Tag Archives: East Kentwood Boys Basketball

East Kentwood trio helping boys basketball team navigate rugged schedule

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, 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.          

East Kentwood boys basketball team and Coach Thomas turn things around; OK Red and district champs

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
East Kentwood boys basketball coach Mike Thomas. (Courtesy, East Kentwood High School)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



East Kentwood boys basketball Coach Mike Thomas knew right away he wanted to create a “gotta-get-it” mentality when he took over the team last fall.

“The only thing I know about last year is that they didn’t have a winning season, and I knew right away that I wanted to come in and kind of change that,” Thomas said. “I knew right away that I wanted to create a gotta-get-it mentality, and the meaning of a gotta-get-it mentality is to create a sense of urgency, to accomplish unforeseen goals without making any excuses along the way.

“We wanted to create some goals, create some expectations, and then teach them how to work for this year. And we started off early in the year back in the fall with a lot of training, running bleachers, conditioning, all of that stuff. And they didn’t quite realize or understand what it was for, but towards the end of the year, they could see and understand how all of that stuff helped us become successful this year.”


The East Kentwood basketball team celebrates with the district trophy after defeating Byron Center 62-45 in a district title game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



OK Red and District Champs

Thomas talked about taking first in the OK Red at 11-3 and finishing 18-7 overall with a district title as well, compared to 6-15 overall last year with a 6-8 conference record.

“Oh, this was huge for us,” Thomas said. “I think it’s a statement for where we’re trying to go as the foundation; we established that right away. And it’s unfortunate that we’re losing some seniors, but I told those seniors that whatever we do this year is the start of us accomplishing our ultimate goal and that’s to win a state title. Our seniors have done a really good job by creating a strong foundation of what it takes to be successful.

“They were able to set the stage for us moving forward winning the district and winning the conference title.”

Captain Marshaun Flakes: ‘Willing to do whatever’

“I was able to coach at some special places, special schools; I was able to coach some special players and Marshaun fits in the category of being one of my all time special players,” Thomas said. “He had a huge impact on winning. It’s just unfortunate that I was only able to coach him for one year. I’m going to miss him.


East Kentwood’s Marshaun Flakes. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)




“But you’re talking about a guy who has the power and the energy to control a community, control a school, control a team. When he wants it, we’re all going to get it, and he has a gotta-get-it mentality. He was our leading scorer and he did everything for us. He was Mr. Utility guy. He was willing to do whatever.”

Flakes led the Falcons with 21 points per game and averaged 7 rebounds, four assists and 2-1/2 steals a game as well. He was first team, all conference and Thomas said he’d be the Conference MVP if there was such an award.

“Based on what he did, he was able to turn this program around from sixth place to first place,” Thomas continued. “This guy just did everything.”



Captain Jah Hatchett: ‘Setting the tone’

Another player that played a big role was Jah Hatchett, who averaged 15 points, 4-1/2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1-1/2 steals per game. He also was first team, all conference as well. 


East Kentwood sophomore guard Jah Hatchett sets up the offense during action in the district championship game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)

“He’s going to go down as one of my all time special players,” Thomas said. “Here he is a sophomore, he’s just a baby. And he shows some great leadership skills. He was one of the guys that set the tone for us … for workouts, morning shoots, offseason workouts, he was always there.

“At one point in the season he was our leading scorer. And I think teams started to key on that. And that’s when Marshaun stepped up. When you have those two guys on the court at the same time great things are going to happen for you.


“Jah is going to be a very, very special player for East Kentwood.” 

Hatchett said it felt good to win an OK Red and district title.

“Especially since we haven’t won conference in eight years,” Hatchett continued. “It feels good and then in districts, we did even better.

“The highlight of my season was coming together as a team and going on our little run up, seven-game winning streak.”


Hatchett began playing basketball at age five.

“When I was little, I was always a two-sport athlete, playing football and basketball. But I just found more interest in playing basketball.” 

