Photos by Melissa King
Montague’s boys basketball team came out with an aggressive mindset Tuesday night in the last game before the holiday break.
Consequently, the Wildcats can now catch a bit of a breather and feel good about how they’re playing in the early going this season. Coach Dave Osborne is definitely feeling good about it.
Ten players scored for Montague in a 74-56 victory over visiting Comstock Park in a nonleague contest where the balanced Wildcats led by as many as 23 points. That makes the Wildcats 3-0 with three double-digit victories out of the gate this season, including a 2-0 mark in the West Michigan Conference.
“I’m happy with the way we are playing,” Osborne said. “We have a huge buy-in from our team and the chemistry is great.
“Our team plays hard for 32 minutes every game and that’s one of the many things I love about this group. Just hopeful we can continue to trend upward and looking forward to 2022.”
After the holiday break, Montague will return to action with a big one: A clash with arch-rival Whitehall on Tuesday, Jan. 4, in the Vikings’ gym.
On Tuesday, the Wildcats jumped out to a 24-12 first-quarter lead and extended the margin to 44-26 by halftime.
Seven players scored five or more points for Montague. Braeden Johnston led the way with 16 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Tate Stine had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Owen Raeth chipped in 11 points.
Rodney Brassfield packed the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while Tugg Nichols had eight points and three assists for the Wildcats, who shot the ball well. They finished 29-of-60 from the floor for 48.3 percent, including 9-of-22 from 3-point range (40.9 percent).
“I was really happy with how aggressive we were on offense tonight,” Osborne said. “The kids worked hard and were aggressive from start to finish.”
Charlie Commeret led Comstock Park (1-3) with 14 points, while Ramsey Brower had 13.
NORTH MUSKEGON 44, WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN 29: At Western Michigan Christian, North Muskegon raced out to a 15-3 first-quarter lead and cruised to the nonleague victory.
North Muskegon leaders:
Brandon Rypstra 13 points
Troy McManus 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
James Young 8 points
Jason Bogue 5 points, 7 rebounds
WMC leaders:
Jared Olsen 13 points
Sam Liggett 9 points
Joe Waller 6 points, 10 rebounds
Records:
North Muskegon 2-2
Western Michigan Christian 0-4
Next games:
North Muskegon vs. Orchard View, 4 p.m. Tuesday in Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Holiday Classic at Reeths-Puffer
Manistee at Western Michigan Christian, 7 p.m. Jan. 7
SHELBY 58, MANISTEE 38: At Shelby, the Tigers used a 20-6 second-quarter scoring advantage to pull away from Manistee for the nonleague win and improve to 3-1 on the season.
CLICK HERE for a complete story and photos from the game.
MONDAY
GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC 71, OAKRIDGE 34: Oakridge fell behind early and never recovered in a Cornerstone Holiday Tournament Red Division opener against a West Catholic opponent that has blown out all three of its opponents this season.
Oakridge leaders:
Garrett Wever 11 points
Ethan Jozsa 10 points
West Catholic leaders:
Michael Morris 24 points
Kobe Kambestad 16 points
Records:
Oakridge 2-3
West Catholic 3-0
Next games:
Oakridge vs. Wyoming Potter’s House, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Cornerstone Holiday Tournament Red Division consolation game
West Catholic vs. Parchment, 8 p.m. Wednesday in Cornerstone Holiday Tournament Red Division championship game
