By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A late comeback by West Ottawa ended the season for the Zeeland East varsity boys basketball team on Feb. 26 in the Division 1 district tournament at Holland High School.
The Chix held a 73-69 lead with two minutes remaining, but the Panthers scored the final eight points to pull out a 77-73 victory.
East ended its season with a record of 14-9, 9-3 in the O-K Black Conference, finishing second in the conference behind Unity Christian.
The Chix fell behind 8-0 in the game’s first 48 seconds, but bounced back with an eight-point run of their own midway through the first quarter to take their first lead at 18-16. The Panthers led 24-23 after the first eight minutes.
East caught fire in the second quarter. Sophomore guard Will Drnek scored nine points during a 15-2 Chix run, punctuated by a one-handed dunk by senior forward Caleb Claerbaut, to take a 38-26 lead with 4:40 left in the first half. East led 45-34 at halftime.
The Chix took their biggest lead at 53-38 on a driving layup by senior forward BJ Walker early in the third quarter. But then West Ottawa stormed back with a 21-7 spurt, cutting the East lead to 60-59 with 1:42 left in the quarter.
A three-point play by Walker restored the East lead at 69-63 with five minutes remaining. West Ottawa battled back to cut the lead to 73-71.
It was at that point that Panther freshman center Darien Stewart made the defensive play of the night. Claerbaut drove the lane and went up for a dunk, but Stewart rejected the dunk attempt at the rim.
Seconds later, West Ottawa sophomore guard Makai Campos drained a 3-point shot from the left wing to give the Panthers a 74-73 lead with 1:20 remaining. West Ottawa added a basket and free throw in the final 46 seconds to seal the victory.
The Chix had four players score in double figures. Walker, who will play basketball next season at Grand Valley State University, led the way for East with 24 points, giving him a final career total of 1,288 points and a career average of 16.1 points per game.
Claerbaut added 15 points, Drnek 14 and senior guard Will Ver Steeg 10 for the Chix.
JT Gill III led five West Ottawa players in double figures with 18 points. Hudson Vellinga added 16.
The game was the last varsity contest for seven East seniors: Walker, Will Ver Steeg, Owen Ver Steeg, Eli Walcott, Jacob Vera, Quincy Thome and Mickey Voss.
Zeeland Record
A late comeback by West Ottawa ended the season for the Zeeland East varsity boys basketball team on Feb. 26 in the Division 1 district tournament at Holland High School.
The Chix held a 73-69 lead with two minutes remaining, but the Panthers scored the final eight points to pull out a 77-73 victory.
East ended its season with a record of 14-9, 9-3 in the O-K Black Conference, finishing second in the conference behind Unity Christian.
The Chix fell behind 8-0 in the game’s first 48 seconds, but bounced back with an eight-point run of their own midway through the first quarter to take their first lead at 18-16. The Panthers led 24-23 after the first eight minutes.
East caught fire in the second quarter. Sophomore guard Will Drnek scored nine points during a 15-2 Chix run, punctuated by a one-handed dunk by senior forward Caleb Claerbaut, to take a 38-26 lead with 4:40 left in the first half. East led 45-34 at halftime.
The Chix took their biggest lead at 53-38 on a driving layup by senior forward BJ Walker early in the third quarter. But then West Ottawa stormed back with a 21-7 spurt, cutting the East lead to 60-59 with 1:42 left in the quarter.
A three-point play by Walker restored the East lead at 69-63 with five minutes remaining. West Ottawa battled back to cut the lead to 73-71.
It was at that point that Panther freshman center Darien Stewart made the defensive play of the night. Claerbaut drove the lane and went up for a dunk, but Stewart rejected the dunk attempt at the rim.
Seconds later, West Ottawa sophomore guard Makai Campos drained a 3-point shot from the left wing to give the Panthers a 74-73 lead with 1:20 remaining. West Ottawa added a basket and free throw in the final 46 seconds to seal the victory.
