A couple of hot-shot bowlers enter the mix in the latest CatchMark SportsNet West Michigan Conference Player of the Week fan poll.
Six winter sports athletes from the conference who stood out during the week of Feb. 6-11, 2023, have been nominated. Now it’s time for you to vote for Player of the Week.
The poll can be found at the bottom of this story after brief capsules on the nominees. Voting is open and will continue until noon on Friday, Feb. 17.
Athletes are listed alphabetically:
LILY BLACKBURN, Oakridge basketball
The 5-foot-10 senior shooting guard put together a couple of nice games for the Eagles last week in a pair of wins. In Tuesday’s 40-16 home victory over Orchard View, Blackburn finished with 11 points, three assists and seven steals. In Friday’s 46-33 home win over Whitehall, she totaled 13 points, five rebounds and seven steals.
SHANE COOK, Whitehall wrestling
The Vikings’ dominant 285-pounder breezed through another tournament bracket on Saturday in the Division 3 individual district hosted by Whitehall. After a first-round bye, Cook pinned his three opponents in 13 seconds, 1:03 and 1:03, respectively. He carries a 48-0 season record into team regionals this Wednesday and individual regionals this Saturday.
KENDRA DENHOF, Ravenna bowling
The Bulldogs junior broke the girls school record for a single game by rolling a 247 during a dual meet at Stix in Ludington last Wednesday. It eclipsed the previous record by one pin, held by Kendra Schuitema from the 2015-16 season. On the season, Denhof is averaging 148, but she’s been on the rise in recent weeks. She also had a 227 last week.
MIKE HRUSKACH, Oakridge bowling
The Eagles sophomore achieved the magical milestone of a 300 game during a regional tune-up tournament Saturday at Sherman Bowling Center in Muskegon. Hruskach pulled off the feat on lane 13 — must be a lucky number after all. He is averaging 158 on the season, according to Oakridge coach Fred Stewart.
KEELYN LAIRD, Ludington basketball
The 6-foot-3 senior has provided steady play throughout the season for the WMC Lakes Division champion Orioles. Laird turn in two more strong games last week. In Friday’s 52-40 road win over Manistee, which clinched the divisional title, she led her team with 13 points. In Tuesday’s 54-20 home victory over Whitehall, Laird finished with 11 points.
BISHOP LEE, Shelby basketball
The 6-foot-2 senior forward posted big numbers in a pair of games that Shelby split last week. In Tuesday’s 66-49 home win over Montague in WMC nondivisional play, Lee had 22 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and a steal. In Friday’s 59-54 home loss to Ravenna in WMC Rivers Division action, he accounted for 28 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
