Notes and Observations From District Finals

<p>Teams across the state cut down the nets this past weekend and marched on to the regional semifinals. Things went as expected for the most part with the majority of the favorites winning district championships. Grand Haven had arguably the most impressive win on Saturday, defeating a Muskegon team that has ended their season more times than the Bucs care to remember in the past.</p> <p>I was able to check out East Grand Rapids beat Caledonia in a Division 1 district final on Saturday, which was the Pioneer’s first district championship in 10 years. Check out my notes for that game as well as who stood out in the other district finals from across the area.</p> <h5>East Grand Rapids 43, Caledonia 40</h5> <p>East Grand Rapids claimed its first district championship since 2011, defeating Caledonia in a low-possession, yet highly entertaining game. This was a back-and-forth game until the very end when [player_tooltip player_id="814696" first="Andrew" last="Larson"]’s game-tying three-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.</p> <p><em><strong>Pioneer’s Sophomore Class Steps Up</strong></em></p> <p>East Grand Rapids’ sophomore class showed up and showed out on Saturday in a big way. The best player on the court was East Grand Rapids’ [player_tooltip player_id="1077676" first="Simon" last="Neuhaus"]. His combination of size, athleticism, and skill was too much for the Scots to handle. Simon showed off his shooting stroke from deep and an ability to put the ball on the deck and get a bucket at the rim. I think Simon is currently one of the top players in his class from the OK Conference and should be a name that you’ll hear often for the foreseeable future.</p> <p>Another sophomore that had a great game was Pioneer point guard [player_tooltip player_id="1076034" first="Drew" last="Caswell"]. While he didn’t fill up the stat sheet with a ton of points, he ran the offense efficiently, didn’t turn the ball over, and set up his teammates with great looks. Those attributes are precious commodities for a team that wants to make a run in the playoffs. </p> <p>Lastly, East doesn’t win this game without the timely buckets from Arjun Taylor. Going into this game, Arjun wasn’t even on my radar as a potential impact player for the Pioneers. That won’t be the case moving forward as he looks like a crucial part of this program. Arjun made tough shots in the paint and in the mid-range time and time again in the second half to help East withhold Caledonia’s comeback attempts.</p> <p><em>Up next: East Grand Rapids faces Zeeland East (18-0) in a Division 1 regional semifinal at Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Tuesday, March 30th at 5:30 p.m.</em></p> <h5>Top Performers</h5> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="598766" first="Kaden" last="George"], G, Spring Lake 2021"</h6> <p>Kaden had the highest point performance in the area, scoring 33 points in Spring Lake’s 54-43 win over Whitehall. Spring Lake will now face Coopersville in a Division 2 regional semifinal at South Christian on Tuesday, March 30th at 7 p.m.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1055897" first="Blake" last="Stewart"], G, Coopersville 2021"</h6> <p>Blake put up 25 points in Coopersville’s 95-53 win over Fremont. Coopersville will face Spring Lake in a Division 2 regional semifinal at South Christian on Tuesday, March 30th at 7 p.m.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="987270" first="Kaden" last="Brown"], G, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 2023"</h6> <p>Kaden had a game-high 23 points in the Cougar’s 71-52 win over Unity Christian. Catholic Central will face Grand Rapids South Christian in a Division 2 regional semifinal at South Christian on Tuesday, March 30th at 5 p.m.</p> <h6>Tristen Perry, F, Hopkins 2023"</h6> <p>Tristen led Hopkins with 23 points as the Vikings defeated Wayland 51-49. Hopkins will now face Parchment in a Division 2 regional semifinal at Benton Harbor on Tuesday, March 30th at 5 p.m.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1077675" first="Harrison" last="Sorrelle"], G, Grand Haven 2023"</h6> <p>Harrison led the Bucs with 20 points as Grand Haven defeated Muskegon 66-51. Grand Haven will face Forest Hills Northern in a Division 1 regional semifinal at Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Tuesday, March 30th at 7 p.m.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="863974" first="Jorden" last="Brooks"], G, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 2022"</h6> <p>Jorden scored 20 points in Catholic Central’s win over Unity Christian.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="811128" first="Ethan" last="Erickson"], G, Forest Hills Northern 2021"</h6> <p>Ethan led the Huskies with 19 points in its 62-54 win over Forest Hills Central. Forest Hills Northern will face Grand Haven in a Division 1 regional semifinal at Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Tuesday, March 30th at 7 p.m.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="1067860" first="Jalen" last="Overway"], F, Holland Christian 2021"</h6> <p>Jalen put up 19 points and 13 rebounds in the Maroons’ 55-50 loss to Benton Harbor.</p> <h6>Jake DeHaan, G, South Christian 2023"</h6> <p>Jake led the Sailors with 18 points in its 62-54 win over Grand Rapids Christian. South Christian will now face Catholic Central in a Division 2 regional semifinal at South Christian on Tuesday, March 30th at 5 p.m.</p> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="811107" first="Nate" last="Claerbaut"], F, Zeeland East 21"</h6> <p>Nate led the Chix with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks in its 33-20 win over West Ottawa. Zeeland East will now face East Grand Rapids in a Division 1 regional semifinal at Muskegon Reeths-Puffer on Tuesday, March 30th at 5:30 p.m.</p>