In their regular season, high-scoring finale, South Christian fell to Wayland 49-40 in a game where the teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense. The Sailors had 532 yards, while Wayland posted 453.
One week later, the teams will have to square off again, this time with everything on the line. The Sailors and Wildcats meet in the Division 4 playoff opener at 7 p.m. Friday at East Kentwood’s stadium.
“I would expect them to show up similar to last week,” South Christian Coach Danny Brown said. “It is win or go home time so we expect to get everyone’s best game.”
“We need to clean up some things and get our defensive unit to play 11 strong. We show moments of it, but we haven’t been consistent enough. We seem to lose trust in each other so that is the biggest thing to clean up. Once we lose trust big plays have happened against us.”
Last week against Wayland, South Christian relied on the passing arm of Carson Vis. The junior standout connected on 24-of-44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Vis also provided a running threat with 117 yards and a pair of scores on eight carries.
“He is a great athlete and has really settled in at playing QB,” said Brown, whose team is 6-3 overall heading into the playoffs. “He has a great understanding of what we are tying to do and has done a great job of executing as the play develops. He can hurt teams with his legs and his arm which makes it tough for teams to game plan for.”
South Christian hopes to lean on quarterback Carson Vis. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)
While South was passing the ball last week, Wayland countered with an effective running game that gobbled up huge chunks of yardage. Bryce Calkins led the ground game for Wayland with 121 yards on 21 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Wayland quarterback Brady Cassini also was effective running the ball as he rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries. And Kaharrie Pureifoy gave Wayland a three-pronged running attack with 70 yards on seven carries and a touchdown.
Jake Vermaas “best wide receiver in the state,” Brown says
Another big weapon for the Sailors is receiver Jake Vermaas, who had 16 catches for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns against Wayland.
“Jake is a great athlete and an even better competitor,” Brown said. “He has been the leader of this team and we seem to go as he goes. His game last week was a school record in catches and yards. He is one of the best wide receivers in the state in my opinion.”
South Christian receiver Jake Vermaas is the “leader of the team.” (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)
The Sailors hope to continue their winning playoff ways from last year, where they finished a perfect 14-0 season with a D-4 state title 28-0 win over Goodrich. It was South Christian’s fourth state championship in football.
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.”
The Tri-unity Christian Defenders were going for a second straight Division 4 state championship Saturday morning at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University, but they finished just two points short as Munising edged them 39-37.
The game featured plenty of strong defense from both teams, but a late surge proved to be the difference as Munising won its first-ever basketball state title in school history while Tri-unity fell just short of title number six.
“I thought we had a golden opportunity to win the state title, but we came up empty,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We shot ourselves in the foot. I thought that we played some phenomenal defense, but on offense we took a lot of bad shots. Shots that were just rushed and we kept doing it. I thought we also had way more turnovers than we usually have and that doesn’t help.”
Tri-unity committed 15 turnovers for the game, while Munising finished with eight.
The Defenders looked to negate the turnover issue with its work on the boards. They outrebounded Munising 39-17 with 17 of those boards coming on the offensive end of the floor. While the Defenders produced extra shots, a lid seemed to be on the basket for Tri-unity as it connected on 14-of-45 shots for the game, a 31.1 percentage. The Defenders were especially cold from long range as they shot 21.1 percent from three-point range, connecting on 4-of-19 three-point shots for the game.
An early lead
Despite the cold shooting and turnovers, Tri-unity was right in the game from beginning to end. They jumped out to an 8-2 early lead before Munising battled back to take a 9-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Munising built on the lead in the second quarter as it outscored Tri-unity 9-4 to go up 18-12 midway through the second. Both defenses were in control the remainder of the first half with a three-point shot by Tri-unity’s Jordan VanKlompenberg cutting the Munising lead to 18-15 at halftime.
Defense continued to hold serve in the third quarter with points being at a premium. Tri-unity outscored Munising 10-9 in the third quarter and trailed 27-23 heading into the final quarter.
After Munising opened the fourth quarter with a bucket, Tri-unity scored the next five points to go up 30-29. A three-pointer by VanKlompenberg and a layup by Roy Fogg put the Defenders up 30-29 with 3:45 remaining in the game.
Munising, however, regained the lead for good when Cully Trzeciak hit a three-pointer with 2:11 remaining to put his team up 32-30. Seconds later a steal and layup by Trevor Nolan put Munising up 34-30.
After a Tri-unity turnover, Munising added a free throw with 1:07 remaining to go up 35-30. Fogg responded with a pair of free throws for Tri-unity, but a pair of free throws by Munising upped the margin to five with 33 seconds to go. After a steal by Munising, the Mustangs tacked on a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining to go up 39-32.
