Diamond Classic Semifinal - 6/6/11

Tonight’s first game is an interesting game.  Portland St. Patrick is a Class D Team that is having an excellent year.  Not only have they been invited to the Diamond Classic; they have made the semi-final game versus Grand Ledge, which is almost always the best team in the area and frequently a factor in the State Class A Tournament.

Real life interferes with our Bleacher Denizen’s quest to make it to the 5:30 opening.  There is a lot of backed up traffic on Jolly Road and this causes our Bleacher Denizen to miss the first inning.  However, it is still 0-0.  Can this possibly be the night that a small school team is able to knock Mighty Grand Ledge out of the tournament?  (Actually, I cringe at making Grand Ledge sound like brutes; when I have seen them play in the past, I enjoy the way they do all the fundamental things, especially on defense pretty well.)

However, tonight, they are in the way of a potential huge Cinderella story!

At the end of the second inning, Tyler Kramer, the starting pitcher for St. Patrick still has not allowed Grand Ledge to score.  However, Grand Ledge starter Blake Dahlstrom has not even given up a hit to St. Patrick yet.

However, in the third inning, Cinderella’s glass slipper is irreparably smashed as Grand Ledge scores ten runs of three different St. Patrick pitchers to take a 10-0 lead.  They expand that lead to 16-0 in the top of the fourth inning.  Everyone from Grand Ledge is hitting.  Catcher Tyler D. Baker gets the first RBI for Grand Ledge.  Second Baseman Eric Eiseler gets the only extra base hit in this inning with a two-run double.  

Nathan McCrumb gets a triple in the fourth inning.  In the bottom of the inning, St. Patrick finally scores off a grand ledge substitute pitcher on a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly.  The game ends 19-5 as St. Patrick played as well as they could, but were simply overmatched.  St. Patrick could be back again next year; they only have three seniors on the team.

The second game was a much better show.  Both pitchers, Junior Austin Rusnell for DeWitt and Sophomore Andrew Sabrosky for Holt pitched complete games.  Rusnell is able to pitch at 88 and 89 miles per hour on his fastest pitches and Sabrosky consistently pitched over 90 miles per hour (and he’s just a Sophomore.)  In the sixth inning Sabrosky was still throwing that fast.  (There are major league pitchers who cannot do that.)

Holt scored a run in each of the first three innings.  Justin Alleman, who is probably Holt’s best hitter, was hit by a pitch in the first inning.  An error and a single by Sabrosky brought him around to score Holt’s first run.  In the second inning, Sophomore Second Baseman, Jason Daman got a two-out walk, stole second and scored on Catcher Grant Van Liew’s double.

In the third inning, Alleman was hit by a pitch again.  (Better him than me, I suppose.  OWWWW!)  Alleman was not fazed by this as he was feeling spry enough to steal second and third base.  Right Fielder Tyler Elmo singled him in to score Holt’s third run.  

This proved to be enough for Holt to win the game.  DeWitt scored its run in the third inning on a leadoff single by Zach Acre (which was DeWitt’s first hit of the game), two walks and a thirty foot infield single by Nate McCoy.  Sabrosky had to strike out the last two DeWitt batters of the inning to limit DeWitt to the one run.

Holt scored its final run in the fifth inning.  After Joey Meyers drew a leadoff walk, Tyler Elmo had an RBI Double to send the run home.  

In the sixth inning, Holt loaded the bases with one out on singles by Daman (who had two singles and a walk this game), Van Liew (who also had two hits) and an intentional walk to Alleman (who at least got on base this time without enduring a bruise.)  However, DeWitt pulled off a perfectly-handled double play to stop this Holt threat.

DeWitt’s infield completed another double play in the seventh.

DeWitt loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on a hit batter, Nate McCoy’s second hit of the game and a walk to Rusnell (with just one out.)  However, Sabrosky got a crucial strikeout for the second out and DeWitt’s last batter hit into a force play.

Sabrosky pitched a great game.  Holt won 4-1.

The finals will be on Wednesday night and your Bleacher Denizen plans to be there.  We’ll see if Holt can get in the way of the Grand Ledge Baseball Express!

Chuck Krafft | Class C Finals | March 26, 2011

It’s noon at the Breslin and time for the Class C Championship game.  I have not seen either team play, so this will be pretty good.  Both teams beat excellent teams to get here, so they are probably worthy of the chance at the title.  Schoolcraft has not lost a game all year.

For a bit of interest, our Bleacher Denizen notes that Schoolcraft (in white) and McBain (in green) are playing at the Spartan Breslin Center.  If the Spartan Gods have anything to do with the outcome, this game could end up in a tie!

McBain wins the tap and Sophomore Jared Larr hits a layup twenty seconds into the game to begin the scoring.  Schoolcraft misses a layup and 6’5 Junior Nathan Smith hits a putback to give McBain a four point lead.

Bryan Jones is fouled by Larr on a putback.  He splits the free throws and puts Schoolcraft on the board with 6:49 left.  After McBain turns the ball over, Schoolcraft misses and McBain turns the ball over again when a player tries to throw a two foot bullet pass.  

