by Ben Murphy
Sports Writer
Lady Red Wolves play to wins over Sturgis, Allegan
The Paw Paw girls basketball team played at Wolverine Conference foe Sturgis on Friday. The Lady Red Wolves returned with a lopsided win, 82-43.
The Red Wolves made 11 threes in the game, with Grace Mitchell leading the way with 24 points hitting five threes herself. Katelyn Baney had a big game with 20 points, netting 18 points was AJ Rickli, Savanna Rickli put in eight points, Mya Pratt and Molly McNitt had three points apiece and with two points each was Arianna Baldichi and Avery Vogel.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24 the Red Wolves had a 52-38 road conference win at Allegan.
Paw Paw was able to hold a 13-7 lead after the first quarter and it led 28-18 at the half and 41-29 entering the fourth.
Mitchell hit four threes and finished with 17 points, AJ Rickli put in 13 points, Baney chipped in with eight points, Vogel put in five points, S. Rickli added four points, McNitt had three and Daisey Hubert scored two.
Paw Paw (9-5 overall) played at home against Hudsonville on Tuesday, stays at home to take on Vicksburg on Friday and heads to Buchanan on Wednesday.
Paw Paw boys drop pair of close games
The Paw Paw boys basketball team played it close with host Sturgis on Friday. The Red Wolves couldn’t quite get the Wolverine Conference win though, as they came up short 47-44.
“Tough, hard-fought loss,” head coach Paskell Miller said. “Improving and making strides each week.”
The Red Wolves were led in scoring by Ayden Roth with 15 points, Truman Brennan had 12 points and Ashton Toliver and Aden Webber netted six points apiece.
Paw Paw lost another close league game with Allegan on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 59-54.
Leading the Red Wolves was Brennan with 13 points, Troy Vandenberg had 12 points, while Toliver and Roth had eight points apiece.
Paw Paw (3-9 overall) played at Charlotte on Tuesday, hosts Vicksburg on Friday and is at home against Buchanan on Wednesday.
Mattawan boys bounce back with close win over Portage Northern
Just two days after their first loss of the season, the Mattawan boys basketball team bounced back with a narrow win over Portage Northern on Thursday. The Wildcats won 50-49 in Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference action.
Ryan Van Liere had a huge steal and fast-break hoop with just 23 seconds left to propel the team to the win.
“Coming off a tough loss, Portage Northern came out strong and put us on our heels,” head coach Josh Brown said. “We were constantly battling to get back in the game. Down five with three minutes left in the game we increased the pressure and were able to force turnovers and let us get back into the game. (After Van Liere’s steal) Ryan Kaliati had a shot for P-N with about five seconds left that sat on the rim in what felt like minutes. The ball fell off and we snuck out with a great win.”
Noah Vanlaningham led the Wildcats with 15 points, VanLiere finished with 10 points, Ryan Kiesling had 10 pints, seven rebounds and three assists, Brendan Garza had six points and Jaxon Engels added four points.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24 Mattawan lost its first game of the season, 58-44 to Kalmazoo Central.
“A tough battle between the top two teams in the SMAC,” Brown said. “Really proud of how my guys battled. For three quarters the game was back and forth and we ran out of steam and shots didn’t fall in the fourth quarter. Ryan Kiesling and Connor Walsh played well for us.”
Kiesling led the Wildcats with 17 points, Connor Walsh put in 14 and Van Liere and Valaningham added five points apiece.
Mattawan (11-1 overall) played at Grand Rapids West Catholic on Tuesday, hosts Portage Central on Friday and hosts Battle Creek Lakeview on Tuesday.
Mattawan girls get road win at Portage Northern
The Mattawan girls basketball team took on host Portage Northern in a league game on Tuesday. The Lady Wildcats got the better of their foes, claiming a 51-40 victory.
Mattawan led 11-5 after the first quarter and led 25-14 at the half and 42-24 entering the final frame.
Julia Mosier had a big game with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Delaney Elsmore had 14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and one block, Zhia Martin put in 11 points and also had six rebounds, while also getting four steals. Alyssa Hinkley contributed nine points and chased down five rebounds.
Mattawan also lost a road league game at Kalmazoo Central, 56-17.
They had Elsmore lead the way with seven points and three rebounds, Martin had six points and five boards, Mosier had two points and eight rebounds and Sienna Coleman added two points as well.
Mattawan (7-5 overall) took on visiting Grandville on Tuesday, heads to Portage Central today (Thursday) and is at St. Joseph on Monday.
Lawton boys take care of Kalamazoo Christian, 53-46
The Lawton boys basketball team played a road non-league game at Kalamazoo Christian on Friday. The Blue Devils were able to take care of business, getting a well played 53-46 victory.
They had Luke Leighton lead the way with 19 points, Aiden O’Brien put in 13 points and Parker VanPeteghem netted 11.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24 Lawton won a home game over Holland Black River, 74-47.
