West Michigan Roundup, Thursday 3/3/22

West Michigan Roundup, Thursday 3/3/22

Best Win: Benton Harbor over Wyoming 88-72

The Tigers traveled north to face the (13-6) Wyoming Wolves in a non-conference matchup. Benton Harbor came away with an impressive 16 point victory led by a double-double from Marlon Williams and 21 points from Trucel Singleton. Benton Harbor finishes the season with an (18-2) record and will play Dowagiac in the district semifinals.

Next Best: Coldwater 77, Portage Central 58

Coldwater picks up their sixth straight win with an impressive 32 point effort from Brandon Downs. The Cardinals zone caused major issues for Portage Central who led by as many as nine points in the first half. Coldwater finished the season (17-3) with two losses coming to Marshall and the other coming to catholic league power De La Salle. Coldwater will host districts and play the winner of Loy Norrix and Gull Lake on Wednesday.

Starting Five (Notable Games):

1. Calvin Christian 79, Tri-Unity Christian 73

Calvin Christian closes the season with a win to extend their winning streak to 17 games. The Squires were led by 23 points from Jack Hollebeek while Tri-Unity star Brady Titus led the Defenders with 29 points. Calvin Christian continues to be disrespected in the AP poll as they are still outside the top ten, which is not accurate at all. The road to the Breslin will not be easy for the Squires who will likely face Fennville in the semi-finals and potentially Covenant Christian in the district final.

2. Unity Christian 76, Zeeland West 55

Unity Christian completes the undefeated season with a 21 point victory at Zeeland West. The Crusaders were led by Spring Arbor signee Gabe Newhof with 23 points while Cam Chandler added 16 points. Unity Christian will begin district play on Wednesday, likely against West Catholic

3. Lakeshore 48, Brandywine 43

Brandywine coming off a victory over D2 Edwardsburg, went on the road to Lakeshore to face the (14-5) Lancers. Lakeshore came away with a close victory, but Brandywine showed that they can compete with anybody. Lakeshore was led by Davenport signee TJ Mitchell with 29 points while freshman JJ Frakes chipped in 15 points. Lakeshore will play in nearly an all-SMAC district likely facing Mattawan next Wednesday.

4. Otsego 52, Edwardsburg 37

Otsego wins their tenth game in the past eleven games with an easy victory over Edwardsburg in the Wolverine crossover matchup. Senior guards Ashton Atwater and Jacob Zartman combined for 39 points in the Bulldog's victory. Otsego will be hosting districts and will need to win three games to take home the title. They will open districts on Monday facing rival Plainwell for the third time this season.

5. New Buffalo 70, Bridgman 44

New Buffalo closes the season with a blowout victory over Bridgman. The Bison continue to blow out opponents and will begin district play on Wednesday likely against River Valley who has played them tough this season. It was Anthony Lijewski leading the way for New Buffalo over Bridgman with a team-high 33 points. New Buffalo is my pick to make it to the Breslin Center this season led by an all-senior starting five.

Top Performances:

-Anthony Lijewski (New Buffalo, Sr.): 33 pts

-Brandon Downs (Coldwater, Sr.): 32 pts

-Brady Titus (Tri-Unity Chr., Sr.): 29 pts

-TJ Mitchell (Lakeshore, Sr.): 29 pts

-Jacob Thompson (Sturgis, Jr.): 26 pts

-Jamere Matlock (Countryside, Sr.): 26 pts

-Ty Rykse (Schoolcraft, Sr.): 24 pts, 11 reb

-Jack Hollebeek (Calvin Chr., Sr.): 23 pts

-Gabe Newhof (Unity Chr., Sr.): 23 pts

-Gibson Oullette (Kenowa Hills, Sr.): 23 pts

-Patrick Driscoll (River Valley, Sr.): 23 pts

-Marlon Williams (Benton Harbor, Sr.): 22 pts, 12 reb

-Trucel Singleton (Benton Harbor, Sr.): 21 pts

-Owen McLoughlin (Lake MI Cath): 21 pts

-Graham Boyd (Pennfield, Jr.): 20 pts

-Jacob Zartman (Otsego, Sr.): 20 pts

-Ashton Atwater (Otsego, Jr.): 19 pts

-Owen Rosendall (Tri-Unity Chr., Sr.): 19 pts

-Tyler DeGroote (Schoolcraft, Sr.): 18 pts, 11 reb

-Brady Haisma (Calvin Chr., Sr.): 18 pts

-Matt Elderkin (Calvin Chr., So.): 18 pts

-Ryan Young (Buchanan, Sr.): 17 pts, 12 reb

-Josh Seifert (River Valley, Jr.): 17 pts, 11 ast

-Aiden Burns (Pennfield, Sr.): 16 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast

-Cam Chandler (Unity Chr., Sr.): 16 pts

-Javion Otten (Kenowa Hills, Jr.): 16 pts

-JJ Frakes (Lakeshore, Fr.): 15 pts

-Kofi Barima (Parchment, Sr.): 15 pts

Game I Attended: Coldwater 77, Portage Central 58

Portage Central entered the final game of the season riding a six-game winning streak while Coldwater entered (16-3) with a win over Otsego on Tuesday. Portage Central led early with a 13-6 lead following an Alex Beachnau three-pointer. That lead expanded to 20-13 late in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Coldwater’s Brandon Downs could not be stopped. Downs scored ten straight points for his team including two three-pointers to take lead. Coldwater was on a 17-2 run spanning across the first and second quarters. The Cardinals zone proved to be causing issues for Portage Central who make just three field goals in the second quarter. Coldwater took a 32-29 lead into halftime following a short run by Portage Central due to a couple of bench three-pointers. Portage Central got within two possessions trailing 46-41 following another Alex Beachnau three-pointer, but a 10-0 run by Coldwater closed the door on any Mustangs comeback bid. Brandon Downs continued to put on a show in the fourth quarter scoring ten more points to finish with a game-high 32 points. Junior forward Donte Work added 17 points while senior Evan Sloan scored 14 points. The Mustangs finished with four players in double-figures: Caleb Johnson (15 pts), Will Juday (12 pts), Alex Beachnau (11 pts), and Grant Pikkaart (10 pts). Both teams will start district play next Wednesday with Coldwater hosting districts and Portage Central heading down the road to Portage Northern.

OK Conf.

Non-Conf

Benton Harbor 88, Wyoming 72

Calvin Christian 79, Tri-Unity Christian 73

Coopersville 52, Zeeland East 50

Covenant Christian 85, Godwin Heights 45

Lakewood 58, Middleville-TK 50

Montague 47, Fruitport 45

Reeths-Puffer 53, Spring Lake 48

Unity Christian 76, Zeeland West 55

OK Gold

Kenowa Hills 69, Cedar Springs 39

Southwest MI

Non-Conf

Benton Harbor 88, Wyoming 72

Berrien Springs 58, Coloma 20

Coldwater 77, Portage Central 58

Lakeshore 48, Brandywine 43

Marshall 61, BC Lakeview 56

Parchment 59, Buchanan 40

Pennfield 82, Lawton 50

Schoolcraft 55, Portage Northern 43

South Haven 84, Covert 35

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Calvary Christian 54, Saugatuck 48

Gobles 42, Decatur 40

Heritage Chr. 56, Battle Creek Acad. 46

Kalamazoo Christian 49, Comstock 38

Lawrence 47, Marcellus 28

White Pigeon 69, Constantine 53

Zion Christian 47, Martin 40

Wolverine Conf.

Otsego 52, Edwardsburg 37

Vicksburg 66, Three Rivers 57

BCS White

BH Countryside 90, St. Joe MI Lutheran 54

New Buffalo 70, Bridgman 44

River Valley 73, Eau Claire 61

St. Joe Lake MI Cath. 46, Howardsville Chr. 43 (OT)

SCAA

Athens 75, North Adams-Jerome 44

Bellevue 56, Waldron 26

BC St. Philip 52, Tekonsha 26

Climax-Scotts 63, Pittsford 42

Hillsdale Acad. 60, Burr Oak 38