By Follow Josh VanDyke on Twitter
25
Muskegon tops Reeths-Puffer in D1 district finals
MUSKEGON – Friday night proved to be trophy night for Six Muskegon-area boys basketball teams, as they hoisted district championship bronze over their heads in triumph.
Below is a look at how each Muskegon-area boys basketball team performed Friday night, along with player stats, reactions and what’s next for the team’s advancing to Monday’s regional semifinals.
—
Muskegon 51, Reeths-Puffer 47
The Big Reds held a 33-25 advantage at halftime but the Rockets responded with a run of their own in the third quarter to tie the game at 42-42. After a back-and-forth exchange for the majority of the final quarter, Muskegon used four late-game free throws from David Day III to secure a narrow victory in the D1 district championship game.
Day finished with 12 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, to pace Muskegon, while Jordan Briggs and Justin Watson each added nine points, Stanley Cunningham and Terrance Davis each had six points and James Martin had five points.
Travis Ambrose led Reeths-Puffer with 25 points, while Jaxson Whittaker and Tayte Vanderleest each added six points and Marvin Moore and Kyle Schlaff each added five points.
Muskegon (22-2) advances to face East Kentwood (18-6) in the Division 1 regional semifinals on Monday at 7 p.m. from West Ottawa High School.
—
Spring Lake 45, Fruitport 37
The Lakers trailed by one point at halftime but outscored the host Trojans 26-17 the rest of the game to fend off their rivals and secure a Division 2 district championship.
Zach Schlepp led Spring Lake with a game-high 18 points, including an 11-for-12 performance from the free-throw line, while Zane Stahl added 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks and Wren Dephous had seven points.
Andrew Spyke led Fruitport with 11 points, while Bode Anspach added nine points and Paschal Jolman had five points.
Spring Lake (14-8) advances to face Grand Rapids Christian (19-5) in the Division 2 regional semifinals on Monday at 7 p.m. from Hudsonville Unity Christian High School.
—
North Muskegon 61, Kent City 34
The Norsemen used a 21-3 run in the second quarter to pull away from the Eagles and ended the game on a 17-6 run to cruise to a Division 3 district championship Friday.
Lamarkis Graham led North Muskegon with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Jaxon Lisinski added 14 points, Sam Gallo had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Adam Dugener had 10 points and three assists.
Jaret Jaramillo scored 14 points to lead Kent City, while Seth Vanderwest added 10 points and Nick Rude had seven points.
North Muskegon (19-4) advances to face Pewamo-Westphalia (17-6) in the Division 3 regional semifinals on Monday at 7 p.m. from Kent City High School.
—
Shelby 45, White Cloud 40
The Tigers fell behind 11-6 in the first quarter but tallied in the second half to take a 6-point lead into the final quarter and fended off White Cloud down the stretch for a Division 3 district championship on Friday.
Mason Garcia led Shelby with 14 points, while Bishop Lee added 10 points and Phillip Hayes had eight points.
Mason Ruether led White Cloud with 10 points, while Jayden Robinson and Noah Robinson each added nine points and Kevin Strait had six points.
Shelby (14-11) advances to face McBain (19-5) in the Division 3 regional semifinals on Monday at 7 p.m. from Lake City High School.
—
Fruitport Calvary Christian 59, Muskegon Heights Academy 46
The Eagles trailed by as many as six points early on in the game but rallied to take a 26-22 lead at halftime. Fruitport Calvary extend its lead to eight points at the end of the third quarter and fended off Muskegon Heights down the stretch thanks to a 14-for-20 performance from the free-throw line.
The hard-fought win gives the Fruitport Calvary boys basketball program its first-ever district championship.
Bradley Richards led the Eagles with 26 points and 15 rebounds, while Gabe VanBaale added 15 points and 13 rebounds, Quinn Swanson had nine points, and Ben Pollock had nine assists.
Jaquan Matthews led Muskegon Heights with 14 points, while Jonathan Moore added 12 points, and Edward Carter had 10 points.
“We are so proud of our boys for how they grew together as a close-knit unit, and for how they were so determined to keep fighting both tonight and against Muskegon Catholic on Wednesday night,” said Fruitport Calvary head coach Brad Richards. “We love these boys and their time and dedication to excellence really were tested by fire this year, and they just kept battling. These are great kids from great families. This win tonight is for all the boys basketball players to ever put on a jersey for the Eagles. Calvary is a great school and our boys are proud to represent it.”
—
Cadillac 56, Hart 32
The Pirates trailed 36-22 at halftime and couldn’t mount a second half as they fell to Cadillac in the Division 2 district championship game on Friday.
Parker Hovey finished with 14 points to pace the Pirates, who finish their record-breaking season at 23-1 overall.
Cadillac (20-4) advances to face Standish-Sterling (22-0) in the Division 2 regional semifinals on Monday at 7 p.m. from Gaylord High School.
—
Fremont 57, Sparta 55
The Packers jumped out to a 20-7 advantage in the first quarter but the Spartans rallied to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter. Fremont jumped in front on the ensuing possession and closed out the game from that point on to secure a Division 3 district championship on Friday night.
Jordon McDonald finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds to pace The Packers, while Gavin Richards added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, Chaz Miller had eight points and eight assists and Will DeBlake had nine points and five rebounds.
Fremont (13-11) advances to face Hudsonville Unity Christian (16-9) in the Division 2 regional semifinals on Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Hudsonville Unity Christian High School.
—
