Bria Lampen sparks Holland Christian past rival Hamilton with 3 barrage

HAMILTON - Points are always at a premium in a Hamilton-Holland Christian girls basketball game.

The rivalry is the best girls rivalry in the area for a reason. Both teams are good - and both play extremely good defense.

A couple of good possessions in a row can determine the game, even if they are early.

Holland Christian (12-5, 7-2 OK Blue) got three 3-pointers in a four-possession span from Bria Lampen in the third quarter and that was enough to make the difference in a 44-33 win at Hamilton on Tuesday.

"Those shots were big for our team. That is what broke the game open for us," Holland Christian coach Levi Painter said. "She got those running in transition and her teammates did a great job finding her. That gave us some momentum. We don't have the superstars that some teams have. It takes all of us and that propels us."

The win avenged an earlier loss to the Hawkeyes as the teams split the regular-season matches. It also put the Maroons alone in second place in the OK Blue, pushing Hamilton one game back into third.

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"This is a really big step for us as a team. It was rewarding. We worked a lot after our first loss against them. Playing as intensely and confidently really paid off for us," Lampen said. "The first time we played them, we settled on shots too much. Every time we play them, there is a lot of intensity. We showed some poise and found the good shots. Everyone played really patient offense, especially in the second half, and it made the open shots came."

In the first rivalry matchup, the Maroons were in single digits at halftime only to see a furious second-half rally come up short.

This time, the Maroons still struggled offensively, but made the most of their shots and slowed the Hamilton offense.

Hamilton's leading scorer Kaitlyn Geurink scored 18 points, but had to work extremely hard to get them.

The Maroons also held the Hawkeyes' strong post players to nine total points.

"We talked about controlling what you can. Your shots don't always fall, but you can play good defense and have good energy. I am proud of the girls for that," Painter said. "Geurink is a heck of a player and is a tough cover. You have a guard on her and she will body you low. You put a big on her and she is to quick and she can handle the ball. We tried to bother her and Kayla Cannon did a good job making her work for everything. In the post, our post players all did a good job defending."

The first half was a close, defensive battle as expected. The game was tied 7-7 after the first quarter before Geurink gave the Hawkeyes the lead with a basket.

But the Maroons scored on a layup from Tryna VanderZwaag and Jenna VandenBrink scored to put the Maroons up 16-14 at halftime.

In the second half, Lampen hit three straight 3s to put the Maroons up 25-16 with 5 minutes raminin in the third.

"It was a close game and to see them make 3 in a row and stretch things out is tough to respond to. But I don't think we quit at any moment. We battled back," Hamilton coach Jacquelyn Malloch said. "I was genuinely proud of how hard we played. The difference was their shots went in and ours didn't."

Kaylie VanDerHulst, grittily returned from an elbow injury and converted a three-point play that pulled the Hawkeyes within 27-19.

A basket by Geurink pulled Hamilton within 31-23 after three quarters.

Holland Christian's Camryn VandenBosch hit a 3, then converted a late three-point play on an offensive rebound to seal it.

VandenBosch scored 15 points, while Lampen had 11 and VanderZwaag scored nine.

Kleinheksel had six points for the Hawkeyes (11-6, 6-3 OK Blue).

"They cranked up their intensity more than the last time we played them. We were more out of sync on offense," Malloch said. "That threw us off. Ultimately, they did a better job arcing out our drives. We weren't able to see the weak side. Hopefully we get to see them again in districts."

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Bria Lampen sparks Holland Christian past rival Hamilton with 3 barrage