RAVENNA — Luke Houseman is really looking forward to the holiday break and it has nothing to do with Christmas presents.
Ravenna’s girls basketball coach is eager to get his team in the gym for some more practice time. After some early-season injuries, the Bulldogs are getting healthier.
Ravenna earned its second straight win with a 30-27 grinder over visiting Whitehall Thursday night in a West Michigan Conference nondivisional matchup. On Tuesday, the Bulldogs picked up their first victory of the season, 39-26, at home against Holland.
Ravenna coach Luke Houseman (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
Ravenna is now 2-4 overall. Whitehall, which notched its first win in a 39-38 thriller against Fruitport Tuesday, slips to 1-5 overall.
Ravenna will not take the court again until after the holiday break. The Bulldogs host Hesperia on Jan. 4.
Whitehall also is off until Jan. 4, when the Vikings visit Oakridge.
Here are more details and notables from the Ravenna-Whitehall game:
Ravenna banked on its defense in jumping out to a 10-1 first-quarter lead, which stretched to 14-1 in the second quarter.
Ravenna led 18-8 at halftime and 25-18 through three quarters.
Ravenna’s Mattisen Crowley was a force in the paint. The 5-foot-10 junior finished with a team-high 10 points.
Ravenna sophomore point guard Emily Postema proved to be a sparkplug once again. She scored seven points.
Ravenna senior Alivia Gilbert added five key points.
Ravenna’s inability to make free throws kept the game close. The Bulldogs finished 5-of-19 from the line.
Whitehall senior Kendall Osborne led all scorers with 15 points — five in the second quarter, six in the third, and four in the fourth.
Nobody else had more than three points for the Vikings.
Whitehall junior Lexi Daggett, one of the team’s top scorers, was out of town on a family vacation.