Calhoun Christian Vs. Holland Black River
CALHOUN CHRISTIAN vs. HOLLAND BLACK RIVER Covering smaller schools is a real pleasure as these two schools battled it out with the Calhoun Christian Cougars (Mid-South League) coming out on top 62 – 44 over Holland Black River ( Alliance…
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Continue ReadingCALHOUN CHRISTIAN vs. HOLLAND BLACK RIVER
Covering smaller schools is a real pleasure as these two schools battled it out with the Calhoun Christian Cougars (Mid-South League) coming out on top 62 – 44 over Holland Black River ( Alliance League).
Right from the tip off both teams started out fast. The Cougars Alex Wilcox ( nailed a quick three and controlled the pace and tempo making some sharp passes and breaking down the Rats defense. The Cougar big man Nathan Bennett protected the paint and rebounded effectively. With both team playing a 2-3 zone getting inside proved difficult. The Rats Danny Sharkey kepts things close by hitting an important 3 pointer and then making a steal in transition and getting a layup. The quarter ended with the Cougars up 15 -9.
It appeared as if the Cougars were going to blow the game wide open as they held the Rats scoreless in the first 3 minutes. Wilcox knocked down a quick three and Jonathan VanNiekerk converted on an And One. The Rats were getting beat on transition down the court and were forced to call a timeout. The Rats Ein Joiner came off the bench and provided a much needed spark. Sharkey went coast to coast and hen a Joiner two pointer closed the gap. But the Cougars Matthew Andren got fouled driving the lane and converted the 3 point play to stop the Rats run. Then Wilcox hit a 3 point buzzer beater to end the half with Cougars leading 32-21
The beginning of the 3rd quarter wasn’t kind to the Rats. Sharkey got injured and their center Drew Dykema got into foul trouble. The Rats could not muster up any offense and being held scoreless for the first 3:45 of the quarter. But Joiner ended the drought for the Rats scoring 6 points in the 3rd. The Rats went on an 8 point run forcing Coach Bennett from the Cougars to take a time out. Both teams came out sloppy after the time out and the quarter finished with the Cougars leading 48-35
The 4th quarter started with the Cougars full court pressing and the Rats using a half court press. The Rats were not gonna go away as VanNiekerk made a nice back cut and scored and then Sharkey made a nice drive. The Rats cut the lead to 10 and forced a timeout. The Cougars settle in on their press and disrupted the Rats passing lanes. Bennett then started to heat up for the Cougars. He made a couple nice midrange shoots and got to the charity stripe and knocked down his free throws. The Cougars pushed the lead back up to 19 and never looked back. While the Rats played hard till the end it just was too high of a mountain to climb. The game ended with Calhoun Christian winning 62-44.
- MVP: Alex Wilcox (Calhoun Christian)
Alex played well on both ends of the court. He made sharp passes, made some excellent steals and knocked down 4 three pointers. His ability to get to the rim with ease was showcased this evening. Look for big things from Alex this year.
- Play of the game: Nathan Bennett ( Calhoun Christian)
In the 4th quarter, with the Rats energized and going on a 10-0 run cutting the lead to 9 points, Bennett, a fleet footed big man, caught the ball on the wing and unsuspectingly put it on the floor and drove past the Rats defender for an easy two pointer. This inspired the Cougars who immediately pressed and stole the ball and converted again.
- Best offensive performance: Alex Wilcox ( Calhoun Christian)
Alex scored 18 points and made some clean no look passes underneath. When he wasn’t scoring he was drawing the attention of the Rats defenders leaving his teammates open for clean looks.
- Best defensive performance: Mack Timmer ( Black River)
Timmer was responsible for covering both Bennett brothers. No easy task since they both are wide bodies and athletic. Timmer did a nice job boxing out and getting in front of the Brothers and disrupting the flow in the paint.
- Best guy off the bench: Ein Joiner (Black River)
The Black River senior came up big on both ends of the floor. He was able to bring a high spirited defensive presence and provided a scoring spark for the Rats. He finished with 9 points
- Best intangibles: Matt Andren (Calhoun Christian)
Andren communicated well and ran the point nicely for the Cougars. His was a ballhawking presence on the defensive side of the ball forcing several Rats turnovers.
- Best under-the-radar performance: Ethan Reed (Calhoun Christian)
This Cougar senior rarely left the floor. He finished with 12 points and communicated on both ends of the floor. He had no turnovers and was the coach on the floor especially when the game tightened up.
- Best underclassmen Josh Alferink ( Black River)
Alferink finished with 8 points and hit a couple of three pointers. He moved the ball nicely and was not afraid of taking shots and crashing the boards for rebound.
Best coaching decision/strategy: Coach Bennett ( Calhoun Christian)
With the game tightening up in the 4th quarter Bennett went to a full court press which got the Rats out of any offensive flow. He also had his team slow down on the offensive side of the court and worked the clock.
Best story to watch moving forward: Alex Wilcox ( Calhoun Christian)
Coming on the heels of a 28 point performance last week against Phoenix (Kalamazoo, MI), Wilcox clearly has the green light. He is a pure shooter who has the green light. If not for a few in and out misses at Black River, Wilcox would have matched that performance. Look for Alex to be a top scorer in the state when it’s all said and done.