Tag Archives: MHSAA Basketball

South Christian girls basketball team saves best for last with thrilling tournament run

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South Christian girls pose with their district championship trophy. (Photo Courtesy, David Kool)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



It was a season of ups and downs for the South Christian girls basketball team, but the final couple weeks of ups made the season one to remember for the Sailors.

After finishing the regular season with a 12-10 overall record, 7-7 in the OK Gold, the Sailors went on a thrilling state tournament run that included a district championship and berth in the regional finals.

Heading into the final game of the regular season, South Christian’s record stood at 11-10, the Sailors, however, wrapped up the regular season with a big boost as they defeated a 16-6 Wyoming team 56-55.

That win propelled the Sailors into the state tournament with some momentum. Hosting the district tournament, South Christian took advantage of that momentum by defeating Wayland 48-38 in the district semifinals. The Sailors then won the district title in thrilling fashion with a 78-67 win in double overtime against Holland Christian.


Holland Christian grabbed a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter in the district title game and led by four at halftime. The Sailors eventually took a 37-36 lead at the end of the third quarter before the game went into double overtime. The two squads scored six points apiece in the first overtime before South Christian dominated the second one outscoring Holland Christian 14-3.    

Sailors claw back after 13-2 deficit in regional opener

South kept the momentum going at the regional opener at Hopkins with a 47-40 win against Otsego. The Sailors displayed plenty of determination in the win against Otsego as they rallied from behind. South Christian trailed 13-2 at the end of the first quarter before clamping down on defense and picking up the pace on offense.

The season came to an end for the Sailors, however, in the regional final where they dropped a 49-34 decision to Vicksburg.


South Christian Coach Erika Brown (Courtesy, South Christian)

“Winning the district title and competing in a regional final game this season was so special for this group of young ladies,” said South Christian Coach Erika Brown, in her first season as head coach.



“Their hard work, love for each other and the game, and the deep belief they could win was what carried them through, plus our strong defensive mentality. I am incredibly proud of them and what they were determined to accomplish through the many ups and downs this season gave us.”



Defense key to success

The Sailors, who finished the season with a 15-11 overall record, built their team on defense and that defense was a key to success down the stretch.

“Our defense defined us this season,” Brown said. “When we connected and got after it on defense, our offense would ignite.”



Sophia Prins. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)
Lizzie Wolthuis. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)

South Christian received key contributions from every member of the team this season. South was led by a solid backcourt that featured guards Sophia Prins and Lizzie Wolthuis.

“Sophia was our starting point guard,” Brown said. “She directed the way and gave us composure and confidence on both ends of the floor.





“Lizzie was our starting shooting guard. She would ignite our offense with her ability to hit threes and drive to the hoop. She also was a strong rebounder and defensive presence.”

The backcourt also was balanced by the versatile skills of the fellow starters.


“Ashley Thomasma was our senior captain who has strong defensive and passing abilities,” Brown said. “Kami Boonstra was our strong driver and shooter and was great at getting defensive deflections. Lily Nitz was our junior captain who was our most versatile player guarding the other team’s top players.”


South Christian captain Ashley Thomasma (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)
South Christian captain Lily Nitz (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



The Sailors also received numerous contributions from players not in the starting lineup throughout the season.

“So many of our players brought such unique talent to our team this year,” Brown said. “We were blessed and fortunate to have so many pieces to the puzzle.” 

While lifting a district title trophy was special, it was the process involved that really sticks out for Brown.

“What I will remember the most about the team and the tournament run was the smiles and watching the girls’ hearts grow and the belief in their eyes widen,” Brown said. “I am so grateful for my wonderful coaching staff, supportive parents and a group of young ladies that bought in and made this such a fun journey this season.


“I will forever remember this team and my first year as head coach.”

Tri-unity boys win second state championship in three years with dominant win over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart Saturday at MSU

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By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor

Photos Courtesy Becky Rillema



The Breslin Center feels like home to the Tri-unity Defenders. The team has played in four consecutive state finals, this time avenging a two-point loss from last season.

“Last year, we played not to lose,” legendary Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler said. “That was one of the emphases I had. We need to play to win the game, not to play afraid that we are going to lose. It seems like it’s the same thing, but it’s not. It’s huge, and you don’t play up to your potential if you focus on the negative.


We made sure this year that we focused on the positive.”

The Defenders (24-5) reached that potential, winning their second Division 4 state title in three seasons in convincing fashion 79-59 over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart Saturday at Michigan State University.

“It was a very emotional game,” Keeler said. “I had to say goodbye to so many young men I truly love and respect. I’m going to miss all of them. I’m going to miss their camaraderie, their unselfishness, and they truly enjoy each other. Those are fun things to have on your team.”

VanKlompenberg and Rosendall will graduate with two state titles

Senior captains Jordan VanKlompenberg and Owen Rosendall were the catalysts for the Defenders. Both play a vital role in the suffocating Tri-unity defense while being the motor for the offense. The seniors end their high school careers winning two state finals in four attempts.

“Jordan and Owen are my two captains; I can not say enough about those two,” Keeler explained. “They have to guard the two best opposing players every game. It was that way again today. They were amazing. I’m really happy with them.”



Senior captains Owen Rosendall (left) and Jodan VanKlompenberg. (Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)



VanKlompenberg led with 19 points, Rosendall added 14

VanKlompenberg led the Defenders with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Rosendall added 14 points and six rebounds. 

“The state title means everything,” Rosendall said. “It’s the all-time goal for everyone’s season. This year was special because it was our last game. It was a bittersweet ending, but I couldn’t be more proud of our team. This team means everything; we treat each other like brothers. Our chemistry on the court is above average compared to other teams; it feels like we know where everyone is on the court all the time.”

Tight first quarter

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart played strong out of the gate and controlled the early portion of the first quarter, leading 8-4 midway through it.

 Grady Pieratt led the Saints with 21 points, while Noah Zeien added 14.

“Noah is tough and a very nice player, but his size hurt him against us because we could contest his shots,” Keeler explained.

VanKlompenberg hit a three-point shot with 3:33 left in the first to put Tri-unity up 11-10, and they wouldn’t look back after that.

The NCAA three-point line can confuse the players trying to adjust to the different layout of the Breslin Center court.

“I told them to stand on the line,” said Keeler, whose team was 7-17 from the three-point line. “We did a lot better job taking better shots and knocking them down.” 

All five starters in double-digit scoring

The entire starting five for Tri-unity scored double-digit points. Akais Giplaye scored 11 points, followed by Keaton Blanker, a second-straight double-double with 11 points and 12 assists and Wes Kaman added 10 points.

“Good balance; they shared the ball,” Keeler explained. “That’s what I love about it. I don’t think my guys have a selfish bone in their bodies. All they want to do is help the team win.”

 

The 6-4 Giplaye has been a constant force in the defensive paint for the Defenders. Keeler said Giplaye is made for this defensive scheme.



Akais Giplaye goes up for a shot. (Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)



“It means a lot coming from Coach Keeler,” Giplaye said. “He’s been winning for a long time. Having a coach who helps us become young men and encourages us to reflect Christ on the court, I’m honored to have him as a coach.



“It takes commitment, determination, dedication, discipline, and hard work. We’ve been through the wars, the ups and downs, but we kept moving forward, and through the end, we won a trophy. It’s a memory that will never be forgotten.”

Tri-unity uses depth and free throws to earn fourth-straight state finals appearance

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By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor

(Photos Courtesy Becky Rillema)

The Tri-unity Christian boys basketball team used its depth and signature defense to wear down St. Ignace in a back-and-forth matchup in a Division 4 semifinal Thursday at the Breslin Center.

In a game that saw 11 lead change, including multiple ones in the fourth quarter, the Defenders hit late free throws to ice the game, advancing to a fourth-straight Division 4 state championship with a 60-53 win over St. Ignace in East Lansing.

“We are very blessed; it would be a great finish to this year”

“It’s surreal, it’s hard to believe,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler, whose team has a chance to win two state championships in three years. “We are very blessed. It would be a great finish to this year. These guys have worked so hard and made sacrifices to play tough, nasty defense.”


Two Tri-unity seniors, Jordan VanKlompenberg and Owen Rosendall, will play in their fourth state final game. Both played as freshmen on the 2020-21 Division 4 state runner-up team. 

St. Ignace senior Jonny Ingalls continued his torrid pace throughout the 2024 postseason. The future Northern Michigan University Wildcat scored 14 of the Saints’ 16 first-quarter points, and the Saints held a three-point lead after one frame in the semifinal.

Ingalls averaged 30 points in the postseason and ended the final game of his high school career with 31 points, four assists, and two steals.

“He was unbelievable,” Keeler said. “He had a little bit more than what we would have liked. I figured he would have around 20-25 points. He’s a great player.” 

Tri-unity was pressing early in the game, making several unforced errors unfamiliar to the disciplined Defenders.

“I was a little disappointed in how we played early on, but sometimes you have to win games like that,” Keeler explained. “We turned the ball over and started the game off trying to hit NBA threes.”

St. Ignace led 26-25 at the half

The score was almost even at the half; St. Ignace was up 26-25 after 16 minutes of play.  

After the break, the Defenders’ depth was felt. St. Ignace would only shoot 31.8% from the field for the remainder of the game and a lowly 40% from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

“I thought we played good enough defense to stay in the game,” Keeler said. “I felt that we would eventually turn things around. I told the guys that if we keep pressing the ball down the court and play tough defense, we could wear them down. They didn’t have a lot of depth; they got worn out.”

Keaton Blanker led with 19 points, including 10 free throws and 10 boards

Junior guard Keaton Blanker continued his productive playoff run with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Blanker hit 10 of 11 free throws; two of which put the game out of reach with less than 30 seconds remaining.



Keaton Blanker led with 19 points, 10 rebounds. (Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)


Wes Kaman grabs 14 points, 6 boards

The Defenders have a new hero every game. In the semifinal game, Wes Kaman would take his turn to showcase his offensive skills, scoring 14 points and adding six rebounds.

“That’s what helps make our team so tough; you never know who will step up. They came out the second half with more discipline and knocked down some easier wide-open threes as well,” Keeler said.


Wesley Kaman takes a jumper. (Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)



Giplaye and Rillema with 13 rebounds

Akais Giplaye and Trey Rillema provided a rock-solid presence in the paint for the Defenders. Giplaye snatched eight boards, while Rillema grabbed five in limited playing time. 


“Akais is just a rock for us inside; you are not going to take the ball away from him,” Keeler said. “Trey had five rebounds but didn’t play much in the second half.”

 Ingalls cooled off significantly for the Saints in the second half, missing multiple shots from beyond the arc and the free-throw line.

“I thought he got tired,” Keeler explained. “We rotate and have guys rested. I thought we played great defense. We did everything we could to contain him, and he got tired in the second half, and we took advantage of that.


“I told the boys at halftime that a good team will beat one player no matter how good he is, and he got tired. That was the difference in the game. He can shoot; he just didn’t shoot as well in the second half.”

The Defenders play a familiar foe in the finals, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. The two teams met in early December, Tri-unity won that game 71-41.

“We played them in the third game of the year,” Keeler said. “They don’t have a lot of depth either, so our desire will be to push the ball on them and wear them down. They have three really good guards, and they do a solid job.”