The Chix had four players score in double figures. Walker, who will play basketball next season at Grand Valley State University, led the way for East with 24 points, giving him a final career total of 1,288 points and a career average of 16.1 points per game.
Claerbaut added 15 points, Drnek 14 and senior guard Will Ver Steeg 10 for the Chix.
JT Gill III led five West Ottawa players in double figures with 18 points. Hudson Vellinga added 16.
The game was the last varsity contest for seven East seniors: Walker, Will Ver Steeg, Owen Ver Steeg, Eli Walcott, Jacob Vera, Quincy Thome and Mickey Voss.
On the Record . . .
West’s Klaasen Tops 1,000 Career Points
Senior guard Jordyn Klaasen went over the 1,000-point mark for her career on Feb. 27 as she led the Zeeland West varsity girls basketball team to a 45-39 win over Wyoming on Senior Night.
Klaasen, who will be playing soccer next fall at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., led the Dux with 16 points as they closed out the regular season with a 17-5 record. She entered this week’s district tournament with 1,008 career points, making her only the second girls basketball player in school history to go over 1,000 points for her career.
Senior center Hannah Stroebe had a double-double for West as she scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Sadie Kragt chipped in eight points.
Other seniors that were honored before the game included Georgia Kuyers, Sydney Bergsma, Madelyn VanDort and Clarice VanDort.
Senior guard Jordyn Klaasen went over the 1,000-point mark for her career on Feb. 27 as she led the Zeeland West varsity girls basketball team to a 45-39 win over Wyoming on Senior Night.
Klaasen, who will be playing soccer next fall at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., led the Dux with 16 points as they closed out the regular season with a 17-5 record. She entered this week’s district tournament with 1,008 career points, making her only the second girls basketball player in school history to go over 1,000 points for her career.
Senior center Hannah Stroebe had a double-double for West as she scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Sadie Kragt chipped in eight points.
Other seniors that were honored before the game included Georgia Kuyers, Sydney Bergsma, Madelyn VanDort and Clarice VanDort.
East Girls Romp Past Mona Shores
The Zeeland East varsity girls basketball team wrapped up its regular season Feb. 27 with a 56-30 victory over Muskegon Mona Shores.
The Chix raised their record to 14-8 heading into this week’s district tournament at Holland. East was to play Zeeland West on Wednesday night.
Senior center Emily Wierenga led the Chix with 18 points. Sophomore guard Lizzie Risdon added 13 points and senior forward Emme Meyering contributed eight.
West Competitive Cheer 6th in First Showing at State
The Zeeland West competitive cheer team completed its most successful season in school history Saturday, finishing sixth at the Division 2 state championship meet at Central Michigan University.
Competing in the state finals for the first time, Coach Emillie Gort’s Dux posted a team score of 761.02 to finish sixth among eight teams. Allen Park won its second consecutive Division 2 title and fifth in six years with a final score of 791.90.
“For the girls' first time at state finals, I am incredibly proud of how they handled themselves. We couldn't have asked for a better way to end our season,” Gort said.
West posted an opening-round score of 229.10 and followed up with a score of 218.62 in the second round. The Dux had a final-round score of 313.30.
West won its first O-K Conference championship this season and qualified for the state finals with a second-place finish at the regional meet last month.
Team members were Kendall Anger, Zoie Bush, Saige Canfield, Grace DeJonge, Cass Duyst, Riley Howe, Charlee Keller, Addysen Miller, Berkley Mosbauer, Julisa Muller, Mikenna Qualman, Mallory Raak, Jordin Robelin, Adrianna Rondeau, Leah Santellan, Emma Schurman, Violet Siffin, Bayla Steinke, Jiaya Steinke, Alliyah Touch, Alyssa Touch and Lauren Walters.
Three Wrestlers Gain All-State Recognition
Three Zeeland wrestlers earned all-state honors Saturday at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 boys individual wrestling finals at Ford Field in Detroit.
Zeeland East senior Gavin Drenten and sophomore teammate JJ Ledford finished third in their respective weight classes, while Zeeland West junior Aiden Chavez finished eighth in his division.
