• Posted February 07, 2025
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Ram Sports

• By Stephanie
• The Climax Crescent County Legal News

By Dale Martin

A 9-0 G-A run to start the game was answered by a 7-0 run by the hosts and they finished the quarter with the Rams holding a 9-7 lead.

The Ram offense kicked into high gear in the second frame outscoring Black River 22-10. Grace Gibson hit two three pointers from the corner, Jaidyn Klimp made four baskets inside and Ellesa Callender had two put back baskets, giving G-A a 31-17 halftime lead.

The G-A defense played a major role as they put a blanket over the Rats top scorer, Sydni Smith, with Grace Gibson and Ellesa Callender not allowing her to get the ball inside and holding her to six points in the first half.

G-A (9-4, 5-2) kept the pressure on in the second half, forcing Black River (6-8) into 10 turnovers. They made 25 miscues for the game. G-A outscored the Rats 31-23 to give the visitors a 62-40 win.

Jaidyn Klimp led the Ram offense with 25 points. She pulled down 13 rebounds to go with 5 steals and 5 assists. Grace Gibson had her best game of the season scoring 19 points and making 7 steals. Ellesa Callender had 9 rebounds, 8 on the offensive end of the floor, to go with 6 steals.

Smith picked up 12 points late in the game when the outcome had already been determined to finish with 18 for the home team and Delyla Martinez chipped in with 11 points for the Rats.

G-A will be on the road at Martin February 7 before hosting Allegan February 11 and Gobles February 14.
Galesburg-Augusta    9 22 19 12 - 62
Holland Black River  7 10 16   7 - 40
Grace Gibson 19, Hailee Themins 3, Lilli Thompson 4, Holley Coburn 5, Jaidyn Klimp 25, Jeni Klimp 2, Ellesa Callender 4
Free throws: G-A 1-6/Holland Black River 5-9
3-point baskets: G-A 5 (Grace Gibson 3, Hailee Themins 1, Holley Coburn 1)/Holland Black River 3 (Delyla Martinez 2, Meghan Davis 1)
G-A Stat Leaders
Rebounds: Jaidyn Klimp 13, Ellesa Callender 9, Breanne Keene 5, Jenny Klimp 3
Assists: Jaidyn Klimp 5, Lillian Thompson 4
Steals: Grace Gibson 7, Ellesa Callender 6, Jaidyn Klimp 5, Lillian Thompson 4, Jenny Klimp 3
By Dale Martin

Hackett Prep used its dominating height (they had four starters taller then G-A’s tallest player), to subdue the Rams 60-33 January 29 at Hackett.

G-A kept the game close, trailing 10-8 with 3:00 to play in the first quarter before the Irish went on a 12-2 run to finish the period with a 22-10 lead.

The second quarter saw the Rams commit nine turnovers and manage just seven shots. Their defense kept things close, holding Hackett to 10 points but the Lady Rams went into halftime down 32-15.

The third quarter was a mirror of the second as G-A was forced into nine more turnovers, (they made 27 in the game), and managed to score just six points and now trailed the Irish 48-19.

G-A’s girls didn’t give in and kept playing hard in the final period. Jaidyn Klimp scored 6 of her team high18 points and Grace Gibson hit a pair of short jumpers as the two teams traded baskets to the final buzzer.

Klimp and Ellesa Callender each pulled down nine rebounds and Gibson had seven of her own.

G-A hasn’t lost two games in a row this season.
Galesburg-Augusta  10   5   4 14 - 33
Kalamazoo Hackett  22 10 16 12 - 60
Grace Gibson 4, Hailee Themins 3, Lilli Thompson 2, Jaidyn Klimp 18, Jeni Klimp 4, Ellesa Callender 2
Free throws: G-A 2-7/Hackett 7-17
3-point baskets: G-A 1 (Hailee Themins 1)/Hackett 5 (Leah Smith 2, Addie Smucker 2, Lacy Yong 1)
G-A Stat Leaders
Rebounds: Jaidyn Klimp 9, Ellesa Callender 9, Grace Gibson 7, Breanne Keene 4, Jenny Klimp 3
Assists: Jaidyn Klimp 3
Steals: Jaidyn Klimp 2, Grace Gibson 2
By Dale Martin

Zoie Wood hit a three pointer on the Tiger’s first possession. G-A’s Grace Gibson countered with a matching three to tie the score. Jaidyn Klimp gave the Rams their only lead of the quarter with a free throw.