Sophomore point guard Darryl Thompkins

“We were very lucky to have him return back to Grand Rapids, as he did some really, really good things for us,” Thomas said. “He was our floor general. He got everybody involved. There were a couple games this year where he had double figures in assists. He also was first team all league.” 

I take my hat off to those two sophomores (Hatchett and Thompkins) just simply because they had to compete against some really, really tough seniors and upperclassmen.”

Coach Thomas’s highlight of the season?

“I would say the highlight of the season was just being able to turn the program around in a short period of time, and just simply having fun mentoring young men. This is nothing but fun to me. Coaching is what I love to do. This is who I am.

“But you can also add winning the conference championship and district title as a highlight. But an even bigger highlight is just being able to see the community, the response of the community, the support of the community, especially within those last couple of games. You can kind of feel that they believe in what we’re trying to do.”

Along with Flakes, Thomas also talked about graduating Rasheed Watkins and Nate Cobbs.

“We’re losing Rasheed Watkins, who was a big time energy guy for us,” Thomas explained. “He started some games, came off the bench for us, but he was always ready when his number was called. He does some really good things for us, but we’ll also miss Nate Cobbs. He’s a football player, wrestler and track star. He’s going to play Division 2 football at Davenport University. He came off the bench and gave us a spark when we needed it, especially against Grandville. He was that big time, muscle guy for us to kind of contain some people and was always ready when his number was called.

“But, for next year, great things are gonna happen for us. We have Jah Hatchett and and Darryl Thompkins returning along with Christian Humphrey-Rembert.”

Boys Basketball: South Christian, Tri-unity advance to regional finals Wednesday

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , , , ,
Tri-unity’s Jordan VankKlompenberg led the Defenders with 20 points in his team’s regional semifinal victory. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)


By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


Division 1

Regional 3 at West Ottawa

Semifinal: Hudsonville 55, Rockford 50

Semifinal: Muskegon 68, East Kentwood 48

Regional Final: Muskegon vs. Hudsonville at 7 pm Wednesday at West Ottawa

Division 2

Regional 12 at Vicksburg

Semifinal: South Christian 72, Niles 33

(SC: Nate Brinks, 15 points. The Sailors had 10 3’s.)

Semifinal: Hamilton 63, Marshall 62

Regional Final: South Christian (22-3) vs. Hamilton (22-4) at 7 pm Wednesday at Vicksburg

Division 4

Regional 29 at Fowler

Semifinal: Tri-Unity Christian 79, Baldwin 36

(TU: Jordan VanKlompenberg, 20 points; Roy Fogg, 16; Wesley Kaman, 15; Akais Giplaye, 10 points, 8 rebounds; Fogg and Keaton Blanker, 5 assists apiece)

Semifinal: Lansing Christian 51, Fruitport Calvary Christian 40

Regional Final: Tri-unity (19-6) vs. Lansing Christian (16-9) at 7 pm Wednesday at Fowler

East Kentwood boys turn up the heat on defense to stop Byron Center in district final Friday

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
The East Kentwood basketball team celebrates with the district trophy after defeating Byron Center 62-45 in the district title game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

The old saying that defense wins championships was certainly spot on for the East Kentwood basketball team in Friday’s district championship game with Byron Center.


Thanks to a stifling defense that closed like a vise as the game progressed, East Kentwood won its first district championship since 2019 by defeating Byron Center 62-45. With the win, the Falcons move on to Monday’s regional semifinal at Holland West Ottawa where they will square off with Muskegon.

Byron Center had the upper hand for most of the early going, but as the second half wore on the East Kentwood defense became a more difficult puzzle to solve for the Bulldogs. In the fourth quarter, that defense paid dividends in a big way as the Falcons quickly seized the lead and never looked back.

“March is about dancing and we want to dance after every game,” said East Kentwood Coach Michael Thomas. “We are on a mission. Our guys have all bought in and believe in our system. We have a list of goals and we are checking them off.”

