster that is shy on varsity experience, the Sailors got off to a strong start this season. South Christian won its first three games highlighted by a season-opening 75-71 win at long-time rival Grand Rapids Christian, but did have a recent 65-48 loss to Unity Christian.
Jumped out to a 3-0 start
“We are off to a great start to the year while playing a really hard schedule,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “We played at Grand Rapids Christian in a game where we shot the ball really well. We played Holland Christian and we won that game with a three by Josh Fles at the buzzer and then we beat Kelloggsville. Anytime you start out 3-0 you have to feel pretty good.”
Coming into the season, the Sailors knew they had some promising young players but the lack of varsity experience and playing without eight seniors, including standout Carson Vis, who is at Western Michigan University, meant that things would definitely be different.
South Christian basketball and football standout Carson Vis has moved on to a basketball scholarship at Western Michigan University. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
“This season is so different from last year,” Johnson said. “Last year we had eight seniors and this year we are super young.”
Leading the way for this year’s team is a core of players who were on the team last season. Junior Austin Burgess is a point guard who brings good passing skills to the floor and also has the ability to hit the outside shot.
South Christian Quarterback Austin Burgess is part of a group of core players on the hardcourt. (Greg Chrapek/WKTV Contributor)
In the post, 6-foot-6 senior JJ Modderman is off to a strong start averaging 18 points per game. Modderman kicked off the season with 23 points in the win against Grand Rapids Christian, including five 3’s. Senior wing Caleb Krosschell (6-2) is a versatile wing who is providing a steady source of offense.
Seniors Owen Burgess and Josh Fles also are stepping up this season. Owen Burgess provides more depth in the backcourt, while Fles is a 6-3 forward who can hit the three-point shot and had a big fourth quarter against Holland Christian.
Talented young players making an impact
Mixing in with the returnees are some talented younger players. Max Zichterman (6-3) is off to a really good start to the season as he brings plenty of all-around talent to the floor. Zichterman turned in a big game against Grand Rapids Christian scoring 19 points with three treys.
The Sailors also have a pair of talented freshmen that are making an impact. Dax Blackport is a 6-3, 200-pounder who provides strong rebounding and points in the paint. Crew Zichterman (6-1), the younger brother of Max, is a talented guard who brings an excellent outside shot and a strong overall offensive game to the floor.
“This group is really young, but they also have fun,” Johnson said. “They are young and inexperienced, but they also have a lot of confidence. We also shoot the ball really well. We have some length. The guys have a lot of talent and they also want to work to get better.”
The Sailors will put that talent to the test in the OK Gold against teams like Grand Rapids Northview, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Wyoming and Wayland.
“The OK Gold is going to be really tough,” Johnson said. “Northview is the top team and they have a ton of talent. West Catholic is going to be good and Wyoming is always good. It’s a league where everyone knows everyone well and it’s up to the players to decide it.”
The Tri-unity boys basketball team poses right after winning another Division 4 state championship. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler accepts the Division 4 state title boys basketball trophy from MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity’s Keaton Blanker lays one in during his team’s Division 4 state title win at MSU. Blanker led with 12 points. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity senior Noah Silverton on defense during his team’s Division 4 state title win. Silverton scored 11 points. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity fans cheer on their Division 4 state champs at the Breslin Center. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity’s Joey Mellon scored nine points in the championship game. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Joey Mellon had nine points and eight rebounds while nursing a knee injury in the championship game. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Clayton Rowlader hits a three during the championship game at MSU. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity’s Keaton Blanker quickly takes the ball down court during the title game at MSU. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity boys basketball team celebrates Division 4 state championship at school. (Photo Courtesy, Katlyn Keeler)
As the clock struck zero on his remarkable 38-year career coaching at Tri-unity Christian, Mark Keeler could finally let it all soak in at the Michigan State University Breslin Center Saturday as his Defenders captured back-to-back state championships for the first time in school history with a 49-32 win over Fowler.
Coach Keeler already has the court at Tri-unity named in his honor, but he stamped his legacy on the court at the Breslin Center. He concludes his career with a 20-10 record at the home of the Michigan State University Spartans.
“It’s surreal,” said Keeler, who’ll retire as one of Michigan’s most decorated high school basketball coaches. “I was really happy with the way they played.
“I was blessed by the Lord; nobody will convince me otherwise. For me, as a coach, we try to reflect Jesus in what we do. We are humans, so sometimes we lose it and don’t do the right things, but that doesn’t mean you don’t stop working at it; that’s the key: don’t quit.”
Keeler cemented at third statewide on all-time wins list Keeler concludes his career with a 721-218 record, placing him third on the all-time wins list. Additionally, he will finish with 13 appearances in the state finals, which ranks him second all-time, behind the legendary River Rouge Coach Lofton Greene, who holds the record with 17 appearances. Keeler retires with seven state championships.
Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler accepts the Division 4 state title boys basketball trophy from MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Defense has been the calling card for a Keeler-led team since the start, and it’s the type of play that led Tri-unity back to the state finals for the fifth consecutive time. The Defenders allowed only 39.4 points per game on their way to a 27-2 record this season.
“This is the best defensive team I’ve ever coached,” Keeler said.
The matchup against Fowler was a rematch of Tri-unity’s second game of the season on December 3, ending with a 62-59 Fowler win.
A strong 11-0 start
Tri-unity started strong, quickly jumping out to an 11-0 lead. It took Fowler until 3:27 remaining in the first quarter to score their first points of the game off a Jacob Halfmann trey. The Defenders rebounded well and limited the shots from the Eagles, but took only a five-point lead into the second quarter as the Eagles held firm on the defensive side and added another three-point shot by Aaron Simon to end the first at 11-6.
“I don’t think teams are ready for our defense at the beginning of games,” Keeler said.
Tri-unity answered back swiftly with a 13-0 run to start the second frame.
Tri-unity’s Keaton Blanker quickly takes the ball down court during the title game at MSU. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Keaton Blanker led the way with 12 points
Senior captain Keaton Blanker led the charge in that second quarter and for the game leading all scorers with 12 points, while adding five rebounds, five assists and four steals in the final game of a career that ended with three state championships.
“Our biggest emphasis was playing 32 minutes,” Blanker said. “We don’t stop fighting until that final buzzer, and we did that. I’m just so happy for all us players.”
