Photos by Harper Leon for CatchMark
FRUITPORT — Led by speedy Saint Mary’s College soccer commit Ella Andree, a “very fast”Than Spring Lake girls basketball team ran away from Whitehall, 54-22, in a Division 2 girls district semifinal Wednesday at Fruitport High School.
The Lakers led 14-5 after one quarter before a 16-2 second-quarter outburst all but put the game away.
Spring Lake (16-6) advances to Friday’s 7 p.m. district final against host Fruitport (8-16), which defeated Montague, 44-33, in the second game Wednesday.
Whitehall closes the season with a 10-14 record. The Vikings will lose four players off their roster to graduation.
“Whitehall struggled to put points on the board against a very fast Spring Lake team which did a good job in transition and moved the ball well,” Whitehall coach Brian Milliron said. “Spring Lake guard Ella Andree did well on both ends and caused us fits.”
Andree, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, scored a co-game high 15 points with eight of them coming in the opening quarter and 13 in the first half. She made three 3-pointers, grabbed six rebounds, dished four assists, and swiped a couple of steals.
Spring Lake senior guard Brooke Bolthouse also scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting with four steals and two assists. Junior Ellie Wrona had eight points for the Lakers, while seniors Alexa Carter and Clara Saunders chipped in six points each.
Whitehall junior Lexi Daggett (Courtney Jimison | CatchMark)
For Whitehall, junior Lexi Daggett scored 12 points with a pair of 3-pointers. She had five points in the first quarter and seven in the fourth. Senior Kendall Osborne and freshman Clare Westerlund added four points apiece for the Vikings.
“(Osborne) handled the bulk of the ball-handling duties once again and did well against the Spring Lake pressure. Kendall’s leadership unselfishness has been a huge reason for the team’s success this year,” Milliron said.
“Senior Allie VanAntwerp had two points and played all 24 games this season after tearing her second ACL last year, showing a lot of resilience. Her post presence and leadership will be missed. Senior Taylor Ottinger battled some sickness tonight and gave us good quality minutes once again, especially on the top of the zone.
“Senior Lucy Zamojcin had a great rebounding night and has been the glue that kept the team together all season. Lucy’s effort and ability to play much bigger than her small stature will be a tough attribute for Whitehall to replace.”
