University of Olivet center Conner Schipper (left, with ball) looks to make a move toward the basket against Hope College forward Orion Yant during last Saturday’s game at DeVos Fieldhouse. Schipper is a 2022 Zeeland East graduate while Yant is a 2024 Zeeland West grad.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
In a game with a postseason feel to it, Hope College downed the University of Olivet 68-64 Saturday afternoon at DeVos Fieldhouse to move into a first-place tie with the Comets atop the MIAA men’s basketball standings heading into the final week of conference play.
Hope and Olivet entered the week at 10-2 in the MIAA. Should they end the regular season tied for first, the Flying Dutchmen would gain the top seed for next week’s conference tournament by virtue of two head-to-head wins over the Comets.
The game featured outstanding performances from two players with ties to Zeeland – Hope sophomore forward Orion Yant, a 2024 West graduate, and Olivet junior center Conner Schipper, a 2022 East grad.
Yant led Hope with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-10 Schipper had 15 points and three blocked shots, as he set a new Olivet career record for most blocked shots. Schipper has now 163 blocks for his career, surpassing the mark previously held by Michael McClary (160, 2007-2011).
The Comets had their outside shooting going early on, hitting five 3-pointers in taking a 26-15 lead midway through the first half. Hope battled back to cut the lead to 34-31, but a pair of baskets by Schipper helped Olivet go into the halftime break with a 40-33 lead.
“Skip’s such a competitor,” Yant said of Schipper. “When I first started playing basketball, we’d go to Rucker Park and he’d tear me up. I’ve been guarding him for awhile now. He’s such a good player. That’s an All-MIAA player.”
Hope reeled off 11 straight points to take a 54-46 lead with nine minutes to play. But Schipper again stepped up for Olivet, scoring six straight points to spark a 10-1 run, giving the Comets a 58-57 lead with a little more than five minutes left.
Then, with the score tied at 60-all and just under four minutes remaining, Schipper committed an offensive foul and fouled out of the game. Hope took the lead for good on its next possession on two free throws by junior Parker Hovey.
With 1:12 left, Yant scored a crucial bucket for Hope, taking a feed from Jared Ryg and muscling his way in to score, giving the Dutchmen a 66-62 lead.
“His maturity and his evolution, as a player and a person, has been pretty significant. His improvement in a short period of time is far greater than any player I’ve ever coached,” Hope coach Greg Mitchell said of Yant. “He is the most selfless individual you could ever meet. His intensity and his work ethic match his humility.”
Yant is averaging 8.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game on the season, but has averaged 15.8 points over his last six games. He earned MIAA Athlete of Week honors for the week ending Feb. 7.
Yant fouled out with 50.5 seconds left, but Sam Howard could only convert one of two free throws for Olivet. Another free throw cut the Hope lead to 66-64 with 7.4 seconds to play.
However, senior forward Justice Mims nailed two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to seal the Hope win.
“Without question, the tougher team won,” Olivet coach Sam Hargraves said after the game. “That burns me. That’s all I worry about, quite frankly, is who can play harder, who can play tougher.”
“We came in knowing this was going to be a big game, obviously everyone knew that,” Schipper said. “(Hope is) a good team, but we didn’t use our size to our advantage … We didn’t hustle to the best of our ability, we didn’t assert our dominance.”
Schipper is averaging 11 points per game this season. Hargraves said his big center has made significant process during his three years at Olivet.
“I don’t think anybody, including him - mainly, including him - thought he would be doing what he’s doing,” he said. “Working on his confidence is the thing that I put the most time into on a daily basis … He’s just got to realize how stinkin’ good he is, and little by little believes in himself more and more.”
Hovey had a double-double for Hope with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Nathan Richardson led Olivet with 16 points.
Zeeland Record
In a game with a postseason feel to it, Hope College downed the University of Olivet 68-64 Saturday afternoon at DeVos Fieldhouse to move into a first-place tie with the Comets atop the MIAA men’s basketball standings heading into the final week of conference play.
Hope and Olivet entered the week at 10-2 in the MIAA. Should they end the regular season tied for first, the Flying Dutchmen would gain the top seed for next week’s conference tournament by virtue of two head-to-head wins over the Comets.
The game featured outstanding performances from two players with ties to Zeeland – Hope sophomore forward Orion Yant, a 2024 West graduate, and Olivet junior center Conner Schipper, a 2022 East grad.
Yant led Hope with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-10 Schipper had 15 points and three blocked shots, as he set a new Olivet career record for most blocked shots. Schipper has now 163 blocks for his career, surpassing the mark previously held by Michael McClary (160, 2007-2011).
The Comets had their outside shooting going early on, hitting five 3-pointers in taking a 26-15 lead midway through the first half. Hope battled back to cut the lead to 34-31, but a pair of baskets by Schipper helped Olivet go into the halftime break with a 40-33 lead.
“Skip’s such a competitor,” Yant said of Schipper. “When I first started playing basketball, we’d go to Rucker Park and he’d tear me up. I’ve been guarding him for awhile now. He’s such a good player. That’s an All-MIAA player.”
Hope reeled off 11 straight points to take a 54-46 lead with nine minutes to play. But Schipper again stepped up for Olivet, scoring six straight points to spark a 10-1 run, giving the Comets a 58-57 lead with a little more than five minutes left.
Then, with the score tied at 60-all and just under four minutes remaining, Schipper committed an offensive foul and fouled out of the game. Hope took the lead for good on its next possession on two free throws by junior Parker Hovey.
With 1:12 left, Yant scored a crucial bucket for Hope, taking a feed from Jared Ryg and muscling his way in to score, giving the Dutchmen a 66-62 lead.
“His maturity and his evolution, as a player and a person, has been pretty significant. His improvement in a short period of time is far greater than any player I’ve ever coached,” Hope coach Greg Mitchell said of Yant. “He is the most selfless individual you could ever meet. His intensity and his work ethic match his humility.”
Yant is averaging 8.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game on the season, but has averaged 15.8 points over his last six games. He earned MIAA Athlete of Week honors for the week ending Feb. 7.
Yant fouled out with 50.5 seconds left, but Sam Howard could only convert one of two free throws for Olivet. Another free throw cut the Hope lead to 66-64 with 7.4 seconds to play.
However, senior forward Justice Mims nailed two free throws with 5.9 seconds left to seal the Hope win.
“Without question, the tougher team won,” Olivet coach Sam Hargraves said after the game. “That burns me. That’s all I worry about, quite frankly, is who can play harder, who can play tougher.”
“We came in knowing this was going to be a big game, obviously everyone knew that,” Schipper said. “(Hope is) a good team, but we didn’t use our size to our advantage … We didn’t hustle to the best of our ability, we didn’t assert our dominance.”
Schipper is averaging 11 points per game this season. Hargraves said his big center has made significant process during his three years at Olivet.
“I don’t think anybody, including him - mainly, including him - thought he would be doing what he’s doing,” he said. “Working on his confidence is the thing that I put the most time into on a daily basis … He’s just got to realize how stinkin’ good he is, and little by little believes in himself more and more.”
Hovey had a double-double for Hope with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Nathan Richardson led Olivet with 16 points.
East Boys Basketball Drops 2 of 3 Games
The Zeeland East varsity boys basketball team dropped two out of three games last week as the regular season nears its conclusion.
The Chix played a solid first half last Friday against Holland Christian, but the Maroons stormed back in the third quarter with a 19-5 run to take the lead, and went on to post a 54-42 victory at the Heeringa Holland Civic Center Place.
The lead changed hands multiple times in the first half. East led 14-13 after one quarter, and extended the lead to 25-20 when senior Isaiah Jones hit a 3-point shot just before halftime.
In the second half, the Maroons’ press resulted in multiple turnovers for the Chix, and Holland Christian turned those turnovers into points. Senior guard Titus Spencer scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter as Holland Christian took a 39-30 lead.
The Chix were unable to generate a comeback in the fourth quarter as they dropped to 6-4 in the O-K Black Conference and 13-6 overall.
Senior Will Drnek led the Chix with 20 points, while sophomore Isaiah Beckum added 10.
Earlier last week, East was upset by Holland High 63-47 on Feb. 10, but bounced back to defeat Hamilton Feb. 11 60-53. East led the Hawkeyes 33-26 at the half, but then fell behind at the end of three quarters 45-42.
The Chix outscored Hamilton 18-8 over the final eight minutes to claim the win. Free throw shooting was huge for East as the Chix made 26 of 35 from the charity stripe.
Drnek led East with 25 points, including 10 of 12 from the line, to lead four Chix in double figures. Junior Josiah Norman added 11 points. Senior Caleb Claerbaut had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Beckum also scored 10 points, including 8 of 10 from the line.
The Chix played a solid first half last Friday against Holland Christian, but the Maroons stormed back in the third quarter with a 19-5 run to take the lead, and went on to post a 54-42 victory at the Heeringa Holland Civic Center Place.
