by Ben Murphy
Sports Writer
Mattawan girls bounce back with pair of wins
After opening the season with a loss, the Mattawan girls basketball team was able to bounce back with a pair of wins last week. On Thursday Mattawan was able to get a home league win over Portage Northern, 56-50.
“This was our first home game and I felt that our nerves got to us a bit in the first half,” head coach Chad Conklin said. “I think that Portage Northern played very well and made things difficult for us especially breaking our press.”
Delaney Elsmore led the way with 26 points and 12 rebounds, Cassidy Parmelee netted 14 points and Julia Mosier tracked down nine rebounds.
“Elsmore stepped up with a double-double and really controlled the game in the second half,” Conklin said. “Parmelee added another great effort off the bench with 14 points and junior Alyssa Hinkley and freshman Chloe Nellenbach hit some big shots in the fourth quarter to extend the lead.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 6 Mattawan picked up a road win in Paw Paw, 70-57.
“I thought our team came out very aggressive against Paw Paw’s defense,” Conklin said. “We shared the basketball well and many players contributed to the win. Zhia Martin did a great job breaking the press when Delaney Elsmore went to the bench with her third foul early in the second quarter. I thought that freshman Cassidy Parmelee did a super job coming off the bench in the third and fourth quarters to give our team a lift when we couldn’t buy a bucket.”
The Lady Wildcats were able to make the plays down the stretch to secure the win. Elsmore got a late steal and hoop to extend the lead to eight and Martin knocked down a bucket to put the gap to 10. They hit free throws from there to finish it off.
Martin finished with 20 points, Elsmore put in 16 and Parmelee netted 10 points.
Stats for Paw Paw were not provided.
Mattawan hosted Kalamazoo Loy Norrix on Tuesday, hosts Potage Northern on Friday and hosts Edwardsburg on Tuesday.
Mattawan boys start season with two wins
The Mattawan boys basketball team had a winning start to the new season last week. On Friday, playing at Portage Northern, the Wildcats notched a 66-49 victory.
“Started off quick and opened a good sized first quarter lead,” head coach Josh Brown said. “Senior Ryan Kiesling hit a half-court shot to put us up 10 in the first quarter. Struggled from the free throw and foul trouble and allowed Portage Northern to get back in the game. Another layup at the buzzer by Ryan Keisling to end the second quarter let us regain the lead.”
Mattawan was able to take control of things in the second half though, to secure the win.
“We finished (the third) quarter with a coast-to-coast buzzer beater layup by senior Ryan Van Liere,” Brown said. “Juniors Jaxon Engels and Brendan Garza came in and gave us great minutes as we dealt with some minor injuries and foul trouble.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 6 Mattawan opened up the season with a win over visiting Paw Paw, 87-49.
“Really happy with how we played,” Brown said. “Shared the ball well to the tune of 20 assists. 11 Players hit the score sheet. We exploded with a 32 point 3rd quarter that opened up a big lead for us. A highlight for us was a thunderous slam by senior Luke Willis to put the exclamation point early in the fourth quarter.”
Mattawan (2-0 overall) was at Loy Norrix on Tuesday, heads to Portage Central today (Thursday) and plays on Sunday at Macomb Community College against the Frederick Douglass Academy.
Lawton boys go 2-1 in busy opening week
The Lawton boys basketball team had three games in their opening week. They closed out the stretch with a home loss on Friday to Kalamazoo Christian, 44-33.
Parker VanPeteghem led the team with 16 points.
On Tuesday, Dec. 6 Lawton was able to get a road win over Marcellus, 54-48.
VanPeteghem led the way in this one as well, netting 17 points. Aiden O’Brien chipped in with 12 points.
On Monday. Dec. 5 Lawton opened the season with a narrow home win over St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 49-46.
Cole Burk hit the nets for 15 points and O’Brien added 11 points.
Lawton (2-1 overall) played at Gobles on Tuesday, hosts Schoolcraft on Friday and returns to action on Jan. 6 at Constantine.
Losses greet Gobles boys in first week
The Gobles boys basketball team lost a road game at Saugatuck on Friday, 61-25. Tristan Harbaugh scored 11 points and Jack Geiger netted seven, but otherwise it was a struggle for the Tigers.
“The length of Saugatuck gave us some trouble all throughout the game making it our second contest in a row we struggled to score,” head coach Scott Sherrod said. “We have a lot to work on in order to get our kids playing with confidence on the offensive end. Tony Lisowski and Tristan Harbaugh have played very well despite our slow start this year.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 6 Gobles debuted the new season with a road 48-20 loss to South Haven.
Harbaugh and Lisowski netted seven points apiece in this one.
“We’re back on the hardwood for a new season, and you could definitely see the rust,” Sherrod said. “We struggled to score throughout the contest despite playing well defensively. Their size and athleticism bothered us and resulted in a number of turnovers. Tony Lisowski consistently handled their pressure and was our main source of playmaking all night long. We have a lot to work on offensively, but the year is young.”
Gobles (0-2 overall) hosted Lawton on Tuesday, heads to Martin on Friday and is in Marcellus on Monday.
Lawrence girls play to wins over Hartford, Centreville
The Lawrence girls basketball team notched another early season win on Friday. The Tigers defeated visiting Hartford, 43-21.
Kaylee Stroud led the team with 19 points, Riley Sinkler put in eight points and Carolina Mancera chipped in with six.
On Tuesday, Dec. 6 they won a home game over Centreville, 45-37.
Stroud was able to pour in 20 points in this one, Shelbi Rindfield scored 10 points and Sinkler scored seven.
Lawrence (3-1 overall) was at Mendon on Tuesday, hosted Bangor on Wednesday and hosts White Pigeon on Tuesday.
Lawrence boys handed loss in season debut
The Lawrence boys basketball team opened up the new season at home on Monday, Dec. 6, taking on St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake. Lawrence lost a game that was close throughout, 46-39.
Leading the Tigers was Christian Smith with 10 points, Tim Coombs and John Schuman had eight points apiece, Ben McCaw netted seven, Gabe Gonzalez scored three, Noel Saldana had two and Zander Payment added one.
Lawrence (0-1 overall) hosted Mendon on Tuesday, heads to Bangor on Friday and travels to White Pigeon on Tuesday.