Finally, with 6:09 left, Bryan Jones hits Schoolcraft’s first basket (a layup that was assisted by Sophomore Luke Ryskamp.)  Derek Vongphasouk assists Nathan Smith on a basket for McBain and it’s 6-3 with 5:53 left.  Schoolcraft misses and Jared Larr assists Derek Vongphasouk on a three point shot from the corner.  Luke Ryskamp assists Bryan Jones on a layup for Schoolcraft to make it 9.5 with 4:45 left.  

Derek Vongphasouk reciprocates Larr’s assist to him with an assist to Larr for a three point shot for McBain.  Schoolcraft misses a three pointer but Blake Krum steals the ball back.  Blake is rewarded for his defensive hustle when Luke Ryskamp assists him on a layup; he is fouled by Jared Larr (already his second) and hits a free throw.  It is now 12-8 McBain.

Cody King assists Jared Larr on a three point shot to make it 15-8 with 3:32 left.  Schoolcraft commits a traveling violation.  Schoolcraft presses McBain, but McBain breaks the press and Derek Vongphasouk gets a layup.  Schoolcraft commits an offensive foul and Jared Larr drives in from the side for a short jump shot.  McBain leads 19-8 with 2:29 left.  Cody King steals the ball for McBain and Blake Krum steals it back for Schoolcraft.  Cam Schwartz gets a twisting driving layup for Schoolcraft.  

McBain misses a shot and Tyler Dow hits a layup for Schoolcraft.  The score is now 19-12 with 1:23 left in the quarter.  McBain misses a jump shot and Luke Ryskamp hits a layup for Schoolcraft.  McBain misses another jump shot, but Cody King steals the ball back.  Nathan Smith hits a layup for McBain with 15 seconds left, but Luke Ryskamp assists Blake Krum on a short jumper at the buzzer to make the quarter end score McBain 21 Schoolcraft 16.

Schoolcraft has the ball to start the second quarter and Blake Crum starts things off with a layup.  He is fouled by Cody King, but misses the free throw.   Schoolcraft gets the offensive rebound, but Logan Nemeth steals the ball for McBain and 11 seconds later, Luke Ryskamp steals the ball and takes the ball in for a Schoolcraft layup and the score is 21-20 with 7:17 left.  Schoolcraft has almost wiped out McBain’s 11 point lead.

McBain misses a three point shot and Schoolcraft misses two attempts to take the lead but gets two offensive rebounds and finally Blake Krum hits a ten foot shot to give Schoolcraft a 22-21 lead with 6:41 left.  Blake Krum steals the ball for Schoolcraft but Schoolcraft turns it back over.  Logan Nemeth hits a layup for McBain, is fouled and completes the three point play!  McBain has the lead back at 24-22 with 6:18 left!

Schoolcraft commits an offensive foul.  McBain’s Logan Nemeth does some clever dribbling to evade some pressure by Schoolcraft.  Cody King assists Nathan Smith on a layup to give McBain a four point lead.  Schoolcraft travels but Luke Ryskamp steals the ball and makes a nifty layup for Schoolcraft.  McBain’s Logan Nemeth assists Derek Vongphasouk on a layup.  Luke Ryskamp responds with a putback for Schoolcraft.  McBain misses a couple jump shots on its next possession, but Nathan Brown commits a foul on the rebound.  McBain ties the game up on a hook layup from Kody Chandler assisted by Luke Ryskamp.  It’s 28-28 with 4:04 left in the half.

McBain misses a three point shot and Kody Chandler assists Tyler Dow on a three point shot with 3:20 left to give Schoolcraft a 31-28 lead.  Jared Larr assists Cody King on a three point shot and McBain ties it with 3:00 left.

After the media time out, Schoolcraft misses a layup, and Jacob Lenning commits a foul on the rebound.  Nemeth passes the ball to Nathan Smith who puts McBain back on top with a jump shot.  James Johnson commits a foul for McBain and Tyler Dow ties it for Schoolcraft with a ten foot jumper from the side.  After McBain misses a shot they get the offensive rebound and Logan Nemeth hits a three pointer to put McBain back on top.  After Schoolcraft misses a shot, Jared Larr hits a jump shot to give McBain a 38-33 lead with 1:12 left.  That completes the scoring for the first half.  

McBain has the ball to open the second half; they open by missing a three point shot.  Jared Larr, McBain’s leading scorer in the first half commits his third foul with 7:08 left.  McBain’s coach leaves him in the game.  Tyler Dow hits a three point shot for McBain to make it 38-36 with 6:47 left in the quarter.  Luke Ryskamp blocks Logan Nemeth’s shot, but Nemeth fights for the ball and gets it back.  Bryan Jones fouls Jared Larr and he hits two free throws to give McBain a 40-36 lead.  Bryan Jones barrels in from the side for a layup for Schoolcraft five minutes later.  Logan Nemeth assists Cody King for a McBain Layup.  Schoolcraft commits a foul and turns the ball over.  McBain misses a three point shot.  After a number of fruitless possessions for both teams, Luke Ryskamp hits a 12 foot jump shot from the left side to get Schoolcraft within two points at 42-40 with 4:39 left.

Ryskamp commits a foul, then Ryskamp steals the ball and Jared Larr commits his fourth foul trying to get the ball back.  His coach takes him out and this is a real blow for McBain.  I’m sure Jared would like this play back, but I guess his competitive spirit got the best of him for a moment.  

