Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
Several girls basketball games involving West Michigan Conference teams took place Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Below is a roundup of the action from Jan. 18-19, 2024. If your team’s game does not appear in the roundup, then it’s because not information was emailed to CatchMark SportsNet at sports@catchmarkit.com.
THURSDAY, JAN. 18
WMC NONDIVISIONAL
HART 58, MONTAGUE 32: The one-two punch of Addi Hovey and Abby Hicks powered host Hart past Montague in this WMC nondivisional matchup.
The Pirates jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the first quarter and expanded the margin to 35-16 by halftime.
“After having two games cancelled in the past eight days (because of inclement weather), Hart was finally able to get back on the court to complete Thursday night vs Montague,” Hart coach Travis Rosema said. “Despite the long layoff, the girls showed no signs of being rusty. Great team defense forced several Montague turnovers, which led to easy transition layups. When forced to play in the half court, the girls executed well and played unselfishly, racking up nine assists on 13 first-half baskets.
“The second half went very similar to the first half — great defense, transition baskets, and unselfish play leading to great scoring opportunities. Hart finished with 23 steals on the night and 17 assists on 23 made shots.”
Hart leaders:
Addi Hovey 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blockjs
Abby Hicks 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Kelsey Copenhaver 8 points, 10 rebounds
Breslyn Porter 5 points, 8 steals, 3 assists
Rilynn Porter 5 assists
Montague leaders:
Avah VanderMeulen 13 points
Braylyn Bultema 5 points
Adilynn Peterson 4 points
Addison Pranger 4 points
Records:
Hart 6-2 overall
Montague 1-8 overall
***
WHITEHALL 36, SHELBY 31: Visiting Whitehall used an 8-2 fourth-quarter scoring advantage to rally for a victory in a competitive WMC nondivisional contest.
“(Lianne) Fagan (made) clutch free throws down the stretch,” Whitehall assistant coach Emily MacArthur said. “(Clare) Westerlund (was) a rebounding machine.”
Whitehall leaders:
Kendall Osborne 13 points
Lexi Daggett 10 points
Clare Westerlund 8 points
Shelby leaders:
Kendall Zaverl 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
Lydia Soelberg 7 points, 8 rebounds
Molli Schultz 7 points, 4 steals, 2 assists
Kylie Brown 8 rebounds
Brylee Friedman 6 rebounds
Records:
Whitehall 3-7 overall
Shelby 4-5 overall
Whitehall senior Kendall Osborne (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
***
NORTH MUSKEGON 30, OAKRIDGE 27: Visiting North Muskegon won its third straight game with good hustle and a strong defensive effort.
“We went into this game knowing how outsized we were and how good Oakridge was, but we played our game and kept hustling, even through a flat third quarter,” North Muskegon coach Jill Young said. “It was an ugly win, but we are proud of it.
“Our bench was outstanding. These ladies are really unselfish, and truly enjoy playing basketball together. We are having a blast,” added Young, who noted the contributions of Kaylee Martin and Allie Jensen with their rebounding, passing, and hustle.
North Muskegon leaders:
Delaney Young 10 points, 7 steals
Emma Lamiman 6 points, 5 rebounds
Emma Buchmiller 5 points, 5 steals
Grace Philpot 5 points
Oakridge leaders:
Kaelinn Jozsa 10 points, 16 rebounds
Destiny Bowen 7 points
Records:
North Muskegon 7-3 overall
Oakridge 2-6 overall
***
FREMONT 65, RAVENNA 18: Pressure defense created good looks at the basket for host Fremont as all 10 players contributed and played well in the Packers’ WMC nondivisional runaway win one day after a hard-fought battle against Grant.
“Ravenna had won three of their last four games, but our pressure defense created alot of turnovers and good looks at the basket,” Fremont coach Peter Zerfas said. “When we were not getting to the basket, we had our best shooting night from outside, hitting 10 of 27 3-point shots.”
Fremont leaders:
Taylor DeKuiper 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals (4 3-pointers)
Eliana VandenBerg 12 points, 5 steals
Khaila Noordyk 10 points, 7 rebounds
Riley Chase 10 points, 6 steals
Mia Clemence 6 points, 5 assists
Jessica Bennett 5 points, 6 rebounds
Katie Ackerman 5 steals, 5 assists
Ravenna leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Records:
Fremont 8-2 overall
Ravenna 3-6 overall
Fremont freshman Taylor DeKuiper (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
***
NONLEAGUE
HESPERIA 37, MASON COUNTY EASTERN 19: Host Hesperia snapped a seven-game skid with a convincing nonleague victory over Mason County Eastern.
No stats or details were submitted for this game.
Records:
Hesperia 2-7 overall
Mason County Eastern 1-8 overall
***
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18
NONLEAGUE
MASON COUNTY CENTRAL 58, MAPLE CITY GLEN LAKE 42: Host MCC outscored reigning Division 4 state champion Glen Lake 15-5 in the third quarter en route to an impressive nonleague victory.
“We played one of our best quarters of the season in the third tonight. Outscored a state ranked team 15-5 in the third quarter tonight,” MCC coach Brian Beebe said. “eally happy with the energy of our entire team on a snow day.
“Grace Weinert and Jessica Petersen did a great job tonight on both ends of the floor. They defended their perimeter players well and knocked down some huge shots for us in the third quarter. Wren Nelson gave us a great presence inside tonight: Nine points, 11 rebounds and five blocks against a solid Laker post player. Mallory (Miller) scored 20-plus points for the fourth time tonight. She shot it really well in the first half and made plays down the stretch for us with the ball in hand.”
MCC leaders:
Mallory Miller 26 points
Wren Nelson 9 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks
Glen Lake leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Records:
Mason County Central 7-1 overall
Maple City Glen Lake 7-3 overall
Mason County Central junior Mallory Miller (Amy Yonkman | CatchMark)
***
FREMONT 47, GRANT 41: Host Fremont overcame a 35-26 second-half deficit with an 8-0 third-quarter run and made enough plays down the stretch to pick up the nonleague win against former conference rival Grant. The Packers outscored the Tigers, 21-6, in the last 12 minutes of the game.
“We were able to beat a very good and well coached Grant team with grit, determination, and a total team effort,” Fremont coach Peter Zerfas said. “It might not always show up on the stat sheet, but every girl that played tonight did her job and that is why we were able to win.
“Grant led 35-34 heading into the fourth. The fourth was just a battle of two teams fighting hard on every possession. We were able to make a few more shots down the stretch.”
Fremont leaders:
Mia Clemence 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals
Jessica Bennett 9 points, 7 rebounds
Riley Chase 6 points
Taylor DeKuiper 6 points
Grant leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Records:
Fremont 7-2 overall
Grant 4-3 overall
Fremont junior Mia Clemence (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
***
TRAVERSE CITY WEST 63, MANISTEE 36: Visiting Traverse City West took a 14-7 first-quarter lead, then built upon it by outscoring Manistee 39-9 over the second and third quarters combined in this nonleague matchup.
“Got to hand it to Traverse City West — they shot the ball well in the first half and totally took advantage of our miscues. We will learn a lot from tonight’s game,” Manistee coach Kenn Kott said.
Traverse City West leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Manistee leaders:
Jayna Edmondson 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Reese Shively 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Lindsey Gardner 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Libby McCarthy 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists
