MHSAA Playoffs: Matchups To Watch On Opening Night

<p>The MHSAA State Tournament is finally here and the first day of the districts offers great games all across the state. Below are my picks for the best matchups for the opening night of the tournament. Be sure to check back in tomorrow to see who the top players were from round one.</p> <h5><em>Division 1, District 12: Wyoming vs Byron Center</em></h5> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1128345" first="Ramere" last="Draper"], F, Wyoming 22" vs [player_tooltip player_id="814654" first="Clay" last="Lake"], G/F, Byron Center 21"</h6> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1128345" first="Ramere" last="Draper"] has come on as one of the top juniors in the area for a Wyoming team that lost a lot from a season ago. He high a ton of upside due to his athleticism and shots at a high clip inside the paint. Byron Center is also led by an athletic wing in [player_tooltip player_id="814654" first="Clay" last="Lake"]. Clay has some of the best bounce in the OK Conference and has the ability to score in droves. </p> <h5><em>Division 1, District 11: Zeeland West vs Grandville</em></h5> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="611462" first="Carson" last="Gulker"], G, Zeeland West 21" vs [player_tooltip player_id="814575" first="Tommy" last="Gregwer"], G, Grandville 21"</h6> <p>Grandville’s [player_tooltip player_id="814575" first="Tommy" last="Gregwer"] is a prolific scorer and has the type of confidence to give the Bulldogs 30 points on any given night. Zeeland West will need to focus first and foremost on slowing down Gregwer if they hope to advance. Zeeland West’s [player_tooltip player_id="611462" first="Carson" last="Gulker"] is one of the best two-way players in the OK Green due to his ability to get a bucket and lock up opposing team’s top players. I have a feeling those two will see a lot of each other in tonight’s matchup.</p> <h5><em>Division 1, District 10: Reeths-Puffer vs Kenowa Hills</em></h5> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="814593" first="Kaleb" last="Mitchelson"], G, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 21" vs [player_tooltip player_id="1128344" first="Zeke" last="Dykstra"] G, Kenowa Hills 22"</h6> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="814593" first="Kaleb" last="Mitchelson"] is as pure of a point guard that you’ll see in the OK Conference, and his two-man game with forward [player_tooltip player_id="814609" first="Kendall" last="Smith"] is equally as impressive. Kenowa’s [player_tooltip player_id="1128344" first="Zeke" last="Dykstra"] will be tasked with the one-on-one matchup with Mitchelson, which should be possibly the best guard-on-guard matchup of the evening.</p> <h5><em>Division 1, District 9: Rockford vs Forest Hills Central</em></h5> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="814588" first="Sam" last="Krist"], G, Rockford 21" vs Jacob Bonnet, G, Forest Hills Central 21"</h6> <p>Rockford’s [player_tooltip player_id="814588" first="Sam" last="Krist"] has been one of the area’s most dynamic scorers and the key cog in the Rams engine this year, and a huge reason why the Rams captured the OK Red. Jacob Bonnet will have to have a big game for the Rangers tonight if they hope to knock off Rockford on the road.</p> <h5><em>Division 2, District 42: Sparta vs Comstock Park</em></h5> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1125802" first="Conner" last="West"], G, Sparta 21" vs [player_tooltip player_id="986892" first="Shawn" last="Foreman"], G, Comstock Park 23"</h6> <p>Comstock Park and Sparta played each other in the first game of the season as the Spartans took home the 58-48 win. A little over a month later and the two rivals will face off in the first round of the district tournament. Sparta’s [player_tooltip player_id="1125802" first="Conner" last="West"] and Comstock Park’s [player_tooltip player_id="986892" first="Shawn" last="Foreman"] will provide the majority of the offense for their respective teams and both players have the ability to score in bunches. </p>