The lead changed hands multiple times in the first half. East led 14-13 after one quarter, and extended the lead to 25-20 when senior Isaiah Jones hit a 3-point shot just before halftime.
In the second half, the Maroons’ press resulted in multiple turnovers for the Chix, and Holland Christian turned those turnovers into points. Senior guard Titus Spencer scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter as Holland Christian took a 39-30 lead.
The Chix were unable to generate a comeback in the fourth quarter as they dropped to 6-4 in the O-K Black Conference and 13-6 overall.
Senior Will Drnek led the Chix with 20 points, while sophomore Isaiah Beckum added 10.
Earlier last week, East was upset by Holland High 63-47 on Feb. 10, but bounced back to defeat Hamilton Feb. 11 60-53. East led the Hawkeyes 33-26 at the half, but then fell behind at the end of three quarters 45-42.
The Chix outscored Hamilton 18-8 over the final eight minutes to claim the win. Free throw shooting was huge for East as the Chix made 26 of 35 from the charity stripe.
Drnek led East with 25 points, including 10 of 12 from the line, to lead four Chix in double figures. Junior Josiah Norman added 11 points. Senior Caleb Claerbaut had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Beckum also scored 10 points, including 8 of 10 from the line.
Zeeland West Wins O-K Competitive Cheer Title
The Zeeland West competitive cheer team successfully defended its O-K Black/White Conference championship Feb. 11 at Forest Hills Eastern High School.
The Dux finished with a team score of 748.70 points, posting the highest score in all three rounds. Forest Hills Northern finished second with a team score of 714.54, followed by Zeeland East in third place with 683.42.
Rounding out the seven-team field were Hamilton (657.32 points), Forest Hills Eastern (637.20), Grand Rapids Catholic Central (627.52) and Forest Hills Central (571.50).
The Dux and Chix will compete in the Division 2 district tournament at Richland Gull Lake Saturday. The meet begins at 10 a.m.
West finished sixth at last year’s Division 2 state finals at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena.
The Dux finished with a team score of 748.70 points, posting the highest score in all three rounds. Forest Hills Northern finished second with a team score of 714.54, followed by Zeeland East in third place with 683.42.
Rounding out the seven-team field were Hamilton (657.32 points), Forest Hills Eastern (637.20), Grand Rapids Catholic Central (627.52) and Forest Hills Central (571.50).
The Dux and Chix will compete in the Division 2 district tournament at Richland Gull Lake Saturday. The meet begins at 10 a.m.
West finished sixth at last year’s Division 2 state finals at Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena.
West Girls Basketball Defeats Unity Christian, Spring Lake
The Zeeland West varsity girls basketball team bounced back from a nonconference loss against Grand Rapids Northview to defeat two O-K Black Conference opponents last week and solidify its hold on second place in the conference standings.
The Dux fell to Northview 35-26 on Feb. 10, but came back the next night with a come-from-behind win over Unity Christian, 44-37, and then downed Spring Lake last Friday, 47-37.
West entered the week with a 14-4 overall record, 8-2 in the O-K Black.
In the Unity game, the Dux trailed 25-17 at halftime, but roared back with a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead and hang on for the win. Junior guard Sadie Kragt led West with 13 points, while junior backcourt mate Jenna Hendricks added 12.
Then against Spring Lake, West found itself trailing again at the half, 15-14. And once again, the Dux used a big third quarter to take control of the game. West outscored the Lakers 16-8 to take a 30-23 lead, then tacked on 17 more points in the fourth quarter to cement the win.
Kragt poured in 20 points to lead the Dux while Hendricks added 14.
The Dux were to host Holland Christian Tuesday night, needing a win to prevent the Maroons from clinching an outright conference title.
The Dux fell to Northview 35-26 on Feb. 10, but came back the next night with a come-from-behind win over Unity Christian, 44-37, and then downed Spring Lake last Friday, 47-37.
West entered the week with a 14-4 overall record, 8-2 in the O-K Black.
In the Unity game, the Dux trailed 25-17 at halftime, but roared back with a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead and hang on for the win. Junior guard Sadie Kragt led West with 13 points, while junior backcourt mate Jenna Hendricks added 12.
Then against Spring Lake, West found itself trailing again at the half, 15-14. And once again, the Dux used a big third quarter to take control of the game. West outscored the Lakers 16-8 to take a 30-23 lead, then tacked on 17 more points in the fourth quarter to cement the win.
Kragt poured in 20 points to lead the Dux while Hendricks added 14.