One final push by the Defenders
Tri-unity made one final push in the game’s final seconds. Owen Rosendall connected on three straight free throws with 13 seconds remaining and VanKlompenberg added a bucket with two seconds left, but the Defenders were unable to get a steal in the final two seconds of the game.
“They (Munising) had a great strategy,” Keeler said. “They were not going to allow us to beat them inside. They were letting us take all the threes we wanted and we were not able to knock them down. I’m proud of our kids. They played their hearts out and did their very best. Give credit to Munising, they have a nice team.”
Jordan VanKlompenberg led the Defenders with 15 points. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
VanKlompenberg led Tri-unity with 15 points, while Fogg added 11. Rosendall finished with five points, followed by Akais Giplaye, four and Trey Rillema, two.
Giplaye led Tri-unity with 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Fogg and VanKlompenberg both added seven rebounds, including three offensive boards apiece. Rosendall, Rillema, Keaton Blanker and Wesley Kaman added three rebounds each. Rosendall led Tri-unity with six assists.
“I felt we had a chance to win back-to-back titles and we actually did,” Keeler said. “We just fell two points short.”
With the season ended, the Defenders say goodbye to a trio of seniors, including Dylan Bruinsma, Hanif James and Fogg.
“It’s tough to say goodbye to the seniors,” Keeler said. “We did have a pretty young team this year. We started three juniors and one sophomore so I’m pretty excited about the future. I’m looking forward to next year. I feel we have a lot of potential especially if we work in the summer and get stronger in the offseason.”
Tri-unity finished the season with a 22-7 record, while Munising ended at 27-1.
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.”
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’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.
Ahead by five points heading into the fourth quarter, Tri-unity Christian outscored Lansing Christian 18-5 to secure a 62-44 regional championship Wednesday at Fowler High School.
Roy Fogg led with 17 points in the win. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)
“Last night was a great game to watch,” said the Defender’s Coach Mark Keeler, whose team improved to 20-6 overall. “My Assistant Coach Brent Voorhees suggested we try pressing down to get them out of the rhythm and it worked. They had made 12 threes for the game. Lansing Christian is a very well coached team.”
“Roy Fogg led us with 17. He was very versatile,” Keeler said. “He has really improved his outside shot so he’s affective going to the bucket or shooting outside. What I really enjoy about this team is the versatility of the players. We never know who’s going to step up and act out some key shots.
“Jordan VanKlompenberg had a great game with his 10 points, five assists and four steals. Akais Giplaye had eight points and six rebounds. He played huge for us. Owen Rosendall knocked down two key threes right before half to give us a lead of five. Wesley Kaman came off the bench and scored 15 points for us. He was awesome.”
Jordan VanKlompenberg had 10 points, 5 assists and 4 steals in the win. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)
Division 4 State Quarterfinal
The Defenders now face Kalamazoo Phoenix (17-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at Gull Lake High School.
“As far as Kalamazoo Phoenix, we know that they are a very good team,” Keeler said.
Nate Brinks led the Sailors with 15 points in a regional semifinal win over Niles Monday. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)
By Cris Greer
WKTV Managing Editor
greer@wktv.org
South Christian boys basketball Coach Taylor Johnson said he’s expecting a very physical game tonight with Hamilton in a regional final in Vicksburg.
“They are very sound and play so hard,” Taylor said. “They travel super well; it’ll be a packed environment.”
The Sailors (22-3) face Hamilton (22-4) in a regional final tonight at 7 pm in Vicksburg. The teams will fight for a spot in a Division 2 quarterfinal on Tuesday.
In a 72-33 win over Niles Monday, South Christian had 10 3’s. Nate Brinks led the way with 15 points.
Take a look at our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights right now, Friday, March 10.
Check out our local boys teams’ district highlights here … our last highlights show of the season!
Many thanks to all you coaches, players and fans for watching our show all season long! It has been a rewarding and fun season covering our local boys and girls basketball teams.
We’ll be back with great highlights and a weekly show during football. Look for our continued coverage of the boys playoffs with stories and updates on this website: wktvjournal.org
Godwin’s Jakhary Towns (10, far right), teammate Damarie Thompson (2) and Lee’s Clarence Lewis (11) during the district semifinal game. Towns finished with a career-high 47 points. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
The venerable Godwin Heights gym has seen some thrillers in its long history, but few have produced the drama that the host Wolverines and Lee produced in Wednesday’s district semifinal game.
