Tag Archives: MHSAA Girls Basketball

South Christian girls fall short in state quarterfinal thriller against West Catholic, 39-37

Citizen Journalism, Kent County, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , , ,



By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org



The South Christian Sailors girls basketball team found itself in a similar situation to last week’s regional title game, but unlike last week, a late comeback fell just a bucket short.


When a last-second layup attempt bounced off the rim with no time remaining on the clock, the Sailors saw a memorable state tournament run end with a 39-37 loss to Grand Rapids West Catholic in the Division 2 state quarterfinal game at Unity Christian.

Similar to the regional title game against Vicksburg, South Christian found itself facing a seven-point deficit with five minutes remaining. Just like the regional final, the Sailors mounted a furious comeback led by their defense. South Christian limited West Catholic to just two free throws in the final five minutes. Those free throws, however, proved just enough for West Catholic to hold off the determined Sailors.

“They don’t ever quit,” said South Christian Coach Erika Brown, about her player. “We just couldn’t connect on the offensive end like we usually do and it didn’t help missing our free throws tonight either. It was just one of those games where time just ran out on us.” 

The game was a close, defensive struggle throughout. South Christian was up 9-7 at the end of the first quarter and took a 20-18 lead into halftime.

“We knew it was going to be a grind-out battle against a conference opponent,” said West Catholic Coach Derek Paiz. “We just wanted to come out here and execute on offense. I thought they (South Christian) did a really good job of switching between man and two-three zone. That kind of threw us off and held us below our season average.”   



South Christian’s Lizzie Wolthuis (3) prepares to pass during the state quarterfinal game. (Photo Courtesy, Greg Chrapek)



Sailors up by three in the third until West Catholic run

The Sailors were up 28-25 midway through the third quarter before West Catholic went on a scoring spurt. The Falcons closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run to take a 33-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

West Catholic upped the lead to 37-30 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter before South Christian ramped up the intensity on the defensive side of the floor and began to create turnovers.

A bucket by Abby Prins cut the West lead to 37-32 with 3:54 remaining in the game. With 2:17 left, the Sailor defense forced another turnover, which led to a drive to the bucket by Sophia Prins. She was fouled and added the free throw to trim the Falcon lead to two.

With 1:44 remaining, West’s Elish Dykstra split a pair of free throws to put the Falcons up 38-35. South, however, trimmed the deficit to a single point with 57 seconds remaining in the game when Sophia Prins drained a pair of free throws.

The Sailor defense forced a turnover with 50 seconds remaining in the game, but came up empty on the ensuing possession. Abby Prins came up with a steal for the Sailors with 28 seconds remaining, but the Sailors lost possession with seven seconds remaining in the game.

Sailors’ last-second layup bounces out

West Catholic’s Anna Ignatoski split a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds remaining giving the Sailors one final opportunity to tie or take the lead, but a last-second layup attempt bounced off the rim.

Sophia Prins South Christian with 12 points, followed by sophomore Meredith Helmus, 10 and freshman Natalie Wolthuis with five.



South Christian’s Kamryn Boonstra (10) and Meredith Helmus (14) prepare on defense during the state quarterfinal game. (Photo Courtesy, Greg Chrapek)



South Christian finished the season at 24-3, and shared the OK Gold with West Catholic, both teams at 11-1 in the conference.

“This season was pretty special,” Brown said. “With the group of girls that we have and coming off the season last year where we started that run at the end. We had some battles early in the season, but the run at the end just inspired us for this year. It’s one thing to sit down and talk about your dreams at the beginning of the season, but it’s another thing to actually work at the process of it and enjoy the process because it’s a long season.

“The girls bought into that this year and that alone speaks testament to how these girls are as individuals on and off the court. The whole journey was just fantastic.”

While the loss marked the end of the careers for South Christian seniors Kamryn Boonstra, Lily Nitz, Brianna Knott and Kaylee Quist, the bulk of the team is due back next season. The outcome was not what the Sailors wanted, but the state tournament run will propel the team into what should be another memorable season next winter.

“As a coach, when you look ahead that gets you excited about the future,” Brown explained. “Once this wears off, the hurt of this game wears off, it will sink into them that they made a run that was something special and they can make a comeback next year.”

The Falcons, who improved to 23-3, were led in scoring by senior Elisha Dykstra with 13 points.

South Christian uses late rally to defeat Vicksburg for D2 regional title

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Kent County, Local Sports, Sports, ,
The South Christian girls basketball team with the regional championship trophy. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)


By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org


Trailing by seven points midway through the fourth quarter of the Division 2 regional championship against Vicksburg, the South Christian girls basketball team was at a crossroads.


They needed to turn things around in a hurry if they were going to continue their state tournament run. The Sailors did just that, as they mounted a furious rally in the final minutes of the game to overtake Vicksburg and claim a regional crown with a 64-57 win.