Up by 18 in the second quarter
The Defenders led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter before Fowler scored seven unanswered points including their first ones in the paint with 2:05 remaining in the half.
Blanker ended the half with two free throws, giving Tri-unity a 28-16 halftime lead.
If the Defenders had a weakness on the season, it was the third quarter. In the regional final game against Kalamazoo Phoenix, Tri-unity fumbled an 18-point lead.
“We’ve had letups in the past, and it almost cost us against Kalamazoo Phoenix,” Keeler said. “Having those games helped us. I can point it out when we let up on defense and let them back in the game. But we didn’t let up and we played great defense all the way through.”
Fowler begins closing gap near the end
Fowler closed the gap to within nine points with 3:07 left in the game, but the Defenders managed to slow down the pace. With two minutes remaining, junior guard Clayton Rowlader made a three-pointer to extend their lead to 12. Thirty seconds later, Rowlader hit another three to seal the victory, allowing Keeler to let out a sigh of relief.
Fowler finished 5-26 from beyond the arc in a challenging shooting game, scoring only 16 points from the paint while shooting 27.7 percent from the field.
Senior center Joey Mellon had nine points and eight rebounds all while nursing a knee injury.
“I can’t say enough good things about that young man (Mellon); him and Keaton have been phenomenal leaders,” Keeler said. “I give them all the credit as captains. I had great senior leadership and when you have good senior leadership good things happen.”
Senior Noah Silverton added 11 points in his final game.
“What a great group of boys to coach my last year, they were very coachable, they were a great group.”
It all began in 1983 for Keeler
Keeler’s coaching career at Tri-unity began during the 1983-1984 season, when the program started with an eighth and ninth-grade team. Coach Keeler became a varsity coach for the first time during 1985-1986 season.
“That first year we got drilled a few times,” Keeler said with a laugh.
He took a two year break before returning to Tri-unity for the 1991 season and has led the program since.
Tri-unity Athletic Director Evan Przybysz had a front-row seat to many of Keeler’s years at Tri-unity. First, he was a water boy, then, a player winning a state championship, and finally, he worked side-by-side with Coach Keeler, first as an assistant coach and then as athletic director.
“Coach Keeler cared more about your spiritual journey…”
“He’s instilled a culture through the school where so many kids wanted to play basketball for him,” Przybysz said. “He would teach the game of basketball and implement his systems that have been so successful for many years, but ultimately, Coach Keeler cared more about your spiritual journey than your basketball journey.
“He wanted to make sure your relationship was right with the Lord, and that was his number one priority. Basketball gave him that ability and platform to pour into young men and help instill that foundation that when they left Tri-unity, they would become better husbands and fathers one day.”
After a legendary career, Coach Keeler is now ready to embrace retirement. He looks forward to cherishing precious moments with his wife, Cheryl.
“Now that we are retired, she’s stuck with me,” Keeler said. “We spend a lot of time together. I love it, we have a blast.”
Tri-Unity Christian was pushed to the limit, but ultimately secured its 20th regional title with a 62-52 home-court win over Kalamazoo Phoenix Thursday night.
With a comfortable 35-17 lead at halftime, the Defenders hoped to cruise to an easy victory, but had to fend off a Kalamazoo Phoenix team that erased an 18-point deficit.
“There was no quit in them (Kalamazoo Phoenix),” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We were up comfortably at halftime, and they came all the way back; they fought back, but then they ran out of gas. That will happen when you need to expend that much energy.”
Falcons get close with 22 in the third
The Falcons used a 22-point third quarter to cut the Tri-unity lead to one early in the fourth. Kalamazoo Phoenix was only down six with 3:30 left before the Defenders finally put them away.
“We didn’t shoot well so we had to win ugly,” Keeler explained. “We were 1-for-15 from the free point line and had 15 turnovers, but we responded by being more patient with our plays.”
Six-foot-seven senior center Joey Mellon led the Defenders with 18 points, adding six rebounds. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity sophomore Cody Osbun had 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity wins 20th regional title in school history. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity wins 20th regional title in school history. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Six-foot-seven senior center Joey Mellon paced the Defenders with 18 points, adding six rebounds. Sophomore Cody Osbun made his presence known with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Tri-unity advances to its sixth consecutive quarterfinal game, a matchup with Adrian Lenawee Christian at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at Gull Lake High School.
The two teams meet for the second time this season. Tri-unity notched a 58-44 win over them in the Schoolcraft Champions Classic on January 4, the beginning of a 19-game winning streak for the Defenders.
“We’ve met up with them a few times over the years,” Keeler said. “We played a great game against them right after the holiday. They were missing a few players so we expect an even closer game this time; they are a great shooting team.”
With seven sophomores and a freshman on the roster, the East Kentwood girls basketball team has a bright future. That future, however, is actually now as the young Falcons collected a major trophy when they defeated Caledonia 44-40 Friday to win the Division 1 district championship at Byron Center High School.
With the win, the Falcons improved to 13-12 for the season. East Kentwood advances to a regional semifinal game against Forest Hills Northern (22-2) at 7 p.m. Monday at Grandville High School.
Grit and hustle proved key for East Kentwood, and those elements were displayed on defense and the boards where the Falcons scored a number of points off offensive rebounds. They also displayed plenty of poise down the stretch as they connected on some key free throws in the final minutes.
“I think it was our grit that got us over the top,” said East Kentwood Coach Eric Large. “Our sophomores, Logan Richardson and Jazanaye Silva, and we have a freshman, Nevaeh Eubanks, they are so scrappy and gritty that I knew that we could dominate the boards.”
East Kentwood’s Jazanaye Silva secures a rebound in between a pair of Caledonia defenders. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
East Kentwood led 20-17 at the half
Eubanks and Silva came up big on the offensive glass late in the opening half as the Falcons scored some key buckets derived from offensive rebounds to take a 20-17 lead into halftime.
The Falcons kept up the strong work on the offensive boards in the opening minutes of the second half as buckets off rebounds by Sophie Cobb, Jaslynn Ward and Silva enabled the Falcons to open up a 26-21 lead.
East Kentwood’s Sophie Cobb looks for an open teammate during Friday’s district game. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
Their lead grew to 29-21 later in the quarter before Caledonia trimmed it to 31-26 at the end of the third after a three ball by Myla Gortmaker and a bucket by Emily Stauffer.
East Kentwood extended the lead to 36-29 midway through the final quarter highlighted by a pair of buckets by Ward.