After the media timeout, Schoolcraft misses a layup and McBain misses a jump shot.  Luke Ryskamp gets the offensive rebound, is fouled and completes a three point play to put Schoolcraft on top 43-42 with 3:25 left.  Ryskamp then blocks a McBain layup and the ball is out of bounds to McBain; however the Schoolcraft coach disagrees with this.  
The referee gives the ball to Schoolcraft.

Tyler Dow drives in from the side for a Schoolcraft layup.  McBain misses a shot and Luke Ryskamp takes the ball all the way down for another Schoolcraft layup.  After McBain misses a jump shot, Schoolcraft gets the rebound and the rebounder is fouled.  Tyler Dow gets a layup to put McBain up 49-42 with 1:56 left.  McBain misses a shot; Schoolcraft turns it over even though Luke Ryskamp goes hard down on the floor trying to save the possession for Schoolcraft.  Cody King rebounds his own miss and hits a putback.  After Schoolcraft misses, James Johnson gets a putback shot to make it 49-46 with 37 seconds left in the half.   Schoolcraft runs a set play and Kody Chandler gets a layup with an assist from Tyler Dow.  Cody King hits a layup for McBain and Kody Chandler hits a fallaway 14 foot jump shot at the buzzer with another assist from Tyler Dow.  Schoolcraft leads 53-48 at the end of the third quarter.

Schoolcraft opens the fourth quarter with the ball, but Logan Nemeth steals it for McBain.  Tyler Dow blocks his layup, but McBain retains possession and Cody King hits a layup.  After each team misses a shot, Logan Nemeth steals the ball for McBain.  McBain misses a three point shot and Schoolcraft turns it over.  Cody King assists James Johnson on a layup to bring McBain within one point at 53-52 with 6:30 left.

Blake Krum gets a layup 12 seconds later to give Schoolcraft a bit of breathing room.  McBain misses a shot, and Schoolcraft misses two shots on its next possession.  Tyler Dow steals the ball back for Schoolcraft and Kody Chandler puts Schoolcraft up by six points with a three point shot with 5:13 left in the game.  Almost two minutes go by with no scoring, but then Ryskamp hits a 15 foot jumper to make it 60-52 with 3:40 left.  (I seem to be noting Ryskamp’s contributions quite a bit.  HMMM.)

Cody King finally scores a layup on an assist from Nemeth to make it 60-54 with 3:16 left and keep McBain in the game.  Ryskamp fights hard for an offensive rebound and gets a putback for Schoolcraft to make it 62-54 with 3:01 left.  Ryskamp gets a steal and assists a layup by Blake Krum.  Schoolcraft now leads 64-54 with 2:46 left.  

Logan Nemeth assists Cody King on a layup to make it 64-56 with 2:26 left.  Tyler Dow hits a putback with 2 minutes left to set Schoolcraft’s lead back at ten.  Bryan Jones steals the ball and Blake Krum dashes up court for another Schoolcraft layup; he is fouled and converts the three point play and Schoolcraft leads 69-56 with 1:35 left.  Logan Nemeth hits a three pointer to get it back down to ten, but with only 1:12 left.  Kody Chandler hits four free throws sandwiched around a missed three pointer by McBain as McBain is fouling to stop the clock.  This gives Schoolcraft a 73-59 lead and both teams put their subs in.  

Schoolcraft wins the championship in Class C 73-59.  McBain made a game of it, but after Jared Larr went out, they seemed to have trouble scoring.  Both teams have a lot to be proud of for getting this far.  Schoolcraft is capping an undefeated season with a state title!!

For McBain, Cody King led with 15 points, Jared Larr had 14 despite sitting out ten minutes with foul trouble and Nathan Smith had ten points and seven rebounds.  Logan Nemeth added nine points, Derek Vongphasouk had seven and James Johnson contributed four points.

For Schoolcraft, Luke Ryskamp (whose name you read a lot if you got this far) had nineteen points, eleven rebounds, seven assists and five steals as he had an incredible game.

Tyler Dow had sixteen points, Blake Krum also had sixteen points, Kody Chandler had 13 points, Bryan Jones added seven and Cam Schwartz added two points.

Congratulations to both these fine teams!

Chuck Krafft | Class D Finals | March 26, 2011

The Bleacher Denizen is so excited after Sexton’s victory over Country Day that he is eager to get to Saturday’s final games in all four classes.  He is so excited that he forgets to set his alarm.  Our dedicated Bleacher Denizen arises at nine AM and realizes he has one hour to shower and get to the game.  (Our Bleacher Denizen is fortunate that he only lives about ten to fifteen minutes from the Breslin Center.)  

He forgets to bring his handy-dandy note pad and has to stop at Quality Dairy to buy one.  This is okay because he also encounters a train on Harrison Street.  (I swear that train operator has a sixth sense as to when people will be in a hurry and uses that sense to decide when to send trains.  I swear it.  I swear it!)  However, God personally intervenes and somehow I am able to get to the gym with time to find my seat and talk to the people next to me for about five minutes before the game.  Whew!  