Bulldogs up 15-9 to end first quarter

Byron Center came out determined to prevent the Falcons from checking off the goal of winning a district championship and at the end of the opening quarter the Bulldogs were up 15-9.

East Kentwood roared back in the early going of the second quarter with a 9-0 run that put the Falcons up 18-15. Byron Center weathered that storm and regrouped during the remainder of the half, taking a 24-20 lead into halftime.

Byron Center continued to make things difficult for the Falcons in the third quarter. Displaying patience on offense and avoiding turnovers, Byron Center built its lead to 37-30 by the end of the third quarter.

The Falcons, however, continued to play solid halfcourt defense and picked up the intensity with their full-court defense in the fourth quarter. The constant pressure began to pay off in the final quarter. Trailing 39-36, Kentwood senior guard Marshaun Flakes stepped up on defense and turned the momentum of the game totally around.


East Kentwood senior guard Marshaun Flakes (5) applies defensive pressure during the district championship game. Flakes came up with a pair of key steals in the fourth quarter to break the game open. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



With 6:36 remaining in the game, Flakes came up with a steal that he quickly turned into two points on the other end of the floor. Seconds later Flakes struck again as he stole a Bulldog pass and raced down the floor on a drive to the bucket that put the Falcons up 40-39 and whipped the large Kentwood cheering section into a frenzy.

“Marshaun reminds me of Dwyane Wade in the way that he is all over the court and can make sudden plays,” Thomas said. “He’s a slasher who can make big plays on offense or defense at any time.”

EK puts up an 18-2 run in fourth

The impact plays by Flakes highlighted an 18-2 run that East Kentwood went on to start the fourth quarter and take control of the game. The run was capped by two more buckets from Flakes that put the Falcons up 48-39 with 3:15 remaining in the game.

“We did a good job with our defense of speeding them up on offense,” Flakes said. “My teammates were playing great defense and I just rotated over and got the steals. Winning this district feels really good because there is some really good competition in this district. Our schedule was also really competitive during the season and that got us ready for the tournament.”

That run took Byron Center out of its rhythm and changed the tempo of the game. East Kentwood continued to put their foot on the gas and outscored the Bulldogs 14-6 to close out the game. Junior Christian Humphrey also gave the Falcon fans plenty to cheer about as he delivered three breakaway slam dunks in the final two minutes of the game that provided the icing on the district cake.

Flakes, who scored 12 points during the fourth quarter, led the Falcons in scoring with 22 points. Jamell Hatchett added 16 points, followed by Humphrey with 14.

With the win, East Kentwood improved to 18-6 for the season.



East Kentwood sophomore guard Jamell Hatchett sets up the offense during action in the district championship game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



“This feels good,” Hatchett said. “Coach changed the culture when he came in. We all believe in each other and we are a brotherhood. That is a big reason for our success.”

Byron Center finished the season at 14-11. Austin Buckley led the Bulldogs with 21 points and Camden Karel added 13. 

South Christian wins Division 2 District at Plainwell

South Christian won the district title at the Division 2 Plainwell district in a big way. The Sailors put up 64 points on the scoreboard and limited Otsego to 29 points to earn the win. 

With the win, South Christian improved to 21-3 for the season while Otsego ended the season with an 18-5 record.

South Christian will head to the Vicksburg regional on Monday where it faces Niles.

Tri-unity wins Division 4 District at Martin

Tri-unity added another district title to its vast trophy case by turning back Zion Christian 61-27 to win the title at the Martin district.

With the win, Tri-unity improved to 18-6 for the season. Zion Christian ended the season with an 11-13 record.

Tri-unity heads to the Fowler regional on Monday where it faces Baldwin. 

