by Ben Murphy
Sports Writer
Mattawan boys get win at Lansing Everett
The Mattawan boys basketball team played their first game in almost three weeks on Friday. The Wildcats were playing a non-league game at Lansing Everett and they were able to come away with a 77-42 victory.
Ryan Kiesling led the team with 17 points, 11 rebounds and four steals, Ryan Van Liere had 11 points, Noah Vanlaningham had nine points and six assists, Connor Walsh chipped in with nine points and he tracked down eight rebounds and Andrew Christensen was good for another nine points.
Mattawan (6-0 overall) was at home against Plainwell on Tuesday, hosts Stevensville Lakeshore on Thursday and heads to Battle Creek Central on Tuesday.
Lawton gets win at Constantine in boys hoops
Playing a non-league game at Constantine on Friday, the Lawton boys basketball team was able to get a win, The Blue Devils, who were playing in their first game after the new year, won the contest 54-38.
Leading the way offensively was Luke Leighton with 17 points, Parker VanPeteghem had 16 points and Aiden O’Brien added 10 points.
Lawton (4-2 overall) played at South Haven on Tuesday, hosts Kalamazoo Hackett on Friday and is at home against Dowagiac on Tuesday.
Gobles boys drop pair of games at Bangor Invite
The Gobles boys basketball team wrapped up the two day Bangor Invitational on Friday. The Tigers were taking on South Haven and lost the contest in lopsided fashion, 60-4.
“Tough night for the Tigers in a game we hoped to see how much we’ve grown,” head coach Scott Sherrod said.
The day before, playing against Bangor, they lost a much closer game, 46-41.
“Another tough loss,” Sherrod said. “We came into Bangor to play the hosting school of the holiday tournament and got off to a great start, but our youth on the boards and defensive rotations showed in the end.”
Leading the way in the setback was Aden Newberry with 12 points, Tristan Harbaugh had nine points and Tony Lisowski added seven points.
“The team keeps growing and Aden Newberry made his presence felt after missing most of the season so far with a wrist injury,” Sherrod said. “Tony and Tristan have taken the lead on controlling the ball allowing us to minimize our turnovers from earlier in the season. We will continue to grow and build to peak at the end of the year.”
Gobles (0-8 overall) played at Decatur on Tuesday, plays at Holland Black River on Friday and returns home Tuesday to take on Coloma.
Lawrence boys return for 62-29 win over Battle Creek Academy
The Lawrence boys basketball team were winners in the new year, as they topped host Battle Creek Academy on Thursday, 62-29 in a non-league game.
The Tigers led just 11-10 after the first quarter but pushed that gap to 28-12 by the half and 47-23 entering the fourth.
Zander Payment had a great game offensively, pouring in 24 points, John Schuman put in 11 points, Christian Smith and Noel Saldana had seven points apiece, Jose Hernandez had six points, with three points each was Tim Coombs and Gabe Gonzalez and Andy Bowen added one point.
Lawrence (3-2 overall) hosted Paw Paw on Tuesday, hosts Bloomingdale on Friday and is at home against Marcellus on Tuesday.
Lawrence girls dominate Battle Creek Academy
The Lawrence girls basketball team were winners as well on Thursday, taking down host Battle Creek Academy, 46-22.
Riley Sinkler led the Lady Tigers with 12 points, Addison Gendron had 10 points and Shelbi Rindfield added seven points.
Lawrence (5-3 overall) is at home against Bloomingdale on Friday and heads to play Marcellus on Tuesday.
Lawton girls defeat Constantine
The Lawton girls basketball team returned after the holiday break with a win over Constantine on Friday. The Lady Blue Devils won the contest 40-25, however further details were not available.
Lawton (4-3 overall) hosts Kalamazoo Hackett on Friday and hits the road to take on Dowagiac on Tuesday.