Leighton was able to score 20 points in this one while VanPeteghem put in 13 points.
Lawton (7-5 overall) played at Allegan on Tuesday, heads to Schoolcraft on Friday and makes the trip to Vicksburg on Tuesday.
Lawton girls claim Saturday win over Allegan
The Lawton girls basketball team took on visiting Allegan on Saturday. The Lady Blue Devils had a victorious day, 45-39.
They had McKenna Macon lead the way with 18 points and nine rebounds, Kenzee Terpstra had 11 points, Ella Richter put in nine points and tracked down 13 rebounds and Addi Price added five points and five steals.
On Friday they lost a road game at Kalamazoo Christian, 52-37.
They had McKenna Macon get 12 points, five steals and five rebounds while Kylee Somers had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24 Lawton had a 38-27 win at St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran.
Macon was able to hit the nets for 21 points and she also had nine steals while Price was good for four points and four steals.
Lawton (7-6 overall) hosted Bridgman on Tuesday, plays at Schoolcraft Friday and heads to Delton Kellogg on Monday.
Lawrence boys come up short in pair of road games
The Lawrence boys basketball team made it interesting in the second half, but they still came up short in Hartford on Friday. The Tigers lost Southwest-10 Conference game, 59-51.
Hartford led 15-6 after the first quarter and 34-16 at the half. Lawrence had its best quarter in the third, outscoring Hartford 17-6, but it couldn’t keep the comeback going in the final frame.
Leading the way for the Tigers was John Schuman with 13 points, Zander Payment put in 11, Christian Smith scored 10, Tim Coombs netted six, Gabe Gonzalez scored five, Ben McCaw netted four and Noel Saldana added two.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24 Lawrence lost a league game at Mendon, 47-43.
Lawrence led this one 11-7 after the first quarter and 23-20 at the half, though Mendon swung ahead 33-31 entering the fourth.
The Tigers saw McCaw get 10 points, Coombs had nine, Schuman and Payment added eight points each, Smith netted five and Gonzalez scored three.
Lawrence (5-7 overall) was at home against Bangor on Tuesday, stays at home to battle Comstock today (Thursday) and hosts Holland Black River on Monday.
Lawrence girls fall in heartbreaker to Hartford
The Lawrence girls basketball team came up painfully short against Hartford on Friday. The Lady Tigers were playing on the road in the Southwest 10 Conference game, falling narrowly 51-50.
Kaylee Stroud led the team with 26 points, Caroline Mancera put in nine points and Shelbi Rindfield netted six points.
On Tuesday, Jan. 24 the Tigers won a home league game over Mendon, 41-29.
Leading the team in the win was Rindfield with 14 points, Stroud put in 12 and Riley Sinkler added 10.
Lawrence (8-6 overall) played at Bangor on Tuesday, heads to Comstock Friday and plays at St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic on Monday.
Gobles has boys team finally crack win column, Harbaugh erupts for 30
The Gobles boys basketball team was finally able to celebrate a win on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Tigers entered the game without a victory, but outlasted host Bloomingdale in the non-league tilt, to pick up a 60-50 win.
“We finally got it in the win column against our longtime rival, Bloomingdale,” head coach Scottt Sherrod said. “We took control early in the game jumping out to a 13-5 advantage, but played hurried basketball from the mid first quarter until near the end of the second. Unlike other contests, we were able to regain composure and started to take control at the end of the third and never looked back.”
Tristan Harbaugh had a monster game, getting 30 points, 12 rebounds and six steals, Aden Newberry had 12 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two blocks and Jack Geiger had eight points and 10 rebounds.
“Harbaugh has been at the edge of turning the corner with his game against our last two opponents, and he dominated the fourth quarter scoring 12 of his game high 30 points,” Sherrod said. “Newberry recorded a double-double as the young freshman is starting to find his role, and Jack Geiger was two points away from doing the same.”
Gobles (1-12 overall) played at home against Kalamazoo Heritage Christian on Tuesday, hosted Saugatuck on Wednesday stays at home to battle Martin on Friday and plays at Allegan on Tuesday.
Gobles girls tame Bloomingdale, extend win streak to five
The Gobles girls basketball team continued their winning ways on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The Lady Tigers were playing at Bloomingdale for a non-league game, and managed to come away with a 36-28 victory; their fifth in a row.
“We traveled to Bloomingdale to take on a very determined Cardinal team,” head coach Greg Barber said. “We had trouble getting our offense on track all night long. We were able to do just enough to get out of town with a win.”
Kaya Huizenga was able to lead the team with nine points and six rebounds, Charlotte Zantello had eight points and 15 rebounds, Deanna Wood chipped in with seven points and four rebounds, Erica Barber chipped in with five points, Kennadi Killeen had four points and with three points and five steals was Kylee Killeen.
Gobles (9-4 overall) played at home against Saugatuck on Wednesday, hosts Martin on Friday and stays at home to take on Coloma on Tuesday.