Caledonia, however, continued to battle back. The Fighting Scots cut the Falcon advantage to 36-34 with 2:29 remaining in the game when Olivia Foster drained a three ball.
Kentwood rebuilt the lead on a bucket by Richardson and then an offensive rebound putback by Silva gave the Falcons a 40-34 advantage with 1:04 left.
Caledonia refused to fold as Sauffer and Foster nailed treys in the final minute of the game. The Falcons, however, were able to stave the Fighting Scots off as sophomore guard Aries Branch connected on four of six free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds of the game to secure the win.
“This is special because I have so many sophomores playing,” Large said. “My seniors have been hurt all year and I just got Ward back two weeks ago.”
Ward, who has been a consistent source of offense for the Falcons this season, finished the game with a team-high 14 points. Silva and Sophie Cobb both added nine points, followed by Branch with six.
“That’s good for them to get a trophy,” Large said. “We are so young with the sophomores and its good for the seniors to be able to advance and get some hardware. It’s good for the younger kids to understand what winning looks like.”
Playing a rugged schedule both in the conference and in non-league play also helped the young Falcons reach a point where they can bring home a district trophy. Along with playing state-ranked teams Rockford, Grand Haven and Hudsonville two times each during the conference schedule, the Falcons played non-league games against state-ranked teams like Belleville (23-1), South Christian (22-2) and Grand Rapids West Catholic (20-3).
“I schedule a rigorous schedule,” Large explained. “I think Rockford had the number one strength of schedule and we were number two. A lot of the losses that we took were against top ten teams. People look at our record and go ahhh, we can beat them, but no, we are coming to play hard basketball.”
Caledonia finished the season with an 18-6 record. Like the Falcons, the Fighting Scots have a young team with six freshmen and three sophomores on the roster. Two of the freshmen, Emily Stauffer and Olivia Foster, led the team in scoring against the Falcons as Stauffer had 14 points and Foster added 11. Gortmaker, also a freshman, added five points.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
The East Kentwood, South Christian and Zion Christian girls basketball teams all won their respective district championship games on Friday and advance to the regional semifinals.
In a Division 1 final at Byron Center, East Kentwood beat Caledonia 44-40 to advance to regional play. The Falcons (13-12 overall) face Forest Hills Northern (22-2 overall and OK White champions) at 7 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Grandville High School.
In Division 2, South Christian defeated Holland Christian 59-50 for its district title. The Sailors (22-2 and top of the OK Gold) will play Paw Paw (20-4) at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at South Christian.
Meanwhile, Zion Christian won a Division 4 district championship Friday with a 33-28 win over local rival Tri-unity Christian. The Mountaineers (18-6) face St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (10-14) at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Martin High School.
A scoring drought at the worst possible time proved to be the difference for the South Christian boys basketball team as the Sailors dropped a 47-44 decision to Grand Rapids Catholic Central in the semifinals of a Division 2 regional Tuesday at Grand Rapids Christian.
In a game that was close throughout, the Sailors were unable to buy a bucket in the final two minutes and 30 seconds of the struggle between the perennial Division 2 powerhouses.
“This game won’t define us”
“It was a great game,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “I thought it was two really, really physical tough teams. Give them (Catholic Central) a lot of credit. They made one more shot than we did and it ended up being the difference.
“This game won’t define us. It won’t define the season that we had. We won 20 games, the conference championship, a district championship, we beat some really, really good teams along the way. I’m really proud of my guys the way they kept fighting when the ball wasn’t going in for us.”
The fourth quarter looked promising for South Christian in the early going. The Sailors, who were up 32-31 at the beginning of the quarter, built the lead to 38-33 with five minutes remaining in the contest. South Christian senior standout Carson Vis led the Sailors in the early minutes of the final quarter as he pumped in six points during a 6-2 run.
Cougars post 8-0 run in the fourth
Catholic Central, however, responded in a big way led by junior Izaya Lathridge. The Cougars responded with an 8-0 run as Lathridge scored a bucket and then came back to drain a three-point shot that tied the game at 38-38 with 4:20 remaining in the game. Lathridge then struck again from long range as his three-pointer at the 3:19 mark found the bottom of the net and staked the Cougars to a 41-38 lead.
“The guys did a tremendous job,” said Catholic Central Coach Chris Pearl. “We were locked in as we knew they beat us by double digits January 28. The way our guys have fought, the ways these guys bonded together. Our effort, our fight, our togetherness is second to none.”
That trey ignited a run of threes by both teams. South Christian responded with a three of its own as Caleb Pleune sank a triple tying the game at 41-41 with 3:04 remaining.
Catholic then came back with a three ball from Jordan McCoy with 2:42 remaining that put the Cougars up 44-41. On South’s ensuing possession Davis Kemper rained in a trey to tie the game at 44-44 with 2:29 remaining.
South Christian’s Davis Kemper (35) looks for an open teammate. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
For the Sailors, those points would prove to be the final points they would score in the contest as the basket seemed to have a lid on it for the remainder of the game.
Catholic Central took the lead for good with 1:17 remaining in the game when McCoy drove baseline and scored what proved to be the game-winning points.
South missed a three-pointer on its next possession and with 30 seconds left the Sailors were denied again after turning Catholic Central over on defense and coming up empty on the offensive end.
After McCoy split a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining in the game, South had one final opportunity, but the Sailors missed a pair of free throws and a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
“The ball wasn’t falling for us tonight”
“The ball wasn’t falling for us tonight,” Johnson said. “We obviously didn’t play our best. Man, we missed a lot of layups, a lot of free throws. In a three-point game you can’t do that at this stage.”
Both teams experienced difficulties at the free-throw line in the tense game as South Christian finished the game converting six-of-13 free throws, while Catholic Central converted just two-of-six.
Catholic Central, which improved to 19-7 with the win, led the game 9-8 at the end of the first quarter. South Christian, which ended the season with a 20-5 record, surged ahead in the second quarter and led 24-19 at halftime before the lead was whittled down to 32-31 heading into the final quarter.
South Christian’s Nolan Fackler (13) looks to inbound the ball against Catholic Central. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
Lathridge led Catholic Central with 14 points, including four treys. Collin Lott added 11 points, followed by Jordan McCoy and Jack Bowen with nine apiece.
Catholic Central drains 7 threes
For the game, the Cougars connected on seven three-point shots.