I’m glad I made it because a local Central Michigan Athletic Conference team, Fulton is in the Class D Semifinals.  They are led by the coach’s son, Junior All-State Guard Tyler Walton and fellow 6’ 3” juniors Cody Johnson and Corey Hungerford.  I have only seen Tri-Unity’s semi-final game.  Sophomore Joey Blauwkamp had a great game with 21 points and Durant Vega played well at the point for them.  

The game starts with Tri-Unity winning the tap.  Fulton ties up the loose ball and the Possession Arrow decrees that Fulton now has possession.  (One never wins an argument with the Omnipotent Possession Arrow!)

Corey Hungerford assists Cody Johnson for the first score of the game with 7:17 left.  Eleven seconds later, Durant Vega ties the game for Tri-Unity Christian with a layup.  Fulton travels, Tri-Unity turns the ball over and Fulton airballs a three point shot.  Tri-Unity follows with an airball.  (Maybe we could just play volleyball.)  Maybe not.  Joel Boersen catches the airball and gets a putback for Tri-Unity to make it 4-2 with 6:06 left.

Jordan Buffum commits a foul and Corey Hungerford ties the game with a jump shot with 5:56 left in the quarter.  Tri-Unity travels and then Eric Litwiller assists Cody Johnson on a three point shot to give Fulton a 7-4 lead with 5:18 left.  Tri-Unity tries to match the three point shot, but misses and Cody Johnson gets a layup with an assist from Corey Hungerford.  

After another missed three point shot, Tyler Walden, one of the finest shooters in the state, hits a three point shot from the corner with an assist from Eric Litwiller to make it 12-4 Fulton.  After another miss by Tri-Unity, Cody Johnson gets a fast break layup with another assist from Eric Litwiller.  Fulton now leads 14-4 with 3:35 left in the quarter.

Joey Blauwkamp misses a shot for Tri-Unity, but gets his own rebound and hits a jump shot to stop the Fulton 12 point scoring streak.  Daniel Cole steals the ball for Tri-Unity, but misses a layup.  He steals the ball from the Fulton rebounder and is fouled.  He splits his free throws to make it 14-7 with 2:37 left.  After a Fulton turnover, Daniel Cole hits a runner to make it 14-9 with 1:54 left.  There is no more scoring with in the quarter as the two teams basically take turns missing three point shots.  (Each team throws in a missed two pointer.)

The score at the end of the first quarter is Fulton 14 Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian 9.

Cody Johnson steals the ball from Tri-Unity on the first possession of the second quarter.  Joey Blauwkamp fouls Zach Baker who hits two free throws to give Fulton a 16-9 lead with 7:15 left in the quarter.  Blauwkamp responds with an acrobatic layup and he’s fouled by Cody Johnson, but misses the free throw.  After a missed shot by Fulton and a turnover by Tri-Unity, Corey Hungerford hits a layup with an assist from Zach Baker to give Fulton an 18-11 lead with 6:46 left.  Hungerford fouls Mike Boon who hits two free throws for Tri-Unity.

Durant Vega follows that with a steal and a layup.  After Fulton misses a jump shot, Vega gets another layup to close Fulton’s lead to 18-17 with 5:51 left in the half.  After Fulton misses a three point shot, Doug Venema gets the rebound and Joey Blauwkamp hits a fast break layup to give Tri-Unity the lead.  After a steal by Vega, Tri-Unity misses the layup and Fulton rebounds.  Tyler Walden is fouled and hits two free throws to make it Fulton 20 Tri-Unity 19 with 4:47 left.  After each team misses a shot, Joey Blauwkamp gets the ball to Eric Zudweg for a layup to give Tri-Unity the lead back at 21-20 with 3:49 left.  Jon Osantowski fouls Garret Slavik who misses both free throws for Fulton.

Durant Vega hits a three point shot for Tri-Unity and after a Fulton turnover, Joey Blauwkamp hits a layup to give Tri-Unity a 26-20 lead with 2:39 left in the half.  After a slow start, Tri-Unity has outscored Fulton 22-6.  Fulton misses a three point shot, but Tri-Unity travels and negates a basket.  Corey Hungerford hits a long shot, but for some reason is only awarded two points.  Durant Vega hits a layup but has it negated by a charging foul.  Now, suddenly, there is a conference and Hungerford is awarded a third point for his shot.  

(Perhaps the referees’ mornings were as hectic as mine.  This was a bizarre moment; I have never seen a point awarded two plays later before.)  It is now 26-23 with 1:44 left.  Jon Osantowski gets a putback for Tri-Unity to make it 28-23, but after an Eric Zudweg foul, Corey Hungerford hits two shots for Fulton.  It is now 28-25 and there is no more scoring in the half as Tri-Unity misses a three point shot with 20 seconds left after holding the ball.  Tri-Unity steals the ball back, but they miss two hurried three point shot as the half ends.

Tri-Unity leads Fulton 28-25 at half time.  Our Bleacher Denizen heads out and has a Strawberry Smoothie during halftime.  Yum!

Tri-Unity has the ball to open the third quarter, but this only lasts for 11 seconds before there is a traveling violation.  Fulton misses a shot and then Zach Baker and Eric Litwiller pick up fouls about ten seconds apart.  Each team then misses a shot and Baker picks up his second foul.  Tri-Unity turns the ball back over and Joel Boersen fouls Cody Johnson as he hits a layup (assisted by Hungerford.)  Johnson hits the free throw to complete the three point play and tie the game at 28 with 5:53 remaining.  