Gobles scored the next 8 points for an 11-4 lead and at the end of the period the Tigers held a 14-8 lead.

In the first two minutes of the second quarter the Rams had a 7-0 run. Gibson hit another three and Lili Thompson hit a short jumper, narrowing the Tiger lead to 16-15. The teams played even for the remainder of the quarter and Gobles went into halftime with a 28-25 lead.

A 6-0 run by the Rams gave them their first lead of the game at the five minute mark of the third quarter, 31-30. Gibson’s third three pointer of the game gave G-A a 34-31 lead with three minutes to play. The Tigers closed out the third hitting 3 three-pointers, (they made six in the game), giving the home team the lead back at 42-38.

G-A (8-3) turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter. Klimp had four steals and Thompson another that they turned into quick baskets for a 10-0 run, giving the lead back to the Rams 48-42 at the five minute mark.

Gobles (8-4) responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 53-53 with 2:30 remaining to play. Two free throws by Klimp (she made 11 of 20 for the night), and a basket by Gibson pushed the Ram lead to 59-56 with :15 to play. Two more Klimp free throws sealed the Tigers’ fate and G-A secured its first road win of the season.

Klimp entered the game needing 18 points to give her 1000 points for her career. At the end of three periods she had scored 15. In the fourth period she tossed in 18 points pushing her over the 1000 point plateau with 15 to spare. She added 13 steals, five assists and 11 rebounds. Gibson provided 13 points and played outstanding defense in support. Thompson scored 8 points and recorded 5 steals.

In a game where taking care of the ball was so important the Rams committed just 8 turnovers and only 2 in the second half.
Galesburg-Augusta  8 17 13 23 - 61
Gobles                    14 14 14 15 - 57
Grace Gibson 13, Lili Thompson 8, Jaidyn Klimp 33, Jeni Klimp 2, Ellesa Callender 4, Rhyann Wilson 1
Free throws: G-A 14-26/Gobles 7-15
3-point baskets: G-A 3 (Grace Gibson 3)/Gobles 6 (Zoie Wood 3, Kylee Killeen 2, Alana Gonzalez 1)
G-A Stat Leaders
Rebounds: Jaidyn Klimp 11, Ellesa Callender 7, Breanne Keene 4, Lillian Thompson 3, Rhyann Wilson 3
Assists: Jaidyn Klimp 5, Rhyann Wilson 2

The Galesburg-Augusta girls JV basketball team posted a 42-17 win over Gobles, lost to Kalamazoo Hackett 52-18 and captured a 52-20 win over Holland Black River to improve to 8-2.

In G-A’s win over Black River January 29 at G-A High School, Lexi Coburn led the way with 13 points, Kayla Bortolussi added 11 points, Emily Coleman chipped in with 10 points and Claire Callender contributed eight points.

G-A coach Dontrell Bowden felt his entire team played hard and good team basketball.

In G-A’s win over Gobles January 27 at Gobles, Emily Coleman scored 14 points and

Kayla Bortolussi added 13 points.

G-A struggled offensively in a 52-18 loss at Kalamazoo Hackett January 28

Emily Coleman scored eight points and Kayla Bortolussi added four points.



By Bruce Rolfe

The Galesburg-Augusta boys varsity basketball team took a five-game winning streak into a non-league home game against Zion Christian February 4 after securing a 54-44 road win over Holland Black River January 31 and a 54-42 win over Lawton at G-A High School January 28.

