The Showcase Roundup, Saturday 2/5/22

The Showcase Roundup, Saturday 2/5/22

The first Saturday in February may not mean much to most people, but to basketball lovers in West Michigan it is beloved as the “RedHawk Showcase.” This year the tournament rebranded as “The Showcase” ran by MTag! and moved to Mol Arena at Cornerstone University. This was the third venue change in the past three years for the tournament as they played at Creston High School in 2020 and back at renovated Union High School in 2021. Now in its eighth edition, the event is first-class and attracts the best teams across the state including seven teams ranked in the AP top ten for their divisions.

1st Team All-Showcase

Jay Wallace (Williamston, Sr.)

Javaughn Hannah (OLSM, Sr.)

Bryce Eaton (DEPSA, Jr.)

Kyler Vanderjagt (Northview, Sr.)

Treyvon Lewis (Ferndale, Sr.)

2nd Team All-Showcase

Genesis Kemp (GR Union, Sr.)

Jalen Charity (Northview, Sr.)

Xavier Thomas (Brother Rice, Jr.)

Jonathan Blackwell (Brother Rice, Jr.)

Anthony Sydnor III (Muskegon, Jr.)

Underclassman All-Showcase

Jah Hatchett (East Kentwood, Fr.)

Terrance Coker Jr. (Henry Ford, So.)

Sharod Barnes (OLSM, Fr.)

Jaylan Ouwinga (GR Christian, So.)

EJ Ryans (Northview, So.)

Game 1: Henry Ford 57, East Kentwood 55

East Kentwood led by interim head coach Rob Roelofs entered the day in search of their fourth win of the season. The Falcons got off to an early 17-11 lead in the first quarter. That lead disappeared over the course of 14-2 extended run by Henry Ford over two quarters. East Kentwood starting guard Jevin West went down with an injury early in the second quarter and things unraveled from there. Henry Ford took a 29-23 lead into halftime. East Kentwood clawed back in the third quarter taking a 43-42 lead led by strong guard play from fresh. Jah Hatchett and junior Marshaun Flakes. The Falcons held onto that lead with 5:00 to play leading 50-49. Henry Ford went on a 6-0 run to regain a 55-50 lead. Costly turnovers down the stretch opened the door for an East Kentwood comeback. Jah Hatchett scored with 1:08 remaining to cut the deficit to 56-54. Henry Ford followed that possession with a turnover and Hatchett was fouled where he made one out of two free throws to trail 56-55. Henry Ford was called for a travel on the next possession which gave East Kentwood a chance for the win. The Falcons Emilio Sandoval had a wide-open baseline jumper for the win, but the shot missed forcing EK to foul. Henry Ford came away with a two-point victory led by Anthony Figures with 15 points while soph. Terrance Coker Jr. added 14 points. East Kentwood freshman Jah Hatchett led the way for the Falcons with 15 points.

Game 2: Williamston 63, Union 48

The host Union Redhawks were tasked with the #1 team in Division 2, undefeated Williamston. Williamston led 15-7 midway through the first quarter with Jay Wallace active early with steals leading to easy layups. Senior Genesis Kemp kept Union in the game with ten first-half points as the Redhawks trailed 29-22 at the half. Early in the third quarter Union cut the deficit to five points at 33-28, but a 14-2 Williamston run ended Union’s chance of an upset bid. Williamston came away with a 63-48 victory to improve to (15-0). A team with five starting seniors including three that will play at the Division 1 level next season, Williamston has the looks of a championship team. The Hornets were led by Jay Wallace with 23 points, Max Burton added 16 points, and Mason Docks had 10 points and 10 assists. Union was led by Genesis Kemp with 20 points.

Game 3: OLSM 63, GR Christian 48

GR Christian entered the game (10-2) on the cusp of being ranked in Division 2 while OLSM entered (10-3) ranked #2 in Division 1. GR Christian started with an 11-3 lead three minutes into the game after knocking down three of their first five attempts from three-point range including two from Dono Thames. GRC was held to just three points in the next five minutes as OLSM took a 17-14 lead after the first quarter. OLSM opened up a double-digit lead in the second quarter led by nine points from Javaughn Hannah. The lead was 36-22 heading into halftime with GRC’s eight-point lead in the rearview mirror as OLSM was not going to lose twice this week after falling to Brother Rice on Tuesday. GRC trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half but cut the deficit to 12 points with 5:05 remaining in the fourth quarter. Javaughn Hannah answered with a three-pointer closing the door on any GRC miraculous comeback. OLSM wound up winning with a score of 63-48 led by 20 points from Western Michigan signee Javaughn Hannah. Kareem Rozier added 11 points while freshman Sharod Barnes had 10 points off the bench on 4-5 FG. GRC received strong play from underclassman Jaylan Ouwinga who had 13 points.