There is a scramble for the ball on Tri-Unity’s next possession.  Joey Blauwkamp wins the scramble, gets the ball, leans in and hits a layup as Zach Baker commits his third foul.  Blauwkamp misses the layup and then Cody Johnson assists Tyler Walden on a three point shot to give Fulton a 31-30 lead with 3:13 left.  After Tri-Unity misses a couple three pointers on its next possession, Joey Blauwkamp steals the ball and takes it in for a layup to give Tri-Unity the lead back at 32-31 with 4:32 left.  

Blauwkamp gets another steal which leads to a three point basket by Mike Boon and Tri-Unity has a 35-31 lead.  Fulton turns the ball back over to Tri-Unity and the TV Timeout occurs.  At home, I always wonder what happens during the TV Timeout while I’m refilling my water or UM never mind.  It turns out that the teams get a nice long timeout while everyone in the gym waits for the timeout to end.  I suppose the advertisers like it.

When play resumes, Tyler Walden is fouled on a three point shot and hits three free throws to make it 35-34 with 2:58 left.  Tri-Unity misses a three point shot, but gets an offensive rebound.  Fulton makes a nice open court tackle, but no free throws are awarded as Tri-Unity is not in the bonus.  (The Bleacher Denizen should probably clarify that this was the result of hustling defense not mean or deliberate.)

Durant Vega hits a two point jump shot and Fulton turns the ball over.  Vega is fouled on a shot and splits a pair of free throws to make it 38-34 with 1:42 left.  Fulton misses a layup and Tri-Unity commits a charging foul to negate a basket.  Cody Johnson assists Tyler Walden on a sixteen foot shot from the corner.  Mike Boon gets a putback for Tri-Unity to put them up by 40-36.  Brandon Trefil assists Garrett Slavik on a layup to make it 40-38 with 38 seconds left.  Tri-Unity holds the ball for the last shot, but travels with 3.4 seconds.  

Brandon Trefil has to throw the ball off a Tri-Unity defender to avoid a turnover.  Fulton calls a time-out to try to set up a lob pass to tie the game at the third quarter buzzer, but Tri-Unity knocks the pass away and the quarter ends with Tri-Unity leading Fulton 40-38.

Fulton gets the ball to start the fourth quarter but misses a layup.  Cody Johnson knocks the outlet pass away to spoil a Tri-Unity fast break.  Joey Blauwkamp makes a tremendous pass to Mike Boon for a layup to make it 42-38 with 7:10 left.  Doug Venema fouls Eric Litwiller who splits a pair of free throws and it’s 42-39.

After Joey Blauwkamp hits a fast break layup for Tri-Unity, Corey Hungerford assists Tyler Walden, who nails a three point shot to make cut Tri-Unity’s lead to 44-42 with 6:27 left.  Tri-Unity misses a three point shot, but Joey Blauwkamp steals the ball back for Tri-Unity.  After Tri-Unity misses a three point shot, Joey Blauwkamp commits his third foul, but Brandon Trefil misses the front end of a one and one situation.  It is still 44-42 with 5:29 left.  Tri-Unity misses a shot, Fulton misses a three pointer and a Mike Boon three point shot makes it 47-42 with 5:05 left.  After a missed three point shot by Fulton, Doug Venema hits a ten footer from the corner to make it 49-42 with 4:42 left.

Joey Blauwkamp commits a hard foul for his fourth.  Tyler Walden shakes it off and hits two free throws to cut the lead to 49-44 with 4:22 left.  Tri-Unity commits a turnover and Fulton misses a three point shot.  Fulton’s Eric Litwiller gets the offensive rebound, but Joey Blauwkamp steals the ball and gets it to Mike Boon.  Garret Slavik fouls Boon to prevent a layup.  Boon hits two free throws to make it 51-44 with 3:53 left.  

Fulton misses a layup, but after Tri-Unity misses a three pointer and gets an offensive rebound, Cody Johnson fouls Doug Venema.  Venema hits both free throws to push the Tri-Unity lead to 53-44 with 3:15 left.  Fulton turns the ball over when they over throw the ball to a player open under the basket.  

Corey Hungerford fouls Jordan Buffum who splits a pair of free throws.  After a missed three pointer, Durant Vega is fouled and hits two more free throws for Tri-Unity.  They now lead 56-44 with 2:30 left and time is starting to run out for Fulton.  Doug Venema steals an entry pass and Durant Vega is fouled by Brandon Trefil to stop the clock.  

Vega splits his pair of free throws.  Fulton takes the ball down and misses another three point shot.  Tri-Unity misses a layup and a putback.  In a wild scramble for the ball, Jordan Buffum fouls Zach Baker who makes tow free throws to make it 57-46 with 1:50 left in the game.  Joey Blauwkamp is fouled one second later (Fulton can’t waste any time at this point.) and hits two free throws for Tri-Unity.  Mike Boon fouls Tyler Walden who hits two free throws to make it 59-48 with 1:41 left.