The recent surge gave the Rams a 10-4 overall record entering the February 4 non-league game.

The Rams used a strong second half to pull away from the River Rats January 31.

G-A led by a 14-7 count after one quarter but watched the River Rats pull to within 25-22 at halftime.

G-A relied on strong defense and a consistent offensive attack to pull away in the second half.

Six Rams scored in the third quarter, led by Anakin Jordan’s five points, helping G-A to a 41-33 advantage after three quarters.

  The Ram defense held the home team to three baskets and five free throws in the fourth quarter while outscoring Black River 13-11.

Jeremiah Mann and Giovonni Evans each scored 12 points to lead the Rams in scoring. C.J. Benard, who added nine points, had nine rebounds and Ethan Gibson handed out four assists.

G-A shot 37 percent (19-51) overall from the floor including a 5-for-16 effort (31 percent) from the three-point line.
Galesburg-Augusta  14 11 16 13 - 54
Holland Black River  7 15 11 11 - 44
Jeremiah Mann 12, Ethan Thomas 4, C.J. Benard 9, Ethan Gibson 3, Giovonni Evans 12, Nolan Brewer 5, Anakin Jordan 7, Hayden Pritchard 2
Free throws: G-A 11-12/Holland Black River 5-11
3-point baskets: G-A 5 (Jeremiah Mann 2, C.J. Benard 1, Ethan Gibson 1, Nolan Brewer 1)/Holland Black River 5 (Jamison Huizenga 3, William Bensinger 1, Andrew Eklov 1
G-A Stat Leaders
Rebounds: C.J Benard 9, Ethan Thomas 8, Nolan Brewer 5, Ethan Gibson 3, Giovonni Evans 3, Anakin Jordan 3
Assists: Ethan Gibson 4, Jeremiah Mann 3, Ethan Metty 2
Steals: Nolan Brewer 2, Ethan Thomas 2
Blocked shots: Jeremiah Mann 2
Galesburg-Augusta outscored Lawton 29-21 in the second half and went on to post a 54-42 victory over the Blue Devils January 28 at G-A High School.

G-A enjoyed a strong night distributing the ball, coming up with 13 assists, led by Nolan Brewer’s four helpers.

The Rams also did a good job taking care of the ball, committing just nine turnovers.

G-A shot 40 percent (18-45) overall from the floor including a 31 percent mark (5-16) from the three-point line.

G-A held quarter leads of 13-7, 25-21 and 38-31 before outscoring the Blue Devils 16-11 in the final quarter.

Jeremiah Mann led a trio of Rams in double figure scoring with 18 points. Ethan Gibson had 12 points and Giovonni Evans pitched in with 10.
Lawton                       7 14 10 11 - 42
Galesburg-Augusta  13 12 13 16 - 54
Jeremiah Mann 18, Ethan Thomas 2, C.J. Benard 4, Ethan Gibson 12, Giovonni Evans 10, Nolan Brewer 4, Anakin Jordan 3, Hayden Pritchard 1
Free throws: G-A 13-17/Lawton 6-11
3-point baskets: G-A 5 (Jeremiah Mann 2, Ethan Gibson 2, Giovonni Evans 1/Lawton 4 (Hudson Merriman 3, Aiden Benavidez 1)
G-A Stat Leaders
Rebounds: Nolan Brewer 14, Ethan Thomas 4, C.J. Benard 4, Giovonni Evans 3
Assists: Nolan Brewer 4, Ethan Gibson 3, C.J. Benard 3, Jeremiah Mann 2
Steals: Jeremiah Mann 4, Ethan Gibson 2, Nolan Brewer 2

Wrestling team places 11th at SAC invite

The Galesburg-Augusta varsity wrestling team placed 11th at the SAC Invite at Coloma February 1.

G-A did not have any placers at the event,

The Climax-Scotts-Martin co-op wrestling team won the 12-team event with 215 points.

