Quarterfinal Notes & Top Performers

<p>16 teams across the state punched their tickets to the Final Four last night, achieving a goal that is near the top of the list for every high school hoops player in the state. Below are my thoughts on Northview’s come-from-behind win over Kalamazoo Central, as well as the top performers from across the state.</p> <h5>Northview 54, Kalamazoo Central 52</h5> <p>Northview’s magical run continues onto the Final Four after the Wildcats came back from down 16 to win in dramatic fashion thanks to an and-one perimeter jumper from [player_tooltip player_id="787685" first="Kyler" last="Vanderjagt"] with under two seconds left. The clutch shot gave Northview its first and only lead of the game. Northview will play Warren De La Salle in the first Division 1 Semifinal on Friday at 12 p.m. at the Breslin Center.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="787685" first="Kyler" last="Vanderjagt"], Northview 2022"</h6> <p>Kyler scored a game-high 17 points, including a game-winning three-pointer with under two seconds left to send Northview to the Division 1 State Semifinals. </p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1111924" first="EJ" last="Ryans"], Northview 2024"</h6> <p>EJ scored 11 points in Northview’s win.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="983514" first="Scott" last="Hughes"], Kalamazoo Central 2022"</p> <p>Scott led Kalamazoo Central with 17 points.</p> <h5>Grand Rapids Catholic Central 86, Benton Harbor 60</h5> <p>Grand Rapids Catholic Central hardly broke a sweat in its quarterfinal win over Benton Harbor. The win sends the Cougars to its third Final Four in five seasons and sets them up with an opportunity to win back-to-back state championships. Catholic Central is now 40-1 in the past two seasons with its only loss coming this season on the road against Flint Beecher. Grand Rapids Catholic Central will face Ferndale in a Division 2 Semifinal on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Breslin Center.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="987270" first="Kaden" last="Brown"], Grand Rapids Catholic Central 2023"</h6> <p>Kaden led the Cougars with 23 points, shooting 5-of-9 from three. Kaden also eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for his high school career during the game.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1112374" first="Durral" last="Brooks"], Grand Rapids Catholic Central 2024"</h6> <p>Durral scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win over Benton Harbor.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="787680" first="Jack" last="Karasinski"], Grand Rapids Catholic Central 2022"</h6> <p>Jack scored 14 points in Catholic Central’s win.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1300903" first="Jajuan" last="Walker"], Benton Harbor 2022"</h6> <p>JaJuan led Benton Harbor with 14 points.</p>