(Photo Courtesy Becky Rillema)
By Ty Marzean
WKTV Contributor
Tri-unity Christian’s fourth-quarter defense again came up big in the regional semifinals against host Fowler Tuesday night.
The stout Defenders’ defense allowed seven points in the fourth quarter of last week’s district finals win and only six points in the fourth quarter to advance to the regional finals with a 46-39 victory over Fowler.
“We really embrace defense,” said Mark Keeler, whose team is seeking a fifth-straight regional championship.
“The old adage that offense wins games, but defense wins championships, I can tell you, is true. We play great defense and they all buy into it. We play a unique man-to-man setup.”
Fowler jumps ahead first
Fowler started the game hot and held a 13-9 lead after the first quarter.
But then Tri-unity woke up offensively in the second quarter with a 16-point outburst and took a slim 25-24 lead into the half.
The Defenders locked in on defense in the second half, allowing only 15 points in the final 16 minutes of play.
“It was a back-and-forth defensive battle, not much scoring,” Keeler explained. “I’m so proud of my team and how they invested and gave everything in their defense.”
Tri-unity senior guard Lincoln Eerdmans hit a three-point shot late, and senior Owen Rosendall hit a free throw on the next possession to score a quick four points, putting the team up by six with five minutes remaining in the game.
Seniors Jordan VanKlompenberg and Rosendall led the way defensively.
“Jordan covered their best player and held him to two points; he did an amazing job,” Keeler said. They had one player score 11 of their 24 points in the first half. I put Owen on him in the second half, and he didn’t score another point. He probably thought he was going to have a field day, but he didn’t know I was going to put Big-O on him.
“Our whole team played great defense. Akais Giplaye had to guard a guy three inches taller than him and he did a phenomenal job on him. Fowler did a great job crashing the offensive board, so we will have to keep working on that.”
Keaton Blanker led the way for the Defenders
Junior guard Keaton Blanker had team highs with 17 points, three steals and seven rebounds.
“We had the ball in his hands a lot,” Keeler said. “He was huge for us. Last year, he was a sophomore point guard, and he really matured. He handled the pressure, made great choices, and made the extra passes. It’s fun to watch.”
VanKlompenberg led the team with five assists and added seven points.
“We had eight players score points; we had good balance,” Keeler said. “Fowler played great defense as well. We didn’t shoot the ball well because of their tough defense.”
Tri-unity is one win from their fifth-straight regional championship and 19th in school history.
“We are excited. I loved how we played defensively, and that will carry us going into Thursday.”
Kalamazoo Phoenix (8-14) defeated Climax-Scotts 80-68 to advance to the regional final against Tri-unity (20-5) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Fowler High School.
“They have some good talent, so we need to come ready to play,” Keeler explaind. “We would love to win and win another regional championship.”