Tri-unity (23-5) will face Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (26-2) in the Division 4 finals at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Breslin Center. The game will be aired live on Bally Sports Detroit. 

Check out this cool photo gallery by Becky Rillema; Defenders heading back to Division 4 state semifinals

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All photos courtesy of Becky Rillema

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Another defensive gem leads Tri-unity to fifth-straight state semifinal appearance; VanKlompenberg hits seven treys

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Senior Jordan VanKlompenberg led the Defenders with 17 points (all three-pointers ) in the win. (Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor

Tri-unity Christian held another defensive clinic in its run to the Breslin Center.


The Defenders allowed seven combined points in the second and third quarters as they advanced to a fifth-consecutive Division 4 state semifinal appearance with a 65-29 victory over St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic on Tuesday night. 

The Defenders have turned up the heat defensively since the start of the playoffs, allowing just 38.4 points per game after giving up 43.2 points during the regular season. 

“It was amazing, wasn’t it,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler about his team’s defense. “They are so coachable; they gave their very best. Whatever they do, they give their very best effort.”


VanKlompenberg hot from beyond the arc

Senior guard Jordan VanKlompenberg led the way offensively, connecting on a team-high seven three-point shots, which accounted for all of his team-high 21 points. He also had four assists and four rebounds. 

“Jordan also guarded their best player, and he did a phenomenal job defensively holding him to only six points,” Keeler said. 


Game closest after one quarter

The first quarter ended with Tri-unity ahead 19-12 and marked the closest the game would be. 

“They were fresh,” Keeler said. “We pushed the ball up and tried to make it a running game. They didn’t have a lot of depth, so we wanted to wear them out.”

Tri-unity tightened their defense against the Lakers’ offense, allowing only 17 points over the next three quarters.



Junior Keaton Blanker (4) filled the stat sheet. (Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)


Sensational junior guard Keaton Blanker again filled the stat sheet for the Defenders, capping off the quarterfinal game with 13 points, seven steals, four assists and four rebounds. 

“That’s Keaton; it’s what he does,” Keeler said. “He does it all. He’s a great young man and a great player. I’m excited to see his growth.

“They kept playing a zone, and we tried to get it inside, but they forced it outside, so we had an opportunity to score a lot of points. We also had several offensive rebounds.”



Akais Giplaye (20) goes high for a rebound. (Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)


Giplaye, Rillema and Mellon control the boards

Tri-unity used its trio of big men to control the boards. Akais Giplaye, Trey Rillema and Joey Mellon brought down six rebounds each.

“Akais is always amazing on the boards,” Keeler said. “He got into foul trouble early and only scored two points; he fits so well into our defense, runs the baseline, and dominates the boards. I’m pleased with the way they play defense. I think the whole team played great defense.”



Tri-unity (22-5) faces St. Ignace (21-6) in the D-4 state semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Breslin Center at MSU for the chance to play for a state championship. 

St. Ignace beat Crystal Falls Forest Park 68-51 on Tuesday night. St. Ignace lost in the quarterfinals last season to Traverse City St. Francis.

“They are a good team, and we have to come ready to play, but we are a good team too,” Keeler explained. “I’m confident how we play defense will keep us in games.

“I’m very confident in my team; six of our guys have been here before. I’m excited about the possibilities; we still need to come to play, though.”

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show (March 1) featuring many cool clips

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By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest Friday Night Highlights show of the basketball season featuring many area high school teams in action the week of Feb. 26 through March 1.



Every week, we’ll bring you several high school boys and girls basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings. We also have the local boys district results and regional matchups and the girls district brackets inside.



Thanks for watching!

Tri-unity Christian boys one step closer to another state title with fifth straight district championship

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(WKTV/Ty Marzean)



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



The Tri-unity Christian boys basketball team checked off the first box in its quest for a fourth-straight state championship appearance on Friday night by capturing its fifth-straight Division 4 district title against Alliance League foe and host Zion Christian. 


The Defenders used a suffocating defense and overbearing offense in a 78-40 win over the Mountaineers.



Tri-unity used a 15-5 first quarter to set the pace for the remainder of the contest.


“I’m so happy about our defense,” said Coach Mark Keeler, who’s won the state championship five times with the Defenders.”

 

“Zion has improved so much over the years; if we didn’t show up and play hard, it could have been a different story.”



Jordan VanKlompenberg led with 20 points, while Akais Giplaye and Trey Rillema combined for 19 rebounds. (Photo from a previous game courtesy, Becky Rillema)



The Defenders kept the pressure on Zion as the first half ended with a 36-17 lead for Tri-unity.

“If you hold a team to 17 points in the first half, there are not many games you will not win playing that kind of defense,” Keeler said.

Giplaye and Rillema combined for 19 boards

Tri-unity big men Akais Giplaye and Trey Rillema set the defensive tone under the boards as they collected 19 rebounds as a duo.

Rillema finished the game with four points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots, while Giplaye had eight points and 10 rebounds.

“Akais is so amazing; he plays taller than he is.” Keeler explained. “I watch him go against guys 6-8, and he holds his own. He’s such an awesome young man; I think the world of him.

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“This entire team is special. I love this team and how they act out on the court.”

Zion Christian came out of the half with four quick points as the Defenders struggled to gain footing in the third quarter. 

“I think we came in with the wrong attitude in the second half,” Keeler said. “I told them they had to change their focus. If they want to keep playing, you must start playing defense. We struggled throughout the third quarter because of it. Fortunately, in the fourth quarter, we reset ourselves and played great defense.”

Defenders kept Zion to seven in fourth

Tri-unity clamped down defensively, allowing only seven fourth-quarter points. 

“They played their hearts out and never stopped hustling; I love that about them,” Keeler said. “We just kept after them. I thought we did a great job.”

VanKlompenberg led with 20 points

Tri-unity senior guard Jordan VanKlompenberg led the Defenders with 20 points and added four assists and six rebounds. Lincoln Eerdmans connected on a team-high three buckets from beyond the arc, ending with 13 points. Owen Rosendall added 14 points and four rebounds. 

The Defenders find themselves in familiar territory heading into the regional round.

“I told them we have two more trophies to win, a regional and a state,” Keeler said. “It would be a dream come true.

“Every year is new, and you can’t go on what you did last season. You have to go out with a new group of boys and play the best they can. I enjoy watching them play. I’m proud of my guys, their hard work, and their intensity.”

Tri-unity (19-5) advances to the Regional 29 Semifinals against host Fowler (17-7) on Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m.

Lee boys basketball team adds big district victory to league title

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After winning the Alliance League championship with a perfect 8-0 record, the Lee Legends opened play in the state tournament with a thrilling win against West Catholic. (Courtesy, Wyoming Lee)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



After winning the Alliance League championship with a perfect league record this season, the Lee basketball team opened the state tournament with a thrilling 49-48 win against West Catholic in the Division 2 district semifinal game Wednesday at the West Catholic district.

In a low-scoring, defensive struggle, the Legends persevered at the end to come away with the win that improved their record to 17-5 for the season. Lee now goes on to Friday’s district title game against Grand Rapids Catholic Central as the Legends go after their first district title since 1995.

“It was a great team win,” said Lee Coach Dominic Shannon. “I’m proud of our effort and proud of our energy. It was a tight game to the end. It was a back-and-forth game from the start to the finish. The biggest lead of the game was eight by us early in the game and at halftime we were up by two at 19-17.”

West Catholic came out playing a zone defense and looked to slow down the pace of the game against the Legends.

“They (West Catholic) tried to slow the game down,” Shannon said. “The opportunities that we did have to run we capitalized on. It was a fun game with great energy and I’m happy we were able to pull it out.”

Lee played a rugged non-conference schedule this season that included games against schools like East Kentwood, Benton Harbor, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix and Forest Hills Eastern, and that experience proved valuable in the district.

“The reason we played such a tough schedule is for moments like this,” Shannon said. “Our schedule prepared us for a game like this.”



Lee senior Ny’Zhem Marshall led with 17 points and 14 rebounds. (Courtesy, Wyoming Lee)



Marshall led the Legends with 17 points and 14 boards

Ny’Zhem Marshall led Lee with 17 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots. Nate Johnson added 11 points.

“Nate hit one of the biggest shots of the game for us,” Shannon said. “We were down 45-42 in the fourth quarter. Marc Whitfield drove to the basket and the defense collapsed on him. Nate is one of our best three-point shooters and Marc recognized that and kicked the ball out to him on the wing and Nate knocked the shot down to tie the game.”

 

Conference crown two-straight years

The district win comes after the Legends wrapped up a regular season that saw them win a conference title for the second consecutive year and with a perfect league mark for the second straight season.

“I’m so proud of our boys for capturing back-to-back conference championships for multiple reasons,” Shannon said. “One, the boys made history at Lee with back-to-back conference championships for the first time since 1971 and 1972.”

A key to success for the Legends this year is the way the team prepares for each game.

“The key to capturing our conference was trusting our preparation,” Shannon said. “Even though our conference is untraditional with teams only playing each other once, we were able to get film and have a gameplan based on what was shown on film. There were games when we were off, but we also have a strong bench and at times we were able to insert someone from the bench to provide a boost.



Specifically, I can recall the Wellspring game as we were down heading into the fourth quarter. The coaching staff made an adjustment as a starter was having an uncharacteristically off-game and essentially the adjustment aided with the win.”

Lee also did a solid job of handling the adversity it faced during the season.

“We started the season 0-3 and finished 15-5 overall,” Shannon said, “not to mention we dealt with many injuries this year and we are actually full strength in the postseason.”

On the court, the Legends count on strong defense as a major team strong point.

“A strong component of our team is our ability to defend baseline to baseline, regardless of who’s defending,” Shannon said. “We have great versatility in our defense this year and we really pressure the ball which has led to great success. We like to be able to make guards uncomfortable when starting their offense to disrupt rhythm and timing.” 



Lee senior Marc Whitfield leading the Legends this year. (Courtesy, Wyoming Lee)


Marc Whitfield leading the team

Leading the way for the legends this season is Marc Whitfield. The reigning conference player of the year, Whitfield averages 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals per game while shooting 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Whitfield has five 30-point games this season with a season-high 35 points in the win against Grand River Prep.

Ny’Zhem Marshall all-around production

Ny’Zhem Marshall provides all-around production averaging 11 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and two assists per game while shooting 50% from beyond the three-point line. Marshall also recorded five games with seven blocked shots.

Clarence Lewis, who guarded the opposing team’s best player this season, added eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals per game and recorded a season-high of six steals in one game. Nathan Johnson averaged nine points and three rebounds per game while shooting 40% from the three-point line. Johnson also scored a season-high 22 points in two games this season. 

South Christian takes advantage of fast start to take out Godwin Heights in D2 district opener Monday

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South Christian junior standout Carson Vis scored 29 points in the tournament opener against Godwin Heights. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)




By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


Taking on a red-hot Godwin Heights squad the opening night of the state tournament, the South Christian boys basketball team left nothing to chance as they struck early and often on its way to a 62-43 win in the Division 2 district at Unity Christian.