The Dux were to host Holland Christian Tuesday night, needing a win to prevent the Maroons from clinching an outright conference title.
East Wrestlers Win Team District
The Zeeland East boys wrestling team won its second consecutive team district championship Feb. 11 at Holland High, defeating Hamilton 41-33 in the semifinals and the host Dutch 38-32 in the finals.
The Chix advanced to the Division 2 regional at Lowell, where they were to meet the defending state champion Red Arrows Wednesday night.
East got off to a slow start against Hamilton, dropping its four matches. However, a pin by Chase Shults at 138 pounds ignited the rest of the team. Xavier Pheuk followed a technical fall win at 144 and Tyler Clark scored a major decision at 150.
Deacon Stryker had a pin at 175, while Jacob VanSweden avenged a loss he suffered at the previous week’s conference tournament with a win by decision at 190. Zeek Ramadhani (215) and Maximus Gomez (heavyweight) pinned their opponents, and Easton Sizemore at 106 sealed the team win with a technical fall victory over his opponent.
“It was a resilient performance and a true team comeback from start to finish,” East coach Jason Hofman said.
Against Holland, Anthony Pablo Diaz got things started for the Chix with a technical fall win at 120. Shults pinned his opponent at 132 and Pheuk added another technical fall victory at 144. East also got pins from Clark at 150, Gomez in the heavyweight division and Sizemore at 106. Eric Segovia-Estupinan won his match by major decision at 157.
Zeeland West lost its semifinal match to Holland, 51-30. The Dux got individual wins from Aiden Chavez, Sam Taylor, Austin Ulberg, Kye Chayer and Nolan Overway.
At Saturday’s individual district meet at Lowell, East’s JJ Ledford won the 132-pound weight class by pinning Holland’s Aidan Segovia in the championship match. Ulberg finished second for West at 138, taking a 5-3 decision over Pheuk in the semifinals but losing by technical fall in the championship match.
East got third-place finishes from Gomez (heavyweight), Shults (132) and VanSweden (190) while West got third-place showings from Damien Calederon (106) and Chavez (113). Clark was fourth at 150. All wrestlers who finished in the top four in each weight class advanced to regionals.
In the girls individual district meet Sunday at Hastings, West junior Emmaline Kouw qualified for regionals by finishing second at 120 pounds. East freshman Ella Revels (115) and sophomore teammate Madison Bailey (145) also qualified, finishing fourth in their respective classes.
The Chix advanced to the Division 2 regional at Lowell, where they were to meet the defending state champion Red Arrows Wednesday night.
East got off to a slow start against Hamilton, dropping its four matches. However, a pin by Chase Shults at 138 pounds ignited the rest of the team. Xavier Pheuk followed a technical fall win at 144 and Tyler Clark scored a major decision at 150.
Deacon Stryker had a pin at 175, while Jacob VanSweden avenged a loss he suffered at the previous week’s conference tournament with a win by decision at 190. Zeek Ramadhani (215) and Maximus Gomez (heavyweight) pinned their opponents, and Easton Sizemore at 106 sealed the team win with a technical fall victory over his opponent.
“It was a resilient performance and a true team comeback from start to finish,” East coach Jason Hofman said.
Against Holland, Anthony Pablo Diaz got things started for the Chix with a technical fall win at 120. Shults pinned his opponent at 132 and Pheuk added another technical fall victory at 144. East also got pins from Clark at 150, Gomez in the heavyweight division and Sizemore at 106. Eric Segovia-Estupinan won his match by major decision at 157.
Zeeland West lost its semifinal match to Holland, 51-30. The Dux got individual wins from Aiden Chavez, Sam Taylor, Austin Ulberg, Kye Chayer and Nolan Overway.
At Saturday’s individual district meet at Lowell, East’s JJ Ledford won the 132-pound weight class by pinning Holland’s Aidan Segovia in the championship match. Ulberg finished second for West at 138, taking a 5-3 decision over Pheuk in the semifinals but losing by technical fall in the championship match.
East got third-place finishes from Gomez (heavyweight), Shults (132) and VanSweden (190) while West got third-place showings from Damien Calederon (106) and Chavez (113). Clark was fourth at 150. All wrestlers who finished in the top four in each weight class advanced to regionals.
In the girls individual district meet Sunday at Hastings, West junior Emmaline Kouw qualified for regionals by finishing second at 120 pounds. East freshman Ella Revels (115) and sophomore teammate Madison Bailey (145) also qualified, finishing fourth in their respective classes.
