Monday marked the start of high school boys’ basketball here in Michigan. With eight teams in our coverage area, there is a lot to break down.
Mona Shores 59, Cedar Springs 26
The Sailors started the season 1-6, and since then, they have been on an absolute tear. Matching up against Cedar Springs in the first round, Mona Shores defended the three-ball well all night. Jordan Bledsoe and Jonathan Pittman each scored 13 points, and Ryan Oppsommer complemented them with nine points.
Mona Shores (11-12) advances to the district semifinal and will face top-ranked Rockford Wednesday night at the host site, Reeths-Puffer. The game is set for 5:30 PM, right before Muskegon takes on Greenville at 7 PM.
Greenville 65, Reeths-Puffer 47
The Rockets’ season ended at the hands of the Yellow Jackets on Monday night. Reeths-Puffer fell behind early but was certainly not out of it just yet. Senior Brayden Mitchelson scored seven of the Rockets’ first 11 points in the first quarter. Trailing by just five points coming out of the half, Greenville outscored RP 17-10 in the third and extended its lead to 45-33. Missed free throws down the stretch for the Rockets paid dividends in the final score as they lost 65-47.
Reeths-Puffer’s season ended in the first round of the playoffs with a 6-17 overall record.
Spring Lake 56, Orchard View 43
Orchard View fought until the fourth quarter but just didn’t have enough juice down the stretch to upset Spring Lake. The Lakers are having a solid campaign and will now try to knock off WMC champ Whitehall.
The Cardinals led early in the first quarter and had Spring Lake on the ropes. The Lakers started to heat up, scoring six unanswered points, leading them to carry an 11-9 lead into the second quarter. Orchard View sophomore Tyshawn Smith kept them in the game, eventually taking back the lead.
The last four minutes of the first half, however, belonged to Spring Lake. Ending the first two quarters with a six-point lead, the Lakers rode out the rest of the game on a high note defensively, along with a big-time performance from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
Landon O’Donnell led SL with 13 points, followed by Core with 11. Smith scored 15 points, while Dontya Johnson added 11 for the Cardinals.
Spring Lake will take on Whitehall Wednesday night in Whitehall at 7 PM.
Oakridge 57, Montague 41
It came down to either Fruitport or Oakridge for the second bye. Nonetheless, we are going to get that matchup on Wednesday. Oakridge and Montague matched up last Friday in both teams’ last regular-season game, and we saw the Eagles win in convincing fashion, 71-37. This time around, both programs had their seasons hanging in the balance.
Montague played much better defensively Wednesday night, but the offense failed to gain any momentum.
The Wildcats came out firing in the first quarter, resulting in a lead that would soon be derailed by a 9-0 Oakridge run. They say basketball is a game of runs, and this contest certainly proved that. Any time Montague was able to close the gap or take a lead, the Eagles found a way to work through their playmakers. Late in the third quarter, Evan Miller, Peyton Ruel, and Evan Jozsa teamed up to bury the Wildcats en route to a 16-point win.
Oakridge (16-7) and Fruitport (17-5) will play on Wednesday in Whitehall at 5:30 PM.
White Cloud 53, Shelby 43
In a game where Shelby never led after a quarter, the Indians kept the Tigers on their toes all night. After the first quarter, White Cloud led 13-9 and soon extended that lead to 23-16 at the half. The next two quarters were very similar to the first half, as White Cloud maintained its lead throughout and rode to a 53-43 win.
The Tigers struggled to figure out the Indians’ zone play, and whenever WC had the ball in the fourth, they made sure to take advantage of the clock.
WC will face LeRoy Pine River on Wednesday at 5:30 PM.
Manistee 50, Hesperia 37
Two WMC teams matched up in the first round of the Division 3 playoffs—one from the Lakes and one from the Rivers.
Kaden Kott did what he has been doing all season, scoring 20 points to go with his four steals.
Outside of Ethan O’Neal’s 21-point outing, Hesperia wasn’t able to muster up much offensively. Trailing most of the game, a six-point fourth quarter was surely the difference-maker on Monday.
Heading into Wednesday’s semifinal game against Mason County Central, Manistee coach Zachary Bialik emphasized key pillars the Mariners must focus on to advance. “We have to shore up some things on the offensive end. We need to continue the defensive pressure and keep up the intensity.”
Fremont 70, Reed City 59
The Packers slowly built up a lead on Reed City that proved to be too much by the fourth quarter. Leading 36-26 at the half, Fremont held Reed City to just eight points in the third and tacked on a 20-point lead.
Redick Powell led the charge with 20 points, followed by Mossen Green and Bryaden Crosley, who both finished in double digits.
“I was proud of our guys. Only one player on the roster had played district minutes going into it. Very happy with how they responded and handled some adversity tonight,” said Fremont coach Kit Powell.
He also stated that his guys must value the ball on Wednesday when they play Ludington at 5:30 PM in Newaygo.
Ravenna 58, Lakeview 42
The Bulldogs may have shot the best they have all season from beyond the arc. A quick 19-9 lead after the first quarter extended to a 12-point lead heading into the half.
Ravenna was able to limit turnovers in the second half and use the clock to its advantage on the way to a 16-point win on Monday.
Dylan May led the Bulldogs with 17 points. Behind him were JJ Houseman and Shea Iwaniw, who each added 11 points.
Ravenna now sits at 10-13 overall and will face Blanchard Montabella at 5:30 PM.
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