Godwin Heights, fresh off winning the OK Silver Conference championship, entered the game on an eight-game winning streak. With plenty of momentum and confidence, the Wolverines were on a mission to keep rolling. The Sailors, however, had other plans. South ramped up the defense, kept the ball in junior standout Carson Vis’ hands and shot out to a 12-2 lead midway through the first quarter. By the end of the opening quarter that lead stood at 21-5 and the Sailors had the upper hand for the remainder of the game.

“Although it’s not March yet we consider it March,” Vis said, “because in March we try to be at our best. We wanted to come out and try and set the tone tonight. We wanted to come out and lock things down on defense. Our goal was to hold them under 30 points. Obviously, we didn’t do that, but we came away with the win.”

Carson Vis led South Christian with 29 points

While the Sailors were busy holding Godwin to five points in the first quarter, Vis was also busy filling up the basket on the other side of the floor. Vis totaled 13 points in the first quarter and added eight more of his game-high 29 points in the second quarter.

Sailors up 34-16 at halftime

South continued to play stingy defense in the second quarter as it limited the Wolverines to 11 points in that stanza. The Sailors also built the lead to 18 points at halftime as they entered the break with a 34-16 lead.

South also accomplished the feat without the benefit of standout senior guard Jake Vermaas who missed the game but will be back for Wednesday’s district semifinal showdown with Unity Christian.

“I’m real proud of our guys,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “We had to play without Jake Vermaas, but he will be ready to go on Wednesday. Carson did a real nice job of stepping up. He was scoring in a variety of ways for us. He was scoring inside and outside. Guys got him the ball and he made the shots.”

Vis also brought the Sailor crowd to their feet with a highlight-reel dunk during the third quarter that put the Sailors up 46-30.

The Sailors also received a strong scoring effort from senior Sam Weiss who also reached double figures in scoring with 10 points.

“I was happy with how Sam stepped up,” Johnson said. “He played the point and played with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. I was very proud of him.”


South Christian senior Sam Weiss, who scored 10 points, prepares to drive to the basket. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


The Sailors also handled the ball effectively against Godwin’s swarming defensive pressure.

“We prepared for that pressure,” Vis said. “We knew what was coming so we actually started preparing for it last week. A lot of teams consider our ball handling a weakness so we wanted to show people that we can handle the pressure.”

South scored a number of points in transition after navigating the Wolverines’ defensive pressure.

Along with the double-digit offensive efforts of Vis and Weiss, the Sailors received eight points from Caleb Pleune, seven from Davis Kemper.

With the win, the Sailors improved to 18-5 for the season and will face Unity Christian, 18-4, in one semifinal game Wednesday.



Godwin Heights was led by senior Jacari Jones with nine points.  (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


Godwin Heights ended the season with a 16-6 record. The Wolverines were led in scoring by sophomore Isaiah Guyton who finished with 11 points. Senior Jacari Jones added nine points and fellow senior Jace Reid-Anderson added eight.    


Godwin Heights senior Jace Reid-Anderson (11) tries to split a pair of South Christian defenders on his drive to the basket. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


MHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament: Vicksburg defeated South Christian 49-34 in Regional 12 Final

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, ,




By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


South Christian (15-11) lost to Vicksburg 49-34 in the Regional 12 final Wednesday night. Check out the complete story on South Christian’s great tournament run here.


DIVISION 1

DISTRICT 7 at Grandville

First Round: Hudsonville 50, Wyoming 43

Semifinal: East Kentwood 50, Hudsonville 33
DISTRICT FINAL: Byron Center 47, East Kentwood 44

DIVISION 2

DISTRICT 43 at Hudsonville Unity Christian

First Round: Kelloggsville 43, Wyoming Lee 27

Semifinal: Unity Christian 58, Kelloggsville 10

Semifinal: Allendale 46, Godwin Heights 29


DISTRICT 44 at Forest Hills Eastern

First Round: Grand Rapids Christian 55, West Michigan Aviation 11


DISTRICT 45 at South Christian

First Round: Hamilton 64, Grand River Prep 9

Semifinal: South Christian 48, Wayland 38
DISTRICT FINAL: South Christian 78, Holland Christian 67 (2 OT)
REGIONAL 12:
SEMIFINAL: South Christian 47, Otsego 40

Semifinal: South Christian 48, Wayland 38
DISTRICT FINAL: South Christian 78, Holland Christian 67 (2 OT)
REGIONAL 12:
SEMIFINAL: South Christian 47, Otsego 40
FINAL: Vicksburg 49, South Christian 34


DIVISION 3

DISTRICT 75 at Saugatuck

First Round: Potter’s House 39, Calvin Christian 36

Semifinal: Saugatuck 50, Potter’s House Christian 36

DIVISION 4

DISTRICT 114 at Fruitport Calvary Christian

Semifinal: Sacred Heart 40, Tri-unity Christian 33

DISTRICT 115 at Lawrence

Semifinal: Martin 39, Zion Christian 34

MHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament: Tri-unity boys win second state championship in three years

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,




By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org

DIVISION 1

REGIONAL 2 SEMIFINAL AT EAST KENTWOOD: Forest Hills Central 54, East Kentwood 42

District 7 at Byron Center
DISTRICT FINAL: East Kentwood 55, Byron Center 45

DIVISION 2

District 43 at West Catholic
SEMIFINALS:
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 75, Allendale 56
Lee 49, West Catholic 48
(LEE: Ny’Zhem Marshall, 17 points, 6 blocks, 14 rebounds; Nathan Johnson, 11 points)
DISTRICT FINAL: Catholic Central 63, Wyoming Lee 56


District 44 at Ionia
First Round: Forest Hills Eastern 56, West Michigan Aviation 36


District 45 at Hudsonville Unity Christian
First Round:
Grand River Prep 78, Kelloggsville 60
South Christian 62, Godwin Heights 43
Semifinals:
Grand Rapids Christian 84, Grand River Prep 49
South Christian 70, Unity Christian 62
DISTRICT FINAL: Grand Rapids Christian 52, South Christian 49

DIVISION 3

District 75 at Calvin Christian
First Round: Calvin Christian 68, Potter’s House Christian 66 (OT)

DIVISION 4

STATE FINAL:
Tri-unity Christian 79, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 59

REGIONAL 29 SEMIFINAL AT FOWLER: Tri-unity Christian 46, Fowler 39
REGIONAL FINAL: Tri-unity Christian 73, Kalamazoo Phoenix 37
District 114 at Zion Christian
DISTRICT FINAL: Tri-unity Christian 78, Zion Christian 40

Godwin Heights boys basketball team captures OK Silver crown; tough district ahead

City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Godwin Heights Boys Basketball Team. Coach Bernard Varnesdeel, second from right. (Photo Courtesy, Geskus Photography)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

For most first-year coaches, getting their program established is usually a major accomplishment. For Godwin Heights boys basketball Coach Bernard Varnesdeel, not only did he get his style implemented, but he also led the Wolverines to an OK Silver Conference title.

With eight straight conference wins to close out the season, Godwin Heights ended up winning the OK Silver by a full two games over second place Sparta. Godwin Heights ended the regular season with a 13-1 conference record to go along with a 16-5 overall record.

“I’m super-proud of the guys,” Varnesdeel said. “As a first-year coach implementing a whole new program, our team stepped up tremendously. I’m super proud of them. We have a really good group of guys and to win most every night is not easy.”

Winning in the Silver is no easy chore as the conference is full of quality teams from top to bottom. Godwin also had to come up with some key wins down the stretch to secure the title.

“All of our games in the conference were pretty tight,” Varnesdeel said. “The game at Sparta was a big win for us. For five days heading into that game, we weren’t even able to get into the gym due to the weather. To be able to go to Sparta without being able to practice for five days and get a win is pretty big.



“Our win at Belding was also a very big win just because of the style of play. We won 32-28 and to adjust to that style of play and get a win is big. We also beat Sparta at home despite being down by 15 points in the third quarter and that was also a pretty big win.”

A total team effort for Godwin Heights

The key to success for the Wolverines this season was a total-team effort. Having a deep bench proved beneficial time and time again for Godwin.

“The key was our depth,” Varnesdeel said. “We go 10, 11 players deep so we always have fresh players on the floor. Overall, we also have very good athleticism. Our depth and athleticism allows us to keep up the pressure on defense and get out in transition on offense.”

The overall depth is evident by the balanced scoring the Wolverines feature. Four players average in double figures in scoring. Jamaan Hastings averages over 12 points per game, Isaiah Guyton and Jacari Jones average around 10.5 points, while Jace Reid-Anderson averages over 10 points. Guyton and Jones also lead the team in rebounds.

“Another strong point is we shoot very well,” Varnesdeel said. “We have a very good two-point shooting percentage. Several kids are shooting around 60% and several more are shooting in the upper 50s and that’s pretty good.”  

Godwin also made substantial progress as a team since the beginning of the season.

“I think we made a lot of progress in just realizing our identity as a team,” Varnesdeel said. “We made a lot of progress in knowing we have to play hard and defend well. Our rebounding has also come along. Our improvement in rebounding has enabled us to create opportunities on offense in transition. Once that light clicked on, we made a big jump as a team.”

Tough, tough district ahead

With a conference title secured, Godwin is now on to the state tournament where they play in arguably the toughest Division 2 district in the state with what has to be the toughest draw facing any team in the state. Godwin opens up tournament play at the Unity Christian district by playing South Christian, who was a state finalist last year. If the Wolverines win that game they would play Unity Christian, ranked 12th in the state in the semifinals with the winner likely playing Grand Rapids Christian, the No. 1-ranked team in the state in the district finals.

“We are capable of doing some really special things in the state tournament if we play up to our abilities,” Varnesdeel said. “We do have the potential for a state tournament run. That said, we will be tested early and often.”

No matter the outcome in the state tournament, this year’s young squad accomplished plenty in Varnesdeel’s first season at Godwin.

“I’m super proud of all of our kids,” Varnesdeel said. “Everyone of them filled a key role. I couldn’t have been more happy with what all of our kids did for us.”    

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show (Feb. 23) featuring many cool clips

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, , ,




By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest Friday Night Highlights show of the basketball season featuring many area high school teams in action the week of Feb. 19-23.



Every Friday, we’ll bring you several high school boys and girls basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings. We also have the local boys district brackets inside for next week!



Thanks for watching, and see you next week!

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show (Feb. 16) featuring many cool clips

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, West Michigan, , ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest Friday Night Highlights show of the basketball season featuring many area high school teams in action the week of Feb. 12-16.



Every Friday, we’ll bring you several high school boys and girls basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.



Thanks for watching, and see you next week!

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show (Feb. 9) featuring many cool clips

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, , ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest Friday Night Highlights show of the basketball season featuring many area high school teams in action the week of Feb. 5-9.



Every Friday, we’ll bring you several high school boys and girls basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.



Thanks for watching, and see you next week!

East Kentwood trio helping boys basketball team navigate rugged schedule

City of Kentwood, Entertainment News, Sports, , ,
East Kentwood junior Jah Hatchett leads the Falcons from his point guard position. (Photo Courtesy, Cristian Salas-Salinas and Nuha Hussein)




By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



Playing against one of the most challenging schedules in the entire state, the East Kentwood boys basketball team has needed an “all hands on deck” approach. While the entire team has led the Falcons to an 11-6 record heading into the final couple weeks of the season, a trio of players are carving out outstanding seasons.