“Every day, these guys are in the gym,” Pearl said. “Whether its before school, after school, before practice or after practice. If you looked at our season shooting, it’s not the best. We average about five threes a game on 20ish attempts, but if you trust it, you have confidence, and that’s the biggest thing in shooting. It’s not the way you start, it’s the way you finish it.”
Vis led the way for South Christian with 19 points, followed by Ike Schrotenboer, 12 and Davis Kemper, five.
For the Sailors, the loss meant the end of the high school careers for a memorable eight-man senior class that included Vis, Schrotenboer, Kemper, Pleune, Fackler, Charlie DeHaan, Ty Brinks and Wyatt Sall.
“This class was really special,” Johnson said. “Eight seniors that I felt were all in, all year. They gave us a lot of stuff to be proud of. I’m really, really proud of them. I think some of the guys left their legacy and they will be remembered forever.
“This game can’t define us who we are as people, we just have to continue to be strong in our faith and just think about all the positives in life.”
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Division 1, District 8 at East Kentwood
First Round: Ottawa Hills/East Kentwood 6 p.m. Monday, March 3 District Semifinal: Winner faces Wyoming 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5
Division 2, District 44 at Kelloggsville
First Round: Aviation Academy/Kelloggsville 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 3 Winner faces Catholic Central in Semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5 Godwin Heights/Grand River Prep 7 p.m. Monday, March 3 Winner faces Grand Rapids Christian in Semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5
Division 4, District 113 at Zion Christian
District Semifinal at Zion Christian: Tri-unity Christian/Sacred Heart 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5 Muskegon Catholic Central/Zion Christian 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5 District Final at Zion Christian: 7 p.m. Friday, March 7
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Boys Basketball District Championship 2025. (Photos Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
The Tri-unity Christian boys basketball team advanced to the regionals with a district final win Friday night, beating Zion Christian 66-35 to claim yet another district title for legendary Coach Mark Keeler.
This time, however, Tri-unity had to play without Coach Keeler, who was out due to illness. Assistant Coach Brent Voorhees guided the team to victory.
“Last week showed the maturity of our senior group,” Voorhees said. “With our head coach being out with sickness, our seniors stepped up from a leadership standpoint and made sure we came out focused. Our game plan on Friday was to bring intensity on defense, aggressiveness on offense, and get great energy from our bench. We accomplished all three things and the boys played well.
“Seniors Keaton Blanker and Noah Silverton led the way offensively with 17 each. Both were able to get penetration and finish through contact, and we got some early production from senior captain Joey Mellon as well. Joey had to come out late in the first quarter with foul trouble, and sophomore Cody Osbun picked up the slack on the defensive end in Joey’s absence. We also had a huge dunk from senior Joseph Peters in the first quarter that gave our team a lot of energy to jump out to an early lead.”
Mellon added eight points and Osbun had 10 rebounds.
The Defenders host Bellevue on Tuesday, March 4, at 5:30 p.m. in a Division 4 regional semifinal.
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.
Every week, we’ll bring you several high school basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.
It took a quarter for the young East Kentwood basketball team to get acclimated to the state tournament, but once the youthful Falcons got up to speed, they flew off with a 60-43 win against Wyoming in the semifinals of the Division 1 district tournament at Wyoming.
The win sets up a district final between East Kentwood and Byron Center at 7 p.m. Friday at Wyoming.
Few varsity teams in the area are as young as East Kentwood, as the Falcons start four sophomores and a junior. They also bring three to four more sophomores off the bench in their typical rotation.
“We started off pretty slow, but that is to be expected as this team is pretty much all sophomores and this was their first district basketball appearance,” said East Kentwood Coach Michael Thomas. “The crowd was large and very loud and I think that surprised our guys a little. It forced us into some turnovers and unusual plays, but by the second quarter the guys became used to it.”
The opening quarter was a tight, defensive struggle with East Kentwood leading 12-9 after eight minutes.
East Kentwood took control of the contest in the second quarter. The Falcons offense began to heat up behind the offensive skills of junior Randy Chapman, who led all scorers with 26 points. The Falcons outscored Wyoming 19-8 during the second quarter and Chapman led the way with 13 of Kentwood’s 19 points during the second stanza.
“RJ just kind of took over,” Thomas said. “He really went to work in the second quarter. He is our one guy that has that state tournament experience as he has played in two district championship games before and it showed.”
The big second quarter by Chapman helped the Falcons take a 31-17 lead into halftime.
Wolves pick up pace in third
Wyoming picked up the pace on the offensive end of the floor during the third quarter. The Wolves scored 16 points during the third led by Warren Williams, who scored seven that quarter, and Avonte’ Wiggins and Taeshon Wilson both added four.
East Kentwood also scored 16 points during the quarter as the Falcons took a 47-33 lead into the final quarter.
Along with the offensive exploits from Chapman, the Falcons received strong play along the front line from 6-foot-9 sophomore Drew Kenyi.
East Kentwood’s Drew Kenyi. (Greg Chrapek, WKTV)
“Andrew played really well,” Thomas said. “He finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. He was huge for us and scored on a lot of putbacks. He finished well around the basket.”
The Falcons also received a solid game up front from 6-foot-5 sophomore Sammy Makung.
“Sammy scored six points for us and also had 10 rebounds,” Thomas said. “He really helped us out on the boards. Those two big fellas really came up huge for us. They did a really good job of helping limit Wyoming to one shot (per possession).”
East Kentwood tightened the defense during the final quarter as the Falcons outscored Wyoming 13-10 to come away with the 60-43 win.
A big factor in the young East Kentwood team being able to adjust to the big stage of the state tournament was the difficult schedule during the season. The Falcons played just three teams with a non-winning record the entire season. East Kentwood also played six teams ranked in the top 15 in Division 1 of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Power Ratings. That included two games apiece against No. 3 Rockford and No. 7 Hudsonville in conference play.
In non-league play the Falcons played No. 4 Birmingham Brother Rice, No. 6 Detroit U-of-D Jesuit, No. 9 Detroit Martin Luther King and No. 15 Port Huron Northern. The Falcons also played Saginaw United, who has a 17-5 record and Center Line at 16-6.
