Boys Basketball District Final Round-Up (Feb 28th): Michigan, the Buzzer-Beater State?

This past weekend, I expected some close games and a few highlight-worthy moments. What I didn’t expect was witnessing four buzzer-beaters in just 72 hours.

Yes, you read that right—four.

It all started Wednesday when Michigan State’s Tre Holloman drilled a half-court heave to lift the Spartans over Maryland, 58-55. The very next night, Nimari Burnett followed suit, sinking a game-winner to push Michigan past Rutgers. But the drama didn’t stop there. In district final action, we got two more buzzer-beaters to cap off an absolutely electric stretch of basketball.

To say my heart rate was elevated? Massive understatement.

Rockford V Muskegon, 64 – 62

Everybody knew this game was going to be close. If you had asked me Friday night, I would have told you Muskegon was going to take it. Now, that’s not to discount Rockford’s win—they played hard, battled to the end, and hit an unreal shot to close it out. But the reality is, the Big Reds weren’t at full strength.

They were missing key pieces—James Martin has been out since the first matchup against Shores way back in the first half of the season. And to make matters worse, James Young suffered a knee injury in the previous game against Greenville, leaving Muskegon even more shorthanded.

Still, they fought.

The first quarter was nothing short of a defensive showcase, with both teams grinding it out. It looked like they’d be heading into the second knotted at 6-6—until Darryl Thompkins Jr. drilled a jumper in the final seconds to give Muskegon a slight edge.

That spark carried over into the second, fueled by Elija Langston, who caught absolute fire from beyond the arc. He knocked down back-to-back threes, extending Muskegon’s lead to 21-11 with under five minutes to go in the quarter. And he wasn’t done—Langston splashed four triples in the period. But Rockford stayed within reach thanks to Jake Bascom, who did the dirty work inside, dropping eight points in the paint. At the break, Muskegon led 33-24.

Then came the third quarter, and Rockford started to chip away. They put up 19 points in the frame, led by Dylan Gross, cutting the deficit to just three. But Muskegon had an answer—Arquez Petty. He brought relentless energy on defense, pushed the pace in transition, and scored nine of Muskegon’s 13 points in the quarter to keep them ahead.

Now, with the game up for grabs in the fourth, it was shot for shot, punch for punch. DeKuiper and Bascom kept Rockford in the fight, and huge buckets from Gross and freshman Eli Wolfe didn’t help Muskegon’s case.

Muskegon had chances to put the game away, but the free-throw line became their downfall. They finished the quarter 4-for-10 at the stripe, giving Rockford a lifeline. And with 17 seconds left, the Rams capitalized—crashing the glass for a putback to tie it up.

Timeout, Muskegon.

Out of the huddle, Thompkins Jr. put the game in his hands, attacking the rim and drawing a foul with six seconds left. He stepped up, hit the first free throw to put Muskegon up 62-61, but the second? Off the rim.

Bascom grabbed the rebound, took off down the court, and found DeKuiper in the right corner.

BANG.

Thanks to SportsNut, Brent Raeth for the insanely well captured video of the shot. Check it out below!

Ludington V Hart, 64 – 49

The Orioles wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to an 18-8 run to seize control and never looking back as they pulled away for a dominant Division 2 district championship victory over Hart.

Taj Williams led the way with a game-high 25 points, while Cam Gunsell added 18 to fuel Ludington’s offense.

For Hart, Caleb Ackley put up a strong effort with 20 points, and Kolton Rockwell contributed 10.

With the win, Ludington (15-8) moves on to the regional semifinals, where they’ll take on Standish-Sterling on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Big Rapids High School.

Hart wraps up its 2024-25 season with a solid 16-8 record.

Spring Lake V Oakridge, 68 – 58

Spring Lake put on a defensive clinic, using a 17-4 second-quarter run to take control and shutting down a high-powered Oakridge offense in the second half to secure a 63-44 victory in the Division 2 district championship at Whitehall High School.

With the win, the Lakers claim their third straight district title, coming off a hard-fought 46-44 win over Whitehall in Wednesday’s semifinals.

Ayden Ayers led the charge for Spring Lake, filling the stat sheet with 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Jaden Core came up big as well, adding 12 points, nine boards, and five assists, while Reid Grimmer contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Max Feltner rounded out the balanced scoring attack with 10 points.

For Oakridge, Bryson Stephenson led all scorers with 19 points, while Peyton Ruel chipped in 11 points. Evan Miller added eight points, and Evan Jozsa made his presence felt on the glass with nine rebounds and two blocks.

Spring Lake (15-10) now moves on to the Division 2 regional semifinals, where they’ll take on Sparta (13-10) on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Grand Rapids Christian High School.

Meanwhile, Oakridge closes out its season with a strong 17-8 record.

Ravenna V Kent City, 60 – 49

The Bulldogs came out firing, opening the game on a 14-4 run and closing it with a 21-14 surge to lock up a hard-fought 60-49 victory over Kent City in the Division 3 district championship on Friday night.

Brady Karchinski led the charge for Ravenna with 17 points, while Dylan May added 16, Shea Iwaniw chipped in 14, and TJ Houseman contributed seven.

For Kent City, Aaron Vanderwest put on a scoring display with a game-high 21 points, while Tanner Carlson added 11, and Marcus Arechiga finished with seven.

With the win, Ravenna (12-13) advances to the Division 3 regional semifinals, where they’ll face West Michigan Conference rival North Muskegon (22-1) on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Kent City High School.

Kent City wraps up its season with a 13-11 overall record.

North Muskegon V Grandville Calvin Christian, 59 – 43

North Muskegon wasted no time asserting themselves in the Division 3 district championship, jumping out to a 17-13 lead over Grandville Calvin Christian on Friday night. From there, they leaned on their high-powered offense and relentless defense, pulling away late to secure a 59-43 victory and their fifth consecutive district championship.

Adam Dugener led the way with a game-high 25 points and three steals, while TJ Byard stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, six steals, and six assists. Markiewicz chipped in eight points, and Villalpando grabbed five rebounds to help anchor the Norsemen’s effort.

For Calvin Christian, Grant Morin finished with 15 points, Will Orme added 14, and Noah Dykstra contributed 10.

With the win, North Muskegon (22-1) advances to the Division 3 regional semifinals, where they’ll take on West Michigan Conference rival Ravenna (12-13) on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Kent City High School.

Special Mention: Pentwater V Baldwin, 55 – 52

Normally, Pentwater sits just outside of CatchMark SportsNet’s coverage zone—but come on, how could we not talk about this game? A buzzer-beating three for a district title? That’s the kind of basketball magic you just have to share.

With just seconds remaining in the district final at Mason County Eastern on Friday night, Baldwin muscled in a late bucket to tie it up at 52-52 against Pentwater.

Pentwater called timeout, setting the stage for a dramatic finish—whether it was heading to overtime or ending right then and there. Enter Trey Johnson. With the clock ticking down to 1.1 seconds, Johnson pulled up from deep—channeling his inner Damian Lillard—and drilled a cold-blooded three, snapping the net and sending Pentwater into celebration mode with a thrilling 55-52 win and a district championship.

Johnson led the way with 17 points, while Michael Carlson added 16, and Jonny Arnouts chipped in 13 to cap off a balanced Falcons attack.

Up next? A postseason showdown with a familiar foe—Muskegon Heights.

Thanks to a few of our lovely viewers, we have the opportunity to show off that three, check it out below!

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