Brandon Trefil fouls Jordan Buffum on a putback; Buffum hits two free throws to make it 61-48 with 1:34 left.  Tri-Unity makes a steal, but the ball is knocked loose.  Tri-Unity gets the ball back, but Fulton is not giving up!  Tyler Walden fouls Durant Vega who hits two free throws to make it 63-48 left.  Mike Boon steals the ball and gets it to Durant Vega who hits a fast break layup with 53 seconds left to push the Tri-Unity lead to 65-48.  

After one last miss by Fulton, Joey Blauwkamp gets the rebound and Durant Vega hits a layup with 31 seconds left to give Tri-Unity a 67-48 lead.  

Both teams clear their bench.  Fulton passes the ball around and Cameron Waldron hits a putback shot just before the buzzer to make the final score Tri-Unity 67 Fulton 50.  

Fulton made a game of it, but in the fourth quarter, they got behind and when they committed desperation fouls, Tri-Unity calmly hit their free throws to extend their lead.  Fulton has had a great season and has a lot to be proud of.  Also, all three of their leading scorers as well as their sixth man are juniors and will have another chance next year.

Tri-Unity is this year’s Class D Champion!  

For Tri-Unity Christian, Durant Vega led the way with 21 points; Joey Blauwkamp added 16 points and Mike Boon contributed 14.  Jordan Buffum contributed three points and nine rebounds to the cause.  

For Fulton, Tyler Walden had twenty points and Cody Johnson hit twelve.  Corey Hungerford added nine points, Zach Baker had four; Garrett Slavik and Cameron Waldron added a basket and Eric Litwiller had one point.

Thanks to both teams for putting on a great game that was close until the middle of the fourth quarter!!

Chuck Krafft | Class B Finals | March 26, 2011

Well, it’s a mixed bag of feelings as our Bleacher Denizen gets ready to watch the last game of the Michigan High School Basketball season.

He’s sad that there won’t be any more basketball to watch until early December, but is truly excited that the Big Reds of Sexton High have a chance to bring a state championship to our city!!!

Go Big Reds!!  

Sexton has a great starting lineup led by Junior Guard/Forward Denzel Valentine.  He’s 6’ 5” and can do everything from running the point to playing excellent interior defense on opposing big guys.  He’s willing to do anything to win and is happy whether he scores seven points or twenty-two points as long as Sexton wins.  6’ 3” Junior Guard Bryn Forbes is coming off the game of his life when he scored 29 points against Detroit Country Day in the semifinals.  He has an excellent outside shot, but especially later this year, he’s been driving to the basket more.  He successfully challenged 6’ 10” Ohio State recruit Amir Williams a few times last night.  

Anthony Clemmons is a 6’ 1” junior who handles the ball well, rebounds really well, shoots well and generally is fearless and always competes.  6’5” Tyrin Wade is the only senior in the starting lineup and he is the team’s leading scorer.  He’s strong and played an excellent defensive game against Amir Williams.  Williams only shot the ball seven times; Wade was the primary defender.

6’7” Sophomore Jalen Hayes can score, but is more involved with the team defense.  He rebounds and gives a great effort on defense.  Once in awhile, he’ll surprise you by stealing a guard’s dribble, too.  I have a feeling that he will have an excellent future at Sexton.

I’ve only seen Muskegon Heights play once this year.  Last night, Deontae Hudson had 31 points for Muskegon Heights.  They played ferocious defense and caused Dowagiac to commit a lot of turnovers.  Sophomore D’Vonte Dockery seemed especially intense.

Sexton wins the opening tap.  About 55 seconds into the game, Tyrin Wade gets a nice one-handed tip in to give Sexton the lead.  For Muskegon Heights, Hudson banks in a three point shot and Heights leads 3-2, although generally banked three pointers tend to be lucky and not easy to repeat.  

Tyrin Wade gets another tip-in; this one from about four feet away from the basket.  Rowmell Crawford responds with a putback for Muskegon Heights.  After a Sexton turnover, Marquis Childers hits a fourteen foot jumper to give Muskegon Heights a 7-5 lead with 5:35 remaining in the quarter.  Childers fouls Wade, who splits a pair of free throws.  

After a Muskegon Heights airball, Denzel Valentine misses a shot and commits a foul on an offensive rebound attempt.  Denzel promptly steals the ball back, but Juwon Martin blocks the Sexton layup attempt.  Muskegon Heights misses a shot, but Sexton turns the ball back over to them.  After the media timeout, Anthony Clemmons steals the ball back and Denzel Valentine hits a long three point shot off a Tyrin Wade assist to give Sexton an 8-7 lead.  Juwon Martin gets the lead back for Muskegon Heights with a three pointer of his own.  

Now Sexton shows some of their excellent team play when Tyrin Wade fakes a shot, then passes up a good shot for a sure thing by Anthony Clemmons, who cuts to the basket and hits a layup to tie the score at 10-10 with 2:33 left in the quarter.  After Muskegon Heights travels, Wade makes a pretty spinning drive for a layup to give Sexton back the lead.  (Wade is a really big guy and it’s amazing how quick and precise he is with his footwork.  He almost never commits a charging foul and he’s very aggressive going to the basket.)