At 150 pounds, Drenten opened with a first-round pin and followed with an 8-1 decision. After he was pinned by Mason’s Dylan Granger in the semifinals, Drenten came back to win by technical fall over Charlotte’s Tyler Densmore and decisioned Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice’s Deacon MacNeill 9-0 to claim third place.
At 120 pounds, Ledford needed just 35 seconds to pin his first-round opponent and won his second match by a 12-7 decision. He lost to eventual champion Cristian Haslem of St. Clair in a semifinal match on a 7-4 decision. Ledford bounced back after that loss to take an 8-0 major decision over Lowell’s Cole Cichocki, then decisioned Fenton’s Lucas Christopher 6-2 in the third-place match.
Wrestling at 106 pounds, Chavez bounced back from a first-round pin to win by technical fall over Mason’s Rene Gonzalez and take a 14-6 major decision over Caleb Frazier of New Boston Huron in the blood round. Chavez then dropped a 4-1 decision to Edward Smith of Bay City John Glenn and was pinned in his seventh-place match.
East sophomore Anders Tibbs had a 1-2 record at 144 pounds at the state finals, while West senior Justin Sanchez also went 1-2 at 113 pounds.
West sophomore Emmaline Kouw posted a 1-2 record at 120 pounds in the girls individual wrestling finals as the first female wrestler in school history to qualify for state. Kouw pinned Southgate Anderson’s Melody Carr in the blood round for her only win.
VanderVelde Finishes in Top 16 at Bowling Finals
Zeeland bowler Noah VanderVelde finished in the top 16 at the Michigan high school Division 1 boys singles bowling finals last Saturday at the Thunderbowl in Allen Park.
VanderVelde, a senior who was the individual champion a week earlier at the regional tournament in Kalamazoo, advanced to the match play round of 16 by finishing 14th among 56 bowlers in the qualifying round earlier in the day with a six-game pinfall of 1,266. He rolled a 262 in his third game, and also had games of 218, 215 and 207 during qualifying.
VanderVelde was defeated by Jenison’s Ben Slagter in the match play round by a combined two-game score of 435-424.
In the girls singles finals, Zeeland’s Hayden Pompey-Oshinski finished 28th among 56 bowlers during the qualifying round, but fell short of advancing to the match play round.
Pompey-Oshinski, a senior, posted a six-game pinfall of 1,039 with a high game of 202.
Olivet’s Schipper Named All-MIAA First Team
University of Olivet sophomore center Conner Schipper has been named a first-team selection on the 2024-25 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball team.
Schipper, a graduate of Zeeland East High School, led the Comets to a top-four finish in the MIAA and a semifinal spot in the conference tournament this season. He averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while playing in all 27 of Olivet’s contests. He also blocked 40 shots on the season.
Against MIAA opponents, Schipper led the conference in field goal shooting at 58.1 percent (79 of 136). He was sixth in scoring (14.4 points per game) and seventh in rebounding (6.8 per game). He scored a season-high 26 points against MIAA champion Calvin University Feb. 12.
The Chix raised their record to 14-8 heading into this week’s district tournament at Holland. East was to play Zeeland West on Wednesday night.
Senior center Emily Wierenga led the Chix with 18 points. Sophomore guard Lizzie Risdon added 13 points and senior forward Emme Meyering contributed eight.
West Competitive Cheer 6th in First Showing at State
The Zeeland West competitive cheer team completed its most successful season in school history Saturday, finishing sixth at the Division 2 state championship meet at Central Michigan University.
Competing in the state finals for the first time, Coach Emillie Gort’s Dux posted a team score of 761.02 to finish sixth among eight teams. Allen Park won its second consecutive Division 2 title and fifth in six years with a final score of 791.90.
“For the girls' first time at state finals, I am incredibly proud of how they handled themselves. We couldn't have asked for a better way to end our season,” Gort said.
West posted an opening-round score of 229.10 and followed up with a score of 218.62 in the second round. The Dux had a final-round score of 313.30.
