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WMC boys basketball: Montague-Whitehall district finals showdown set for Friday

Ravenna, North Muskegon, Mason County Central also will vie for district titles.

High school basketball fans in the White Lake area were hoping it could happen. Now, it’s a reality.

Neighboring rivals Montague (16-6) and Whitehall (16-5) are squaring off with a district championship on the line. They’ll collide at 7 p.m. Friday at Spring Lake.

The Wildcats and Vikings both pulled out Division 2 district semifinal victories Wednesday to set up the showdown, their third matchup of the season. Whitehall swept Montague in the regular season, 53-43 and 52-46, en route to winning the West Michigan Conference title.

Five teams from the conference will be vying for district titles on Friday. Ravenna, North Muskegon and Mason County Central are also playing for trophies after picking up district semifinal wins Wednesday.

Here’s a roundup of district semifinal games Wednesday (March 9, 2022) involving West Michigan Conference teams, including updated schedule graphics for each of those districts:

DIVISION 2 AT SPRING LAKE

Graphic by Amy Yonkman | CatchMark

WHITEHALL 62, SPRING LAKE 57: The visiting Vikings avenged a 22-point season-opening loss to the Lakers in a district semifinal thriller that went from a Whitehall blowout to a white-knuckle finish.

Whitehall raced out to a 17-8 first-quarter lead and extended it to 50-33 midway through the fourth quarter before Spring Lake mounted a furious rally.

The Vikings used a balanced effort to pull out the victory, placing four players in double figures.

Whitehall leaders:

Jack Houtteman 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Isaac DeHart 13 points, 4 rebounds

Camden Thompson 11 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Nate Bolley 10 points, 3 rebounds

Brodie Fogus 4 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks

Red Watson 4 points, 5 assists, 3 steals

Spring Lake leaders:

Kaden George 21 points

Porter Saunders 21 points

Jackson Core 6 points

Eli Morrison 5 points

Records:

Whitehall 16-5

Spring Lake 9-13

Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark

MONTAGUE 55, OAKRIDGE 39: In a district semifinal battle between two teams playing well down the stretch of the regular season, the Wildcats used a balanced effort and big contributions from their sophomore trio of Paul Olson, Isaiah Atchison and Owen Raeth.

Those three players combined for 33 points and 20 rebounds for Montague, which trailed 13-12 after one quarter but took control with a 17-8 second-quarter scoring advantage.

The Wildcats have won 12 of their last 14 games. The Eagles saw their seven-game winning streak snapped. Montague has won six straight in the series with Oakridge, which had reeled off seven victories in a row over the Wildcats prior to this current streak.

Montague leaders:

Paul Olson 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Isaiah Atchison 10 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 blocks, 2 steals

Owen Raeth 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Tate Stine 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

Tugg Nichols 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Braeden Johnston 4 points, 5 rebounds

Oakridge leaders:

Ethan Jozsa 18 points

Garrett Wever 16 points

Records:

Montague 16-6

Oakridge 12-9

Photos by Scott DeCamp | CatchMark

DIVISION 3 AT WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN

Graphic by Amy Yonkman | CatchMark

NORTH MUSKEGON 50, SHELBY 40: The Norsemen hit shots early and jumped out to an 11-4 first-quarter lead. They put the game away at the free-throw line, as they finished 17-of-21 for the game.

North Muskegon will face Holton in the district finals for the second straight year. The Norsemen knocked off the Red Devils last year en route to the regional finals.

North Muskegon leaders:

Troy McManus 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals

Jason Bogue 11 points

James Young 6 points, 3 steals

Brandon Rypstra 6 points

Sam Gallo 6 points

Shelby leaders:

Joseph Hayes 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals

Bishop Lee 11 points, 3 rebounds

Wyatt Dickman 4 points, 3 rebounds

Records:

North Muskegon 14-8

Shelby 12-9

Photos by Zach Zweigle | CatchMark

HOLTON 54, HART 45: In a game that was tight throughout, Holton came away with the victory and earned a spot in the district finals. Hart led 20-19 at halftime.

“It was a very tough district basketball game. Credit to Hart for pushing us so hard,” Holton coach Keith Swanson said. “I was happy with our guys’ adjustments later in the game, which helped lean in our way tonight.”

Holton leaders:

Austin Fowler 16 points, 4 rebounds

Carter Brant 16 points, 4 assists

Wyatt Monette 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals

Hart leaders:

Wyatt Dean 15 points

Caleb Bitely 7 points

Records:

Holton 15-6

Hart 7-15

Wyatt Dean of the Hart boys basketball team is photographed at the CatchMark Media Day on Nov. 24, 2021, in Whitehall, Mich. (Cody Ottinger | CatchMark)

DIVISION 3 AT WHITE CLOUD

Graphic by Amy Yonkman | CatchMark

RAVENNA 53, KENT CITY 40: The Bulldogs placed three players in double figures and knocked off the Central State Activities Association Silver Division champion Eagles in the district semifinals.

It was Kent City that ended Ravenna’s unbeaten season two years ago in the district semifinals.

Ravenna leaders:

Grant Becklin 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists

Kyle Beebe 15 points, 5 rebounds

Clay Schullo 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Travis May 4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists

Hunter Hogan 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

Owen Scott 6 assists

Kent City leaders:

Jaret Jaramillo 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

Hayden Carlson 8 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists

Kyler Larson 7 points, 5 rebounds

Records:

Ravenna 14-6

Kent City 15-7

Grant Becklin of the Ravenna boys basketball team is photographed at the CatchMark Media Day on Nov. 24, 2021, in Whitehall, Mich. (Cody Ottinger | CatchMark)

DIVISION 3 AT MCBAIN

Graphic by Amy Yonkman | CatchMark

MASON COUNTY CENTRAL 55, EVART 44: The Spartans used a 12-3 second-quarter scoring advantage and monster game from Jayden Perrone to pull away in the district semifinals.

Mason County Central will be playing for a second straight district championship.

MCC leaders:

Jayden Perrone 27 points, 17 rebounds, 4 steals

Will Chye 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

Evart leaders:

Dakobe White 17 points

Kam Darling 11 points

Bryant Calderon 12 points

Records:

Mason County Central 7-14

Evart 5-16

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Lead writer for CatchMark SportsNet and Web Services leader for CatchMark Technologies.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Kaye

    March 10, 2022 at 9:16 am

    Still waiting on the interview with Kyle Bebe a couple weeks ago.

    • Scott DeCamp

      March 10, 2022 at 9:56 am

      Kyle Beebe is our Profile of the Week this week. Those publish on Sundays, so look for it in a few days.

      We try to work ahead on the Profiles of the Week, so that’s why we conduct the interviews 1 1/2 to 2 weeks before the stories publish.

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