Trailing by six points with 20 seconds remaining, Godwin tied the game and sent it into overtime where it eventually came away with an 83-80 win.
Godwin Heights senior guard Jakhary Towns turned in a game for the ages as he poured in 47 points to lead the comeback and give himself and his teammates one more game to be played on their home court.
“When we were down by six late in the fourth quarter we were talking in the huddle about getting two more stops,” Towns said. “We had a lot of energy left and we knew if we could get two more big stops, we could do it.”
Godwin’s comeback hopes received a big shot of adrenaline with 17 seconds left in the game when Towns stepped back and drained a three-point shot that cut the Lee lead in half. After a turnover by the Legends, Godwin regained the ball and Towns cut the margin to 69-67 after splitting a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining in the game.
Off to overtime at 69-all
On the ensuring inbounds play, the Godwin defense forced the second turnover it needed with 13 seconds left on the clock. Three seconds later Godwin tied the game when Towns drew a foul and connected on both free throws to tie the game at 69-69.
Lee, however, was determined to retake the lead. The Legends quickly moved the ball down the floor, but missed a pair of shots that would’ve won the game in the final seconds of regulation.
“That was crazy,” said Godwin Heights Coach Tyler Whittemore. “I told the guys we needed to execute on offense and force a couple of turnovers. I told the guys whatever happens we have to stay together and that’s what we did. Everybody came through and did their jobs.”
As thrilling as the final seconds of the game were, the four-minute overtime session provided even more thrills. The two teams combined for 25 points in overtime. Like regulation, the overtime had plenty of lead changes as the two teams exchanged the lead six times.
Lee’s Marc Whitfield (0) prepares to drive to the basket as Jaylen Martin (23) of Godwin Heights defends. Whitfield led Lee with 27 points. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
Up 75-74 with 1:36 remaining in overtime, Marc Whitfield drained a pair of free throws putting the Legends up 77-74.
Godwin Heights cut the lead to 77-76 with 1:25 remaining when Towns scored. The next basket came with 23 seconds left when Towns again delivered from long range putting the Wolverines up 79-77.
Lee split a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left to cut the margin to 79-78. With 10 seconds remaining Towns proved to be money at the free-throw line by draining two free throws to up the Godwin lead to 81-78.
Lee battled to the end and with 1.5 seconds remining in the game Whitfield scored on a drive to the hoop cutting the margin to one point before Godwin ended the game with Jaylen Martin hitting a pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining.
“When we were down by six points, we still knew we could come back,” Martin said. “It was not just a one-man effort. We all had to produce if we were going to come back and win this game.”
Lee’s Joe Russau (14) and Marc Whitfield (0) and Godwin Heights’ Jaylen Martin (23) line up along the lane during a free-throw attempt during a Division 2 semifinal game Wednesday at Godwin. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
Towns, who scored a career-high 47 points, delivered five three-point baskets during the game along with scoring on numerous drives to the hoop.
“It feels great,” Towns said. “I’ve never been to a district final during my four years of high school. To have a game like this on my home court is special.”
Along with the 47 points from Towns, Godwin received 12 points from Damarie Thompson, eight from Jamarion Collins and seven from Tre’Vonte Buckley.
“Jaylen Martin was a big, big part of this win,” Whittemore said. “He has just dug in and gotten better all season. He played some great defense tonight.”
With the win, Godwin Heights improved to 14-7 for the season and will host Unity Christian for the district championship Friday after Unity defeated Grand Rapids Catholic Central 57-55 in the other semifinal game.
Lee finishes exceptional season with big turnaround
Lee finished the season with a 19-2 record and first place in the Alliance League at 8-0.
“This team really laid the foundation for our program going forward,” said Lee Coach Dominic Shannon. “Every one of our players left everything they had on the court. I’m so proud of our players and so proud of our coaching staff.
“We won only five games last year so to go 19-2 this year is a big turnaround. We also became the first Lee team in 43 years to win a conference championship.”
Whitfield scores 27
Junior Marc Whitfield led Lee with 27 points, followed by Clarence Lewis, 18; Joe Russau, 16; Ny’Zhem Marshall, 10 and Troy Fox, nine.
“You have to salute their senior guard Jakhary Towns,” Shannon said. “He had a great game tonight. We knew he was one of the keys. We put our best defender, Clarence Lewis, on him and he made it hard on him. He just was hitting shot after shot. They played well. You have to give them credit.”
East Kentwood’s Jaevym Montgomery (11) and Santana Eubanks (5) look to stop Byron Center’s McKenna Ferguson (23) during Friday’s Division 1 district title game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
Led by one of the top players in West Michigan, Byron Center put an end to the season for the East Kentwood girls basketball team Friday evening.
