by Ben Murphy
Sports Writer
Mattawan boys notch another win
The Mattawan boys basketball team rolled to their 17th win of the season on Friday. They were playing at Stevensville Lakeshore in a league game, and managed a 56-33 victory.
The Wildcats were led by Connor Walsh with 14 points and three steals, Ryan Kiesling had 13 points, six blocks, five rebounds and five steals, Ryan Van Liere had eight points, Will Kupier added six points, four steals and three assists and Noah Vanlaningham had six points and three assists.
Mattawan (15-3 overall) hosted St. Joseph in a key league game on Wednesday, is at home against Gull Lake on Friday and heads to Holt on Wednesday.
Paw Paw boys come up short against Three Rivers
The Paw Paw boys basketball team came up short in a home league game with Three Rivers on Friday, falling 68-57.
“We lost a tough, hard-fought game,” head coach Paskell Miller said. “We played them pretty tough and just needed a couple plays to go our way, which could have made the difference in the ball game. I am proud of the way the kids fought and played until the end.”
The Red Wolves were led by Truman Brennan and Aydn Roth who each had 17 points and Troy Vandenberg netted 10 points.
Paw Paw also lost a road league game at Niles on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 77-49.
Brennan and Vandeberg led the team with 10 points apiece.
Paw Paw (5-13 overall) played at Parchment on Tuesday, hosts Otsego on Friday and stays at home to take on Lawton on Tuesday.
Lady Red Wolves grab pair of wins
The Paw Paw girls basketball team was able to play themselves to a win over visiting league foe Three Rivers on Friday. The Lady Red Wolves won the contest by a score of 64-46.
The Lady Red Wolves also won a home league game over Niles on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 87-44. Further details were not available for either contest.
Paw Paw (11-9 overall, 8-5 Wolverine) played at Richland Gull Lake on Tuesday and plays in its regular season finale on Friday at home against Otsego.
Lawton boys struggle in loss to Hackett
The Lawton boys basketball team played at a really good Kalamazoo Hackett on Friday. The Blue Devils were unable to make a game of it, falling 76-37.
Parker VanPeteghem led the team in scoring with nine points.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14 Lawton was able to win a close road game at Galesburg-Augusta, 46-43.
Nolan Collins paced the team with 16 points, VanPeteghem put in 12 and Cole Burk chipped in with 10.
Lawton (9-9 overall) hosted Coloma on Tuesday, stays at home to play Parchment on Friday and heads to Paw Paw on Tuesday.
Lady Blue Devils drop game to Hackett
The Lawton girls basketball team was able to slow down host Kalamazoo Hackett on Friday. The Lady Blue Devils couldn’t get their own offense going however, resulting in them losing the contest, 33-17.
McKenzee Terpstra led the team on offense with 11 points.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14 Lawton won a home game over Black River, 54-42.
McKenna Macon led the team with 23 points, seven steals and four rebounds, Kylee Somers added 17 points and even rebounds, Adi Price was able to get six points, six rebounds and six steals, Terpstra had six points and three steals, and Ella Richter tracked down eight boards.
Lawton (10-10 overall) played at Fennville on Tuesday and wraps up the regular season at home on Friday against Parchment.
Lawrence boys dominate Decatur
The Lawrence boys basketball team welcomed in Decatur on Friday for a conference game. The Tigers had little trouble picking up the win, claiming a 76-43 victory.
Lawrence led 20-6, 29-20 and 52-28 after the quarter breaks.
John Schuman led the way with 15 points, Tim Coombs and Christian Smith had 14 points apiece, Noel Saldana and Ben Mccaw had 10 points apiece, Gabe Gonzalez netted six, Andy Bowen put in three and with two apiece was Jose Hernandez and Zander Payment.
Lawrence (10-8 overall) was at home against Cassopolis on Tuesday, plays at Centreville on Friday and hosts Hartford on Tuesday.
Lawrence girls tame Decatur by 10
The Lawrence girls basketball team was able to take care of visiting Decatur on Friday. The Lady Tigers won with a score of 47-37 in the Southwest-10 Conference North Division game.
Kaylee Stroud and Carolina Mancera were able to put in 14 points apiece while Brooklyn Remelts chipped in with eight points.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14 Lawrence lost a close game to visiting Berrien Springs in a non-league game, 39-38.
Putting in 14 points each in this one was Shelbi Rindfield and Stroud while Mancera was able to net eight.
Lawrence (12-8 overall) was at Cassopolis on Tuesday and finishes the regular season today (Thursday) at home in a Southwest 10 Conference crossover game.
Black River edges Gobles in boys hoops
The Gobles boys basketball team’s unfortunate knack of losing close games continued on Friday. The Tigers were hosting Black River in a league game, and came up just a little short in the match-up, 60-53.
“It was a tale of two halves,” head coach Scott Sherrod said. “We struggled to score and play defense in the first half and entered halftime down 32-18. On top of that, Tony Lisowski went down with an ankle injury and we haven’t played a game with him missing more than five minutes all year. We brought the game within two points and couldn’t get over the hill after that. Once we started fouling, they hit their free throws and extended the lead.”
The Tigers had a big game from Tristan Harbaugh, as he had 22 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. Aden Newberry had 15 points and three blocks and Jayden Otis was able to snag five rebounds.
Gobles also lost to visiting Constantine on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 47-37.
Harbaugh was able to get 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, Newberry had eight points, 10 rebounds and four steals and Lisowski added seven points and swiped away three steals.
Gobles (3-17 overall) was at home against Delton Kellogg on Tuesday and wraps up the regular season on Friday at Galesburg-Augusta.
Gobles girls get win over Black River
The Gobles girls basketball team got back on the winning track on Friday, as they took down visiting Holland Black River, 50-30.
Deanna Wood was able to lead things with a 14 point, two rebound and two assist performance, Erica Barber had eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, Charlotte Zanetello also had eight points and eight rebounds to go along with four assists and Kaya Huizenga had 10 points and four rebounds.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14 Gobles lost a tough game at Schoolcraft, 38-36.
Barber had 10 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists, Kennadi Killeen had eight points and seven rebounds, Zantello had seven points and five boards and Kylee Killeen added five points.
Gobles (14-6 overall) hosted Delton Kellogg on Tuesday and concludes the regular season on Friday when it heads to Galesburg-Augusta.