‘Gritty’ Tri-unity Christian boys seek another Final Four trip to Breslin Center

Wyoming Tri-unity Christian head coach Mark Keeler with his team at practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

Wyoming Tri-unity Christian head coach Mark Keeler, having coached the Defenders for 32 seasons and just two wins away from 600 at the school, has had a lot of great teams over the years, state champions included.

So he does not make “comparisons,” he told WKTV at a light team practice on the eve of their MHSAA state Division 4 quarterfinal game Tuesday, March 12. But he does see a a big similarity between this season’s 21-3 team and his great teams of the past.

“I think they demonstrate the grit that it takes. That is what I like,” Keeler said. “They are not going to back down from anybody. I am not worried about them being intimidated by anybody.

“Now I might be a little worried about them being intimidated by being at the Breslin (Center, at Michigan State University, where the Final Four is held), looking around there. But they are not going to be intimated by the other team.”

And the Defenders are only one game away from seeing the Breslin Center.

After two district wins over Byron Center Zion Christian and Martin, Tri-unity, last week, defeated Marcellus Howardsville (68-56) and then Muskegon Heights Academy (62-53), in the Division 3 Region 29 tournament at Mendon to reach the quarterfinals, a neutral-site game to be played at Charlotte High School on Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m.

The Defenders’ opponent will be Bellevue (24-1, and winner of the Southern Central Athletic Association). The winner will move on to the Breslin Center for the state semifinals on Thursday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m., and, possibly, the finals on Saturday, March 16 at 10 a.m.

The Defenders are no strangers to this level of competition, having reached the Final Four eight times since 2000, with three state titles, in 2002, 2006 and 2011.

The Wyoming Tri-unity Christian team at practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

This year’s Defender team is captained by senior forward Bennett Sinner and senior guard Brayden Ophoff, with the other usual starters being 6-foot-4 senior center Elijah Badgero, senior guard Benson Heath and freshman guard Brady Titus. The top reserves include junior swingman Kurt Flynn, junior guard Ethan Rosendall, junior forward Dan Wierenga and junior guard Colin DeKlyen.

The leading regular season scorers for Tri-unity were Sinner at 12.4 points-per-game, with Titus averaging 12.0, Ophoff averaging 11.5 and Badgero at 8.1. Defensively, the team got a lot of steals, with 76 for Sinner, 59 for Ophoff and 34 for Titus. Badgero leads the team in blocks with 18.

“We don’t have a lot of height, but we have a lot of quickness,” Keeler said. “The key is we play really good defense.”

Other players on the Tri-unity postseason roster include: sophomore forward Derek Rowlader, junior forward Jayce Kaman, junior guard James Eerdmans, junior forward Ethan Knoth, junior guard Isaiah DeKlyen and sophomore center Austin Treece.