OK Conference Observations 3.0

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night I was at Byron Center High School and got to see the Bulldogs take care of business against East Grand Rapids, beating the Pioneers by 19. With the win, Byron Center snapped a 2-game skid and moved to 6-5 on the season. Let's get into my thoughts on that game and the top scorers from around the OK Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3>Byron Center 57, East Grand Rapids 38</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Byron Center picked up a much-needed win over OK White rival East Grand Rapids on Tuesday night in a game that was never really in question following the midway mark of the first quarter. The Bulldog defense caused problems for the Pioneer offense from the jump, as they held EGR scoreless for the first 4.5 minutes of the game. Byron Center doubled-up East Grand Rapids at halftime, 28-14, and held it's lead until time expired. Byron Center's defense was active, communicative, and aggressive for a full 32 minutes, and it's length should be an asset they'll use to their advantage for the rest of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1465492' first='Austin' last='Buckley']</strong> led all scorers with 20 points. The senior guard was hot from the perimeter, knocking down three triples in the win. I was as impressed with Austin's ability to put the ball on the deck and drive the lane. Austin used his length and physicality to score over the Pioneer's stout frontcourt. His willingness to take on contact and finish with his eyes at the rim stood out. Defensively, Austin created a few turnovers and did a good job of limiting the Pioneer's guard's ability to get the offense in rhythm. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157486' first='Camden' last='Karel']</strong> was solid on the defensive end all night, using his length to bother East's shooters, especially in the high post-extended. Offensively, it's easy to see why Camden is one of the fast-rising prospects in the 2025 class. He has a quick first step in the post and good footwork to match. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1463233' first='Ben' last='Heagle']</strong> had a solid game for the Bulldogs as well, scoring 14 points and being active on the glass on both ends. Ben's physicality proved to be a problem in the post all night and really limited what the Pioneers wanted to do offensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although it was a quiet night for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1077676' first='Simon' last='Neuhaus']</strong> on the offensive end, I thought he was excellent on defense. Simon did a great job taking away Byron Center's dribble drive for the majority of the evening and forced multiple bad shots. It was nice to see a down offensive night not have an impact on his effort level and willingness to get a stop on defense. Will TeWinkle was the only Pioneer that got anything going offensively in the first half. His nine points were the only Pioneer points for almost the entire first quarter. He would finish with 11 to lead EGR in scoring. Will's energy on the glass and on defense was as impressive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3>OK Conference Top Performers</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1143391' first='Merritt' last='Alderink'], Zeeland West 24"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Merritt scored a career-high 42 points in Zeeland West's 79-41 win over Holland. Merritt also broke Zeeland West's previous school record of 40 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1431580' first='Jax' last='Wilson'], Sparta 23"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jax scored 37 points in Sparta's 104-98 triple-overtime win over Godwin Heights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='902884' first='Jakhary' last='Towns'], Godwin Heights 23"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jakhary scored 36 points in Godwin's loss to Sparta.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Craig Hureskin, Ottawa Hills 23"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Craig scored 33 points, making 10 threes in Ottawa Hills' 88-52 win over Wayland.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='987270' first='Kaden' last='Brown'], Catholic Central 23"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kaden scored 32 points in Catholic Central's 71-67 win over South Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1300920' first='Carson' last='Vis'], South Christian 25"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carson scored 31 points in South Christian's loss to Catholic Central.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyson Mann, Grandville 23"</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyson scored 25 points in Grandville's 60-53 win over Jenison.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->