West won its first O-K Conference championship this season and qualified for the state finals with a second-place finish at the regional meet last month.
Team members were Kendall Anger, Zoie Bush, Saige Canfield, Grace DeJonge, Cass Duyst, Riley Howe, Charlee Keller, Addysen Miller, Berkley Mosbauer, Julisa Muller, Mikenna Qualman, Mallory Raak, Jordin Robelin, Adrianna Rondeau, Leah Santellan, Emma Schurman, Violet Siffin, Bayla Steinke, Jiaya Steinke, Alliyah Touch, Alyssa Touch and Lauren Walters.
Three Wrestlers Gain All-State Recognition
Three Zeeland wrestlers earned all-state honors Saturday at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 boys individual wrestling finals at Ford Field in Detroit.
Zeeland East senior Gavin Drenten and sophomore teammate JJ Ledford finished third in their respective weight classes, while Zeeland West junior Aiden Chavez finished eighth in his division.
At 150 pounds, Drenten opened with a first-round pin and followed with an 8-1 decision. After he was pinned by Mason’s Dylan Granger in the semifinals, Drenten came back to win by technical fall over Charlotte’s Tyler Densmore and decisioned Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice’s Deacon MacNeill 9-0 to claim third place.
At 120 pounds, Ledford needed just 35 seconds to pin his first-round opponent and won his second match by a 12-7 decision. He lost to eventual champion Cristian Haslem of St. Clair in a semifinal match on a 7-4 decision. Ledford bounced back after that loss to take an 8-0 major decision over Lowell’s Cole Cichocki, then decisioned Fenton’s Lucas Christopher 6-2 in the third-place match.
Wrestling at 106 pounds, Chavez bounced back from a first-round pin to win by technical fall over Mason’s Rene Gonzalez and take a 14-6 major decision over Caleb Frazier of New Boston Huron in the blood round. Chavez then dropped a 4-1 decision to Edward Smith of Bay City John Glenn and was pinned in his seventh-place match.
East sophomore Anders Tibbs had a 1-2 record at 144 pounds at the state finals, while West senior Justin Sanchez also went 1-2 at 113 pounds.
West sophomore Emmaline Kouw posted a 1-2 record at 120 pounds in the girls individual wrestling finals as the first female wrestler in school history to qualify for state. Kouw pinned Southgate Anderson’s Melody Carr in the blood round for her only win.
VanderVelde Finishes in Top 16 at Bowling Finals
Zeeland bowler Noah VanderVelde finished in the top 16 at the Michigan high school Division 1 boys singles bowling finals last Saturday at the Thunderbowl in Allen Park.
VanderVelde, a senior who was the individual champion a week earlier at the regional tournament in Kalamazoo, advanced to the match play round of 16 by finishing 14th among 56 bowlers in the qualifying round earlier in the day with a six-game pinfall of 1,266. He rolled a 262 in his third game, and also had games of 218, 215 and 207 during qualifying.
VanderVelde was defeated by Jenison’s Ben Slagter in the match play round by a combined two-game score of 435-424.
In the girls singles finals, Zeeland’s Hayden Pompey-Oshinski finished 28th among 56 bowlers during the qualifying round, but fell short of advancing to the match play round.
Pompey-Oshinski, a senior, posted a six-game pinfall of 1,039 with a high game of 202.
Olivet’s Schipper Named All-MIAA First Team
University of Olivet sophomore center Conner Schipper has been named a first-team selection on the 2024-25 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball team.
Schipper, a graduate of Zeeland East High School, led the Comets to a top-four finish in the MIAA and a semifinal spot in the conference tournament this season. He averaged 14.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while playing in all 27 of Olivet’s contests. He also blocked 40 shots on the season.
Against MIAA opponents, Schipper led the conference in field goal shooting at 58.1 percent (79 of 136). He was sixth in scoring (14.4 points per game) and seventh in rebounding (6.8 per game). He scored a season-high 26 points against MIAA champion Calvin University Feb. 12.