Hunter Kendall (126-pound weight class), with a pin in 2:12 and Jaxsen Ray (144), with a pin in 2:32, scored G-A’s six points.
SAC Invite (At Coloma)
1-Martin/Climax-Scotts  215.0, 2-Allegan, 212.0, 3-Constantine, 183.5, 4-Delton-Kellogg, 112.0, 5-Coloma, 88.5, 6-South Haven, 87.5, 7-Gobles, 73.5, 8-Schoolcraft, 32.0, 9-Watervliet, 25.5, 10-Lawton, 24.0, 11-Galesburg-Augusta, 6.0, 12-Fennville, 0.0, 12- Parchment, 0.0
G-A Results
106: Tyler Evans (8-10) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Tyler Evans (Galesburg-Augusta) 8-10 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Brody Ashley (Coloma) 46-2 won by fall over Tyler Evans (Galesburg-Augusta) 8-10 (Fall 0:38) Cons. Round 2 - Tyler Evans (Galesburg-Augusta) 8-10 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Sullivan Morgan (Allegan) 28-9 won by fall over Tyler Evans (Galesburg-Augusta) 8-10 (Fall 0:12); 113: Owen Cowles (17-16) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Owen Cowles (Galesburg-Augusta) 17-16 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Matt Martel (Coloma) 38-6 won by tech fall over Owen Cowles (Galesburg-Augusta) 17-16 (TF-1.5 2:00 (18-3)) Cons. Round 2 - Owen Cowles (Galesburg-Augusta) 17-16 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Jose Boger (Gobies) 32-15 won by tech fall over Owen Cowles (Galesburg-Augusta) 17-16 (TF-1.5 2:56 (16-0); 120: Lincoln Hawes (10-14) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Lincoln Hawes (Galesburg-Augusta) 10-14 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Logan Gilbert (Martin/Climax-Scot) 31-5 won by fall over Lincoln Hawes (Galesburg-Augusta) 10-14 (Fall 0:35) Cons. Round 2 - Lincoln Hawes (Galesburg-Augusta) 10-14 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Ethan Arch (South Haven) 11-12 won by fall over Lincoln Hawes (Galesburg-Augusta) 10-14 (Fall 1:25); 126: Hunter Kendall (9-11) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Hunter Kendall (Galesburg-Augusta) 9-11 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - luke isbrecht (Watervliet) 34-5 won by fall over Hunter Kendall (Galesburg-Augusta) 9-11 (Fall 0:29) Cons. Round 2 - Hunter Kendall (Galesburg-Augusta) 9-11 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Hunter Kendall (Galesburg-Augusta) 9-11 won by fall over Bryce Jones (Parchment) 3-21 (Fall 2:12) Cons. Semi - Hudson VanderKooi (Allegan) 26-14 won by fall over Hunter Kendall (Galesburg-Augusta) 9-11 (Fall 0:29);  132 Colton Robertson (14-13) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Colton Robertson (Galesburg-Augusta) 14-13 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Preston Like (Constantine) 15-2 won by fall over Colton Robertson (Galesburg-Augusta) 14-13 (Fall 2:34) Cons. Round 2 - Colton Robertson (Galesburg-Augusta) 14-13 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Hunter Piper (Gobies) 27-20 won by decision over Colton Robertson (Galesburg-Augusta) 14-13 (Dec 9-4); 144: Jaxsen Ray (13-14) place is unknown and scored 3.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Jaxsen Ray (Galesburg-Augusta) 13-14 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Treydan Vanderkooi (Allegan) 36-3 won by fall over Jaxsen Ray (Galesburg-Augusta) 13-14 (Fall 0:23) Cons. Round 2 - Jaxsen Ray (Galesburg-Augusta) 13-14 won by fall over Cameron Vyverman (Lawton) 16-24 (Fall 2:32) Cons. Round 3 - Maverick Kraemer (Coloma) 31-14 won by tech fall over Jaxsen Ray (Galesburg-Augusta) 13-14 (TF-1.5 2:41 (17-1); 175: Ayden Maine (4-17) place is unknown. Champ. Round 1 - Ayden Maine (Galesburg-Augusta) 4-17 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Zacorious Tanner (Coloma) 38-6 won by fall over Ayden Maine (Galesburg-Augusta) 4-17 (Fall 1:03) Cons. Round 2 - Ayden Maine (Galesburg-Augusta) 4-17 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Ayden Maine (Galesburg-Augusta) 4-17 won by fall over Tyzjgi Henderson (Schoolcraft) 13-21 (Fall 3:57) Cons. Semi - Jakub Tomyslak (Martin/Climax-Scot) 32-14 won by fall over Ayden Maine (Galesburg-Augusta) 4-17 (Fall 0:28); 175: Nathaniel Ellis (6-19) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Nathaniel Ellis (Galesburg-Augusta) 6-19 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Rysten Williams (Allegan) 33-5 won by fall over Nathaniel Ellis (Galesburg-Augusta) 6-19 (Fall 0:46) Cons. Round 2 - Nathaniel Ellis (Galesburg-Augusta) 6-19 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Cody Priest (Schoolcraft) 14-8 won by fall over Nathaniel Ellis (Galesburg-Augusta) 6-19 (Fall 1:19);  285: Brady Towery (0-6) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. Champ. Round 1 - Brady Towery (Galesburg-Augusta) 0-6 received a bye () (Bye) Quarterfinal - Joel Fish (Constantine) 29-10 won by fall over Brady Towery (Galesburg-Augusta) 0-6 (Fall 1:00) Cons. Round 2 - Brady Towery (Galesburg-Augusta) 0-6 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Round 3 - Brady Towery (Galesburg-Augusta) 0-6 received a bye () (Bye) Cons. Semi - Cooper Dinse (Martin/Climax-Scot) 18-8 won by fall over Brady Towery (Galesburg-Augusta) 0-6 (Fall 0:37