D’Vonte Dockery, one of the most intense defenders I have seen this year, scores a putback to tie the game at 12-12.  Sexton misses a three pointer; Muskegon Heights misses a badly rushed three pointer.  Denzel Valentine gives Sexton the lead back with a layup with 1:01 left.  This is the last scoring of the first quarter and Sexton has a 14-12 lead.  This may just be the Big Red’s year!!

Muskegon Heights scores the first points of the second quarter when Deontae Hudson drives in for a layup to tie the score at 14-14 twenty seconds into the quarter.  Jeff Cain comes off the bench to hit a three pointer thirty seconds later to give Sexton a 17-14 lead.  Rowmell Crawford hits a layup, is fouled and completes the three point play to tie the score for Muskegon Heights.  After a Sexton turnover, Muskegon Heights retakes the lake on a Deontae Hudson layup.  Muskegon Heights seems to want the title, too!

Bryn Forbes ties the game with a basket, Marquis Childers hits a three point shot to give Muskegon Heights a 24-21 lead with 5:26 left.  Tyrin Wade banks in a six footer for Sexton.  (I like a lot of things about Wade’s game.  He uses a lot of the “old-fashioned” skills to his advantage; he uses the backboard a lot more often than most players.)

Deontae Hudson gets into the lane for a basket for Muskegon Heights.  Now the refs intervene as the play is getting a bit physical and hand out a double foul.  Sexton misses the ball and Muskegon Heights misses a scooped shot on their possession.  Sexton misses a three as well as a putback and Marquis Childers hits a fourteen foot jumper to give Muskegon Heights a 26-21 lead with 3:41 left.  Sexton commits a turnover.  

Muskegon Heights breaks the Sexton press, but misses a jump shot.  Bryn Forbes takes a rebound all the way downcourt for a fast break layup and converts a free throw.  The three point play brings Sexton to within two points at 26-24.  Muskegon Heights misses a shot and Anthony Clemmons ties the game with a putback.  (Clemmons gets a lot of rebounds for a guard.)  

Sexton blocks a shot and Muskegon Heights steals the ball back, but they mishandle the ball and there is a scrum.  Muskegon comes out of the scrum with the ball and Anthony Clemmons fouls Deontae Hudson to prevent a layup.  Hudson misses his free throws, and Tyrin Wade hits a layup to give Sexton a 28-26 lead with 1:23 left.

Muskegon Heights travels with the ball and Sexton is able to hold the ball for the rest of the half.  (This is quite a good feat; many high school teams are not disciplined enough to hold the ball that long without attacking the basket.  Most teams will turn the ball over in that time.)  Anthony Clemmons hits a jumper with three seconds left and Sexton takes a 30-26 lead into halftime.

This was a great half with a lot of exciting action!  Sexton, as usual has balanced scoring; Tyrin Wade has 11 points, Bryn Forbes has 6, Denzel Valentine has 5, Anthony Clemmons has five and Jeff Cain has also contributed a three point shot.

Deontae Hudson leads Muskegon Heights with nine points and Marquis Childers has seven.

Its Sexton ball to start the third quarter and Bryn Forbes assists Tyrin Wade on a layup 19 seconds into the fourth quarter.  Tyrin Wade steals the ball and Anthony Clemmons finishes up this Sexton possession with a putback that gives Sexton a 34-26 lead with 7:08 left.  The Big Red express may be running all the way to a State Championship!!!  Go Big Reds!!  

After Muskegon misses a shot, Denzel (one of the best high school passers out there) makes a no-look sharp hook pass to Jalen Hayes.  Deontae Hudson fouls Hayes to prevent the layup, but Hayes foils that strategy with two well-shot free throws to put Sexton up 36-26.  (Hayes does not score as much as the other starters, but when he shoots; you can see that he has talent.  It’s a credit to his maturity (He’s only a sophomore.) that he so willingly hustles and does the non-scoring things the Sexton team needs.)

Hayes proves my point on the next Sexton possession as he hits a putback to give Sexton a twelve point lead.  If Sexton does not let down, I think they will be bringing a State Championship back to Lansing!!

Deontae Hudson hits two free throws to stop the Sexton scoring streak, but Denzel Valentine hits another one of his long threes to give Sexton a 41-28 lead with 5:03 left.  

Juwon Martin answers with a three of his own for Muskegon Heights.  Kyren Kemp assists Tyrin Wade on a basket for Sexton and Muskegon Heights responds with a layup by D’Vonte Dockery with an assist from Marquis Childers.  Sexton mishandles the ball on their next possession; they win a scrum to keep possession, but have to use up a timeout to protect the possession.  Bryn Forbes confidently puts one up from the top of the key and swishes it to give Sexton a 46-33 lead.  

Deontae Hudson comes right back with a layup for Muskegon Heights.  Denzel Valentine commits a charge for his third foul and goes out of the game.  After Muskegon Heights misses a three point shot, D’Vonte Dockery fouls Tyrin Wade on a putback and Wade splits a pair of free throws.  (You’ve got to love the way Dockery fearlessly hustles and gives everything he has at all times, though.  He’s only a sophomore and will play a lot more good basketball for Muskegon Heights.)

