Ten girls district basketball semifinal games involving West Michigan Conference teams were played Wednesday night.
Here is a roundup of all the action that took place on March 1, 2023:
DIVISION 2 AT MONTAGUE
WHITEHALL 33, GRANT 32: Whitehall eked out a district semifinal win over a solid Grant squad and earned a spot in Friday’s 7 p.m. district final against Montague on the Wildcats’ home court.
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MONTAGUE 34, FREMONT 22: Montague used its pressure defense to set the tone in the season rubber match against WMC Lakes Division foe Fremont and advance to Friday’s district final.
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DIVISION 2 AT REED CITY
CADILLAC 43, LUDINGTON 26: WMC Lakes Division champion Ludington struggled to put the ball in the basket and saw its season end in a Division 2 district semifinal loss to Cadillac.
Ludington trailed 17-9 after the first quarter and 27-14 at halftime.
Emma McKinley scored nine points and Keelyn Laird five for the Orioles, who finish their season with a 15-8 record.
Cadillac (9-15) advances to Friday’s 7 p.m. district final against Big Rapids (21-2), which cruised past Remus Chippewa Hills in the other district semifinal, 58-22.
DIVISION 2 AT ALLENDALE
ALLENDALE 40, OAKRIDGE 24: District host Allendale outscored Oakridge a combined 25-10 in the second and third quarters en route to picking up the semifinal win.
Anna Lundquist led the Eagles with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Lily Blackburn scored seven points.
Oakridge finishes the season with a 16-7 overall record. Allendale (11-13) advances to Friday’s 7 p.m. district final against OK Blue foe Spring Lake (11-10), which defeated OK Blue opponent Hudsonville Unity Christian in the other district semifinal, 53-46.
DIVISION 3 AT HART
MASON COUNTY CENTRAL 54, WHITE CLOUD 29: After being tied 8-8 through one quarter, Mason County Central pulled away with a 16-6 second-quarter scoring advantage in this Division 3 district semifinal.
Wren Nelson powered the Spartans with a double-double, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Eva Hradel produced 14 points and six rebounds for MCC (19-4), which will face WMC Rivers Division rival Hart (20-3) in Friday’s 7 p.m. district final.
Hart won both regular-season matchups against Mason County Central, 54-38 at MCC and 51-32 at Hart.
White Cloud finishes its season with an 8-13 record.
HART 70, SHELBY 37: District host Hart completed a three-game season sweep of neighboring rival Shelby in the second semifinal of the night Wednesday. The Tigers played the Pirates even for the first couple minutes before the hosts began to pull away.
Abby Hicks scored 20 of her game-high 22 points in the first half as Hart built a 32-12 lead entering the break. She added nine rebounds, seven steals and six assists in a well-rounded floor game.
Addi Hovey notched a triple-double for Hart with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and six assists. Aspen Boutell had seven points and four assists, while Mariana VanAgtmael added five assists.
Aubrey Klotz had eight points, six rebounds and three assists for Shelby, which closes with a 10-14 record. Molli Schultz and Kendall Zaveral finished with five points apiece for the Tigers, while Kylie Brown and Biloxi Lee grabbed seven and five rebounds, respectively.
DIVISION 3 AT LAKEVIEW
MORLEY STANWOOD 32, RAVENNA 24: Ravenna fell into a 9-2 first-quarter hole and battled back, but the Bulldogs could never truly get over the hump in a tough district semifinal loss to a solid Morley Stanwood team.
Alivia Gilbert led the balanced Ravenna squad with seven points, while Addison Gillard scored six and Emma Gillard five. The Bulldogs close the season with a 9-14 record under new coach Luke Houseman, marking the program’s most wins in a season since 2019-20.
Lila Hasington scored a game-high 13 points with three 3-pointers for Morley Stanwood, while Makenna Martin scored nine. Morley Stanwood (15-5) advances to Friday’s 7 p.m. district final against familiar CSAA foe Kent City (19-4), which defeated Holton in the second semifinal of the night, 49-22.
KENT CITY 49, HOLTON 22: Holton hung tight with Kent City in the first quarter, trailing 9-8, before a big second quarter by the Eagles created some separation in this district semifinal at Lakeview. Kent City led 26-12 at halftime and pulled away from there.
Maddie Geers led Kent City with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals. Lexie Bowers had 16 points and three steals for the Eagles, who finished No. 9 in The Associated Press’ final Division 3 state rankings.
Aubrey Goyings scored seven points to lead Holton, which closes a solid season with a 12-12 record. Red Devils coach BJ Jordan was pleased with his team’s defense, which was one of the few that has held Kent City under 50 points.
DIVISION 3 AT MANISTEE
TRAVERSE CITY ST. FRANCIS 70, MANISTEE 54: District host Manistee competed well against the eighth-ranked team in Division 3 but saw its season end in the semifinal loss.
Jayna Edmondson scored 19 points to lead Manistee, while Marian Bialik and Libby McCarthy had 12 and nine points, respectively. Manistee closes with an 11-13 record.
St. Francis (20-2) advances to Friday’s 7 p.m. district final against Benzie Central (16-7), which defeated Manton in the other district semifinal, 43-33.
DIVISION 3 AT NORTH MUSKEGON
WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN 64, NORTH MUSKEGON 36: District host North Muskegon fell behind early and could not recover in a semifinal matchup against Western Michigan Christian.
Grace Philpot paced North Muskegon with 11 points, while Marilyn Gaston had nine points, nine rebounds and three steals. Fran Vinson sparked the Norse with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Kaylee Martin had four points, four assists and three rebounds.
North Muskegon finishes its season with a 5-16 record. Western Michigan Christian (9-11) advances to Friday’s 7 p.m. district final against Saugatuck (14-9), which defeated Holland Black River in the night’s first semifinal, 31-27.
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