Holt boys basketball edged by Battle Creek Central in regional semifinal

Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read

DEWITT — When Isaiah Foster was moved up to varsity as a sophomore, Holt boys basketball coach Ben Curtis wasn't sure if he was going to be a player on that team.

But Foster proved himself, emerging as the starting point guard by the end of the year.

Foster built on that over the last two seasons, making a big mark on the court for the Rams.

His efforts were especially big this season as the Rams had another winning season and captured some hardware.

And while the run came to an end with a 47-40 Division 1 regional semifinal loss to Battle Creek Central on Monday, Curtis is proud of what this group accomplished led by Foster.

"It shows our senior leadership," Curtis said. "Isaiah Foster and Stephon Edwards — after last year when they lost in the district final those two were the last two kids to leave that locker room. They said we don't want to feel like this again.

"That showed when we played Jackson, when we played Okemos, when we played Mason. Those two were not letting us lose and it's going to be real sad to lose those guys."

Foster finished his career with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists and Donye Thomas also had 12 points for the Rams (16-10) in the season-ending loss.

Holt's Isaiah Foster scores against Battle Creek Central during the third quarter on Monday, March 13, 2023, at DeWitt High School.
Holt's Isaiah Foster scores against Battle Creek Central during the third quarter on Monday, March 13, 2023, at DeWitt High School.

Foster was the only player to score in the final quarter for Holt, which couldn't get a big shot to fall to pull even or take a lead after being close late. The Rams trailed by one entering the final quarter and then again in the middle stages of the fourth following a 3 by Foster.

The only points Holt scored the rest of the way came on a 3 by Foster with just under 20 seconds to play. Battle Creek Central outscored the Rams, 9-3, over the final half of the fourth.

"When we played them last time it was very low scoring as well so we knew that coming in," Curtis said while referencing the Rams' 42-37 win over Battle Creek Central in December. "We knew that the pace that they play on the offensive end was going to make it a struggle for us to get up and down the court, so we needed to make sure that we capitalized on our half-court (sets) and we really couldn't make our shots fall tonight."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Boys basketball: Holt falls to Battle Creek Central in regional