03-12-2020 Tri-City Area Sports

Watervliet Press Box by John Oliphant

Girls basketball season ends in Districts

The Lady Panther basketball team finished a rebuilding season with a valiant effort against Brandywine on Wednesday, March 4 in Cassopolis. The top-seeded Bobcats beat Bangor 61-15 in the opening round of the tournament before facing the Panthers. As a side note the MHSAA is now seeding the district basketball tournaments for the first and second teams. But they didn’t finish the job, which would normally include giving byes to the top teams as is typical in virtually all bracketing systems. This resulted in oddities like unseeded Watervliet getting a bye and 1-seed Brandywine playing an extra game. Hopefully the MHSAA fixes all of this next year.

SOPHOMORE…Myah Hobson looks for the jumper to go in, in round one of District play for the Lady Panthers. Watervliet played top seeded Brandywine Bobcats in Cassopolis last week loosing 61-15 to the Bobcats. (Gloria Reeves photo)

Brandywine beat the Panthers, 55-24. The Lady Panther defense played well enough to keep the game somewhat close in the first half, but the potent Brandywine offense proved to be too much to handle. The girls found themselves down 8-2 at the end of the first quarter, a decent start against such a strong team. Sophomore Madison Saunders, finishing up her second year on the varsity team, had the only basket in the quarter. Brandywine kept up the pressure in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 16-11 to take a modest 24-13 lead into halftime. Unfortunately the Bobcats turned up their defense in the second half, outscoring the Panthers 16-2 to take a 40-15 lead into the final quarter. Overall the Bobcats forced the Panthers into 33 turnovers on the night and it’s hard to win with that stat in your book.

Samantha Dietz led the scoring with 10 points, while going 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Point guard Madison “MJ” Flowers scored eight points. Saunders scored four points, and Addison Riley chipped in a pair of free throws for two points.

The Bobcats took on 2-seed Decatur in the District 77 finals where they handily beat the Raiders 73-25 to claim the district championship. The 22-1 Bobcats will take on 19-4 Kalamazoo Hackett Christian in pre-regional play for a chance to face the winner of a matchup between 19-3 Gobles and 20-2 Schoolcraft on Thursday night. This should be a great regional tournament between four very good teams.

Coach Ken Dietz gave a big thanks to his seniors, Alexis Worley and Serena Reyna. Both played key roles on the team this season as they closed out their basketball careers at Watervliet. The Lady Panthers finish the season at 5-16.

Panther wrestlers compete at Ford Field

The MHSAA state final wrestling tournament was held last weekend at Ford Field in Detroit. Eighty-seven wrestlers competed in 14 weight classes in Division 3, including Trever Pelton at 112 pounds and Don Smith at 189 pounds.

Trever lost his first-round match to 40-7 Luke Sherman of Millington, 8-1. In his second match he pinned Ian Boden of Howard City at 4:58. That gave him an unfortunate matchup against top-ranked Kaden Chinavare from the powerhouse Dundee program. Chinavare won the match 13-1 to knock Pelton out of the tournament, and then won three more matches to take a third place medal. Dundee’s wrestlers took first place in seven of 14 weight classes, plus a pair of second places. They also ran away with the Division 3 team championship a week prior.

Trever closes out his wrestling career at Watervliet with a 41-7 senior season.

In his first match Don faced the eventual second-place medalist, Noah Motanari of Richmond. He wrestled Noah point for point, taking a 1-1 match into overtime. The first overtime ended 2-2, leading them into a sudden-victory situation. So far in the match neither wrestler had a takedown or was able to keep the other under control and all the match points were scored on escapes. At the start of the sudden-victory (sudden-death) period Noah chose the bottom because he figured he could escape for a match-winning point. Both wrestlers looked exhausted as they started that fifth period, and Noah was able to escape after a few moments to claim the first round win.

Don got pinned in his next match, ending his junior season at 25-11.

Press Box Player of the Week!

By Jerrod Birmele

Alexis Snodgrass, a sophomore at Hartford High School, and a member of the Lady Indian Basketball team, is this week’s Tri-City Record Press Box Player of the Week.

This winter, Alexis solidified herself as a presence in the frontcourt for a Lady Indian squad that finished with 10 wins. Last year’s Most Improved Player ended her second season on varsity by leading the team with 10 points in their district semifinal loss to Gobles on March 3. In that game, she made two baskets from the field and was an outstanding 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. She also contributed on the defensive end, getting several rebounds and getting her hand in on a few blocks.

For the season, Alexis scored a total of 106 points, averaging just over 5.5 points per game. She led the team in scoring on three different occasions, and finished the season strong, scoring ten or more points in three of her final four games. She scored a season-high 14 points against Marcellus on Feb. 18 and added a 10-point performance against White Pigeon in the regular season finale on Feb. 25. She also was one of the team leaders in rebounds and blocks this season.

Off the basketball court, Alexis is involved athletically in volleyball and softball. This past season in volleyball, she earned honorable mention all-conference honors from the Southwest 10 Conference, and, along with her teammates, received Team Academic All-State honors from the MIVCA. Because of her high standards in the classroom, she received high honors for the first semester this year.

Congratulations on this great honor, Alexis! We look forward to all the great things you will bring to Indian Athletics in the coming years!

Hartford Prress Box By Jerrod Birmele

Hartford boys basketball heads into postseason on 2-game losing skid

Last week, the Hartford Indian boys basketball team played their final game of the regular season. After riding a four-game winning streak into last week, the Indians suffered their first loss in three weeks to Cassopolis on Feb. 28. However, the team was still above the .500 mark, sitting at 10-9 overall. With the postseason on the docket looming large, the team needed to get back to its winning ways to sustain momentum.

In their home game on Tuesday, Mar. 3 versus Centreville, the Indians got off to a very slow start, and never came back. They fell to the visiting Bulldogs, 68-44. Centreville came into Indian Gymnasium and dominated from the jump all the way to the final horn. The Bulldogs used tactical shooting in the first quarter, along with solid half-court pressure defense, to take a 24-12 lead after the opening eight minutes. Centreville’s surge continued in the second quarter, as they outscored Hartford, 25-9, to take a 49-21 lead into halftime.

The second half was much more muted, as the offensive pace slowed down and both teams emptied their benches, giving plenty of playing time to players who may not normally get it. In the third quarter, the Bulldogs outscored the Indians by just one, 14-13, to extend their lead to 63-34 with eight minutes left. The highlight of the game came in the fourth quarter, as Hartford outscored Centreville, 10-5, in the frame, but the game was firmly over.

Hartford will now go into postseason play at 10-10 overall. They will play in a district hosted by Bloomingdale, which began on Monday evening, March 9, with the Indians playing the host Cardinals in the first game on the docket.

Hartford girls basketball bows out in tough district semifinal loss

Last week, the Hartford Lady Indian Basketball team returned to the court with their season on the line, as the team began district competition. Regardless of the outcome, the team has had a pretty solid season. Win or lose, they would finish with a winning record. However, this year’s team has the ability, with their strong senior leadership and solid defense, to pull off some big wins. Hartford has not won a district title since 2013, so could this team break the drought? In their district semifinal game against Gobles, held at Lawton on Wednesday, Mar. 4, the Lady Indians came up short, falling to the Lady Tigers, 37-27, in a game closer than the final score would indicate. Hartford came out firing early on both offense and defense, leading in the opening minutes before Gobles would post a comeback to even the score at 10-10 after one quarter of play. Both teams struggled from the field in the second quarter, courtesy of some solid defense, and some rough shooting woes. The Lady Tigers would take a 17-16 lead into halftime, thanks to a 7-6 scoring advantage in the frame.

The third quarter saw Gobles pull away, as Hartford made only one basket from the field, leading to a 10-5 scoring spurt and a 27-21 lead with eight minutes left. The fourth quarter saw Hartford battle back to within four, at 29-25, with just over four minutes left in the game, but a questionable foul call, and an even more questionable technical foul that followed, went against the Lady Indians. Those four free throw makes, along with a 10-6 scoring blitz in favor of the Lady Tigers, doomed the team, and led to their defeat.

