No. 7 Boys Basketball remains undefeated
The Panther varsity boys basketball team had a great week while beating defending D3 state champion Schoolcraft, 53-47, and then besting their top division rival Bridgman, 44-38.
The team started the week in the Schoolcraft gym on Tuesday, Jan. 10. It seems like just a few months ago when the Panthers lost the regional final to the Eagles there last season, after which the Eagles went on an unexpected run to the state championship. Their biggest guns graduated but the Eagles are still a dangerous team. The game on Tuesday was played even most of the way, with Schoolcraft hitting some ridiculously long three pointers while the Panthers had an edge in most other aspects of the game.
The visiting Panthers led 11-8 after one quarter but Schoolcraft battled back to take a 20-17 lead into halftime. The Panthers outscored the Eagles 20-14 in the third then 16-13 in the final quarter.
The exciting part of the contest was in the last minute when the Panthers held a small lead. They jumped ahead by five but the Eagles hit a basket to cut the led to three. Brady Bornas got fouled as he tried to run the ball away from the defense with a few seconds remaining. He hit the first free throw with four Eagles around the key awaiting a rebound, his teammates all at the other end of the court to avoid any fouls. Bornas missed the second shot and made a huge play, grabbing his own rebound under the basket while surrounded by four Eagles and getting fouled again. He hit both of his shots to put the Panthers up by six and time expired before the Eagles could make another good shot.
Jake Pleyer led the Panther scoring with 15 points, including 3 three-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. Wyatt Epple and Brady Bornas each scored 11. Kaiden Bierhalter scored eight with a pair of threes, Jacob Schaefer scored six, and Tyson Williams scored two points.
On Friday, Jan. 13 the team played in their first conference matchup with Bridgman since the teams competed in the defunct Red Arrow Conference. The old rivals played close early in the first quarter before the Panthers defense took full control of the game. Watervliet took a 20-12 lead into halftime and then led 32-20 going into the final period. The Bees made the game closer at the end but the Panthers held on for the win, which puts them at the top of the division standings.
Bornas led the scoring with 10. Schaefer and Pleyer each scored nine, and Epple scored eight. Bierhalter scored five, Williams scored two, and Tristan Steltner scored one. The Panther shooting was a bit off, but they won the rebounding battle 35-23 and had several key blocked shots and steals.
The boys are now 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the SAC Lakeshore division. They host Coloma on Friday, Jan. 20 and then play at Hartford on Monday, Jan. 23. On Wednesday, Jan. 25 they take on the always-tough Bucks at Buchanan in a rematch of the last season’s district finals. The first AP state rankings for boys were released just before deadline and the Panthers find themselves tied for #7 with Brandywine in Division 3.
Girls Basketball splits a pair
The Panther varsity girls basketball team started the week with a rough 52-35 loss to Kalamazoo Christian, but bounced back with a solid 38-32 win at Bridgman.
Watervliet hosted Christian on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The home team took a 7-0 lead before going stone cold while the Comets went on a 26-3 run, eventually taking a 28-16 lead into halftime. The Panthers eventually lost the game 52-35 after coming within striking distance a couple times in the third quarter. The missed easy baskets, long shots, trouble with passes, and to make matters worse the Comets dominated the rebound battle. Not a game the Lady Panthers will use for highlights.
MJ Flowers scored 15 points, Ellie Golden scored eight, Grace Chisek scored five, Lauren Laws scored three and Abby Whorton scored two.
On Friday, Jan. 12 the girls went to Bridgman where their first quarter was about the same as their previous game, as they fell behind 12-3. Their defense then stepped up and the offense also got moving allowing them to go into halftime behind just 15-18. They had the lead at the end of three quarters, and their defense held the Bees to just six points in the final quarter while hitting six free throws and draining a couple baskets to secure the conference win.
Chisek and Flowers each scored 14, both hitting a pair of threes. Alex Hoadley scored five, Golden scored three, Abby Whorton scored two and Laws scored one point. Whorton tried to knock down the gym wall chasing a loose ball and paid the price, but she’s recovering well and should be back soon.
The girls are now 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the SAC Lakeshore division. They join the boys to play at Hartford and Buchanan next week.
Wrestling action
The Panther wrestlers took part in the annual Tim Horn Wrestling Tournament in Holland and had another rough day. They went 0-5 in the team event, losing to West Ottawa 67-9, Holland 60-22, Allegan 58-18, Portage Northern 77-6, and Kenowa Hills 47-12.
Kameron Smith had pins at 1:09 and 0:48 and Luke Isbrecht had a pin at 0:35. Wyatt Macmillan had a pin at 3:45 and an 11-3 win. The team travels to the Marcellus Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 21 and then to Allegan for a meet on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Comments