“I think what helped us was our strength of schedule,” Thomas said. “We played the No. 2 strongest schedule in the state. After Orchard Lake St. Mary, we were No. 2 in the entire state in strength of schedule, and we went 11-11 against that schedule. We were also competitive in those games. I’d say there was only one time that we got run out of the gym and the rest were pretty close games. To finish with an 11-11 record against that type of schedule starting four sophomores and a junior is impressive. I’m proud of these guys and how well they competed against some of the best teams in the state.”
With the win, East Kentwood improved to 12-11 for the season. Along with 26 points from Chapman and 14 from Kenyi, the Falcons received eight points from CJ Reynolds, six from Makung, three points from Major Barnes, two from Dau Dau and one point from Jeremiah Cook.
Wyoming’s Avonte’ Wiggins led the Wolves with 14 points. (Greg Chrapek, WKTV)
Wyoming finished the season with a 12-12 overall record. The Wolves were led in scoring by senior Avonte’ Wiggins who finished with 14 points. Senior Taeshon Wilson added 11 points followed by senior Warren Williams with seven points. Jack Hogan added three points while Elijah McGee, Brayden Williams and Brad Lewis added two points apiece with Qua’vari Palmer and Zy’erre Debose adding one point each.
The current Tri-unity Christian team and some former players join together at Coach Mark Keeler’s final home game of his career. (Courtesy, Tri-unity Christian/Katlyn Keeler)
As the final whistle blew last Friday at Tri-unity Christian’s home court, which bears the name of legendary Coach Mark Keeler, the gym was filled with former players and community members who honored him after an impressive 38-year career at the school.
“It’s bittersweet, after doing this for 40 years it’s done,” said Keeler, who now has 714 career wins, third on the all-time MHSAA list. “It was a little overwhelming … it was so much fun seeing some former players come out, and I got many text messages from those that couldn’t make it.”
WKTV Friday Night Highlights host Ty Marzean interviews Coach Mark Keeler.
Tri-unity notched their 15th consecutive win on Senior Night with a 57-25 victory over Potter’s House. All eight of the Defenders seniors played significant minutes in their last regular season game in front of the home crowd.
Senior forward Noah Silverton led the team with 13 points, and 6-foot-7 center Joey Mellon filled the stat sheet with 10 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots. Hudson Ghent added nine points, while Keaton Blanker scored eight.
Seniors Tyler Laansma, Joseph Peters, Hezekiah Nobel, and Marcus Lokiden, as well as student manager Sean Gibbons, all contributed.
‘It was nice because we knew this was a game we could get everybody in,” Keeler explained.
The Defenders maintained their strong defensive performance, leading 31-11 at halftime and allowing only 14 more points in the second half.
“Our goal was to keep them under 30,” Keeler said. “They all played defense really well. Sometimes late in those types of game the players tend to want to relax on defense, but they played well throughout. We have had some games this year where that wasn’t the case, but they have improved greatly this year.”
With the regular season now complete, the Defenders can concentrate on defending their Division 4 state championship from last year. Tri-unity aims to compete in its fourth consecutive state finals game.
Tri-unity was due to play the winner of the Holland Calvary vs. Covert game, but Covert dropped out of the tournament.
“We still have a tournament to coach, the team is excited. We are going to get after it and hopefully we can play in that final game of the tournament,” Keeler said.
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity (20-2) faces Holland Calvary (7-5) at Martin High School on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.
The winner of that game will play the winner of Zion Christian vs. Martin on Friday night at Martin High School for the District 113 title.
Keeler will now have to follow the advice he used to give his seniors about leaving it all out on the court.
“I would always tell the seniors, this is a whole lot more important to you because I’ll be coming back, you’re not. I can’t say that anymore.”
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler chatting with a ref. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.
Every week, we’ll bring you several high school basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.
A fast start proved to be the difference for the South Christian boys basketball team in its showdown with Northview as a big first quarter propelled the Sailors to a 73-68 win in a clash of the top two teams in the OK Gold.
Northview entered the game with a perfect conference record and needed a win to wrap up the conference title. The Wildcats were in position to win the Gold outright after defeating South Christian earlier thanks to a last-second buzzer beater. Not only are the two teams the front runners in the conference, but both squads entered the game ranked in the state with Northview coming in at 17th in Division 1 in the latest MHSAA power rankings, while South Christian entered the game ranked eighth in Division 2.
Playing on its home floor, South Christian wasted little time in getting its home fans fired up as it jumped out to an 18-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“We had a great start which was huge for us,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “We hit some shots early and got a lot of momentum going and we were able to get the crowd into it.”
Vis sinks 11 points in first quarter, including 3 treys
Senior standout Carson Vis was a big part of South Christian’s fast start. Vis totaled 11 points in the opening quarter, including draining three treys.
“Carson had a huge first quarter for us,” Johnson said. “He hit some big shots for us. Ike Schrotenboer also had a big first quarter as he made some big layups for us.”
Northview clawed back into the game during the second quarter as the Wildcats trimmed the South Christian lead to 37-33 by halftime.
Foul trouble played a role in Northview cutting into the Sailor lead. While the Sailors had some players in foul trouble, several players came into the game and provided some quality minutes. One of those players was sophomore Austin Burgess.
“Austin came off the bench and hit some big shots for us,” Johnson said. “Ike Schrotenboer also continued to play really well for us inside. He finished the game with 13 points and all of those points came in the first half.”
South Christian center Ike Schrotenboer totaled 13 points and seven rebounds against Northview.
(WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
South opened up some breathing room during the second half as the Sailors built a 56-47 lead to end the third quarter.
Northview made a final push during the final quarter as foul trouble continued to hamper the Sailors. South, however, was able to hold off the Wildcats and claim the victory.
“We had some turnovers and we continued to battle foul trouble in the fourth quarter,” Johnson said. “I’m proud of the way the kids battled and hung in there. We had some big rebounds and played some good defense in the fourth quarter.
“We also hit some key free throws at the end. We had a great crowd and it was a great high school basketball game. I’m really proud of our guys.”
Vis led the Sailors with 28 points, while Schrotenboer turned in 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Burgess added 13 points and Davis Kemper totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Davis Kemper tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
South Christian going for share of OK Gold Friday
The Sailors improved to 10-1 in the conference, while Northview finished conference play at 11-1. South Christian has a chance to clinch a share of the league title when it hosts Wayland on Senior Night Friday.
“Wayland is going to be ready to play,” Johnson said. “We have to be focused and come out ready to play. It will definitely be special to win the conference. For us, it’s always a goal to win the conference, but we are going to have to come out with a lot of clarity and be ready to play.”
