High school basketball season: Top 5 moments
The high school basketball season has come to a close. The Holland area was loaded with strong teams and star players.
That led to a lot of memorable moments. Here is a look back at five of the best moments of the season.
Hamilton wins first district since 1987
HAMILTON - As the seconds ticked away, the magnitude of the historical accomplishment began to sink in for the Hamilton basketball team.
The packed gym was thunderous, nearly 1,500 fans packed the house to energize the Hawkeyes to a 80-51 win over Allegan in the Division 2 district final on Friday at Hamilton.
The excitement and energy grew throughout the game mirroring how it has grown all season as Hamilton has risen to uncharted territory from the past three decades, culminating with the program's first district title since 1987.
"This is incredible. We inspired thousands of people today," Hamilton's Brady Tebo said. "We have done this for each other. We played with confidence and we were proud of this game. If this was the first time people saw us play, they were inspired in how we played the game of basketball."
"It means everything to our team. The community comes out and supports us every game, no matter what," Hamilton's Brant Goodpaster said. "To win it for them was the only thing we could do back for them. We wanted to give them this joy."
More:Hamilton basketball claims first district title since 1987: 'We will never forget this'
Holland Christian girls reach state quarterfinals
HOPKINS - It was a season somewhat in the shadows for the Holland Christian girls basketball team.
The Maroons were often overlooked, for a number of reasons.
It was easy for any team in the OK Blue Conference to be overlooked with undefeated No. 1 West Catholic in the league.
The Maroons had some big wins early, but also were dominated by rival Hamilton in the early part of the conference season after the worst half of basketball they played all season.
But with all of the star power on other teams in the area, and those early woes, it was Holland Christian that was the lone team from the area still alive.
The Maroons bounced back to beat Hamilton - twice - including in the district final, the team's first title since 2014.
They weren't finished.
Holland Christian (19-8) won both games in the regional to earn the team's first regional crown since back-to-back appearances in 2008-09, and advance to the state quarterfinals.
More:Holland Christian run ends in state quarters as seniors leave special legacy
Saugatuck wins first district title since 2004
SHELBY - It didn't end quite the way they were hoping, but this was one of the most important basketball seasons in Saugatuck history - perhaps the most important.
The Trailblazers have been a strong girls basketball program for the past couple of decades, full of star players headed for college.
But since 2004, it was not enough to earn any hardware. To put that into perspective, the Saugatuck seniors were born in 2005.
Even teams with future NCAA Division I starter Ana Capotosto could not get through a loaded districts.
This year's group of Trailblazers did not have any players at her level, and weren't the most talented teams top-to-bottom that Saugatuck has produced.
But that is what makes this season's team so important.
The Trailblazers proved it doesn't have to be an undefeated team or a team with the best player in program history to do something special.
"It was an incredible feeling knowing we contributed to that, but then to see the community and how much support we received from them, and how much it meant to them, was incredible," Saugatuck senior Haley Rivera said. "It was a feeling like you have never felt before. This team put in so much work. I am so happy we accomplished this because I feel like we actually deserved it."
More:Why Saugatuck girls basketball season was so pivotal for program
Gabby Reynolds reaches 1,000 career points
PARK TWP. - As the crowd erupted, celebrating Gabby Reynolds reaching 1,000 career points, Reynolds didn't have time to blink.
She had to get back on defense - and the West Ottawa girls basketball team was hungry for a revenge win against Caledonia.
Reynolds was eventually able to soak it all in - the milestone and the win.
But it took until the final seconds after losing a double-digit lead, then battling back to earn a 64-57 comeback win over Caledonia on Tuesday at home.
"It definitely is a relief getting the milestone, but I didn't play my best at all. I wasn't on my A game defensively, but it was so fun to watch my team step up," Reynolds said. "It is definitely something special. I didn't know it would come so soon. I couldn't have done it without my team. It is something that I will remember forever. It is a great feeling, but this isn't the end. Who knows, maybe I will get to 2,000?"
West Ottawa's Gabby Reynolds makes her way down the court as she's embraced by her teammates after breaking 1000 career points Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at West Ottawa High School.
More:Gabby Reynolds reaches 1,000 points as West Ottawa edges Caledonia
Never Forgotten Game
FENNVILLE - The Fennville boys basketball team tied the game three times and got within two points on numerous occasions in its rivalry game with Saugatuck. But the Trailblazers quelled every single Blackhawk threat in holding on for a 45-40 win in the 12th Annual Wes Leonard Never Forgotten Game.
"We could have made that a lot easier on ourselves," said Saugatuck coach Brian Ward. "We were 7-of-21 on free throws and I didn't think we finished on a lot of easy looks around the basket all night. But even that being said and with them hitting some big shots near the end to bring it close, my guys hung tough. Our game plan was to try to stick as close to Ben (Peterson) as possible and luckily we did just enough tonight to make sure the other guys didn't beat us.
"Kevin (Tringali) and I sit the kids down before this game every year and we watch that 16 or 17-minute video that ESPN put together in 2011. So they kind of see the sequence of events and things that led up to that moment and what happened afterward. We try to make sure our kids have a really good understanding of why this night is so important and what that heart foundation does for other student-athletes in schools around the area. It's really important to us that our kids understand the significance of this event and we just thank Fennville for continuing to let us be a part of it each and every year."
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: High school basketball season: Top 5 moments