The win sends them to next Tuesday’s Division 2 state quarterfinal game at Unity Christian where they face Grand Rapids West Catholic at 7 p.m.

South Christian Coach Erika Brown called a timeout during the fourth quarter to remind the team of what they needed to do to accomplish their goal of a regional title and to continue what has been a memorable tournament run. 

“We called that timeout and I just said to the girls, this is what you’ve been preparing for all season and it comes down to the will to win,” Brown explained. “That’s what we had to concentrate on. We weren’t doing the little things all game long that we needed to so we needed to really focus on that.


That (Vicksburg) is a good team; a very, very good team. They are well coached and we needed to do everything spot on to give ourselves a chance.”

The Sailors responded to Brown’s words in a big way, trailing 53-46, South Christian closed out the game by outscoring Vicksburg 18-4. Junior guard Sophia Prins played a key role in the rally, coming up with a big steal and bucket to start the run. With 1:40 remaining in the game, Prins delivered a key assist as her pass to Lizzie Wolthuis led to a bucket that put the Sailors up 56-55.



South Christian’s Lizzie Wolthuis (3), who totaled 14 points, drives the baseline against Vicksburg. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)


Prins then had another key steal and drove the floor for a layup attempts. She was fouled on the play and then sank a pair of free throws upping the lead to 58-55 with 1:16 left.

“That is Sophia our point guard,” Brown said. “She is so physical on both ends of the floor. She is our general, our floor leader. When she gets going the rest of us just follow.”

Six consecutive points near the end to seal the win

Vicksburg cut the margin to 58-57 before the Sailors closed the game out with six consecutive points in the final minute of the game. Four of those points came from Prins, including a pair of key free throws.     

“We got down by a little bit, but we just worked super hard and we didn’t give up,” Prins said. “We knew that the game wasn’t over. It was because we love each other and we stuck together.”

The two teams were no stranger to each other as the Sailors and Bulldogs met in the regional title game last season. Vicksburg came out ahead last year with a 49-34 win, and for the Sailors, winning the title this year against the Bulldogs was extra special.

“Last year we lost in regionals to Vicksburg so this was revenge,” Prins said. “We did everything we could to make it to quarterfinals next week. I knew to win this we would have to get deflections and steals and give them the least amount of offensive possessions as possible, and we did just that.”

The game was a back-and-forth struggle throughout. South Christian led 21-13 at the end of the first quarter and was up 36-30 at the half before Vicksburg battled back to take a 49-46 lead heading into the final quarter.

“We knew we were going to get a game of runs with them,” Brown said. “They (Vicksburg) are good three-point shooters and flashers to the hoop and that’s what they did.” 

Prins led South Christian with 24 points, including 3, three-point buckets. In all, the Sailors connected on 12 three-point shots. Junior Lizzie Wolthuis converted four treys as part of her 14 points, while senior Lily Nitz scored all nine of her points on treys. Sophomore Meredith Helmus added seven points, followed by freshman Abby Prins with six.

“This title is so special,’ Brown said. “We talk a lot about being family and being connected and what will get you to that victory line is that. This is a special group of girls. From seniors down to our two freshmen on our team. The way our seniors have led this team with grace. Our freshmen have never skipped a beat.


“It’s been a really good journey. I’m so proud of these girls. The fight, the determination, the competitiveness. The outright love they have not only for the game, but for each other. It’s really special.”   

Vicksburg, which finished the season with a 23-3 record, was paced in scoring by seniors Scarlett Hasner (26 points) and Makayla Allen (19). The pair was especially effective from long range as they combined for 9 three-point buckets.

South Christian, which improved to 24-2, advance to Tuesday’s quarterfinal to face OK Gold rival West Catholic (22-3). The two teams finished atop the conference at 11-1 each. West Catholic won the first meeting between the two rivals in January by a 62-49 margin, while South Christian won the rematch in February 58-51.  

Young East Kentwood team secures district title with win over Caledonia Friday

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Kentwood Public Schools, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, WKTV Featured sports, , , ,
East Kentwood poses with a district trophy. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)


By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org


With seven sophomores and a freshman on the roster, the East Kentwood girls basketball team has a bright future. That future, however, is actually now as the young Falcons collected a major trophy when they defeated Caledonia 44-40 Friday to win the Division 1 district championship at Byron Center High School.

With the win, the Falcons improved to 13-12 for the season. East Kentwood advances to a regional semifinal game against Forest Hills Northern (22-2) at 7 p.m. Monday at Grandville High School.

Grit and hustle proved key for East Kentwood, and those elements were displayed on defense and the boards where the Falcons scored a number of points off offensive rebounds. They also displayed plenty of poise down the stretch as they connected on some key free throws in the final minutes.