Overall, South Christian improved to 17-4 for the season. After starting with a 1-3 record, the Sailors have won 16 of their last 17 games.
“We’ve played a tough schedule,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth in this team during the season and the guys play with a lot of grit. They have continued to get better and better throughout the season.”
After wrapping up the regular season Friday, the Sailors and the rest of the teams in the state begin the state tournament next week.
South Christian is hosting a Division 2 regional next week. The Sailors have a bye in the first round and open district action by playing the winner of the Kelloggsville/West Michigan Aviation Academy game in a semifinal next Wednesday.
As the boys basketball regular season nears the end, the Tri-unity Defenders are in the midst of an impressive 13-game winning streak after a pair of wins Friday and Saturday.
The Defenders secured their 23rd conference championship under longtime Coach Mark Keeler with a 60-30 victory over West Michigan Aviation Academy Friday, winning the Alliance League for the first time since 2022.
“I can’t tell you how much fun I’m having with this being my last year and with this group of young men,” said Keeler, who has earned six state championships, six state runner-up trophies, 15 Final Four appearances, 19 regional titles, 26 district titles and 23 conference championships. “They are so coachable. I’ve been very proud of the maturity level of the team this year. They have done a great job keeping their focus during the season.”
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler and wife Cheryl after getting his 700th win. He now has 712 wins, which puts him at third place in the MHSAA state record book. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
The Defenders are led by senior captains Joey Mellon and Keaton Blanker, who both played key roles on last year’s State championship team.
“Joey and Keaton are my leaders,” Keeler said. “They were a part of the 8-man rotation I had last year. They really have bought in this year and are great team guys. Senior leadership has a lot to do with how far your team can advance.”
Tri-unity senior captains Joey Mellon (pictured) and Keaton Blanker have led the Defenders this season. Mellon had 25 points and 12 rebounds in a Saturday win over Beal City. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity used great defense and rebounding to claim a 32-7 advantage after the first half on Friday night.
“When you play defense like that it allows you to build a lead,” Keeler explained. “I stress to them how important it is to put their identity in something and they have done a phenomenal job on defense this year.”
The Defenders have lived up to their name as they have allowed only 39 points per game during their 13-game winning streak.
“I don’t think we could play any better defense than what we did on Friday,” Keeler said. “We have been able to do that against some of the teams we’ve played. We also look at rebounding, we did a great job with offensive rebounds. Everyone wants to shoot the three in today’s game. We want to hurry them so it’s a lower percentage shot and rebound well.”
Tri-unity senior captains Keaton Blanker (pictured) and Joey Mellon have led the Defenders this year. Blanker had 12 points, six assists and four steals in a Saturday win over Beal City. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Mellon and Blanker are not the only seniors making plays for the Defenders. Senior forwards Noah Silverton and Marcus Lokiden have played meaningful minutes at a high level for Keeler’s crew.
Silverton scored 13 points against Aviation Academy, while Lokiden added 10 points and three steals.
“Noah is really helping us this year, and Marcus sparks us, he plays much taller than he is and is a great shooter.”
Tri-unity’s Marcus Lokiden. (Photo Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity also participated in the Alliance Invite at Kuyper College, where they faced Beal City, ranked No.12 in Division 4.
Joey Mellon was the standout performer for the team, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in their 62-42 victory over Beal City. Keaton Blanker also had a strong game, contributing 12 points, six assists, and four steals. Noah Silverton added 10 points and four steals.
Tri-unity concludes the regular season with an away game against Muskegon West Michigan Christian on Tuesday night, and returns home for Senior Night Friday against Alliance League rival Potter’s House, marking the final home game of Coach Keeler’s career.
“I think there will be some emotion for this old ball coach, I can’t say enough for this community, it’s been a joy to be a part of it.”
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.
Every week, we’ll bring you several high school basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.
Godwin Heights junior Isaiah Guyton (35) scored some key points along with playing strong defense in the game against Calvin Christian. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
Defense was the name of the game when Godwin Heights traveled to Grandville Calvin Christian for a key OK Silver clash Friday evening. In the end, the visiting Wolverines came up with the key defensive plays and just enough offense to secure a 39-34 win in a struggle that came down to the final seconds.
The win was a huge victory for Godwin Heights as it gave the Wolverines sole possession of second place in the conference and keeps them a half game behind league-leading Fruitport.
“Our pre-game talk was we have to hang our hats on the defensive side of the basketball,” said Godwin Heights Coach Bernard Varnesdeel. “That’s what we build off of and that’s what we are working for. Down the stretch that was the last message, we said we have to win on defense. Very proud of the effort coming back on the road to get a tough conference win.”
The contest was a defensive struggle from the opening tip. The host Squires took the early lead in the game and were up 11-8 at the end of the first quarter.
The Calvin Christian defense was especially stingy for an almost eight-minute stretch of the first and second quarters when it held Godwin Heights without a point. After a three-point bucket by Godwin’s David Rodriguez with just over three minutes to play in the first quarter, the Wolverines did not score again until Isaiah Guyton connected on a bucket at the 3:34 mark of the second quarter.
Calvin Christian led 17-12 at halftime
While the Wolverines had a lid on their basket, the Godwin defense picked up the slack and allowed Calvin just five points over the same eight-minutes stretch as the bucket by Guyton cut Calvin’s lead to 14-10. The two teams combined for just five points the rest of the first half as Calvin led 17-12 at halftime.
Wolverines score 13 points in the third
In the second half, the Godwin Heights offense began to cook in the third quarter. The Wolverines doubled their offensive output of the entire first half as they scored 13 points during the third quarter. Trailing 19-18 midway through the third quarter, the Wolverines took a lead for the first time in the game when Jaden Farmer drained a trey putting Godwin up 21-19. Farmer closed out the third quarter for the Wolverines by adding a three-point play the old-fashioned way as he scored on a drive to the bucket, drew a foul and tacked on the free throw giving Godwin a 25-21 lead heading into the final quarter.
Godwin Heights guard Jaden Farmer (2) led the Wolverines with nine points. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
“Before halftime, we were one for our last 26 from beyond the three-point line,” Varnesdeel said, “so we made a couple of them in the second half. We also made a couple of jump shots which were huge for us. I told the guys at halftime, keep taking them with confidence. We are going to get one or two of them sooner or later. Take them with confidence and be ready to knock them down. We had to get a big win.”