South Christian boys beat East Kentwood in showdown of league champions Tuesday

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
South Christian’s Jake Vermaas (0) and Sam Medendorp (20) try to box out East Kentwood’s Christian Humphrey (35) in the lane. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

It was a showdown of two of the hottest teams in West Michigan Tuesday as OK Gold co-champion South Christian hosted OK Red champion East Kentwood. The matchup also featured two of the premier defensive teams in the area and defense proved to be the difference as South Christian defeated East Kentwood 64-48.

The Sailors entered the game riding a nine-game winning streak while Kentwood came in with seven consecutive wins. Both teams have relied on defense during their winning streaks and defense dictated the course of the game.

South Christian came out and established its defense early as the Sailors held Kentwood to a single bucket by Darryl Thompkins Jr. in the opening quarter. South Christian, meanwhile, put up 13 points during the opening quarter to build a double-digit lead and the Sailors kept the lead in double figures for nearly the remainder of the game.



South Christian’s Sam Medendorp (20), Jake DeHaan (3) and Carson Vis (11) talk strategy as East Kentwood’s Marshaun Flakes (5) looks on. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



“I thought our defense was just great early in the game,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “We knew that if we wanted to beat Kentwood we would have to have a great defensive effort and that’s what we had. They have some great players. They have three all-conference guards, but our defense was great tonight. We also rebounded the ball well.



“On most of their possessions we held them to one shot and that was just as important for us.”

South Christian continued to play strong defense in the second quarter. The Sailors came close to holding Kentwood to single figures in the quarter as the Falcons put up 11 points during the period. South also built on its lead with some timely buckets on the other end of the floor. Jake Vermaas led the way on offense for the Sailors in the second quarter pumping in seven points to help South build a 28-13 halftime lead.

“It just wasn’t our night tonight,” said East Kentwood Coach Michael Thomas. “We were not able to play our style of play. We did not get any rewards for going to the basket. I thought our guys played hard, but hats off to South Christian, they are a great team.”

East Kentwood chipped away at the South Christian lead during the early stages of the second half. Kentwood opened the second half with an 8-2 run and cut the Sailor lead to 30-21 after a steal and layup by Marshaun Flakes midway through the third quarter. That would prove to be as close as the Falcons would get in the second half as South Christian responded with six consecutive points to build the lead back to 15 points at 36-21. South Christian headed into the fourth quarter up 44-25 as Vermaas closed out the third by hitting a three-point shot at the buzzer.

East Kentwood trims lead in fourth, but Sailors squash the rally

South Christian carried that momentum into the final quarter as the Sailors outscored Kentwood 8-5 to start the quarter and built the lead to 52-30. Kentwood managed to whittle the lead down to 10 points at 54-44 when Flakes scored off a steal with 3:05 remaining. The Sailors, however, squashed any hopes of a late rally by closing out the game on a 10-4 run.

The Sailors, who finished the regular season at 19-3 overall and 13-1 in the conference, were led by Vermaas with 23 points. Jake DeHaan added 21, followed by Carson Vis, 12 and Sam Medendorp, eight.

On to district play

South Christian now turns its focus to the state tournament that begins next week at their district in Plainwell. South has a bye in the first round and faces the winner of Hastings and Grand River Prep in the semifinals next Wednesday.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Johnson said. “They have had a heck of a season. I feel like we are playing our best basketball of the season right now. This team has just gotten better and better as the season has gone on.



“We have to stay humble and play the right way. Our defense is getting better and better. That is our culture and that has got to carry us.”

Flakes led East Kentwood with 14 points, followed by Christian Humphrey and Darryl Thompkins Jr., 11 apiece and Jamell Hatchett added nine.

East Kentwood, which finished the regular season at 16-6 overall, 11-3 in the conference, heads south to Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg for their district next week. The Falcons play the winner of Middleville and Ottawa Hills next Wednesday.

“I think we have some momentum heading into March,” Thomas said. “We have to go to the drawing board and touch up a few things. We have to make sure we don’t come out and start the game the way we did tonight.”

East Kentwood defeats Hudsonville Friday to win OK Red Conference title

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
East Kentwood celebrates a win over Hudsonville Friday, which gave the Falcons the OK Red title. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



After his East Kentwood basketball team defeated Hudsonville 61-49 to clinch the OK Red Conference championship Friday, Kentwood coach Mike Thomas said the Falcons have the best high school atmosphere in all of America.

With the way the Falcons ignited the home crowd, few people would doubt him.

Some of the veterans of the East Kentwood sports scene said the Kentwood fieldhouse hasn’t been as loud as it was Friday since the days of Loy Vaught in the mid-1980s. With the conference title on the line, the Falcons gave their fans plenty to cheer about.

Falcons down early

After falling behind 15-3 in the first quarter, the Falcons whipped the crowd into a frenzy as they stormed back at the start of the second quarter to take a 22-18 lead.

As it has all season, defense provided the fuel for the rally. East Kentwood began the second quarter by reeling off 14 unanswered points to turn a 15-6 deficit into a 20-15 lead. Marshaun Flakes, Darryl Thompkins Jr. and Christian Humphrey all came up with key steals to ignite the rally while Humphrey also came up with a big blocked shot.


East Kentwood’s Darryl Thompkins Jr. (No. 2), Christian Humphrey and Marshaun Flakes came up with key steals to ignite a big second quarter rally in the win. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)

 

“I think we came out a little flat,” Thomas said. “We switched to a zone defense in the second quarter and I thought that caused them some problems.”

Hudsonville, however, was not about to fold in the battle of the conference co-leaders in a winner-take-all final game of the conference season.

Hudsonville back on top in the third

Hudsonville surged ahead in the third quarter with a run of its own to take a 35-30 lead. Kentwood then closed the third quarter strong to regain a 40-38 edge going into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the Falcons again turn up the heat on defense. East Kentwood held Hudsonville scoreless the first four minutes of the final quarter. During that span the Falcons extended the lead to 47-38.

East Kentwood closed even closer to its first conference title in several seasons when it built the lead to double digits at 53-43 with 1:14 remaining in the game.

Hudsonville made one final run, and in the next 30 seconds cut the Falcon lead to 53-49 after three-point buckets by Griffin Baker and Gibson Heethuis.

The Falcons were not to be denied, however, and closed out the game with an exclamation point by scoring eight unanswered points in the final 47 seconds. The run was capped by back-to-back dunks from Humphrey and Flakes in the final 10 seconds of the game that brought the house down.

‘Best high school basketball atmosphere’

“I’ve coached at a lot of special places, but this is by far the best,” said Thomas, in his first season coaching the Falcons. “I’ve never experienced a crowd like this in high school. I believe we have the best high school basketball atmosphere in all the USA. With the replay screen, our student section. They are like a sixth-man for us.

Marshaun Flakes led East Kentwood with 23 points. Photo from a previous game. (WKTV/ Greg Chrapek)



“We haven’t won a conference title in like seven or eight years and to win it in my first year here is special. I’m new to this community and the community has been so welcoming. I wanted to give them something back, but this is just the beginning.”

Senior Marshaun Flakes led East Kentwood in scoring with 23 points. The win was extra special for Flakes who is one of the seniors on this year’s squad.

“It feels real good,” Flakes said. “I haven’t won anything at all in my four years here. This was one of our goals this year. It was great to see all the fans come out and it feels even greater to get the win.”

Fellow senior Christian Humphrey added 14 points, followed by Darryl Thompkins Jr. with 10.



“We really came together as a team this year,” Hatchett said. “The way we have been winning is with our defense. That is the way we came back tonight. Winning the title feels great.”

 

With the win, East Kentwood finished the conference season with an 11-3 record and improved to 16-5 overall.

Brayden Szamrej led Hudsonville with 15 points and Mason Dykstra with 14 points. The Eagles finished the league season at 10-4 and fell to 15-6 overall.