Senior Christian Humphrey-Rembert, junior Jah Hatchett and freshman CJ Reynolds are all turning in key contributions for a Falcon team that is also in second place in the rugged OK Red Conference.


East Kentwood’s Christian Humphrey-Rembert provides the Falcons with a steady source of points and rebounds. (Photo Courtesy, Cristian Salas-Salinas and Nuha Hussein)



Humphrey-Rembert, a 6-foot-8 junior wing, is a steady source of points and rebounds for the team. He’s averaging 14 points per game along with 8.5 rebounds and two blocked shots. He also has turned in numerous double-doubles in points and rebounds this season.

“Christian is a 6-foot-8 wing who is very athletic and can shoot the ball,” said East Kentwood Coach Mike Thomas. “He is playing at a pretty good level this season. His biggest improvement has been in his rebounding. His rebounding has been a difference maker for us this season.”

Along with being a standout on the basketball court, Humphrey-Rembert also is a standout in the classroom. With his combination of academics and athletic skills he is being recruited by a number of colleges including Wofford, the University of Chicago Illinois and Brown University.

“Academically, Christian is one of the top students in his class,” Thomas said. “He has a grade-point average of 3.7 or 3.8. He is also a great teammate. He is one of the first guys at practice and one of the last to leave. He is always helping me set up the gym and take down the gym. On his off days he’s always in the gym working on his shooting.”

Hatchett leads the team with 17 points per game

Hatchett also is a team leader in multiple categories. A 5-foot-10 junior point guard, Hatchett leads the team in scoring at 17 points per game. He also is dishing out five assists per game along with five rebounds and four steals per game.


“Like Christian, Jah plays a lot of minutes for us and does a lot for us,” Thomas said. “He is our go-to guy. He can get to the basket, shoot the three and is strong off ball screens. He can also break defenses down and make decisions in the lane.”

Although he has another season yet to play in high school, Hatchett is drawing the attention of college scouts. Currently he has offers from Ferris State, Northwood University and Wayne State and also is hearing from Central Michigan University and Northern Iowa.

“Jah is also good in the classroom and that work ethic shows on the basketball court as well,” Thomas said. “He puts in the hours and that shows in his production. He spends hours upon hours in the gym. As a junior, he is getting close to 1,000 career points and is about at 900 points right now.”


Freshman CJ Reynolds averaged 20 points per game on the junior varsity team. On the varsity squad, he averages 7.5 points, four rebounds and two assists per game. (Photo Courtesy, Cristian Salas-Salinas and Nuha Hussein)



Reynolds making an impact as a freshman

The Falcons also have a young and upcoming player in Reynolds who is making an impact as a freshman. A 6-foot-2 guard, Reynolds began the season on the junior varsity. Reynolds was seeing varsity action by taking advantage of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s fifth-quarter rule, where a junior-varsity player can play a limited number of quarters on the varsity team each week, and the experience has paid off as he recently was moved up to the varsity team permanently.

“CJ is a long and lanky player who is starting to make a name for himself,” Thomas said. “He started the season on the junior varsity, but his talent level is going through the roof.”

Reynolds was averaging 20 points per game on the junior varsity team. On the varsity squad, Reynolds is already averaging 7.5 points, four rebounds and two assists per game.

“CJ is a guy who can beat you off the dribble or shoot the three,” Thomas said. “He can score in a multitude of ways. He is also a strong defender. I think the sky is the limit for him and he is going to do great things in our program the next few years.”

Reynolds is part of an overall young Kentwood team that continues to grow and improve.

“We have a young team,” Thomas said. “We will only loose three seniors. This is just my second year here and we are still building the program. I have a great staff with coaches like Christian Craft and Scott Rawley. These guys are with me for the long haul and are into developing players.


“We have played a challenging schedule this year and that is by design. We want to play a challenging schedule and it’s a pleasure to see how our guys have been competing.”

Of the Falcons six losses this season, two have been in the conference and four have been in non-conference games. Among those non-conference losses have been games against East Lansing, the No.2 rated team in the state in Division 1 and River Rouge, an honorable-mention team in Division 1. The Falcons also have wins against Warren Lincoln, currently ranked No. 2 in the state in Division 2, and Birmingham Brother Rice, ranked ninth in the state in Division 1.          

Godwin Heights stays in hunt for league title with 76-48 win over Comstock Park

City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, , ,
Godwin Heights’ Jacari Jones (0) applies defensive pressure during Tuesday’s game with Comstock Park. Jones and Isaiah Guyton led the Wolverines with 12 points apiece. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The Godwin Heights boys basketball team may be on the young side this season, but future foes need to be aware that this year’s squad of Wolverines is becoming a nasty team to deal with.

Combining a tenacious defense with an explosive offense, the Wolverines have been on the prowl lately. That was evident Tuesday as Godwin Heights turned back Comstock Park 76-48 to stay in the thick of the chase for the OK Blue Conference title.

The Wolverine defense proved tough to crack right from the opening tip while the offense gained momentum as the game progressed en route to its highest point total of the season. With the win, the Wolverines improved to 7-1 in the conference, a half game behind league-leading Sparta who travels to Godwin next Tuesday for a big conference showdown.

“We took a tough loss to Calvin Christian a couple of weeks ago and the one thing I’m super proud of is the way the guys learned from that loss,” said Godwin Heights Coach Bernard Varnesdeel. “Our team learned what our identity is from that loss. First, we realized that we have to hang our hat on our defensive pressure. We apply pressure both full court and in the half court. We put the pressure on with our defense and push the tempo on offense especially after creating turnovers on defense.”

That was the formula the Wolverines used against Comstock Park. The Wolverines used their strong defensive pressure to take a 12-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Godwin dialed up that pressure in the second quarter as it outscored Comstock Park 26-13 to take a commanding 38-22 halftime lead.

“I feel like we did a lot better job of getting rebounds and I feel we did a good job of passing the ball on offense,” said Godwin Heights junior Jamaan Hastings. “I feel like we are working together better to play as a team and are starting to gel as a team for the March playoffs.”

Teamwork is a major strong point for the Wolverines. Not only do the Wolverines play strong team defense, but they share the ball on offense and have multiple players who can contribute on the offensive end of the floor. Nine different players scored for Godwin during the second-quarter offensive outburst and all 11 Wolverines scored during the game.



Sophomore guard Ka’Res Harris (10) looks for an opening as he moves the ball around the perimeter of the Comstock Park defense. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



“We have 11 really, really good basketball players,” Varnesdeel said. “I tell all the guys that they will get the opportunity to get their run.”

Godwin players continued to get plenty of “run” during the second half as the defense continued to force turnovers while the offense capitalized on the offensive end. Godwin extended the lead to 58-35 at the end of the third quarter as it outscored the Panthers 20-13.

“I think we have a really good team,” said Wolverine senior Ben Dolo. “I think we are a super-underrated team. We can play with the top teams in the area and we can’t wait till March to show what we’ve been working on this season.”

Godwin closed out the game strong outscoring the Panthers 18-13 to end with a 28-point win.

“We’ve made a ton of improvement,” Varnesdeel said. “This is a great group. I’m a new coach here and we had a lot of younger, inexperienced players coming into the season. We only had one guy with a lot of experience and we have four sophomores. Those guys have made a lot of progress this season.


“We are learning each and every day and improving. We still have a lot to work on, but we’ve made a ton of progress.”

Godwin’s depth was evident in the scorebook. Jacari Jones and sophomore Isaiah Guyton were the lone Wolverines in double figures with 12 points apiece. Senior Jace Reid-Anderson added nine points, followed by Marcos Rodriguez and Hastings, eight points apiece; Armani Dedrick, six; sophomores Justin Chan, Ka’Res Harris and Dom Sanders, five each; sophomore Lonnie Sanders, four and Dolo, two.


Godwin Heights guard Ben Dolo brings the ball up the floor against Comstock Park. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


“Jace is our most experienced player and he is doing a great job of leading our young players,” Varnesdeel said. “Isaiah is a sophomore who is doing a nice job for us. Jacari had a really good game tonight and Ka’Res is our sophomore point guard who is doing a really good job. All 11 of our guys did a nice job and it was a great team win.”

With the win, the Wolverines improved to 10-5 overall. Godwin returns to action Friday at Calvin Christian before returning home for the OK Blue showdown with Sparta next Tuesday.        

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show (Feb. 2) featuring many cool clips

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, , ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest Friday Night Highlights show of the basketball season featuring many area high school teams in action the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 2.



Every Friday, we’ll bring you several high school boys and girls basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.



Thanks for watching, and see you next week!

Tri-unity loses 62-61 heartbreaker to Schoolcraft on last-second tip-in

City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Joey Mellon (24) had a career night with 19 points, including a tip-in to give the Defenders a late lead. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



Tri-unity and Schoolcraft rekindled their rivalry from a year ago in a game that saw 13 lead changes and ended with a buzzer-beater tip-in by Schoolcraft, securing a 62-61 victory on Tuesday night’s WKTV Truck game.

“We knew it was going to be down to the wire,” said veteran Coach Mark Keeler, whose team moves to 10-3 on the season. “It was last year when we beat them at their place. Nobody got a huge lead. It was quite the game.”

The first quarter ended at 10-apiece as Tri-unity junior guard Keaton Blanker scored seven. Blanker finished the game with 16 points, including four three-pointers, and 10 assists.

“Keaton was amazing; I’d say that was a pretty good game from a point guard,” Keeler said.



Keaton Blanker scored seven of his 16 points in the first quarter. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



Defenders up 30-25 at halftime

The first half saw seven lead changes; Tri-unity led 30-25 at the end of 16 minutes.

Schoolcraft controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Defenders 20-10. Eagles senior guard Shane Rykse scored 11 of their third quarter points and ended with a game-high 28 points.

“I was happy we held him to that,” Keeler exclaimed. “He’s unbelievable. He was last year as well.”

Junior forward Tucker Walther added 15 points and two blocks for Schoolcraft.

“We knew those two guys would carry the load, and they did,” Keeler said.

Joey Mellon led Defenders with 19 points

Tri-unity junior big man Joey Mellon had a career night as he tallied 19 points, including a tip-in to give the Defenders a late lead.


“They had us outsized,” Keeler explained. “We were one big man short, Akais (Giplaye) was out with an ankle injury. We knew Joey had to step up, and he did. He’s only a junior, so I’m excited for him.”

Tri-Unity senior leader Jordan VanKlompenberg was held to just nine points as Schoolcraft focused their defense on him.

“They were really keying on Jordan; we thought it would be a lower-scoring game.”

Tri-unity led by one with 10.8 seconds left

The Defenders took a one-point lead with 10.8 seconds left on the clock. Tri-unity had two fouls to give and, in the process, ate up a valuable six seconds.

With 4.4 seconds remaining, the Eagles in-bounded the ball to a double-covered Rykse, who put it up toward the basket, where it was caught and tipped in by senior Jaden VanderWiere as time expired.

“You have to give it to Schoolcraft; they didn’t back down, we didn’t back down, and it was a war to the end,” Keeler said.

The Defenders (10-3 overall) play Lee (7-4) Friday night. The Legends won last year’s game 62-59.