The Galesburg-Augusta wrestling team closed out the dual portion of the season at a SAC Quad at Constantine January 29, suffering a 78-6 loss to Constantine and a 57-21 setback to Schoolcraft.

Jaxsen Ray (144), with a pin in 1:42, secured G-A’s lone win against Constantine.

Owen Cowles (113), by a 21-18 decision, Lincoln Hawes (120) by a pin in 1:27, Jaxsen Ray (144) by a pin in 17 seconds, and Kameron Prince (285), by a forfeit, claimed the wins for G-A against Schollcraft.

Constantine 78, G-A 6
106: Greysin Hopp (Constantine HS) over Tyler Evans (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:44); 113: Ashtin Forrester (Constantine HS) over Owen Cowles (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 0:52); 120: Ethan Fugate (Constantine HS) over Lincoln Hawes (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 15:00); 126: Jaydan Smith (Constantine HS) over Hunter Kendall (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:35); 132: Preston Like (Constantine HS) over Colton Robertson (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:23); 138: Bear Geibe (Constantine HS) over Unknown (For.); 144: Jaxsen Ray (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Michael Robinson (Constantine HS) (Fall 1:42); 150: Cody Laughman (Constantine HS) over Unknown (For.); 157: Brody Jones (Constantine HS) over Unknown (For.); 165: Brody Godfrey (Constantine HS) over Unknown (For.); 175: Bucky Cramer (Constantine HS) over Nathaniel Ellis (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 3:29); 190: Mathew Davidhizar (Constantine HS) over Shayleigh Simonds (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 0:40); 215: Evan Davidhizar (Constantine HS) over Unknown (For.); 285: Joel Fish (Constantine HS) over Kameron Prince (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 2:14)