“I think it was our grit that got us over the top,” said East Kentwood Coach Eric Large. “Our sophomores, Logan Richardson and Jazanaye Silva, and we have a freshman, Nevaeh Eubanks, they are so scrappy and gritty that I knew that we could dominate the boards.”



East Kentwood’s Jazanaye Silva secures a rebound in between a pair of Caledonia defenders.
(WKTV, Greg Chrapek)


East Kentwood led 20-17 at the half

Eubanks and Silva came up big on the offensive glass late in the opening half as the Falcons scored some key buckets derived from offensive rebounds to take a 20-17 lead into halftime.

The Falcons kept up the strong work on the offensive boards in the opening minutes of the second half as buckets off rebounds by Sophie Cobb, Jaslynn Ward and Silva enabled the Falcons to open up a 26-21 lead.



East Kentwood’s Sophie Cobb looks for an open teammate during Friday’s district game. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)

Their lead grew to 29-21 later in the quarter before Caledonia trimmed it to 31-26 at the end of the third after a three ball by Myla Gortmaker and a bucket by Emily Stauffer.

East Kentwood extended the lead to 36-29 midway through the final quarter highlighted by a pair of buckets by Ward.

Caledonia, however, continued to battle back. The Fighting Scots cut the Falcon advantage to 36-34 with 2:29 remaining in the game when Olivia Foster drained a three ball.

Kentwood rebuilt the lead on a bucket by Richardson and then an offensive rebound putback by Silva gave the Falcons a 40-34 advantage with 1:04 left.

Caledonia refused to fold as Sauffer and Foster nailed treys in the final minute of the game. The Falcons, however, were able to stave the Fighting Scots off as sophomore guard Aries Branch connected on four of six free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds of the game to secure the win.

“This is special because I have so many sophomores playing,” Large said. “My seniors have been hurt all year and I just got Ward back two weeks ago.”

Ward, who has been a consistent source of offense for the Falcons this season, finished the game with a team-high 14 points. Silva and Sophie Cobb both added nine points, followed by Branch with six.

“That’s good for them to get a trophy,” Large said. “We are so young with the sophomores and its good for the seniors to be able to advance and get some hardware. It’s good for the younger kids to understand what winning looks like.”

Playing a rugged schedule both in the conference and in non-league play also helped the young Falcons reach a point where they can bring home a district trophy. Along with playing state-ranked teams Rockford, Grand Haven and Hudsonville two times each during the conference schedule, the Falcons played non-league games against state-ranked teams like Belleville (23-1), South Christian (22-2) and Grand Rapids West Catholic (20-3).

“I schedule a rigorous schedule,” Large explained. “I think Rockford had the number one strength of schedule and we were number two. A lot of the losses that we took were against top ten teams. People look at our record and go ahhh, we can beat them, but no, we are coming to play hard basketball.”

Caledonia finished the season with an 18-6 record. Like the Falcons, the Fighting Scots have a young team with six freshmen and three sophomores on the roster. Two of the freshmen, Emily Stauffer and Olivia Foster, led the team in scoring against the Falcons as Stauffer had 14 points and Foster added 11. Gortmaker, also a freshman, added five points.

East Kentwood, South Christian, Zion Christian girls basketball teams take district titles Friday

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kent County, Kentwood Public Schools, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , , , ,
(Photo Courtesy, pxhere.com)



By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director
greer@wktv.org


The East Kentwood, South Christian and Zion Christian girls basketball teams all won their respective district championship games on Friday and advance to the regional semifinals.


In a Division 1 final at Byron Center, East Kentwood beat Caledonia 44-40 to advance to regional play. The Falcons (13-12 overall) face Forest Hills Northern (22-2 overall and OK White champions) at 7 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Grandville High School.


In Division 2, South Christian defeated Holland Christian 59-50 for its district title. The Sailors (22-2 and top of the OK Gold) will play Paw Paw (20-4) at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at South Christian.


Meanwhile, Zion Christian won a Division 4 district championship Friday with a 33-28 win over local rival Tri-unity Christian. The Mountaineers (18-6) face St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (10-14) at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, at Martin High School.


MHSAA Girls Basketball Tournament

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kent County, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan,
(Courtesy, pxhere.com)



By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director
greer@wktv.org


Division 1, District 8 at East Kentwood

First Round:
Ottawa Hills/East Kentwood 6 p.m. Monday, March 3
District Semifinal:
Winner faces Wyoming 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5

Division 2, District 44 at Kelloggsville

First Round:
Aviation Academy/Kelloggsville 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 3
Winner faces Catholic Central in Semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5
Godwin Heights/Grand River Prep 7 p.m. Monday, March 3
Winner faces Grand Rapids Christian in Semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5

Division 4, District 113 at Zion Christian

District Semifinal at Zion Christian:
Tri-unity Christian/Sacred Heart 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 5
Muskegon Catholic Central/Zion Christian 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5
District Final at Zion Christian:
7 p.m. Friday, March 7

Check this out! Our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights: FEB. 20

1-featured, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kent County, Kentwood Public Schools, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, WKTV Featured sports, , , , ,



By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director
greer@wktv.org


Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.