Game 4: Detroit Edison 71, Benton Harbor 51

Two programs with championship success in the past four seasons took the court for game four at The Showcase. Benton Harbor got off to a quick start with junior guard Grant Gondrezick scoring six points on 3-5 FG. DEPSA answered with Bryce Eaton and Gerald Smith combining for all 15 of their first-quarter points to tie the game. Jajuan Walker scored eight points in the second quarter for Benton Harbor to help keep the Tigers in the game while DEPSA sophomores Jailen Tiggs and Quron Williams combined for 11 points as we were tied 31-31 at halftime. Benton Harbor went ice-cold in the third quarter and DEPSA could not be stopped with Gerald Smith making all four of his shot attempts in the third quarter for ten points. The DEPSA lead was up to double-digits at 52-40 heading into the final quarter. The Pioneers started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run to expand that lead to 18 points, a deficit that Benton Harbor would not be able to come back from. DEPSA came away with a strong 71-51 victory for their sixth straight win that should certainly get them back into the AP rankings on Monday. Junior guard Bryce Eaton led the way with 21 points while Gerald Smith added 16 points and Kyle Millender chipped in 12 points. Benton Harbor’s Grant Gondrezick and Jajuan Walker each scored 13 points in the loss.

Game 5: Northview 68, Brother Rice 64 (OT)

The marquee game of the day featured two potential state champions in Division 1. Northview entered the game (12-0) ranked #4 in Division 1 while Brother Rice was (9-3) ranked #7 in Division 1 coming off a victory over OLSM on Monday. Northview led 18-11 after the first quarter with Kyler Vanderjagt and Jalen Charity combining for 13 points. Brother Rice erased the deficit within five minutes as they led 24-22 with 3:04 remaining the half. An 8-0 run by Northview to close the half gave them a 30-24 lead after a Tyran Thomas tip-in at the buzzer. Northview opened up their largest lead of the game leading 34-25 with 5:50 remaining in the third quarter. Brother Rice’s Curtis Williams took over the rest of the third quarter draining two three-pointers to score ten points in the quarter to cut the deficit to two points trailing 42-40. A Kyler Vanderjagt and-1 extended the lead back to five points at 45-40. Brother Rice answered with Xavier Thomas taking over and Curtis Williams draining a three-pointer to take a 48-47 lead with the Warriors on an 8-2 run. Xavier Thomas knocked down his second three-pointer of the quarter to extend the lead to 51-48 with 4:38 remaining. Trailing 53-49 with 3:16 remaining Jalen Charity hit a pivotal three-pointer to pull Northview within one point. Henry Garrity answered for Brother Rice scoring his only two points of the night with an offensive rebound and put-back to take a 55-54 lead for Brother Rice. Northview came away with an empty possession and was forced to foul Johnathan Blackwell with :20 left on the clock. Blackwell hit both free throws to put the Warriors up 57-54. On the next possession, chaos ensued with Kyler Vanderjagt hitting an insane corner three-pointer to tie the game with :10 remaining. It was not the first time Kyler has hit a clutch shot as in his freshman season he hit a crazy buzzer-beater in overtime of the district finals against FH Northern to send the game to double overtime where they would eventually win. Brother Rice had a chance for the win but Xavier Thomas turned it over and Grant George missed his shot for the win for Northview from just beyond the three-point line. Northview held a 65-61 lead in overtime when Jonathan Blackwell was called for a charge that could have flipped the game as he made the layup. Instead of 65-63 game and a free throw for Blackwell, he was charged with his fifth foul and the game was over for Brother Rice who fell 68-64. Belmont signee Kyler Vanderjagt led Northview with 27 points including the pivotal three-pointer to force overtime. Jalen Charity added 21 points for Northview with some crucial buckets while sophomore EJ Ryans chipped in 11 points. Brother Rice had three scorers in double figures with Johnathan Blackwell leading the way with 20 points while Curtis Williams and Xavier Thomas each had 17 points.

Game 6: Ferndale 57, Muskegon 46

The nightcap featured (11-0) Muskegon ranked #3 in Division 1 facing #4 in Divison 2 Ferndale who entered the game (9-2). The Big Reds of Muskegon jumped out to an early 7-2 lead and led 15-9 after the first quarter. The Muskegon lead was extended to 20-13 with 5:20 remaining in the second quarter, but the Big Reds were held to just two points the rest of the half as they entered halftime leading 22-21. Loyola Chicago signee Treyvon Lewis got hot in the second quarter scoring nine points to help Ferndale close the half on an 8-2 run. Muskegon struggled shooting in the third quarter going over three minutes before their first made field goal. Ferndale could not miss in the third quarter with soph. Trenton Ruth hitting two three-pointers and Treyvon Lewis hitting both of his shot attempts for five points. Ferndale opened up their largest lead of the game 35-28 with 2:08 left in the third quarter. By the end of the third quarter, Ferndale led 39-31 with the Big Reds scoring just 11 points in the previous 13 minutes of play. Muskegon made a run at Ferndale in the early fourth quarter trimming the deficit to two possessions, but the Eagles had too much offense for Muskegon to overcome the deficit. Ferndale took down Muskegon with a score of 57-46. Trey Lewis led Ferndale with 21 points while Jason Drake II added 17 points. Anthony Sydnor III was the only Big Red in double figures with 20 points.

Other Scores

Kalamazoo Phoenix 68, Inkster American Intl’ Acad. 23

Lakeshore 61, Coal City (IL) 29

Spring Lake 73, Muskegon WMC 39