“We need to contain (Marc) Whitfield, he will get his points, but we don’t want him to score layups. We want to make him work for it,” Keeler said.

East Kentwood girls perched atop OK Red after beating No. 1 Rockford Friday; cruising along at 10-1 overall

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Check out the East Kentwood girls 60-54 win over Rockford last Friday in the WKTV Truck Game.



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

It was a showdown between No. 1 and No. 5 in the state at the East Kentwood fieldhouse Friday and the host Falcons came away with a statement win by turning back Rockford, the top-ranked team in the state in Division 1, 60-54.

In a game that went back and forth almost the entire way, Kentwood, the fifth-ranked team in the state, pulled away at the end to secure the win and improve to 10-1 overall for the season and remain unbeaten atop the rugged OK Red Conference.

“A very big win for us”

“It was a very big win for us,” said East Kentwood coach Eric Large. “I tell everyone that the OK Red is one of the toughest basketball leagues in the state every year.”

Rams were D1 state champs last season

Rockford proved that last year as it won the Division 1 state title while another OK Red team, Hudsonville, won the Division 1 state title three years ago giving OK Red teams two out of the last three Division 1 championships.

The key for the Falcons in the win against Rockford was playing with a high level of intensity the entire game.

“The key for us was our intensity,” Large said. “We were tenacious on the defensive end of the floor. Rockford is so skilled and shoots the ball so well, we had to make sure that we contested every shot.”

The game flowed back and forth throughout with Rockford up by two points at the end of the first quarter and East Kentwood up by two points at halftime.

Rockford regained the lead in the second half and the game remained tight during the fourth quarter. East Kentwood was up by four late in the game before Rockford hit a three-point shot to cut the margin to one. East Kentwood then countered with a three-point shot by Harmonie Belton to regain the four-point cushion and then closed the game out by converting their free throws at the foul line.

“It was a back-and-forth game,” Large said. “It was a typical East Kentwood-Rockford game. It was like a heavyweight fight and it came down to who could withstand the other team’s big blow.”

Harmonie Belton led with 18 points (4 threes)

Belton led the way for the Falcon offense with 18 points, including four three-point shots. Makayla Porter added 17 points. Santana Eubanks led the Falcons in rebounds with seven, while Kanyla Tyler led with six assists.


East Kentwood’s Makayla Porter (21) scored 17 points in the win over Rockford. (Courtesy, Cristian Salas-Salinas)



The win was the 10th of the season in 11 games for the Falcons who are also 4-0 and in first place in the conference.

“We want to play teams that prepare us for March”

“We started the season by playing some of the best teams in the state,” Large said. “Our non-conference schedule was very tough. We want to play teams that prepare us for March and the state tournament. We know our conference schedule is very tough and we wanted to make our non-conference schedule as tough as it can be.”

Among the teams East Kentwood defeated in non-conference play were Byron Center and Lowell, who are both state-ranked in Division 1 and Grand Rapids Catholic Central who is state-ranked in Division 2.

 

The Falcons have a veteran team this season that features plenty of all-around talent and skill.

“A very speedy and athletic team”

“We play with a lot of grit,” Large said. “We’re also a very speedy and athletic team. We’re not that tall, but we play with a lot of intensity. I describe us as a team full of guards.”

Tyler is the Falcons point guard and runs the offense. Porter leads the team in scoring at 17 points per game. Belton is not only a solid outside shooter, but also is the best on-ball defender. Eubanks leads the team in rebounding.

“Eubanks a Dennis Rodman on the boards”

“Eubanks is like a Dennis Rodman on the boards,” Large said. “She is only 5-foot-6, but she does a phenomenal job of rebounding. She had 20 rebounds in our win against Muskegon and had another game with 18 rebounds.”   

The Falcons also have a deep team. Along with the veteran core of Belton, Porter, Eubanks and Tyler, the Falcons have several more players who are playing key roles.

Wozniak had 5 treys earlier against West Ottawa

“Sophia Wozniak is a phenomenal shooter,” Large said. “She hit five three-pointers in our win against West Ottawa. We also have two juniors who are doing really well. Landen Smith is a do it all type of player. She can rebound, shoot and defend. Jaslynn Ward is a great shooter as well.”

East Kentwood returns to action with a pair of OK Red Conference games this week. The Falcons host Caledonia on Tuesday and travel to state-ranked Grand Haven on Friday.

“We want to continue to play with a lot of energy and stay focused,” Large said. “We want to continue to improve throughout the season.”    

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show (Jan. 19) featuring many cool local basketball clips

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, , , ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest Friday Night Highlights show of the basketball season featuring many area high school teams in action.



Every Friday, we’ll bring you several high school boys and girls basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.



Thanks for watching, and see you next Friday!

Basketball and Friday Night Highlights taking a winter weather break; all area games canceled

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, , , ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director

greer@wktv.org



Due to the winter storm warning and cancellation of all local basketball games on Friday, our WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is taking a break as well.


Our WKTV crew was out getting highlights Tuesday night and we will include those in next Friday’s show! If you haven’t already, please take a look at last week’s FNH show above (Jan. 5).


Every single Friday, unless there’s a winter storm, we’ll bring you several high school boys and girls basketball clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood areas, highlight some top performers and give a snapshot of the latest conference standings.


Stay Safe, and See You Next Friday!


South Christian falls to Catholic Central as last-second shot bounces off rim

Entertainment News, Sports, West Michigan, ,
South Christian’s Carson Vis (11) looks for an open man during Friday’s game. Vis led the Sailors with 20 points, including four three-point baskets. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

The South Christian boys basketball team honored the first Sailors to win a state basketball championship Friday and their game with Grand Rapids Catholic Central proved worthy of a state final.

The Sailors and Cougars, who are both among the top teams in the state in Division 2, put on a state-finals worthy performance with Catholic Central hanging on for a 57-54 win as a last-second South Christian three-point shot bounced off the rim.

With many of the team members of the 1988 South Christian Class B state championship team in attendance, the Cougars and Sailors put on a classic of a game. Over the past three years at least one of the schools has played for a Division 2 state title with South Christian reaching the championship game last season. Friday’s contest proved that either team is capable of reaching the title game again this March.

“What a great high school basketball game,” said Catholic Central Coach TJ Meerman. “South Christian is an incredible team. They remind me so much of our state championship team of a couple years ago as they have the combination of guards, shooters, depth, rebounding and size in the middle. Our guys battled tough and they found a way to win.”

The game was an intense, close struggle throughout with both teams filling the hoop with three-point bombs while playing tough defense on the interior. Catholic Central led 13-8 at the end of the opening quarter with South Christian up 27-25 at halftime.


South Christian’s Sam Weiss (23) prepares to drive the lane against Catholic Central. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)

The three-point shot was a main factor for the success of both offenses. South Christian connected on six, three-point shots during the first half, while Catholic Central drained five treys in the first half including all four of their buckets by three-pointers in the second quarter. South Christian finished the game with a total of 12 three’s, while Catholic Central totaled eight.

South Christian utilized the three-ball in response to Catholic Central’s zone defense.

“It was a great game,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “Give all the credit to Catholic Central. Their 1-3-1 zone bothered us. On defense we tried to build a wall to take away their drives to the basket. We just came up short.”

Mr. Basketball candidate Durral Brooks gets 21 points

While the South defense slowed down some of the Cougars drives to the basket, they were unable to completely stop them as Catholic Central Mr. Basketball candidate Durral “Phat” Brooks was still able to find his way to the rim when they needed a key bucket. Brooks, who is committed to the University of Michigan, turned in a Mr. Basketball-type performance as he led the Cougars with 21 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

“Phat is just a special player,” Meerman said. “He is a super leader and just lifts our guys up. We are young, we have five sophomores on the roster, and Phat and our other senior captains, Carter Meerman, Willie VanderBoegh and Matthew Sokorai, are doing a great job of leading our young guys.”

One of the Cougar sophomores, Izaya Larthridge, played anything like a sophomore as he drained four three-pointers and finished with 16 points.

“Izaya is a 6-foot-5 sophomore who has been doing a great job,” Meerman said. “One thing he has really been doing a good job at lately is his rebounding.”

Fellow sophomore Brieland Watkins added four points and six rebounds for the Cougars. Senior guard Carter Meerman turned in a big game as he totaled 15 points, including four clutch three-point shots.

Catholic Central regained the lead early in the second half before South Christian tied the game midway through the third quarter. Catholic ended the third quarter with a 9-5 run to take a 45-41 lead into the final stanza.

Cougars led 55-54 with under two minutes left

The game continued to swing back and forth in the final quarter. The Cougars surged ahead 53-44 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before South rallied to cut the margin to 55-54 with 1:54 remaining in the game.

Catholic’s Jack Bowen split a pair of free throws with 1:32 remaining to give the Cougars a 56-54 lead. The Sailors then worked the clock down and took a shot with 30 seconds remaining that rimmed out. Catholic added a free throw with 15 seconds remaining to go up by three and with one second remaining a South three-pointer bounced off the rim giving the Cougars the win.


South Christian’s Jake Vermaas (0) looks for an opening as Catholic Central’s Carter Meerman (11) and Durral Brooks (10) apply pressure. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


Carson Vis led the way for South Christian with 20 points, including four three-point baskets. Davis Kemper added 15 points, including 3 three’s, while Jake Vermaas added 10 points and Caleb Pleune, nine, all three’s.

“Kemper and Pleune hit a lot of big shots and that was nice to see,” Johnson said. “We are getting better. Our defense is continuing to get better and we are playing hard. We still have a long way to go and have a lot to improve on.”

The Sailors, who fell to 5-3 for the season, return to action Tuesday hosting Forest Hills Eastern and then travel to Cedar Springs next Friday.

South girls fall to Catholic Central

The South Christian girls basketball team dropped a 50-40 decision to Catholic Central on Friday. The loss evened South’s record at 3-3 for the season. The Sailors opened the season with three straight wins before dropping a 47-41 decision to Unity Christian and a 43-41 loss to East Grand Rapids. They return to action Tuesday at Forest Hills Eastern and then travel to Cedar Springs next Friday.

South Christian falls to Ferndale in Division 2 state championship game

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
The Sailors pose with their runner-up trophy after losing to Ferndale 44-38 in the Division 2 state final Saturday at the Breslin Center. (Courtesy, South Christian)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



A storybook basketball season for the South Christian Sailors was one quarter short of a perfect ending as Ferndale forged ahead in the fourth quarter and held on for a 44-38 win in the Division 2 state championship game Saturday at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University.

The Sailors, who were looking to accomplish the rare feat of winning a football and basketball state championship in the same school year, were tied 28-28 with Ferndale heading into the final quarter. Ferndale, however, began the final quarter with an 8-2 scoring run and hung on to that margin to claim its first state basketball title since 1966.

“I’m real proud of these guys,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “It’s been an incredible season. We had a late start because of winning the football championship and we started off 1-2. We played and beat some really good teams this year. That is what made this run so special. I couldn’t be prouder of this team and they need to walk away with their heads held high.”

Conference, regional and district titles

The Sailors won conference, district and regional titles this season and finished with a 25-4 record despite battling through major injuries. South Christian lost senior Jaxon Rynbrandt to a season-ending injury early in the season and then standout sophomore Carson Vis was lost after getting injured in the regional title game.



