West Michigan Roundup, Tuesday 3/9/21

West Michigan Roundup, Tuesday 3/9/21

Last night included a packed schedule of games with some upsets and signature victories occurring. The win of the night without a doubt goes to Caledonia topping West Ottawa 48-37. Caledonia has now won five straight and will host Hudsonville on Thursday looking to avenge an early season loss. Staying in the OK Red, Hudsonville beat Grandville in a 52-30 rout and have now won two straight following a four game skid. The last game of note in the Red included Rockford holding East Kentwood to 23 points defeating them 37-23. The Rams can play defense that’s for sure. In an OK Blue rematch of a fantastic game a few weeks ago, Unity Christian defeated Coopersville 64-53 and will most likely finish with an undefeated conference record. Down in the Kalamazoo area there were a few interesting results. First of all, Parchment defeated K-Christian 56-50 in SAC-Valley play. It was Parchement’s junior guard Tony Williams' first game back after having to sit out due to transfer rules. Tough loss for K-Christian who has now lost two straight to larger schools after losing on a buzzer beater to Portage Northern on Saturday. Howardsville Christian was able to erase a 15 point deficit with 3 minutes left in the third quarter against Eau Claire. The Eagles are now 10-3 and one of the best D4 teams in the area. Lastly, the biggest upset of the night occurred with Marshall shocking (10-1) Pennfield 63-56. Overall it was a fantastic night of basketball across the area, it’s March and you couldn’t ask for anything less.

Best Win: Caledonia over West Ottawa 48-37

I’ve been saying for a few weeks that Caledonia is a sleeper in the OK Red led by a talented group of seniors. They have now won five in a row in the gauntlet of a conference OK Red. The next two games between Hudsonville on Thursday and Rockford on Saturday have the ability to boost Caledonia’s stock drastically.

Next Best: Fennville over Coloma 64-57

Fennville swept the season series with Coloma In a SAC-Lakeshore battle with both teams entering (6-1) in conference. Led by a 29 point effort from Brody Peterson, Fennville now has the chance for an outright title if they can defeat Watervliet next Thursday.

Biggest Upset: Marshall over Pennfield 63-56

BC Pennfield entered the game with a 10-1 record and even received votes in the AP poll for Division 2. Earlier in the season Pennfield defeated Marshall by 14 points, but this time the Redhawks got the best of them, pulling off a major upset. Pennfield will have to defeat Coldwater next Tuesday if they want to take home the Interstate-8 title.

Best Performance: Holland Christian’s Jalen Overway (2022 F): 37 points

The junior big man had a career high in a close loss to Hamilton. Dropping 37 points has to be the most a Maroon has had since the Kyle Steigenga days.

Honorable Mentions:

-Buchanan’s Logan Carson (2021 PF): 23 points

-Catholic Central’s Kaden Brown (2023 G): 28 points

-Catholic Central’s Durral Brooks (2024 G/F): 23 points

-Coloma’s Drew Goodline (2021 G): 34 points

-Fennville’s Brody Peterson (2021 G): 29 points

-FH Northern’s Ethan Erickson (2021 G): 30 points

-Gull Lake’s Caleb Taylor (2021 G): 36 points

-Howardsville Christian’s Josiah Rose (2021 G): 27 points

-Lakeshore’s Grant Gondrezick II (2023 G): 25 points

-Marcellus’ Gavin Etter (2021 G): 26 points

-White Pigeon’s Dylan Carper (2022 G): 23 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists

-White Pigeon’s Chris Jackson (2023 F): 19 points, 15 rebounds

-Zeeland East’s Trip Riemersma (2021 G): 20 points, 4 rebounds

Game I Attended: Centreville 76, Bloomingdale 54

I decided to check out Centreville last night, one of the better D3 teams in the area. Centreville started the game draining three’s and forcing turnovers with a tenacious zone defense. By the end of the first quarter it was 21-12 with Tyler Swanwick making plays on both ends of the court. Centreville did not slow down taking a 47-25 lead into the halftime locker room. The Bulldogs did take their foot off the pedal in the second half pulling the starters after the third quarter. After it was all said and done, Centreville defeated Bloomingdale 76-54. I was very impressed with the size and offensive ability of Centreville. The Bulldogs starters include four players over 6’2” including versatile 6’4” Tyler Swanwick who led them with 17 points on 7-11 FG. They also bring two tall centers off the bench in 6’5” Kody Beachey and 6’6” Dylan Palmer. Palmer feasted making his final six shots after missing his first three. Their 5’9” shooting guard Gunner Bunning is a sharpshooter knocking down 4 three’s finishing with a total of 16 points. Mason Lemings added 11 points and Matt Lorencz also had 10 points. Centreville is a sleeper to watch come tournament time. Coming off a state football title with many of those players of the basketball team they could pull off a major upset. Bloomingdale on the other hand doesn’t have nearly the amount of talent they had last season with the graduations of Bobby Boyer and Tyler Starbuck. Sophomore Ethan Gumpert did stand out finishing with 9 points.