Byron Center junior Lillian Zeinstra poured in 33 points and led the Bulldogs to a 69-57 decision over East Kentwood in a Division 1 district championship game at Wyoming High School.
Zeinstra, who is committed to play her college basketball at Butler University, not only gave East Kentwood problems with her scoring skills, but the multi-dimensional guard also played havoc with Kentwood’s pressure defense with her ability to handle the basketball and took advantage of Kentwood’s lack of size on the defensive boards. Making Zeinstra’s effort even more impressive was the fact she overcame an ankle injury in the second quarter.
“I think Lily showed her grit tonight,” said East Kentwood Coach Eric Large. “You could see it when she got banged up. I think one of her greatest assets is her leadership. Her rebounding is also a big asset. We missed a lot of 50-50 shots and she was there to get the rebound. One of our strong points is our defensive pressure and she was also able to take that away from us with the way she handles the ball against our pressure.”
East Kentwood’s Harmonie Belton (1) looks over the Byron Center defense during action in their Division 1 district championship game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
East Kentwood stayed close in the game’s early going until Byron Center closed out the opening stanza with a 6-2 run to take an 18-13 lead into the second quarter. Zeinstra was at the heart of the run on offense for Byron Center as she scored 13 of the Bulldogs’ 18 first-quarter points.
Byron Center stretched the lead to 24-15 midway through the second quarter before Zeinstra fell to the floor with an ankle injury. After limping off the floor, Zeinstra came back into the game two minutes later and helped Byron Center take a 31-20 lead into halftime.
“Lily is one of our team leaders,” said Byron Center Coach Jen Slot. “She rolled her ankle in the second quarter, but was able to tough it out. She had a really nice game tonight and gave it everything she had. She does whatever it takes to win.”
Falcons cut lead in half
East Kentwood quickly cut the deficit in half in the early moments of the second half. Harmonie Belton came up with back-to-back steals that led to back-to-back three-pointers by Sophia Wozniak, cutting the margin to five points just a minute into the third quarter.
Byron Center, however, quickly regrouped and outscored Kentwood 8-2 to regain a double-digit lead at 39-28. The two teams then traded buckets the remainder of the third quarter with Byron Center up 48-36 going into the final quarter.
With Zeinstra and senior guard McKenna Ferguson handling East Kentwood’s defensive pressure in the final quarter, the Falcons were unable to get the margin under double figures the remainder of the game.
East Kentwood’s Jaevym Montgomery (11) and Tianna Daye (23) prepare to box out Byron Center’s Lillian Zeinstra (10). Zeinstra finished the game with 33 points for Byron Center. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)
“I think in the second half we came out and matched their intensity,” Large said. “I think we were a little tight in the first half. Our tallest players are 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-7 so we had a tough time matching up with them on the boards. Our kids fought to the end and I was proud of them.”
Makayla Porter led East Kentwood with 16 points and Tianna Daye added 13. Sophia Wozniak scored nine points, followed by Harmonie Belton and Santana Eubanks with six apiece.
East Kentwood closed out the season with a 16-8 overall record and finished third in the O-K Red at 9-5.
Large said girls should ‘hold their heads high’
“I’m not disappointed with the season at all,” Large said. “The girls should hold their heads high. They continued to get better all season. I saw a lot of improvement all throughout the season. The O-K Red is the toughest conference in the state and I’m proud of the way my girls battled the entire way.”
Large also is looking forward to next season.
“We had two seniors on the team, Jaevym Montgomery and Tianna Daye, and both of them were all-conference players,” Large said. “We will miss both of them. We will have five or six juniors returning and Landen Smith is a sophomore who really played well tonight. We will have some good players to build around next season.”
Byron Center improved to 21-3 win the win. The Bulldogs were champions of the O-K White Conference this season with a 14-0 record. Along with 33 points from Zeinstra, the Bulldogs received 13 points from Makenna Crandell and 12 from McKenna Ferguson.
Division 2 District Championship at Kelloggsville:
Grand Rapids Christian defeated South Christian 49-41
South Christian ended the season with a 16-8 record and finished second place in the O-K Gold at 10-4.
Division 3 District Championship at Calvin Christian:
NorthPointe Christian beat Potter’s House 41-24
Potter’s House ended the season with an 18-7 record and won the Alliance League title at 7-0 for the second straight year.
South Christian QB Jake DeHaan rushes for a touchdown during Friday’s district final. (WKTV/Zach Fanko)
By Zach Fanko
WKTV Contributor
Led by senior do-it-all quarterback Jake DeHaan, South Christian triumphed over Hudsonville Unity Christian 35-20 to claim its third-consecutive Division 4 district title Friday night.