Those injuries impacted South’s depth, depth that could’ve come in handy in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s state final, especially after winning a tough overtime game against Romulus Summit Academy North in the late-night state semifinal game the night before.

“Obviously, we are not as deep without Carson,” Johnson said, “and it caught up with us. Playing the overtime game the night before and having no prep time and playing without Carson, it was a tough stretch. I’m proud of these guys. They left everything they had on the court.



“They played some great defense tonight. We just didn’t make enough shots.”

‘Great defense’ all championship week

The Sailors played great defense the entire championship week. After holding Unity Christian to 38 points in the quarterfinal win, the Sailors held Romulus Summit Academy to 35 points in a game that went to overtime in the 40-35 win in the state semifinals and then allowed 44 points to Ferndale in the state finals.

South Christian limited Ferndale to 37 percent shooting from the field in the title game and nearly 32 percent shooting from three-point range. Ferndale, however, got hot at the opportune time as it connected on six of its 10 shots (60 percent) in the fourth quarter.

South Christian shot 33.3 percent for the game, but hit on just 2-of-19 shots from three-point range.

“They (Ferndale) are a good team,” Johnson said. “They pressured us on defense and created some turnovers that hurt us. We just didn’t get the shots to fall and that hurt us.”

South Christian outrebounded Ferndale 29-26 for the game. Both teams also pulled down six offensive rebounds.

South Christian held 16-14 edge at the half

Ferndale took the early lead in the game at 8-4 to end the first quarter. South Christian turned the tables in the second quarter by outscoring Ferndale 12-6 to take a 16-14 lead into halftime. Ferndale then outscored South 14-12 in the third as the game was tied heading into the final quarter.

Jake DeHaan and Jake Vermaas led in scoring

Senior Jake DeHaan and junior Jake Vermaas led the Sailors with 14 points apiece. Senior Sam Medendorp added seven points, while senior Nate Brinks added three. Vermaas dished out five assists, while DeHaan had three and Medendorp, two.



Medendorp led the Sailors on the boards with seven, including two offensive rebounds. Vermaas and DeHaan both added five rebounds. Medendorp turned in a big defensive game with four blocked shots and a steal, while Vermaas added two steals.

Five Sailors end high school careers

The state title game marked the end of the high school basketball careers for seniors Cam Post, Brinks, DeHaan, Medendorp and Rynbrandt.

“The seniors are going to be hard to replace,” Johnson said. “I’m going to really miss these guys. It’s hard to see the seniors walk away. This group of seniors was a really close group and we will miss them.



“We do have some good young guys coming up. We will have some good players to build around next year.”

Defense, offensive rebounding key to semifinal win for Tri-unity; aiming for back-to-back D-4 state titles

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,

Tri-Unity Coach Mark Keeler (far left) and his team watch the action during their semifinal win over Frankfort Thursday. The Defenders are looking to win a sixth state championship on Saturday morning. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University has seen hundreds of wins over the years with the home team playing stingy defense and dominating on the offensive boards.



Tri-unity Christian took those pages out of that successful Michigan State playbook during Thursday’s Division 4 state semifinal game against Frankfort and the result was a 54-37 win that sends the Defenders on to Saturday’s D-4 state championship game against Munising at 10 a.m.

Tri-unity played solid defense from the opening tip to the final buzzer as it limited Frankfort to 10 points or less in three of the four quarters.



The Defenders celebrate after a state semifinal win Thursday at the Breslin Center and are looking to win back-to-back state titles on Saturday. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



“We focused in on making sure we challenged them (Frankfort) and not letting them have anything easy,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We played great defense. I was really happy with our defense.”

The Defenders also dominated the boards, outrebounding Frankfort 41-22 for the game including pulling down a whopping 21 offensive rebounds.

“I was really happy with the way our guys controlled the boards,” Keeler said. “That was huge to have that many second shots.”

Akais Giplaye led the way on the boards as he pulled down 11 rebounds including nine offensive rebounds. Wesley Kaman added four offensive rebounds while Roy Fogg and Trey Rillema had three offensive boards.

Offensively, Tri-unity did a solid job of sharing the ball and spreading the scoring load around. Owen Rosendall led the Defenders in scoring with 13 points while Fogg added 11 points, Rillema, seven; Giplaye and Kaman, six apiece and Jordan VanKlompenberg, five. Keaton Blanker added two points, three assists, a steal and an offensive rebound.



Tri-unity fans had a lot to celebrate during its team’s state semifinal win Thursday at MSU. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



‘Everyone contributes’

“We had great balance which I really like,” Keeler said. “This team does a great job of sharing the ball. We don’t have one or two guys that do all the scoring. Everyone contributes on offense and we really take pride in that.”

Tri-unity took control of the game in the first quarter. The Defenders jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the early minutes thanks to three-point shots from VanKlompenberg and Rosendall.

Tri-unity led 16-8 going into the second quarter. Frankfort kept the score close throughout the second quarter and trailed 25-21 at halftime.

The Defenders began to pull away in the third quarter. Up by two points early in the quarter, Tri-unity closed out the third on a 15-4 run to take a 40-27 lead into the fourth. Frankfort managed to cut the margin to 10 points before Tri-unity pulled away in the final quarter.

Defenders succeed at wearing them down

“Our desire was to really up the tempo of the game,” Keeler said. “We did not want them to walk the ball up the court. They had a couple of big guys and we wanted to get them tired so every chance we got we pushed the ball trying to wear them down. By the fourth quarter it seemed they were pretty tired.”

Tri-unity improved to 22-6 for the season, while Frankfort finished at 18-9.

14th appearance in the state semifinals

The Defenders made their 14th appearance in the semifinal round at the Breslin Center.

“It’s not so much the number of times we’ve been here so much as it is special for these young men to get here,” Keeler said. “This is a different group. Every year it is a different group of young mean and it’s something we don’t want to take for granted. Thise guys really love each other and play for each other.”



Tri-unity celebrates after its state semifinal win Thursday at MSU. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



The Defenders, who defeated Ewen-Trout Creek in overtime to win last year’s Division 4 state title, face Munising in Saturday’s championship game at 10 a.m. Munising (26-1) defeated Marine City Cardinal Mooney 55-44 in the other semifinal game.

“We know they are a good team and there is no quit in them,” Keeler said. “They had a lead on Cardinal Mooney before Cardinal Mooney came back at the end of the third quarter. Munising then turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter and pulled away. We are going to have to come in ready to play.”  

Tri-unity Christian boys heading back to Breslin Center after quarterfinal win Tuesday

Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Tri-Unity Coach Mark Keeler huddles his team at an earlier game this season. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Tied at 22 apiece at the half, Tri-unity Christian outscored Kalamazoo Phoenix 32-19 in the second half to grab a 54-41 win in a Division 4 quarterfinal Tuesday at Gull Lake High School.

The win advanced the Defenders (21-6) to a semifinal matchup with Frankfort (18-8) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University.

“The team is very excited and very tired; a lot of emotion,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler, whose team won a state title last year. “They are looking forward to playing in the Breslin Center.

“They (Kalamazoo Phoenix) jumped out on us and then we tied the game heading into the half. We started out nervous and scared. I was quite surprised by our start.  However, the boys settled down and we finished strong with excellent defense. We led most of the second half, but it was not decided until late in the fourth quarter.”

Roy Fogg led the Defenders with 16 points, followed by Owen Rosendall, 10 and Akais Giplaye, nine. Keaton Blanker had four assists and five rebounds.

Roy Fogg led the Defenders with 16 points. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)

“Roy played an excellent game the entire night,” Keeler said. “However, he was in foul trouble a lot, missing a lot of the second quarter and the last half of the third quarter.

“Owen Rosendall really stepped up big with excellent defense on Phoenix’s explosive guard.”

Keeler said they are looking forward to playing at the Breslin Center.

“Frankfort is a good team with nice size,” Keeler added. “We will need to be at our best to beat them.”

South Christian leans on defense to beat Unity in Division 2 state quarterfinals; advances to MSU Friday

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
South Christian’s Jake DeHaan takes a jump shot during the Division 2 state quarterfinal game against Unity Christian. DeHaan led the Sailors with 27 points. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The South Christian basketball team played without a familiar face in the lineup in a Division 2 state quarterfinal game against Hudsonville Unity Christian Tuesday at Calvin University, but its trademark lockdown team defense still made the trip and proved to be the difference in the 61-38 win over Unity Christian.

While a pair of broken wrists suffered in the regional finals ended the season for South Christian standout sophomore Carson Vis, the Sailors didn’t skip a beat in the quarters as their team defense stifled Unity from the opening tip to the final whistle. Their defense propelled them to the win and to Michigan State University where they’ll face Romulus Summit Academy North in the Division 2 state semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Breslin Center.

“I felt we did a really good job of playing team defense,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “To hold a team like Unity Christian to just 38 points is impressive. We wanted to take away the three-point shot from them and we did that by holding them to five threes for the game. We are a defensive team. For us it’s all about getting stops. We chart how many stops we get during the game and we got a lot of them tonight.”

Sailors led 15-5 after first quarter

The Sailors recorded several stops in the opening quarter of the game as they limited Unity to a pair of field goals and a free throw as they jumped out to a 15-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Jake DeHaan gets game-high 27 points

On the offensive end of the floor, South senior guard Jake DeHaan stepped up and proved to be a reliable source of points. DeHaan scored 10 of South’s 15 points in the first quarter and didn’t stop pouring in buckets. DeHaan finished with a game-high 27 points for the Sailors.

“My teammates did a great job of finding me,” DeHaan said. “Without Carson it was a next man up situation for us. We just trust the next man and that made the difference. Carson is such a great player and such a great teammate so it was different for sure without him out there.”



South Christian’s Sam Medendorp (20) and Sam Weiss (23) prepare to block out a Unity Christian player during a free throw attempt in the Division 2 state quarterfinals. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



Both teams played tenacious defense during the second quarter. Unity was able to connect on a pair of three-point shots early in the second quarter as they whittled the Sailor lead to 18-14 midway through the quarter. South, however, answered late in the half with a three-point shot from Jake Vermaas and a bucket by DeHaan to take a 23-16 lead into halftime.

South stormed out of the locker room after halftime and took control of the game during the third quarter. DeHaan scored the first four points of the second half as South stretched the advantage to 29-13. The Sailors then began to flex their muscles inside led by senior big man Sam Medendorp.

Medendorp came up with one of his four blocked shots in the game midway through the third quarter that led to a bucket on the other end of the floor. Two possessions later Medendorp came up with a steal and then went in for a rim-rattling dunk that pumped the Sailor crowd into a frenzy and staked the Sailors to a 34-18 lead.

“We play for each other out there,” Medendorp said. “We’ve had some tough injuries this year. Jaxson Rynbrandt tore his ACL earlier this season and then Carson got injured in the last game. It’s huge for us to play together as a team. To play for our brothers.”

Medendorp turned in a huge all-around game for the Sailors. Along with scoring 16 points, Medendorp pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and a steal.

“I think Sam is one of the best big men in the state,” Johnson said. “He had 16 points and 11 rebounds tonight. His putbacks on the offensive end were huge. Some college coach is going to be really lucky to get Sam on his team next season.”