For Farmer and his teammates, the game meant a lot since Calvin Christian defeated the Wolverines 50-35 at Godwin in the first meeting between the two league rivals in early January.
“We just wanted to execute our plays,” Farmer said. “That was our main point as they beat us last time. We wanted to get back so we needed to play defense really well and execute.”
The game tightened up even more during the fourth quarter. Calvin Christian tied the game at 30-30 midway through the final quarter when Grant Morren came up with a four-point play. Morren drained a three and was fouled on the shot and then added the free-throw to eliminate what was a four-point Godwin lead.
Godwin gained the lead for good with 3:41 remaining in the game when Guyton scored a bucket in the paint putting the Wolverines up 34-32.
Up 35-34 with under two minutes left in the game, the Godwin defense again stepped up as the Wolverines kept the Squires off the scoreboard the remainder of the game.
“We work a lot on defense in practice,” Farmer said. “We watch a lot of film and work on executing on defense.”
Godwin put the game on ice with four free throws in the final two minutes of the game, including a pair of free throws by Justin Chan with one second remaining on the clock.
Godwin Heights Justin Chan (12) sealed the win against Calvin Christian with a pair of free throws with one second remaining in the game. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
Godwin Heights parlayed balanced scoring in the defensive struggle with Farmer leading the offense with nine points. Chan and Lonnie Sanders added seven points apiece, Dere’on Brown added six pints, Guyton five points, Rodriguez four points and Zxavier Guzman three points.
Morren led Calvin Christian with 15 points, while Will Orme added eight.
Godwin Heights improved to 7-2 in the conference, 10-7 overall. The Wolverines host league-rival Belding in a makeup game on Monday and then travel to Fruitport on Tuesday to play the Trojans who are 8-2 in the league.
“We control our own destiny,” Varnesdeel said. “Fruitport is one game ahead, but we have to go to Fruitport. They beat us at home so we get a chance to at least tie with them. If we win out in the conference it will put us in a position to tie for the conference or win it out.”
By Cris Greer WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director greer@wktv.org
Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.
Every week, we’ll bring you several high school basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.
Heading into Tuesday’s OK Gold game against Thornapple Kellogg, South Christian girls basketball Coach Erika Brown was looking for her team to take things up another level on the defensive end. The Sailors ended up doing that and more as South turned in a defensive gem in beating TK 55-25.
“There’s been things that we’ve been specifically working on in practice and we really wanted to put it into the game and see how we could adjust and make those adjustments,” Brown said. “We just need to clean up our defense and slides and positioning and some of our schemes on defense. Just really getting after knowing where we are together as a team in the movement part of it on defense.”
South Christian wasted little time in showing the dividends of the work it put in on defense during recent practices. The Sailor defense was aggressive and on point right from the opening tipoff against the Trojans. With the combination of stingy defense and balance on offense, South Christian took a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Sailor offense was paced in the opening quarter by juniors Lizzie Wolthuis and Sophia Prins who both connected on three-point shots.
South Christian’s Lizzie Wolthuis (3), who totaled 11 points, drives the baseline against Thornapple Kellogg. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
“We did get off to a good start,” Brown said. “That’s what we talk a lot about. Our team identifies as defense and transition, so we’ve been really working on those two things.”
South Christian took its defense to another level in the second quarter. Turning up the defensive intensity even more, the Sailors kept TK off the scoreboard for the entire quarter while building a 25-7 halftime lead.
With a double-digit lead heading into the second half, the Sailors maintained their aggressiveness on the defensive end while sharpening their skills on the offensive side of the floor. South Christian outscored TK 17-11 during the third quarter as it built a 42-18 lead.
South Christian closed out the game by outscoring the Trojans 13-7 in the fourth quarter.
Prins led the way for South Christian with 23 points highlighted by 3 three-point baskets.
“Our point guard Sophia (Prins) had an amazing game,” Brown said. “She is our floor general and director. She is doing a lot better in her talking and getting people where they need to be. I was very proud of her tonight.”
Wolthuis also drained a trio of treys finishing with 11 points. Sophomore Meredith Helmus added seven.
Overall, the Sailors were pleased with their offensive production, but like the defense, they see upside for improvement.
“We have some things we have to work on with offense,” Brown said. “We’ve been seeing more zone this year than we have in the past and zone offenses tend to get overlooked a little more than man, the quick-hit plays and all the things you really work on a lot. For what we’ve been working on for zone offense, I was happy and pleased with what we did tonight.”
South Christian senior Kamryn Boonstra (10) looks for an opening against the Trojans defense. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)
South Christian improved to 14-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference. The win also set the stage for Friday’s OK Gold showdown where the Sailors, ranked 13th in the state in Division 2, travel to Grand Rapids West Catholic to take on the Falcons, ranked fifth in the state in Division 2 and have a 7-0 record in the conference.
The win was the sixth in a row for the Sailors since they dropped a 62-49 decision to West Catholic in early January. South’s other loss was a 41-39 decision against Hudsonville in December.
With four seniors on the team along with two freshmen, two sophomores and the remaining players from the junior class, the Sailors have a mix of youth and veterans which makes for an enjoyable team to coach.
“We have a group of girls that just love each other,” Brown said. “It’s a little bit more than basketball to us. It’s about life and doing this journey together. Being there through the hard times, the good times, the struggles in school, on and off the court. We have a really, really good squad this year. They’ve really taken this to heart and making this a journey that’s going to be memorable.”
Thornapple Kellogg fell to 2-5 in the league, 6-9 overall. The Trojans were led in scoring by freshman Taylor Lloyd, who drained a pair of treys and finished with 14 points.
Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.
Every week, we’ll bring you several high school basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.
With the high school basketball season heading into the home stretch, the Wyoming Wolves basketball team is shifting into high gear. The Wolves found another gear Friday evening when they traveled to West Catholic and came away with a 78-52 win.
The win was the eighth in the last 11 games for the Wolves, who began the season 0-3. While it took Wyoming a few games to get their footing, the Wolves have been steadily improving and have been putting up some impressive numbers both on offense and defense.
“I thought we did a lot of things really well,” said Wyoming Coach Thom Vander Klay. “The kids are coming around as far as picking up what we are trying to do. They are trusting their teammates. Early in the season we were beginning to gel and now we feel like we are starting to hit our stride and we feel like we are getting closer and closer to our potential.”
