Photos by Shayla Hardy for CatchMark
With the holiday break in the rear-view mirror, West Michigan Conference girls basketball teams are back on the court and trying to get into a rhythm of the season.
Below is a roundup of games played Monday-Wednesday (Jan. 8-10) based on info submitted by coaches. If your game does not appear in this roundup, then it’s because no info was submitted to CatchMark.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 10
WMC LAKES DIVISION
Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark
FREMONT 45, WHITEHALL 28: Visiting Fremont pulled away in the second half and stayed unbeaten in WMC Lakes Division play.
“It was a grind as we did not shoot well (13-of-57) and came out slow again, only scoring six points in the first quarter. It was tied 6-6 after one,” Fremont coach Peter Zerfas said. “Our defense played well and we were able to take a 21-15 lead into halftime and extend the lead to 33-20 after three quarters.”
Fremont leaders:
Mia Clemence 14 points, 7 steals
Jessica Bennett 10 points, 9 blocks, 7 rebounds
Riley Chase 8 points, 5 steals
Taylor DeKuiper 6 points, 8 rebounds
Katie Ackerman 6 assists
Whitehall leaders:
Clare Westerlund 7 points
Kendall Osborne 5 points
Lucy Zamojcin 5 points
Lexi Daggett 5 points
Records:
Fremont 6-2 (4-0 WMC Lakes)
Whitehall 2-6 (1-4 WMC Lakes)
***
MANISTEE 44, MONTAGUE 43: In a game that was tight throughout, visiting Manistee made enough plays down the stretch to pull out the WMC Lakes Division victory.
“We executed on defense at the end of the game to win it, with Libby Mccarthy making the free throw that made the difference,” Manistee coach Kenn Kott said. “We got a big game out of Ava Mae Fett inside, hitting for balanced scoring throughout the game once she got her feet wet in the first quarter. Nice win on the road, and in the conference.”
Manistee leaders:
Jayna Edmondson 13 points
Ava Mae Fett 13 points
Reese Shively 7 points
Montague leaders:
Addison Pranger 19 points
Braylyn Bultema 6 points
Avah VanderMeulen 5 points
Maize Collins 5 points
Records:
Manistee 4-3 (3-1 WMC Lakes)
Montague 1-7 (1-3 WMC Lakes)
Montague junior Addison Pranger (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
***
TUESDAY, JAN. 9
WMC RIVERS DIVISION
HART 97, HESPERIA 8: Visiting Hart set a program record for the most points in a game. The previous record was 89, held by the 1994 team. Freshman Rilynn Porter erupted for 34 points, 20 of them in the first quarter.
Hart leaders:
Rilynn Porter 34 points
Abby Hicks 26 points, 14 steals, 7 assists
Addi Hovey 25 points, 11 steals, 9 rebounds
Hesperia leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Records:
Hart 5-2 (4-0 WMC Rivers)
Hesperia 1-6 (0-5 WMC Rivers)
Hart freshman Rilynn Porter (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
***
MASON COUNTY CENTRAL 60, SHELBY 44: Host MCC got back on the winning track against a game Shelby squad. Mallory Miller and Wren Nelson combined for 24 of the Spartans’ first-half points as their team built a 31-18 lead at the break.
“Shelby came in and battled tonight. They outrebounded us and did a good job running their stuff. (Molli) Schultz is a veteran guard who can make shots and she did that tonight,” MCC coach Brian Beebe said.
“Mallory and Wren were great tonight offensively. Mallory scored a career-high 29 and made five 3s for the second time this year. Wren made some tough catches and contested finishes around the rim. That inside out combination was really important for our team to get it done tonight.”
MCC leaders:
Mallory Miller 29 points
Wren Nelson 17 points, 9 rebounds
Jessica Petersen 4 points
Shelby leaders:
Molli Schultz 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Biloxi Lee 7 points, 2 rebounds
Lydia Soelberg 6 points
Kendall Zaverl 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Brylee Friedman 7 rebounds
Records:
Mason County Central 6-1 (3-1 WMC Rivers)
Shelby 4-4 (2-3 WMC Rivers)
Mason County Central junior Mallory Miller (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
***
NORTH MUSKEGON 52, HOLTON 49 (OT): A big game by freshman Delaney Young along with grit allowed host North Muskegon to pull out an overtime win over a solid Holton squad in a WMC Rivers thriller.
“Defensive heart and hustle won this game. Holton has incredible athletes, and every time we compete against them, win or lose, we get better,” North Muskegon coach Jill Young said. “I’m just proud of the work this group of Lady Norse have put in and the trust we are building. The seniors are incredible and we are having a blast.”
North Muskegon leaders:
Delaney Young 26 points, 7 rebounds (11-of-15 free throws)
Emma Buchmiller 9 points, 4 steals, 4 assists
Gracie Philpot 6 points
Marilyn Gaston 6 points, 5 rebounds
Holton leaders:
Ryan Robins 19 points, 20 rebounds
Aubrey Goyings 13 points, 11 rebounds
Abbie Fowler 9 points, 6 assists
Records:
North Muskegon 5-3 (3-1 WMC Rivers)
Holton 7-2 (2-2 WMC Rivers)
***
NONLEAGUE
OAKRIDGE 50, MUSKEGON CATHOLIC CENTRAL 36: Oakridge senior Anna Lundquist flirted with a quadruple-double in powering her team to the nonleague road win.
Oakridge leaders:
Anna Lundquist 16 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 blocks
Kaelinn Jozsa 10 points, 10 rebounds
Destiny Bowen 9 points
MCC leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Records:
Oakridge 2-5 overall
Muskegon Catholic Central 2-6 overall
***
MONDAY, JAN. 8
NONLEAGUE
LUDINGTON 41, REED CITY 28: Host Ludington trailed 9-8 after one quarter but outscored Reed City in every other period, including 9-2 in the fourth.
Ludington leaders:
Jordyn Anderson 11 points
Elianna Jeruzal 8 points
Peyton Welch 6 points
Madelyn Kenyon 6 points
Reed City leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Records:
Ludington 6-4 overall
Reed City 3-5 overall
***
HOLTON 35, WHITE CLOUD 16: Host Holton locked down defensively to help overcome an off night offensively in this nonleague matchup.
“A game with a ton of missed shots. Credit to White Cloud as I felt they played harder and more intense than us for most of the game,” Holton coach BJ Jordan said. “Lucky for us they couldn’t hit shots, either.
“We just weren’t ourselves tonight, but there are always games like this so to be able to grind it out and stretch the lead a little every quarter is a good thing. During this win streak (now six), we were averaging 54 points a game, so it’s nice to see us win a game where we struggled on the offensive end.”
Holton leaders:
Ryann Robins 13 points, 17 rebounds
Abbie Fowler 6 points, 6 assists
Aubrey Goyings 11 rebounds
White Cloud leaders:
No stats or details submitted
Records:
Holton 7-1 overall
White Cloud 4-6 overall