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



Thanks for watching!

JUST IN! WKTV Friday Night Highlights Basketball: FEB. 13

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kent County, Kentwood Public Schools, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, WKTV Featured sports, , , , ,



By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director
greer@wktv.org


Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.



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



Thanks for watching!

JUST IN! WKTV Friday Night Highlights Basketball: FEB. 6

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kent County, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , , , , ,



By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor/Sports Director
greer@wktv.org


Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.



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



Thanks for watching!

South Christian defense amps up the pressure in win over Thornapple Kellogg in WKTV Game of the Week Tuesday

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South Christian junior guard Sophia Prins led the Sailors with a game-high 23 points in the win against Thornapple Kellogg. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
greer@wktv.org



Heading into Tuesday’s OK Gold game against Thornapple Kellogg, South Christian girls basketball Coach Erika Brown was looking for her team to take things up another level on the defensive end. The Sailors ended up doing that and more as South turned in a defensive gem in beating TK 55-25.

“There’s been things that we’ve been specifically working on in practice and we really wanted to put it into the game and see how we could adjust and make those adjustments,” Brown said. “We just need to clean up our defense and slides and positioning and some of our schemes on defense. Just really getting after knowing where we are together as a team in the movement part of it on defense.”

South Christian wasted little time in showing the dividends of the work it put in on defense during recent practices. The Sailor defense was aggressive and on point right from the opening tipoff against the Trojans. With the combination of stingy defense and balance on offense, South Christian took a 12-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Sailor offense was paced in the opening quarter by juniors Lizzie Wolthuis and Sophia Prins who both connected on three-point shots.


South Christian’s Lizzie Wolthuis (3), who totaled 11 points, drives the baseline against Thornapple Kellogg. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



“We did get off to a good start,” Brown said. “That’s what we talk a lot about. Our team identifies as defense and transition, so we’ve been really working on those two things.” 

South Christian took its defense to another level in the second quarter. Turning up the defensive intensity even more, the Sailors kept TK off the scoreboard for the entire quarter while building a 25-7 halftime lead.

With a double-digit lead heading into the second half, the Sailors maintained their aggressiveness on the defensive end while sharpening their skills on the offensive side of the floor. South Christian outscored TK 17-11 during the third quarter as it built a 42-18 lead.

South Christian closed out the game by outscoring the Trojans 13-7 in the fourth quarter.

Prins led the way for South Christian with 23 points highlighted by 3 three-point baskets.

“Our point guard Sophia (Prins) had an amazing game,” Brown said. “She is our floor general and director. She is doing a lot better in her talking and getting people where they need to be. I was very proud of her tonight.” 

Wolthuis also drained a trio of treys finishing with 11 points. Sophomore Meredith Helmus added seven.


Overall, the Sailors were pleased with their offensive production, but like the defense, they see upside for improvement.

“We have some things we have to work on with offense,” Brown said. “We’ve been seeing more zone this year than we have in the past and zone offenses tend to get overlooked a little more than man, the quick-hit plays and all the things you really work on a lot. For what we’ve been working on for zone offense, I was happy and pleased with what we did tonight.” 


South Christian senior Kamryn Boonstra (10) looks for an opening against the Trojans defense. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



South Christian improved to 14-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference. The win also set the stage for Friday’s OK Gold showdown where the Sailors, ranked 13th in the state in Division 2, travel to Grand Rapids West Catholic to take on the Falcons, ranked fifth in the state in Division 2 and have a 7-0 record in the conference.

The win was the sixth in a row for the Sailors since they dropped a 62-49 decision to West Catholic in early January. South’s other loss was a 41-39 decision against Hudsonville in December.

With four seniors on the team along with two freshmen, two sophomores and the remaining players from the junior class, the Sailors have a mix of youth and veterans which makes for an enjoyable team to coach.

“We have a group of girls that just love each other,” Brown said. “It’s a little bit more than basketball to us. It’s about life and doing this journey together. Being there through the hard times, the good times, the struggles in school, on and off the court. We have a really, really good squad this year. They’ve really taken this to heart and making this a journey that’s going to be memorable.”  

Thornapple Kellogg fell to 2-5 in the league, 6-9 overall. The Trojans were led in scoring by freshman Taylor Lloyd, who drained a pair of treys and finished with 14 points.

JUST IN! WKTV Friday Night Highlights Basketball: Jan. 30

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kent County, Kentwood Public Schools, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , , , , ,



By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor
greer@wktv.org


Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights featuring many area boys and girls high school basketball teams in action.



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



Thanks for watching!