Seven players scored for the Lady Indians, with one player managing to finish the night in double figures. Alexis Snodgrass led all Hartford scorers with 10 points in a losing effort, while Megan Nelson, in her final game wearing green and white, scored six points on a pair of makes from behind the arc. Other players that scored for the Lady Indians were Mercedes Requenes (3), and Sara De Diego, Vanessa DelaRosa, Khashya McCoy and Dakota Whipple (2 points each).

Hartford finishes the season with a record of 10-9 overall. Congratulations to Coach Olds, Coach Gallagher and the Lady Indians on a successful season, and a massive well-done to the seniors on a great career!

As always, GO INDIANS!

FUTURE RED HAWK… Alyssa Krenek of Coloma has recently signed to play soccer at Lake Michigan College beginning Fall 2020. She is the daughter of Scott and Ina Krenek. Alyssa’s soccer career started when she was 4 years old, playing in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). When she was 11 years old, she became a member of the Jaier Premier traveling soccer team. Jaier Premier level competed statewide and her Jaier 2001 team was ranked high in state. She has competed with teams as far as Kentucky, Iowa, Ohio, and Illinois. Alyssa is a senior at St. Joseph High School; she is a 3-year varsity soccer player and will continue her skills competing at the collegiate level.

Coloma Press Box By Dave Vollrath

Hamilton ends Coloma girls bid to win first ever basketball district; Hawks beat Comets 42-25 in final

The Coloma Comet ladies, coached by Kim Swisher, were looking to make history as they took the court last Friday, March 6. The Comets were facing the Hamilton Blackhawks, a team that has had a strong girl’s program for several years, and had at least one player on their roster that will be headed to Iowa to play Division 1, Big Ten basketball. The odds were against Coloma, but a win on their home court and a district crown could have been a much needed boost to give the program some traction in growing the sport for the Comets.

COMETS END IN LOSS… Coloma Comet senior Megan Neubecker gets her shot off in the paint, during first half of the district final game against the Hamilton Hawkeyes. The Comets came up short in their attempt to win their first district title, falling by a score of 42-25. The Comet ladies finish the season 12-11, after starting with a 0-6 record. (TCR photo by Dave Vollrath)

Coloma’s quest for the crown began on Monday, March 2, as they defeated Benton Harbor in the first step. It was the second time the Coloma gals had defeated the Lady Tigers in the last two weeks. The Comets used a balanced attack to defeat Benton Harbor 33-29, in a hard fought contest. Marissa Sherburn led the Comets with nine points, while Megan Neubecker had eight points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Taylor Brown also had eight points for Coloma, as Megan Koenigshof led the offense in distributing the ball, and being a ball hawking dynamo on defense.

On Wednesday, March 4, the Comets faced another opponent they had just recently beaten, as they faced South Haven, who they beat 24-23 just one week earlier in the Ram gym. Coloma was able to grab an early lead of 12-4 after one quarter, and stretched that to 22-7 by halftime. South Haven put on a charge, while the Comet shooting went cold, and a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter pulled the Rams within four points, at 25-21. The Comet defense then took over, forcing the Rams into six fourth quarter turnovers, and closed the game out with an 8-2 run to win their way into the championship by a 33-23 score. The Comet human pinball, Vanessa Crisenbery, led the way for the Comet offense getting her shooting touch back in time for 15 points. Marissa Sherburn scored eight points, and Megan Neubecker scored five points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists.

Friday night March 6, the Comet gym was buzzing with a championship waiting for one of the competitors while the season will suddenly end with a thud for the other. Hamilton came into this game looking for their fifth straight district crown. Coloma came in looking for their first ever.