East Kentwood overcomes early deficit to stay atop OK Red

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Darryl Thompkins Jr. (pictured from an earlier game) and Marshaun Flakes led East Kentwood with 12 points apiece. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


It wasn’t the start the East Kentwood basketball team had in mind when it traveled to Grand Haven Tuesday night, but the ending was exactly what the Falcons were looking for in the matchup of two of the four teams that entered the evening tied atop the OK Red standings.

After trailing 10-0, East Kentwood battled back to claim a 53-47 win on the road and end the night sharing the top spot in the conference with Hudsonville.

“Grand Haven jumped out on us pretty good,” said East Kentwood Coach Mike Thomas. “We came out flat and they took advantage of it.”

East Kentwood weathered the early storm of the Buccaneers and began to right the ship as the first quarter progressed. By the end of the first eight minutes the Falcons managed to whittle the deficit to 17-10.

Treys turn the game for East Kentwood

“We made a few substitutions and we started hitting some shots,” Thomas said. “Christian Humphrey came off the bench and hit 3 three-point shots and Landon Storms hit two more threes. We did a good job of getting back into the game.”


Landon Storms (pictured from a previous game) joins in on the threes. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



East Kentwood continued to wrestle away control of the game during the second quarter. With the offense beginning to cook and the Falcon defense turning up the pressure, East Kentwood tied the game at 21 at the end of the first half.

East Kentwood’s defense was led by senior Marshaun Flakes, who was given the defensive task of slowing down Grand Haven standout Harrison Sorrelle. Sorrelle came into the game with a string of 20-point plus scoring efforts to his credit.

“Marshaun did an unbelievable job of shutting down Sorrelle,” Thomas said. “He is one of the leading scorers in the league and Marshaun held him to eight points. That was a huge part of our success in the second half.”

East Kentwood took over the lead in the game during the third quarter, and heading into the final eight minutes of the game the Falcons were up 35-32.






Grand Haven battled back during the final quarter and cut the lead to two points before the Falcons pulled away at the end.

“Grand Haven is a very, very tough team,” Thomas said. “They are a tough team to put away and we have to tip our hats off to them. We had to hit some timely free throws at the end and come up with some timely defensive stops and steals.”

East Kentwood used a balanced effort on the offensive end of the floor to key the win. The Falcons were led in scoring by Darryl Thompkins Jr. and Flakes who both scored 12 points. Humphrey added 11 points followed by Storms with eight.

Christian Humphrey’s return big

The return to the lineup of Humphrey, a 6-foot-8 senior, provided the Falcons with a big boost in the conference road showdown. Humphrey had missed the previous three weeks with an ankle injury that he suffered against Caledonia.

With the win, East Kentwood improved to 8-3 in the OK Red and 13-5 overall. The win also was the fourth in a row by the Falcons who continue to build momentum as the state tournament draws closer.

Momentum good for state tourney

“It’s perfect timing,” Thomas said. “Our goal is to have everything going by the time we get to March. “We are trying to create momentum going into March. We have a four-game winning streak and we want to keep adding to it and building momentum.



“It’s all about getting ready for March and playing our best basketball in the tournament. The guys are buying in and they believe we can do something special in the tournament.”

Falcons knotted atop Red with Hudsonville

East Kentwood’s win at Grand Haven combined with Hudsonville’s win against Grandville Tuesday evening leaves the Falcons and Hudsonville tied for the top spot in the OK Red with 8-3 conference records. Both teams have two more conference games remaining before they close out the conference season playing each other at East Kentwood on Friday, Feb. 24.

“We play Hudsonville on that final Friday,” Thomas said, “and if we take care of business, it can all come down to that game.”

East Kentwood returns to action Friday when it travels to Caledonia. The Falcons then host West Ottawa next Tuesday with the showdown against Hudsonville scheduled three days later.  

