High school hoops rewind: Hamilton falls on buzzer-beater; Saugatuck sweeps; ZE girls win
HAMILTON - The Hamilton boys basketball team lost to Wayland 66-65 on a buzzer-beater at home on Tuesday.
The Hawkeyes led in the final seconds when Wayland's Brett Bultsma hit the shot at the buzzer.
Wayland improved to 3-0 and the Hawkeyes dropped to 3-1.
Justin McIllwain scored 22 points to lead Hamilton. Brady Tebo had 15 points and Brant Goodpaster added 13.
Bultsma scored 25 for Wayland.
"Basketball only rewards excellence, and we did not live up to that tonight as coaches or players," Hamilton coach Nick Kronemeyer said. "Great effort and mental toughness from Wayland's coaches and players."
BOYS BASKETBALL
Calvin Christian 65, Holland Christian 49
The Maroons trailed 26-0 to start the game after the Squires hit eight 3-pointers in the first half.
They trailed 41-14 at halftime. But the Maroons came roaring back and outscored Calvin Christian 35-24 in the second half. Carter Spencer scored 16 of his team-high 18 points in the second half.
Harrison Halbert added 12 points. The Maroons were missing three starting point guards due to injury. Carson DeHaan led Calvin Christian with 22 points.
Saugatuck 54, Zion Christian 48
The Trailblazers won a tough game tonight against Zion Christian by a score of 54-48. Saugatuck was able to go on multiple runs throughout the game and each time it looked like they might blow the doors open, but credit to Zion, each time they battled back to keep the game within striking distance.
Although the lead was around 6-8 points for most of the game, Zion was able to bring it to a one possession game for the last few minutes of the fourth quarter to really make the game a nail biter. Russell Vande Poel hit some clutch free throws down the stretch (5-of-6) to help seal the win.
Leading the way for the Trailblazers was sophomore Carter Miller with 13 points, including three from beyond the arc. Following close behind was junior Vande Poel with 12 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Saugatuck 42, Zion Christian 32
The Saugatuck girls basketball team wrapped off the pre-winter break portion of the season with a convincing 42-32 victory at Zion Christian.
Up 22-15 at half Saugatuck pulled away in 3rd out scoring the Crusaders 16-6.
"Credit to our kids, it was physical out there tonight, they are a big team but I was really pleased at our grit and effort," Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. "Wasn’t always pretty but we got the job done."
Saugatuck was led by Freshmen Ada Roth with 10 and Sophomore Center Kennedy Gustafson who had a season-high 16 points to go with her game-high 15 rebounds.
"Kennedy really played nimble around the basket tonight, she was not only scoring and rebounding but just clogging up their offense, deflecting balls and just causing havoc," Tringali said.
Zeeland West 41, Allendale 23
Zeeland West won on the road tonight against Allendale 41-23.Kara Bartels had a game high 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jordyn Klaasen and Georgia Kuyers both had eight points for the Dux (3-3).
"I was really happy with our defensive effort tonight. Our girls were really locked in on that end of the floor. It wasn't the prettiest offensively thanks to some tough defense by Allendale, but we were able to manufacture enough points to come out of there with a win," Zeeland West coach Ryan Lane said.
Zeeland East 31, Newaygo 22
The Zeeland East girls beat Newaygo 31-22 on Wednesday afternoon at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament to pick up third place in the division.
Emily Wierenga lead the team with 15 points. Mirra Fenlon chipped in 10 points.
The Chix head into winter break with a 3-3 record.
Holland Christian 42, Grand Rapids Christian 38
Camryn VandenBosch drained three 3-pointers and had a team-high 14 points as the Maroons won at the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament on Thursday afternoon. Bria Lampen added 12 points and Tryna VanderZwaag had 7 for the Maroons (4-3). Katelyn LaRue led Grand Rapids Christian (4-3) with 12 points.
Hastings 32, Holland 22
Holland lost a hard fought game to Hastings 32-22. Holland led at the half but just couldn't hold on. The Dutch had six players score with Jada Livingston leading the way with five. Ari Gray, Hadleigh Hilgert, and Khee Rumpsa each scored four.
Wayland 58, Hamilton 46
The Hawkeyes lost the non-conference game and dropped to 3-3.
Hamilton led 17-10 after the first quarter and 28-27 at the half, but were outscored 16-7 in the third quarter.
Kyra Kleinheksel scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead Hamilton. Kaitlyn Geurink scored 14 and hit three 3s.
"We had a great first half - shot the ball well and rebounded the best we have all year. Wayland turned up their pressure in the second half and we went cold, which is a tough combination," Hamilton coach Jacquelyn Malloch said.
Bangor 43, Fennville 40
The Fennville Blackhawks lost to the Bangor Vikings 43-40 Tuesday.
Fennville (2-4) was able to take the lead 21-20 going into the half. Going into the fourth quarter the Blackhawks trailed 32-28.
Sophomore Christina Mendoza finished with 12 points on the night and had 11 steals defensively. Maddisyn Jefferson also had 12 points on the night. Kyli Bushee finished with eight points.
"Christina Mendoza was amazing tonight. She displayed the best defense I've ever seen in high school girls basketball. She is our anchor on defense and her hustle is unmatched," Fennville coach Josh Weimer said. "She plays with a lot of heart, and she also stepped up offensively for us tonight, more than she ever has. I'm very happy to see her perform the way she did, and she earned every bit of it. We weren't at our best from the free-throw line tonight, only shooting 8 for 18, and we're capable of shooting better from there. Overall, despite two starters fouling out early in the fourth quarter, and some things being out of our control, I know I have a lot to be thankful for as a coach within this group. I'm looking forward to us bouncing back after Christmas break."
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: High school hoops rewind: Hamilton falls on buzzer-beater; Saugatuck sweeps