The Sailors wasted no time on the game’s opening drive as DeHaan connected with junior wide receiver Nate Brinks on a 15-yard scoring strike to seize a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
The Crusaders responded with a drive of their own as Mitch Tibbe found the end zone on a 6-yard quarterback-keeper, followed by a 2-point conversion to jump ahead 8-7 at the 2:10 mark in the opening quarter.
Both teams traded touchdowns on their next drives, knotting the game at 14-14 with 7:34 left in the half.
With halftime approaching, South Christian continued to move the ball against Unity Christian’s defense as DeHaan ran in a touchdown from 2 yards out to give the Sailors a 21-14 advantage at the half.
Following a scoreless third quarter, South Christian grabbed its first double-digit lead of the night on another DeHann TD run, one of his three rushing scores in the game.
Carson Vis makes a leaping grab in between several Unity Christian defenders. (WKTV/Zach Fanko)
Sailors coach Danny Brown commended his defense for the way they played in the second half.
“We knew they were going to come out swinging and it was one of those games where you have to dig deep,” Brown said. “I think our defense really stepped up in the second half and it ended up making the difference.”
The Crusaders tried to mount a comeback as Tibbe found his tight end Carl Bylsma for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 28-20 with 6:18 left.
However, a DeHann 37-yard touchdown run sealed the victory for the Sailors with 1:59 left. The senior signal-caller added five more touchdowns for an impressive 42 total touchdowns on the season.
DeHaan finished the game with 209 yards passing, as well as 155 yards on the ground.
“You need your best players to shine in these moments,” Brown said. “Any big game we’ve had he’s done it.”
South Christian celebrates with the district title trophy.(WKTV/Zach Fanko)
South Christian (11-0) returns to the D-4 regional final for the third-straight season. A year ago, the Sailors lost a battle with Edwardsburg 28-14.
This year, they will host another team with an unblemished record at 11-0. Whitehall, coming off a 51-26 win over Fruitport, stands in the way of a trip to the state semifinals.
The Sailors are seeking their first state title since 2014. The two undefeated squads battle next Friday at 7 p.m. at Falcon Stadium.
“We expect when you get to this point in the season you gotta play good teams,” Brown said. “If you’re chasing a state championship you want to beat good teams to get there.
“I haven’t watched much film on them. I know they have some athletes and are pretty big up front. It should be fun. We get another week to prepare and there’s nothing better than that.”
Regional Champions have been decided on the court and the field is set for the State Quarterfinals! Two Wyoming-Kentwood area teams are still breathing after winning their Region. Godwin Heights is alive in Class B and Tri-Unity Christian is coming together and making a strong push in Class D.
Godwin Heights won their third straight Regional Championship on Wednesday night and is hoping third time’s a charm after coming up short of the State Finals each of the past two seasons.
The Wolverines put a thumping on Charlotte in the final Regional game by a score of 81-37. Godwin ended the first half on a 29-0 run and 12 Wolverines scored a point in the contest. In the Regional, the Fighting Wolverines looked their best and destroyed the competition by a combined score of 157-76.
Godwin Heights and Tri-Unity Christian are one game away from the Breslin Center
Two years ago the Wolverines beat Unity Christian in the State Quarterfinals before losing to Detroit Community in the Semi-Finals. Last season, they entered the Quarterfinals undefeated and lost to Benton Harbor. First year coach Tyler Whittemore is looking to get the Wolverines over the hump and into the State Finals in 2015.
Godwin Heights will face Spring Lake in the Class B State Quarterfinals on March 24. The game will be held at Rockford High School.
For the third time in five years, the Tri-Unity Christian boys basketball team is onto the State Quarterfinals after beating Mendon 60-42 in the Regional Final behind 23 points from Willie O’Toole.
While the Defenders 14-10 record may not look daunting, they’re a team on a hot streak! After starting the season 4-9, Coach Keeler’s team has ripped off 10 of their last 11, and they’re winning when it counts!
Tri-Unity Christian will play Morenci in the Class D Quarterfinals at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School on March 24.
Good luck to our Wyoming-Kentwood teams!
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 – W Charlotte (81-37)
State Quarterfinals – 3/24 Spring Lake
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 (60-43)
District Final – W Zion Christian (57-28)
Regional Semi-Final – W Kalamazoo Heritage Christian (72-44)
Regional Final – W Mendon (60-42)
State Quarterfinal – 3/24 Morenci
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)
