By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

The Grand Rapids South Christian High School girls basketball team had a statement win Feb. 9 at home over OK Conference Gold rival Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 42-39 — several statements were made, in fact.

The Sailors are not only peaking as tournament time approaches, but with the first order of business gaining a least a share of the OK Gold title. The team also has established that they are a defensive force to be reckoned with.

And, South Christian head coach Kim Legge is quick to say, the team is more than just Sailors super senior Sydney Vis. But her star player is one not afraid to take the ball when her team needs points and the “green light” from her coach to do so.

“You couldn’t ask for more than that,” Legge said to WKTV after Vis and the team secured its biggest win of the year. “When you have someone that everybody looks to, and someone who is as good as she is … she has been here (on varsity) for four years, and I am comfortable with her. She knows me well and I know her well. She knows what she has the green light to do.”

Vis, who will be playing at the college level next year at Hope College, finished the night with 18 points, with eight of them coming from the foul line as she repeatedly challenged the Cougar defense to stop her. That point total adds to Vis’ totals in a Sailors’ uniform, which saw her pass the 1,000-point mark in late January (and gain a ceremonial game ball in a brief pre-game ceremony Feb. 9).

Legge also agreed with the “tournament atmosphere” of the game against Catholic Central, which beat South Christian early in the season. Both teams are now 8-1 in conference but the Sailors are 12-3 overall while the Cougars are 11-4.

“We knew it would be a tough game, two really good teams … and we lost to them the last time,” Legge said. “Even with the crowd tonight, it had a tournament atmosphere.”

Defensive identity, other players contributing

The game against Catholic Central also showed two of South Christian’s strengths — a defensive mindset and the ability to share the scoring more and more as the season goes on. Both of which will help when the tournament starts at the end of the month.

The first quarter found points tough to get, as it ended with the Cougars holding a 13-12 lead, with Vis scoring eight of her team’s 12 points in the quarter.

The low scoring, forced primarily by strong defenses on both sides, continued in the second quarter, which ended with the Cougars still in the lead, at 20-18, but the Sailors staying close thanks in a large part to the work of junior Ashley Raredon.

The scoring picked up in the third quarter as the Sailors finally took the lead late in the period off baskets by Vis and Raredon, and entered the final period up 30-29.

South Christian never lost the lead in the fourth, but Catholic Central stayed close, never trailing by more than 3 points in a back-and-forth contest.

In the end, the Sailors missed some opportunities to put the game away at the foul line, but their defense never faltered to close out a 42-39 win.

Raredon scored 15 points for South Christian, while sophomore Sailor Ashley Thomasma added five. Senior Cougar Ella Mondroski led Catholic Central with 17 points, while junior Sydney Schoenborn added eight.

For the season, Sailors Vis is averaging 19-plus points per game, Thomasma is at about 9 ppg. and Raredon is at 7.5 ppg. — but coming on strong as the season goes on.

“We have had different games with different girls stepping up, it is not always just Sydney,” Legge said. “It makes it difficult for other teams to scout us … and it is getting to a point where we trust each other more. That’s good for us.”

Scoring balance aside — or at least punishing teams which focus too much on Vis, defense has become the “mentality” of the Sailors.

Legge said her teams usually find their personality as the season goes on, in the “second third of the season,” she said. And this season, they decided their personality would be defense.

South Christian will next play Friday, Feb. 11, at home against another tough opponent, Wayland (9-6, 6-3 in OK), which won the OK Gold in the 2020-21 pandemic-altered season, and also knocked the Sailors out of the tournament in second round, in OT.