Hamilton jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, and the Hawks defense kept the Comets at bay with a stifling defense which made it difficult for the Comets to get an open shot. The Comets made a late run, which brought them within five at 12-7 by the end of the first quarter. The hard pressing defense the Blackhawks pressured the Comets with continued, and Hamilton once again built up a sizeable lead. They went into the locker room comfortably ahead by a 26-10 score. The Comets could not get any kind of run going in the second half, and the Hawks built their lead to 35-16. With about 5:30 left in the game Coloma trailed by more than 20 and Hamilton pulled their starters. Hamilton will now move on, looking for their third straight regional title, and the Comet’s season comes to an abrupt halt.

The Comets season was a very successful one. It started with six consecutive losses, but the girls fought back and finished above .500, with 12-11 record. It is quite an achievement considering the start they had. The Comet seniors playing in their final high school contest led the way for Coloma. Megan Koenigshof, Megan Neubecker, Marissa Sherburn, Amaria Echols, and Vanessa Crisenbery all played hard and fought until the end.

Coloma boys open district play with a win, 70-52 over Allegan

The Coloma boys basketball team has finally gotten over the first game district jitters, and opened the state tournament play with a win. Coloma faced Allegan, a Wolverine Conference team coming in with only two wins on the season. The Comets, with a record of 12-8, was able to finally pull away from the Tigers for a 70-52 win, but it took three quarters to do so.

LOOKING FOR THE TIE… Coloma junior Drew Goodline gets off a last second, 3-point shot trying to tie the game against Kalamazoo Hackett. This shot was off the mark, and seconds later Comet Jake Ickes made two of three free throws, leaving the Comets with a 1-point loss, 65-64. (TCR photo by Dave Vollrath)

Playing in the newly renovated Holland Civic Center, home of Holland Christian High School, the Comets showed a few nerves starting out and trailed at the end of the first quarter, 17-1. They got their legs underneath them during the second quarter and following a 7-0 run to end the first half had a slightly comfortable lead of 34-26. The Comets were able to build their lead up to 12 in the third quarter. But the momentum swung in favor of Allegan when Drew Goodline picked up his 4th foul with about five minutes left in the 3rd quarter and had to take a seat on the bench.

The Tigers took advantage of Goodline’s foul trouble and were able to cut the Comets lead to four at 46-42 beginning the fourth. Allegan never got any closer than those four points and the Comets steadily rebuilt their lead, finally pulling away in the final 4-5 minutes of the game.

Michael Dancer had a big overall game for the Comets, as he was able to cover some of the deficiencies felt with the absence of Goodline. Dancer finished with 13 points, and pulled down 12 rebounds, while dishing out five assists. Jake Ickes led the Comets scoring with 14 points, including two 3-pointers. Amir Hall had a big game for Coloma on the low post, as his team mates found him open under the bucket. Amir took advantage of those opportunities to score 13 points. Isaiah Reinhardt came off the bench and had a nice game for Coloma by contributing 11 points to the Comet total.

Should Coloma defeat South Haven on Wednesday, March 11, they would face the Benton Harbor – Hamilton winner on Friday, March 13. Coloma head coach Curtis McFall, although happy with the win, knows they’ll have to overcome those early game jitters. McFall feels like his team will be ready and up for the challenge when they take the floor for their next game.

Comet senior wrestler Cole Alsup caps great career with 3rd place finish at State

Coloma sent three wrestlers to State competition; Cole Alsup at 285 pounds, Ian Ishmael at 145 pounds and Caeleb Ishmael at 112. Ian Ishmael, a Comet senior, lost in both the first two rounds, and finished this season with a 34-14 record. Caeleb, Ian’s sophomore brother, took a first round loss and then came back to win in the first consolation round, but lost his final match and was out of the running.

Cole came in with a record of 46-3 and had a great run toward a championship. In the end he was on the podium with a 3rd place finish by defeating a local rival, Wyatt Bailey of Dowagiac, with a 6-1 decision in the match for 3rd place. It was a great finish to a fantastic career for Cole, and Ian Ishmael. Even though Ian was not on the podium at the end he finishes his career with well over 100 career wins.