South Christian pushes lead to 20 points in fourth

South led 42-30 at the end of the third quarter and upped the lead to over 20 points midway through the final quarter.

“This win means a lot,” DeHaan said. “First, we win the state football title last fall and now this. It feels great.”

With the win, South Christian improved to 24-3 for the season, while Unity Christian closed out the season with an 18-10 record.

Junior guard Jake Vermaas joined DeHaan and Medendorp in double figures for South, totaling 14 points along with five assists and two steals.

“It’s special defeating Unity Christian,” Johnson said. “It’s a special rivalry. We have a love-hate relationship with them. We have a ton of respect for Scott (Unity Christian coach Scott Soodsma) and a ton or respect for their team.”

Junior guard Colin Nieuwenhuis led Unity Christian with 18 points, while Dylan Shaban added seven.        

Lee boys basketball program completes major turnaround season; 19-2 overall, 8-0 atop Alliance League

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Coach Dominic Shannon huddles up his team during a game earlier this season with Potter’s House. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



After a successful basketball season, Lee Coach Dominic Shannon said it’s an understatement to say he’s proud of the boys.

“Words truly can’t express the love and respect we have for this special group of boys,” said Lee, whose team finished 19-2 overall and 8-0 in the Alliance League. “We accomplished the first conference championship in 43 years and lost by a total of four points all season. In my second year as head coach, we are well on our way to revitalizing a program which once upon a time had rich basketball history.

“The goal coming into this season was to continue to reshape the culture and for the student-athletes to understand what must be accepted or received in order to have a memorable season. I’m not surprised that we were successful, but I did not expect us to win 19 games this year. My staff and I, once fall league started, we began to see the team form and we all believed we would have the first winning season since 2010-2011, in which that Lee team finished 12-11.”


Last year, the Legends were 5-16 overall and 2-6 in the League.

Shannon’s highlight this season?

“Seeing the boys accept accountability and holding their brothers accountable,” Shannon said. “The 19 wins and two losses are impressive, the first conference championship in 43 years is extremely impressive, but as a coach I understand that the ball stops bouncing after so much time has passed.

“Once that ball stops bouncing all they’ll have left is their character and values and principles that they’ll stand on. We definitely want to win and compete, but the growth and maturity of the boys is essentially the driving force behind the success. This season was a success on several levels.”

Overtime loss to Godwin Heights in the districts

Shannon said the overtime loss to Godwin was and still is tough to swallow.

“We executed the game plan as we were up five points with under 40 seconds left in regulation and not to mention we missed 16 total free throws while being in position to win the game in regulation,” Shannon explained. “Execution late in the game was not what we’re capable of, essentially leading to an early playoff exit. I am already preparing for next season as I see where I can sharpen as preparation is key.

“The environment was very fun and I hope this game has restored the rivalry between Lee and Godwin.”

Scoring leader junior Marc Whitfield

Whitfield averaged 20 points, 5 assists and 3 steals this season. He had three 30-point games with a season high of 36 points against Lansing Eastern.

Lee guard Marc Whitfield. (Courtesy, Lee High School)



“Marc came into the season as our best player and I believe he exited the season as a more well-rounded player,” Shannon said. “The challenge for Marc this season was leading vocally the correct way. Marc’s energy and passion is felt each day in practice. So as coaches we evaluate what a student-athlete can do to improve themselves on and off the court, and for Marc it was communication.

“We’ve seen him accept ownership in not so pleasant times, lift up his teammates when they get down on themselves and show full maturity in the Godwin game. We believe he is a special athlete and his senior year is going to be fun to watch.”



Lone senior starter Joe Russau

“We sincerely appreciate the example he set as a senior by maintaining a 3.5 GPA all season and the presence he had as a captain,” Shannon said. “As a captain, there’s certain expectations the coaches have and he absolutely met them and it’ll be tough to see him go. He has yet to make a decision on where he’ll be playing college basketball next year, but whichever school he commits to will be receiving an awesome young man.”

Expectations for next year? 

Shannon said they will keep building upon the foundation laid two years ago.

“We are only losing one starter and three seniors total entering next season which provides comfort for the coaching staff as our senior class will be strong and understanding of expectations,” he explained. “We are expecting next season to be a battle in our conference and we’ll likely have a target on our back as defending conference champions.

“It would definitely be sweet to repeat as conference champs, but to meet those expectations, the work begins now.” 

South Christian uses big second half to defeat Hamilton en route to regional title; 14th straight win

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
South Christian’s Jake Vermaas led with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in the win. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

It took a while for the South Christian basketball team to take  control of the Division 2 regional title game at Vicksburg Wednesday evening, but when they did the Sailors left no doubt that the trophy was theirs.

Thanks to a strong close to the first half and a big second half, South Christian defeated Hamilton 82-47 to claim its first regional championship since 2019.

“It was an emotional game,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere. We started out a little slow, but then Nate Brinks hit a big three to put us up by 11 points at the half. Then we came out strong in the second half and scored 33 points in the third quarter.”

The game was tight in the early going with South leading 16-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Sailors maintained the single-digit margin in the second quarter before the three by Brinks sent South Christian into halftime with a 33-21 lead and riding a surge of momentum.


Jake DeHaan scored scored 24 points. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)

“They (Hamilton) are a really good team,” Johnson said. “They are really physical and play really good help defense. They came out and were playing super aggressive. At halftime we made some adjustments and it paid off big in the third quarter.”

South Christian got on an offensive roll during the third quarter. The Sailors totaled 33 points in the third and built the lead to 66-35 heading into the final quarter.




Vermaas and DeHaan light up the third

“Jake Vermaas and Jake DeHaan were outstanding in the third quarter,” Johnson said. “They provided a big spark to our offense by hitting threes and scoring inside. Our defense was also a lot better. Our man-to-man defense took it up a notch in the second half and did a good job of slowing their offense down.”

South closed out the game by outscoring Hamilton 16-12 in the fourth quarter.

Vermaas led the way on offense for the Sailors with 28 points while DeHaan followed with 24 points. Vermaas turned in a solid all-around effort as he added seven rebounds and seven assists.

As a team, South blistered the nets by connecting on eight-of-17 three-point shots (47%) and connected on 31-of-49 (63%) field goals for the game. The Sailors also converted 12-of-13 free throws (92%) and outrebounded the Hawkeyes 31-14. Sam Medendorp led the Sailors in rebounding with eight rebounds.

“It was a great team win,” Johnson said. “I’m super happy for our school, our community and our coaches. We’ve been on a good run during the tournament. We’ve had our challenges but the guys have played some really good defense. They are sharing the ball on offense, diving on the floor for loose balls and taking charges.”

Strong regional showing

The win capped a strong regional showing that began with a 72-33 win over Niles in the regional semifinals. South turned in a sizzling shooting game against Niles as it connected on 10 three-point shots (56%) and shot 61 percent overall from the floor. The Sailors also outrebounded Niles 32-15 led by Vermaas with nine rebounds. Brinks led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points, followed by Carson Vis with 11 and Vermaas, 10. Vermaas also led on the boards with nine rebounds.

Sailors face Hudsonville Unity Christian in state quarterfinals

With their first regional title since 2019 secured, the Sailors head to the Division 2 state quarterfinals where they face long-time rival Unity Christian. The regional game is set for next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Calvin University. Ironically, the last time South Christian played in the state quarterfinals was in 2019 against the same Unity Christian Crusaders in a game that also took place at Calvin.

“It will be a lot of fun for sure,” Johnson said. “It will be a great crowd. They have a great team and are very well coached. We played them in December and we won a close one.”

South Christian defeated host Unity Christian 58-50 on Dec. 16.

14 straight wins

The Sailors bring a 23-3 record into the quarterfinal matchup. They have won 14 straight games since a loss at Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Jan. 24.

Unity Christian advanced to the state quarterfinals by defeating Grand Rapids Christian 58-56 in the regional championship game it hosted. Unity Christian brings an 18-9 record into the quarterfinals and has a five-game winning streak highlighted by a tournament win against Grand Rapids Catholic Central.     

Tri-unity uses long ball to beat Baldwin in regional semifinal Monday

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Jordan VanKlompenberg led Tri-Unity with 20 points in the Defenders 79-36 win over Baldwin in their regional semifinal Monday.



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


Tri-Unity Christian made nine 3’s in the first half of its 79-36 regional semifinal win over Baldwin on Monday at Fowler High School.

The Defenders (19-6) advanced to their regional final against Lansing Christian (16-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Fowler.

“This was the best first half of a game this year for us,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We had nine 3’s in the first half and a lead of 45-23 against a team that was 22-1.”

The Defenders led 26-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Jordan VanKlompenberg led Tri-unity with 20 points, including four treys, followed by Roy Fogg, 16; Wesley Kaman, 15 (3 treys) and Akais Giplaye, 10 points, 8 rebounds. Fogg and Keaton Blanker had 5 assists apiece.

“Roy has really been working on his shot and had great rotation on the ball,” Keeler said. “Our team played great team defense. 

“Going into the regional final we know that Lansing Christian is in an extremely tough conference and will come ready to play.  It will take another excellent effort by our team to continue the run we would like to have.”

Lansing Christian beat Fruitport Calvary Christian 51-40 in its regional semifinal.

Lee Boys win first outright conference title since 1980

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
(Image courtesy, Lee High School)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


An 89-68 win Tuesday over Grand River Prep gave the Lee boys their first outright conference championship in 43 years … well before Coach Dominic Shannon was born.

“This is special,” Shannon said. “Our first outright conference championship since 1980 — I was born in 1986.”

A huge turnaround

Lee now sits atop the Alliance League at 7-0 and is 17-1 overall. Last year, the Legends were 2-6 in the league and 5-16 overall.

Shannon said he noticed last fall that the team had potential, and “with some grooming, could be good.”

“With a strong start to the season and the togetherness the boys began showing early in the season, our conversation as coaches began to shift to something great and something special,” Shannon explained. “We began the conversation of ‘leaving the mark,’ and now their team will forever be remembered.”

As far as the Legends win over GRP, Shannon talked about his unselfish team that has improved each game.

“We finished the game with 23 assists … we share the ball and enjoy sharing the ball, making it easy to coach,” he said. “Joe Russau and Marc Whitfield receive the majority of the press, rightfully so, but they would tell you just like I know that the team is a team. There have been a few games this year where we have five student-athletes in double figures and that’s a credit to our unselfishness.



Lee’s Ny’Zhem Marshall rushes to the hoop against the Titans. (WKTV/Alex Bernhardt)



“Ny’Zhem Marshall stands at 6-4 and nearly averages a double-double for us. Clarence Lewis is one of the best on-ball defenders in the state — Jr Metcalf is a talented freshman point guard with much potential and Leto Mena, with his willingness to stay ready and provide great energy for the team each night.”

Shannon said the coaches entered the season expecting to continue shifting the culture of the athletic environment at Lee High School.

“Me working in the school district is also having an impact as it’s allowing relationships to grow,” he explained. “By shifting the culture, we set expectations and hold each other accountable; student-athletes and coaching staff. Last year, our team didn’t perform in regards to our record, but I do believe the foundation was laid for the basketball program.