Muskegon Heights saves the ball from going out and gets the ball to Juwon Martin for a layup and Martin hits a free throw for a three point play to close Sexton’s lead to nine points at 47-38.  Jalen Hayes hits a nice jump shot to put Sexton’s lead up to eleven points.  Jeff Cain fouls Juwon Martin who hits two free throws and it’s 49-40 with 2:11 left in the quarter.  Sexton misses a shot, but after they get the offensive rebound, Denzel Valentine hits a three point shot to make it 52-40.  Juwon Martin comes right back with a three point shot with some help from a friendly bounce for Muskegon Heights.  

Juwon Martin steals the ball for Muskegon Heights, but they miss a layup and D’Vonte Dockery is called for his third foul on the rebound.  Sexton holds the ball for the last shot, but Denzel sees an opening and drives right in for a jam with nine seconds left.  Muskegon Heights misses a three pointer and Sexton has a 54-43 lead after three quarters.

Sexton is playing really well, but Muskegon Heights is still competing hard.  

Muskegon Heights has the ball to start the fourth quarter.  Anthony Clemmons commits his fourth foul and Rowmell Crawford splits a pair of free throws.  Jeff Cain drives full court for a Sexton layup.  After Cain forces a turnover, Jalen Hayes gets a putback to give Sexton a 58-45 lead.  Deontae Hudson is fouled and hits one of his free throws.

After a Sexton turnover, Dockery commits an offensive foul for his fourth.  He disagrees, but he was fighting just a bit too aggressively for position down low.  The competitiveness that led to the foul is a good thing, though.  

Marquis Childers fouls Denzel Valentine; Denzel hits two free throws to push Sexton’s lead to 60-46 with 6:13 left.  The gym is starting to buzz with the anticipation of a Sexton victory.  (A large part of the crowd appears to be from Lansing.)  Go Sexton!!

Rowmell Crawford gets a nice tip in.  Denzel Valentine continues his passing clinic with a sweet diagonal pass that Tyrin Wade immediately converts to a layup.  (Wade helps by having good hands that seem to catch almost everything.)  Muskegon Heights misses a three point shot.  After a Sexton timeout, Sexton turns the ball over on a travelling violation.  D’Vonte Dockery’s layup brings Muskegon back to within twelve at 62-50 with 4:18 remaining.  Muskegon is fighting hard, but they are running out of time.

Sexton misses the front end of a one and one, but Muskegon Heights misses a shot on their end.  Anthony Clemmons is fouled and hits two free throws.  Muskegon Heights follows with a wild three point shot that has no chance of going in.  Clemmons is fouled again and hits two more free throws.

Now Sexton makes a rare mistake (at least for this game) and fouls Juwon Martin on a three point attempt.  Martin hits two of his three free throws to make it 66-52 with only 3:16 remaining.  Sexton keeps the ball in Clemmons’ hands and he is fouled again and hits two free throws again.  Anthony Clemmons will not let anyone take this championship away from Sexton!!  

D’Vonte Dockery gets a layup for Muskegon Heights and then Marquis Childers steals the ball and gets a layup to make the score 68-56 with 2:24 left.  Childers fouls out of the game and Denzel Valentine misses both free throws, but gets the offensive rebound.  Juwon fouls Anthony Clemmons to stop the clock and Clemmons hits one of two free throws to give Sexton a 69-56 lead with 1:47 left.  Deontae Hudson fouls Bryn Forbes and Forbes nails a couple free throws.  (I like watching Forbes shoot; his shots have a nice arch and frequently swish right down the middle!)  Sexton leads 71-56 with 1:25 left.  Denzel Valentine fouls Hudson and he hits two free throws.  

Juwon Martin fouls Valentine and he hits two free throws to make it 73-58 with 1:10 left.

Sexton takes a time out and puts in its bench players.  Muskegon Heights misses a shot and Donyae Logan grabs the rebound.  Heights fouls Kyren Kemp and he swishes two free throws for Sexton.  Darese Sanders gets the final basket of the game with a layup with 27 seconds left.

Sexton wins 75-60 and wins the Class B Championship.  It was a great game and a great finish to an excellent season for Sexton.

This was truly a team effort as always for Sexton and you can see that from the balanced scoring totals.  Tyrin Wade led as usual with 18 points.  He also had seven rebounds and four assists.  Denzel Valentine had seventeen points, six rebounds, three assists and about 100 excellent decisions.  (Actually, to be fair, the whole Sexton team played a smart game.  They really got on a roll during the tournament and played with efficiency and confidence.  As a Muskegon Heights fan pointed out; they shared the ball and truly did not care who was scoring the points.  These last four games in Sexton’s tournament run (see previous blog articles) were truly a joy to watch!)

Anthony Clemmons had 15 points and a bunch of clutch free throws in the fourth quarter.  Bryn Forbes chipped in with 10 points and Jalen Hayes gave Sexton eight points and 11 rebounds.  Jeff Cain got five points in only ten minutes of play including a three pointer early in the second quarter when the game was still close.  Kyren Kemp hit two free throws for two points.

For Muskegon, Deontae Hudson and Juwon Martin each had 16 points and Marquis Childers and Rowmell Crawford had eight.  D’Vonte Dockery had eight points.  

Congratulations to the Sexton team on a great tournament run and a State Championship!!  GO BIG REDS!!!!!