Schoolcraft 57, G-A 21
106: Ally Burgardt (Schoolcraft HS) over Tyler Evans (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:10)
113: Owen Cowles (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Royce Boggs (Schoolcraft HS) (Dec 21-18)
120; Lincoln Hawes (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Kemper Reva (Schoolcraft HS) (Fall 1:27); 126: Garett Randall (Schoolcraft HS) over Hunter Kendall (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:20); 132: Lucas Noora (Schoolcraft HS) over Colton Robertson (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Dec 11-4); 138: Ace Drewyor (Schoolcraft HS) over Unknown (For.); 144: Jaxsen Ray (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Tristan VanCleave (Schoolcraft HS) (Fall 0:17); 150: Saxton Abfall (Schoolcraft HS) over Unknown (For.); 157: Darian Jacobs (Schoolcraft HS) over Unknown (For.); 165: Cody Priest (Schoolcraft HS) over Unknown (For.); 175: Tyzjgi Henderson (Schoolcraft HS) over Nathaniel Ellis (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:36); 190: Hayden Crouch (Schoolcraft HS) over Ayden Maine (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:04); 215: Ethan Crider (Schoolcraft HS) over Unknown (For.); 285: Kameron Prince (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Unknown (For.)

The Rams dropped a pair of SAC matches at Galesburg-Augusta January 27.

In a 52-24 loss to Coloma, Kameron Prince (285) won by a pin in 23 seconds and Alexis Thomas (157), Ayden Maine (190), and Colton Robertson (132) all won by forfeits.

Aaron Wilks-Millard, with a pin in 3:44 and Jaxsen Ray (144), with a pin in 1:00 won head to head bouts in a 40-36 loss to Watervliet, and Lincoln Hawes (120), Nathaniel Ellis (175), Ayden Maine (215) and Kameron Prince (285) all won by forfeits.

Coloma 52, G-A 24
150: Brody Winnell (Coloma HS) over Unknown (For.); 157: Alexis Thomas (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Unknown (For.); 165: Double Forfeit; 175: Zacorious Tanner (Coloma HS) over Nathaniel Ellis (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 4:50); 190: Ayden Maine (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Unknown (For.); 215: Kaleb Adams (Coloma HS) over Unknown (For.); 285: Kameron Prince (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over DEMARKUS WUSINGER (Coloma HS) (Fall 0:23); 106: Isla Reinhardt (Coloma HS) over Unknown (For.); 113: Brody Ashley (Coloma HS) over Owen Cowles (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:03); 120: Matt Martel (Coloma HS) over Lincoln Hawes (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 0:59); 126: LUCADIS FONCESCA (Coloma HS) over Aaron Wiliks-millard (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (TF 19-2 0:00); 132: Colton Robertson (Galesburg-Augusta HS) over Unknown (For.); 138: Jay Christe (Coloma HS) over Robert Cain (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (TF 16-1 0:00); 144: Maverick Kraemer (Coloma HS) over Jaxsen Ray (Galesburg-Augusta HS) (Fall 1:40)

Watervliet 40, G-A 36


Valadez, wrestling at the 190-pound weight class), won her first two matches by pins in 43 and 29 seconds respectively before falling in the championship match by a pin in 5:51.

Thomas (155) lost both of her matches by pins.

G-A finished 8th out of 10 teams who scored points.

Girls SAC Invite (At Coloma)
1-South Haven 52.5, 2-Watervliet 48, 3-Allegan 42, 4-Gobles 42, Delton-Kellogg 23, Constantine 20, 7-Schoolcraft 18, 8-G-A 14, 9-Fennville 13, 10-Coloma 3, 10-Parchment 3
G-A Results
155: Alexis Thomas (1-5) placed 3rd and scored 0.0 team points. Round 1 - Orion Ennis (Gobies) 9-15 won by fall over Alexis Thomas (Galesburg-Augusta) 1 -5 (Fall 2:50) Round 2 - AnnaBelle Robinson (Constantine) 14-11 won by fall over Alexis Thomas (Galesburg-Augusta) 1-5 (Fall 4:14)