“I really credit my college coaching experience for my preparation of myself and of the coaching staff. We all perform well and it makes my job easy as the head coach. Capturing the outright conference title is huge and will drive us into March as we build towards the Breslin Center. We want to ride this momentum and continue our rebuild of the program.


“We want to be around for a while and plan to be around for a while.”

Rapid testing program successful for fall contact sports but not on table for ‘paused’ winter basketball, wrestling

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The Tri-unity Christian boys basketball (shown here in a 2019 practice) is one of the many local sports teams currently unable to hold full-contact practices or compete. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

By. K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Anybody hoping for the rapid resumption of high school winter contact sports such as basketball and wrestling — athletes, coaches, parents and fans — after the successful state-approved fall sports rapid testing pilot program, are going to be disappointed.

Despite the touted success of the recent testing of football and volleyball players engaged in contact sports, in a dual effort of both the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), the testing protocol will not be used for winter sports. And, so, current plans are that it will be at least Feb. 21 before prep basketball, hockey, wrestling and competitive cheer can begin competition.

“The purpose of the pilot (program) was always to ease the pathway to expanded use of antigen testing to support school reopening, which is the state’s priority given limited testing resources,” Bob Wheaton, MDHHS public information officer, said to WKTV this week.

The MHSAA “also have said all along that MDHHS told us testing would never be an option for winter sports,” Geoff Kimmerly, MHSAA assistant director for communications, said to WKTV. But the state governing body for high school sports still touts the success of the program and advocates for the beginning of winter contact sports, even without rapid testing.

The South Christian High School football team returns to practice Wednesday, Dec. 30, after mandated COVOD-19 testing was completed. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

“This past weekend the MHSAA concluded its remaining Fall tournaments with 11-Player Football Finals,” a Jan. 27 statement from the MHSAA reads. “Earlier this month, Girls Volleyball, Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving and 8-Player Football Finals were competed to conclude those seasons.

“All four were allowed to complete their seasons because those teams took part in the MDHHS rapid testing pilot program. Results of that program were overwhelmingly positive. A total of 5,376 individuals (athletes, coaches, team personnel, cheerleaders, etc.) were tested, and 57 — or 1 percent — tested positive at some point in the pilot. Nearly 30,000 rapid antigen tests were administered — and 99.8 percent were negative.”

(According to the statement, the statistics were through Jan. 19, and were provided to the MHSAA by the MDHHS.)

And MHSAA leadership clearly believes not allowing Michigan athletes to return to the basketball courts and wrestling mats is unfair and could be putting the athletes at a greater risk of COVID-19 infection.

“Each week, we see hundreds of examples of children and families competing in non-school competition, both in-state and out-of-state,” Mark Uyl, MHSAA executive director , said in the Jan. 27 statement. “This not only is in violation of current MDHHS orders, but sending all of these families into different states will only become an impediment to getting students back in school full time.

“But we can contribute to students returning to in-person learning by allowing MHSAA member schools to begin full activities, participating locally and against more local competition, and under the guidance of trained, professional educators,” Uyl said.

State’s goal is safe communities and schools, first

“Counties around the country have faced outbreaks of COVID-19 associated with sports teams,” MDHHS’s Wheaton said to WKTV. “In Michigan, there were 42 outbreaks associated with athletics (K-12 schools, professional, collegiate, and commercial venues) in August and September 2020 before restrictions on contact sports were implemented … Outbreaks of this magnitude have the potential to affect not just a sports team, but the community in which the players and coaches reside as well.”

Competitive cheerleading is just one of several high school winter sports on hold at this time. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Sports that require “frequent closeness between players” — including basketball and wrestling — make it more difficult to prevent disease transmission, according to the MDHHS. And the risk of COVID-19 transmission is increased by the number of individuals a player physically interacts with, as well as the intensity and duration of that interaction.

“The arrival of the new B.1.1.1.7 variant also means even more caution must be taken so we avoid the rapid rise in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths that other countries that have seen this variant have experienced,” Wheaton said.

“Even with mitigation measures in place, such as wearing of masks, disease transmission cannot be completely prevented when players are in prolonged or intense contact,” Wheaton continued. “These risks are even greater for indoor contact sports where there is not natural ventilation to mitigate the close proximity of participants. Teams that can implement robust public health measures may be able to decrease risk, but risk remains elevated.”

And when asked about when contact sports might be able to begin in 2021, Wheaton said that is at unknown at this time — for several reasons, including the lack of resources to implement a more widespread rapid testing program.

“Contact sports can be more safely played at this time when teams undertake significant infection control steps that include testing participants at least three times a week on alternating days, ensuring no social contact outside of school and the team, and supervision by medical staff,” Wheaton said. “It is not easy to meet these standards, and typically requires institutional support from a college or university, or professional sports organization, to have sufficient resources and infrastructure to comply.

In the fall sports pilot program, about 200 schools that allowed several thousand high school athletes to safely complete their fall volleyball, football, and swimming and diving championships under these protocols, according to the MDHHS. But the enhanced testing during this pilot uncovered dozens of positive cases that could have otherwise spread to the rest of the team and their communities.

“We will continue to carefully watch the data to assess what other activities can be permitted,” Wheaton said in conclusion.

And the MHSAA will be ready when — and if — the state allows winter contact sports to begin.

“We have said from the start of the 2020-21 school year that we would do everything possible to have three seasons, and play all three to completion,” Uyl has previously said. “Our strong advocacy for all sports and seasons — and especially winter sports —continues every day.”

Game on: WKTV’s featured games for March 6-10

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The WKTV Mobile Unit will be out covering local high school basketball playoffs this week. (WKTV)

WKTV Staff

 

This week in WKTV’s featured high school sport games will be determined by which local teams are advancing in the basketball tournaments, but the coverage crew will be at  Godwin Heights Monday, March 6, for the boys basketball game between Grand River Prep vs Kelloggsville at Godwin Heights. The late week game will be determined later this week, tentatively on Friday, and will be announced.

 

WKTV videos and broadcasts several games each week during high school sports season.

 

The early week game will be broadcast that night on Live Wire Comcast Channel 24 at 10:30 p.m. throughout the Grand Rapids Metro Area and repeat on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. on  WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood. The late week game will be aired that night on Live Wire 24 at 10:30 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. on WKTV 25 and AT&T U-verse 99.

 

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action in January, see now.wktv.org/sports/

 

DVDs and Blue-Rays of each game are also available for purchase at $20 including shipping. For more information, visit WKTV.org

 

Survive and Advance: Two Wyoming-Kentwood Area Teams Still Left

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MHSAAmike_dewittGoing into the weekend, four Wyoming-Kentwood area basketball teams still envisioned playing in the MHSAA State Championship game at the Breslin Center. After the dust settled, two teams faltered while the other two were able to keep the dream alive.

The Godwin Heights boys basketball team took on Wayland Union in the District final on Friday night and came out victorious, 63-56, thanks to some poor free throw shooting (46 percent) by the Wildcats. The District Championship was a first for new head coach Tyler Whittemore.

After winning Districts, the Wolverines faced off against Alma on Monday night in the Regional Semi-Final. Their patented suffocating ball pressure did its job and allowed the Wolverines to jump out to a 47-16 halftime lead! Godwin ended up coasting to a 76-39 victory. The team plays Charlotte on Wednesday for the Regional Championship.

The Tri-Unity Christian boys team dominated Zion Christian on Friday night to get back on track with a District Championship. Last season, for the first time since 1999, the Defenders didn’t get out of Districts! That changed with a 57-28 win over Byron Center Zion Christian.

Then, in the Regional Semi-Final, Chris Osantowski led Tri-Unity Christian to a victory with an impressive stat-line of 18 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and three steals! That great individual effort was more than enough to hound Kalamazoo Heritage Christian and give the Defenders a 72-44 victory. Mendon awaits in the Regional Championship

Godwin Heights Basketball
Godwin Heights wants a high-five, they’re playing for a Regional Championship!

In the girls Regional Championship on Thursday night, the Defenders of Tri-Unity Christian squared off against St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran. The Titans jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and didn’t look back. Ball pressure and early three-point shooting become too much for Tri-Unity to handle as they fell 62-43. The Defenders finish their 2015 campaign with a District Championship and an 18-7 record.

East Kentwood played with fire all season, winning nine games by six points or less, but still stood undefeated entering the District Championship on Friday night against Ottawa Hills. This game was no different as Ottawa Hills held a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The Falcons ended up storming back held a one-point lead with less than a minute to play.

Unfortunately, when you play with fire it’s eventually going to burn you, and East Kentwood finally felt the burn. Lance Windom hit a jump-shot with 12 seconds left to give the Bengals a 59-56 victory and a District Championship over the Falcons! It was a great season for East Kentwood as they finished with a 21-1 record.

 

This piece was edited on 3/19 to include the Tri-Unity Christian Boys Basketball team!

 

Wyoming-Kentwood Area Teams and Playoff Results

East Kentwood Boys
District Semi-Final – W Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (52-47)
District Final – L Ottawa Hills (56-59)

East Kentwood Girls
District First Round – L Byron Center (36-41)

Godwin Heights Boys
District Semi-Final – W Kelloggsville (86-47)
District Final – W Wayland Union (63-56)
Regional Semi-Final – W Alma (76-39)
Regional Final – 3/18 Charlotte

Godwin Heights Girls
District Semi-Final – W Kelloggsville (50-39)
District Final – L Wayland Union (32-75)

Grand River Prep Boys
District Semi-Final – L Wayland Union (34-80)

Grand River Prep Girls
District Semi-Final – L Wayland Union (46-76)

Kelloggsville Boys
District First Round – W Aviation Academy (85-34)
District Semi-Final – L Godwin Heights (86-47)

Kelloggsville Girls
District Semi-Final – L Godwin Heights (39-50)

Potter’s House Boys
District First Round – W Holland Calvary (44-55)

Potter’s House Girls
District First Round – W Holland Calvary (50-42)
District Semi-Finals – L Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian (45-64)

South Christian Boys
District First Round – L Wayland Union (62-72)

South Christian Girls
District First Round – L Wayland Union (39-59)

Tri-Unity Boys
District Semi-Final – W Holland Calvary
District Final – W Zion Christian (57-28)
Regional Semi-Final – W Kalamazoo Heritage Christian (72-44)

Tri-Unity Girls
District First Round – W West Michigan Lutheran (64-37)
District Semi-Final – W Zion Christian (51-43)
District Final – W Potter’s House Christian (64-45)
Regional Semi-Final – W Martin (48-38)
Regional Final – L St Joseph Michigan Lutheran (43-62)

West Michigan Aviation Academy Boys
District First Round – L Kelloggsville (34-85)

West Michigan Lutheran Boys
District Semi-Final – L Byron Center Zion Christian (27-55)

West Michigan Lutheran Girls
District First Round – L Tri-Unity Christian (37-64)

Wyoming Boys
District First Round – W Zeeland East (71-59)
District Semi-Final – L Hudsonville (64-77)

Wyoming Girls
District First Round – W Zeeland East (66-40)
District Semi-Final – W West Ottawa (57-53)
District Final – L Hudsonville (49-64)

Wyoming Lee Boys
District First Round – L Comstock Park (29-56)

Wyoming Lee Girls
District Semi-Final – L Catholic Central (6-76)