East Kentwood boys use big second half to stop Grandville in OK Red showdown Friday

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Jamell Hatchett covers Grandville’s Tyson Mann. Hatchett and Marshaun Flakes led the Falcons with 19 points each. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



If Friday’s result is any indication, opponents of East Kentwood might thick twice about coming out in a zone defense against the Falcons.

Thanks to some accurate outside shooting and timely drives to the basket, East Kentwood’s offense reached overdrive in the second half as the Falcons defeated Grandville 73-58 in an OK Red showdown of conference frontrunners.

“I thought this was a good game for us,” said East Kentwood Coach Mike Thomas. “Our guys struggle against a zone, but they showed tonight they are starting to figure the zone out. This is the largest amount of points we’ve scored against a zone in a long time.”

The 73 points the Falcons scored Friday was almost double the amount of points they scored a month ago when the Falcons dropped a 48-41 decision to Grandville on the road. The win also crowded things at the top of the OK Red as East Kentwood, Grandville, Grand Haven and Hudsonville are all tied for the top spot in the league with 7-3 conference records.

Huge second half for the Falcons

East Kentwood was especially productive against the Grandville zone defense in the second half. Trailing Grandville 32-27 at halftime, East Kentwood outscored the Bulldogs 46-26 in the second half.

East Kentwood stormed out of the locker room at the start of the second half to outscore Grandville 20-5 and take control of the game. Senior Marshaun Flakes led the charge in the second half as he scored Kentwood’s first seven points of the third quarter.

“This was big,” Flakes said. “The last time we played them (Grandville) we started slow. Tonight, we came out with a lot more energy and intensity. We really brought the energy in the second half.”

East Kentwood brought plenty of defensive energy to the floor in the second half. Steals on the defensive end led to some layups on the offensive end of the floor. Both Flakes and Jaden Bowman came up with big steals in the early going in the third quarter as the Falcons took the lead in the game.

“It’s always our defense that gets us going,” Thomas said. “Our defense has kept us in every game. We also made some defensive adjustments at halftime.”

East Kentwood lights up the treys

On the offensive side of the floor, the Falcons sliced apart the Grandville zone with a combination of accurate shooting from the perimeter and timely drives to the basket. East Kentwood connected on seven three-point shots during the game. Jamell Hatchett led the way from outside as he connected on three, three-point shots while Rasheed Watkins hit a pair of treys.

Balance also was a key for the East Kentwood offense. Hatchett and Flakes led the way for the Falcon offense as they both totaled 19 points. Darryl Thompkins poured in 15 points, while Watkins added 12.



East Kentwood’s Darryl Thompkins, Jr. takes the ball up the court. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



A standout on both ends of the court, Flakes also was instrumental in providing the Falcons with strong leadership, especially coming out in the second half facing a five-point deficit.

“Marshaun was unbelievable tonight,” Thomas said. “He is the leader of our team. I’ve been coaching for a while now and have had some great leaders. Like I told my wife, Marshaun is one of the top leaders I’ve ever had.”

That leadership was evident in the early stages of the fourth quarter when Grandville made an effort to get back into the game. Up 49-43 at the end of the third quarter, Grandville whittled the Kentwood lead to 51-47  before Flakes drained a pair of free throws to stem the tide.



Grandville managed to cut the Falcon lead to 53-49, but a three-point shot by Watkins started a 7-0 Falcon run that built their lead to 60-49 with five minutes left in the game. Grandville managed to cut the Kentwood margin to 60-52, but that was as close as the Bulldogs would get as Kentwood pulled away in the final few minutes of the game.

“This was a big win for us,” Flakes said. “This win will give us some momentum going into March.”

With the win, East Kentwood improved to 11-5 overall. The Falcons return to action Saturday when they travel to Benton Harbor to play Detroit Old Redford in the Wilson Chandler Shootout. The Falcons then travel to Grand Haven on Tuesday to face another team that is part of the logjam at the top of the conference standings before heading to Caledonia on Friday.

Grandville fell to 10-6 overall and 7-3 in the league. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Tyson Mann who finished with 31 points.