Wyoming came out firing on all cylinders during Friday’s game. The Wolves jumped out to a 17-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. They started the second quarter with a bang as Taeshon Wilson scored the first Wyoming points of the quarter with a crowd-pleasing breakaway dunk. Up 27-20 late in the quarter, the Wolves closed out the first half with an 11-0 scoring run to take a 38-20 lead into halftime.
Offense is one area where they’re showing steady progress this season. The 78 points the Wolves scored Friday was the second-highest team total of the season and they have scored 60-plus points in nine games so far. Wyoming likes to play at a fast pace and the Wolves did a solid job of running the floor against West Catholic scoring a high volume of points off the fast break.
“I think part of the getting up and down is the trust of our teammates,” Vander Klay said. “The fact that they will catch it, the fact that they will run the floor and the fact that they will finish, and if not then we will crash the glass. Our kids are starting to develop that team chemistry on offense.”
Warren Williams (10) scored nine points for Wyoming. (WKTV Greg Chrapek)
After halftime, the Wolves opened up a 45-20 lead as the Wyoming defense held West Catholic without a point until the 4:59 mark of the third quarter.
Along with progress on offense, the Wolves have been making strides defensively and that was evident against West Catholic.
“I thought we played harder,” Vander Klay said. “We stopped what they were trying to do offensively. Especially with as many possessions as there are in our games, we have to work pretty hard on defense. We are working on that too.”
Wyoming led 59-39 at the end of the third and kept up the pace in the final quarter to end with a 26-point edge.
Brayden Williams led Wyoming with 16 points, while Josh Guevara and Taeshon Wilson added 11. Avonte Wiggins, Warren Williams and Jack Hogan added nine each.
Wyoming’s Avonte’ Wiggins (2) brings the ball past half court during the game at West Catholic. Wiggins scored nine points. (WKTV Greg Chrapek)
“All of our kids can play,” Vander Klay said. “The truth is, sometimes when a coach makes a sub, it might be just a tiniest little bit that one kid is a little better, but I can close my eyes and just point to somebody on the bench. We are very deep. We have a lot of good players, so when we sub, when the benches clear, that is usually to our advantage.”
With the win, Wyoming improved to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in the OK Gold. Wyoming returns to action Monday when it travels to play conference rival Grand Rapids Union. The Wolves then host Holland Christian on Tuesday for our WKTV Truck Game of the Week.
Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area Boys and Girls high school basketball teams in action.
Every week, we’ll bring you several high school basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.
Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area Boys and Girls high school teams in action.
Every week, we’ll bring you several high school basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.
After winning their second state championship in three seasons, the Tri-unity Defenders are once again poised to make a run to the Breslin Center in the final year of Coach Mark Keeler’s storied career.
Coach Keeler has spent 38 years pacing the sidelines at Tri-unity in a remarkable career that includes six state championships, six state runner-up trophies, 15 Final Four appearances, 19 regional titles, 26 district titles and 22 conference championships.
Keeler recently achieved his 700th victory as a varsity coach, making him the fourth coach in state history to reach this milestone in boys’ basketball. Roy Johnston holds the record for the most wins in state history with 833 victories.
“I feel very blessed … so many awesome parents, unbelievable players and great assistant coaches”
“I feel very blessed,” Keeler said. “I’ve had some great assistant coaches and coaches who have been involved and positive. I’m very excited to have achieved that, but I feel like its more of a school achievement than for just me as a coach. I’ve had so many awesome parents and so many unbelievable basketball players that have played for me. Those wins are more about those players than it is about me.”
Former NBA player Chris Kaman with Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler and team pumping players up. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler and team. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler and team pose with trophy. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler and team get recognized by Wyoming City Council. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler instructs the team. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler holds up one of his team’s many trophies. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Tri-unity Christian Coach Mark Keeler. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
Keeler started coaching at Tri-unity when the school was K-9 and that morphed into a varsity squad a few years later. Often having to rent gym space from Grandville schools until they could put bleachers in, Coach Keeler built the Tri-unity basketball program figuratively and literally from the ground up.
In the early years, Tri-unity played in the West Michigan Liberty Conference made up of small Christian schools, traveling from Niles to Whitehall to Lansing.
“I’ll never forget Niles First Assembly had a carpeted gym, I’ll never forget that,” Keeler chuckled. “Nobody locally wanted to play us because they never heard of us.”
Tri-unity Athletic Director Evan Przybysz said Keeler is the most humble winner he’s ever met.
“For all of the 700-plus wins that he will receive, the credit first goes to the Lord, and then to his players,” Przybysz explained. “He has instilled a system and a culture within his program that allows them to be successful year over year. To be one of four people in MHSAA history to reach the 700 win milestone is an achievement not only in success, but longevity. Especially all at the same school.
“We will certainly miss him when he retires at the end of the year, but are happy for him and Cheryl on the next stage of life they will be moving into. He has created a foundation that we will continue to build on, and we are confident in Brent Voorhees (his current assistant) who will take over as the head of the program.”
Former NBA player Chris Kaman from Tri-unity One of his more notable players, superstar Chris Kaman, graduated from Tri-unity in 2000. Kaman played college ball at Central Michigan University and was drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers, but also played for the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and a couple other teams.
The Defenders have started this season with a 7-2 record with wins against East Grand Rapids, Calvin Christian and Lee in their first conference game of the season.
Tri-unity took an 80-53 road victory against the two-time defending Alliance League champion Legends last Friday.
“It was a very good game,” Keeler said. “They hung tough. We kept about a 10-point lead throughout the early going, but they kept on fighting and they are very well coached. We eventually pulled away late, but they fought all the way through.”
6-foot-7 senior Joey Mellon led the way with 27 points and 18 rebounds (11 offensively) in a strong effort for the Defenders.
“Joey had an unbelievable game,” Keeler exclaimed. “The 11 offensive rebounds blows me away. He was just a machine.
“We shot about 50 percent, but there were a lot of shots taken. We missed 32 shots, but we had 20 offensive rebounds so really only missed 12 in my way of thinking.”
Senior Noah Silverton added 10 points and four assists, while Keaton Blanker filled the stat sheet with eight points and 11 rebounds.
“They are wonderful young men; they have been nothing but positive and encouraging to me as a coach.”
