High school hoops rewind: West Ottawa girls 11-0; Hamilton sweeps Unity
PARK TWP. - The West Ottawa girls basketball team defeated Jenison 52-36 on Friday night at home to remain unbeaten.
The Panthers improved to 11-0 and 3-0 in the OK Red after a 15-5 lead after the first quarter sparked West Ottawa to the conference win.
Gabby Reynolds led the Panthers with 31 points. Chelsea Overbeek had eight points, Magaly Lemus had five points and 13 rebounds, and Sami O'Connor had four points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Hamilton 45, Unity Christian 41
The Hawkeyes trailed 14-11 after at halftime but got their offense going in the second half. A 20-6 run in the third quarter tranformed the game.
Taylor VanderZwaag scored 15 points, including 10-for-12 from the free-throw line. Kaitlyn Geurink added 14 points for Hamilton (7-3, 3-0 OK Blue).
"After a slow start, we scored 20 points in the 3rd quarter thanks to more patience on offense and willingness to attack the basket," Hamilton coach Jacquelyn Malloch said., "We were up 16 with seven minutes to go in the game, but Unity didn’t go away. They rattled of three 3s in a row and eventually cut the lead to two points. We were able to close out the victory thanks to shooting 25-for-33 from the free-throw line as a team and Taylor and Kaitlyn each going 2-for-2 in the final minute of the game."
Holland Christian 44, Spring Lake 41
The Maroons won the OK Blue battle, led by theri 16-for-18 performance from the free-throw line.
Camryn VandenBosch scored 14 points to lead the Maroons. Sierra Malone and Tryna VanderZwaag each had nine points.
Saugatuck 52, Delton Kellogg 26
Saugatuck returned to its winning ways as the Trailblazers traveled to division foe Delton Kellogg Friday night and came away with a 52-26 win.
The defense was on full display from the opening tip as the Trailblazer press converted into several points taking a first quarter 24-3. It was more of the same the second quarter as Saugatuck took a 35-10 lead into the locker room.
“Our kids our really starting to buy in on the defensive end, it’s something we continue to emphasize in practice and we’re starting to see it pay off,” Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said.
The Trailblazers were able to play all 12 players with six scoring. Haley Rivera led all scorers with 16 points. Kennedy Gustafson finished with 11.
Fennville 59, South Haven 16
The Fennville Blackhawks defeated the South Haven Rams 59-16 Friday.
Fennville was up 19-5 after one quarter of play and continued to lead 32-9 at half time. Fennville kept the lead entering the 4th quarter with a score of 47-10.
Kyli Bushee led the Blackhawks (3-6) in scoring with 15 points. Lila Rosema followed up with 14 points. Christina Mendoza finished with 11 points. Sophomore, Kalee Kramer had eight points on the night.
"It was an all-around team effort tonight. We shared the ball well and we were able to celebrate each other's success throughout the game. Our team was excited to see other team members step up and contribute to the score chart. It's just good to see our girls winning," Fennville coach Josh Weimer said. "It's been a challenging journey for them over the years, and I'm always happy when they are reminded that the hard work is rewarding and pays off. Credit to South Haven and their coach though - they played hard."
Muskegon 52, Zeeland West 36
The Dux lost the OK Green Conference game on the road. Zeeland West was held scoreless in the second quarter and the Big Reds led 23-11 at halftime.
Jordyn Klaasen led the Dux with 11 points. Kara Bartels scored nine and Lindy Gulker had seven.
Gobles 34, Black River 20
Olivia Hayes scored 16 points to lead the River Rats.
“We played great d all night, but we couldn’t make a shot. Gobles was all over the place, and we couldn’t break down their zone,” Black River coach Brent Rowe said.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Hamilton 58, Unity Christian 49
The Hawkeyes led 16-10 after one quarter and closed the fourth on a 20-11 run to earn the OK Blue victory.
Justin McIllwain and JD DeGroot each had 13 points for the Hawkeyes, while Brady Tebo had 12. DeGroot also grabbed nine rebounds.
Spring Lake 49, Holland Christian 47
The Maroons lost the OK Blue showdown. Trailing in the final seconds, Holland Christian had a chance to win it at the end, but could not convert free throws.
Luke Michmerhuizen scored 13 to lead the Maroons. Kyle Cannon added 12.
"Hard fought game, back and forth. Had a chance at the end and couldn't connect. Spring lake hit some tough shots - hats off to them," Holland Christian coach Brad Jansen said.
Jenison 58, West Ottawa 46
The Panthers dropped the OK Red Conference matchup.
Saugatuck 41, Delton Kellogg 38
The Trailblazers made the long trip to Delton-Kellogg and were able to scratch out a victory by a score of 41-38.Saugatuck jumped out to an early first quarter lead 12-3 and things looked like it might be an easy night for the Trailblazers, but Delton Kellogg fought back with great rebounding. That, combined with some terrible shooting from Saugatuck, and by halftime Saugatuck only held on to a 22-19 lead.
After more poor shooting in the third quarter by the Trailblazers, Delton Kellogg found itself in the lead. But junior Russell Vande Poel would not let it continue, He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to help his team take a late lead, and ultimately hold on to win the game. He scored 15 points in the game.
Following behind him was senior Will Ayers with 11 points.
Black River 52, Gobles 42
The River Rats won the SAC game on Friday.
Kai Norman lead the Rats (3-7) with 17 points and four rebounds. Atif Usmani chipped in 13 points and six assists.
“Our guys were able to turn around after playing a well coached Bangor team and compete tonight against Gobles," Black River coach Darrion Denham said. "We got some great minutes from some of our guys off the bunch and were able to play a much more composed game than we played on Tuesday night against Bangor. We pushed the ball well and made extra passing when we needed to."
South Haven 55, Fennville 25
The Blackhawks dropped the SAC game.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: High school hoops rewind: West Ottawa girls 11-0; Hamilton sweeps Unity
