The Zeeland West competitive cheer team has qualified for the state finals for the second consecutive year.
The Dux will compete in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 finals this Saturday at Central Michigan University after finishing third last weekend at the D2 regional meet at Forest Hills Northern High School in suburban Grand Rapids.
West finished with a team score of 753.64 at the regional. Mason took first place with a score of 771.36, while Middleville Thornapple Kellogg finished second with 759.58 points.
The Dux entered the final round in fifth place, needing a big score to qualify for state. They posted the round’s second-highest score at 312.40, leapfrogging Richland Gull Lake and Plainwell to move into the No. 3 spot.
West finished sixth in its first trip to the state finals last year. Allen Park is the defending Division 2 champion.
Saturday’s meet begins at 3:30 p.m. at CMU’s McGuirk Arena.
The Dux will compete in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 finals this Saturday at Central Michigan University after finishing third last weekend at the D2 regional meet at Forest Hills Northern High School in suburban Grand Rapids.
West finished with a team score of 753.64 at the regional. Mason took first place with a score of 771.36, while Middleville Thornapple Kellogg finished second with 759.58 points.
The Dux entered the final round in fifth place, needing a big score to qualify for state. They posted the round’s second-highest score at 312.40, leapfrogging Richland Gull Lake and Plainwell to move into the No. 3 spot.
West finished sixth in its first trip to the state finals last year. Allen Park is the defending Division 2 champion.
Saturday’s meet begins at 3:30 p.m. at CMU’s McGuirk Arena.
Dux Girls Basketball Splits Final Regular Season Games
The Zeeland West varsity girls basketball team split its final two games of the regular season last week.
The Dux dropped a 58-43 decision to Hudsonville on Senior Night on Feb. 24, then bounced back last Thursday to defeat Jenison, 37-29, to finish their regular season at 16-6.
Junior Sadie Kragt led West with 14 points in the loss to Hudsonville, while classmate Jenna Hendricks added 13.
Then against Jenison, the Dux fell behind 12-4 after one quarter, but bounced back in the second quarter to outscore the Wildcats 14-2 to take an 18-14 halftime lead. West stretched the lead out in the second half, then had to hold off a late Jenison rally for the win.
Hendricks led the Dux with 16 points while Kragt added nine.
West is hosting this week’s Division 1 district tournament. The Dux were to face West Ottawa Wednesday night in a district semifinal game. A win would move West into the championship game Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Dux dropped a 58-43 decision to Hudsonville on Senior Night on Feb. 24, then bounced back last Thursday to defeat Jenison, 37-29, to finish their regular season at 16-6.
Junior Sadie Kragt led West with 14 points in the loss to Hudsonville, while classmate Jenna Hendricks added 13.
Then against Jenison, the Dux fell behind 12-4 after one quarter, but bounced back in the second quarter to outscore the Wildcats 14-2 to take an 18-14 halftime lead. West stretched the lead out in the second half, then had to hold off a late Jenison rally for the win.
Hendricks led the Dux with 16 points while Kragt added nine.
West is hosting this week’s Division 1 district tournament. The Dux were to face West Ottawa Wednesday night in a district semifinal game. A win would move West into the championship game Friday night at 7 p.m.
Yant Leads Hope to MIAA Men’s Tournament Title
The Hope College men’s basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Division III tournament after winning the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament last weekend.
Zeeland West graduate Orion Yant was a huge reason why the Flying Dutchmen came away with the tournament title, averaging 16 points per game over the weekend as he earned MIAA Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this season.
Yant, a 6-foot-6 sophomore center, scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds last Friday as Hope upended archrival Calvin University 73-63 in a tournament semifinal game. The win avenged two earlier losses to the Knights, including one just six days earlier that cost Hope a share of the MIAA regular season championship.
Yant hit 6 of 8 shots from the field and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line in the win over Calvin.
Then in the tournament championship game on Saturday, Yant scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the line in a 72-65 victory over Trine University. Yant also dished out three assists.
On the season, Yant is averaging 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, shooting 63 percent from the field. He has scored in double figures in 10 of Hope’s last 13 games.
Hope (19-8) will play a first-round game in the NCAA tournament Friday night against host University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (22-6). Tip-off time is 6:50 p.m. Central time.
Zeeland West graduate Orion Yant was a huge reason why the Flying Dutchmen came away with the tournament title, averaging 16 points per game over the weekend as he earned MIAA Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this season.
Yant, a 6-foot-6 sophomore center, scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds last Friday as Hope upended archrival Calvin University 73-63 in a tournament semifinal game. The win avenged two earlier losses to the Knights, including one just six days earlier that cost Hope a share of the MIAA regular season championship.
Yant hit 6 of 8 shots from the field and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line in the win over Calvin.
Then in the tournament championship game on Saturday, Yant scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the line in a 72-65 victory over Trine University. Yant also dished out three assists.
On the season, Yant is averaging 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, shooting 63 percent from the field. He has scored in double figures in 10 of Hope’s last 13 games.
Hope (19-8) will play a first-round game in the NCAA tournament Friday night against host University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (22-6). Tip-off time is 6:50 p.m. Central time.
East Girls Romp Over Dutch in District Opener
The Zeeland East varsity girls basketball team opened district tournament play with a 67-17 victory over Holland Monday night at Zeeland West.
The Chix were in control of the game from the outset. Junior guard Lizzie Risdon scored 15 points in the first quarter as East sprinted out to a 26-5 lead.
The Chix extended their lead to 41-12 at halftime, allowing coach Troy Hammond to rest his starters for nearly the entire second half and giving his reserves plenty of valuable game action.
Eleven different players scored in the game for East. Risdon led the way with 23 points, 21 of them in the first half. She sank four 3-point baskets. Sophomore Emry Wyngarden added seven points and three other players chipped in six apiece.
The Chix, who improved to 8-15 with the win, were to face top-seeded Grand Haven in a district semifinal game Wednesday night at West. The winner of that game will face the winner of the other semifinal between the host Dux and West Ottawa at 7 p.m. Friday for the district championship.
The Chix were in control of the game from the outset. Junior guard Lizzie Risdon scored 15 points in the first quarter as East sprinted out to a 26-5 lead.
The Chix extended their lead to 41-12 at halftime, allowing coach Troy Hammond to rest his starters for nearly the entire second half and giving his reserves plenty of valuable game action.
Eleven different players scored in the game for East. Risdon led the way with 23 points, 21 of them in the first half. She sank four 3-point baskets. Sophomore Emry Wyngarden added seven points and three other players chipped in six apiece.
The Chix, who improved to 8-15 with the win, were to face top-seeded Grand Haven in a district semifinal game Wednesday night at West. The winner of that game will face the winner of the other semifinal between the host Dux and West Ottawa at 7 p.m. Friday for the district championship.
East Boys Basketball Eliminated at Districts
The season came to an end for the Zeeland East varsity boys basketball team Feb. 25 as the Chix were ousted from the Division 1 district tournament at Grand Haven with a 64-51 loss to West Ottawa.
The Chix fell victim to hot shooting early in the game by the Panthers. West Ottawa hit seven 3-point baskets in the first quarter, five by sophomore JT Gill, in racing to a 29-16 lead. The Panthers extended that lead to 46-29 at halftime.
East showed some mettle in the third quarter, putting the clamps on West Ottawa’s offense and generating some offense of its own. A basket by East junior Will Drnek pulled the Chix to within eight at 53-45 late in the quarter.
However, that would be as close as the Chix would get as they end their season with a record of 14-8.
Drnek led East with 16 points, while junior center Josiah Norman added 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Chix fell victim to hot shooting early in the game by the Panthers. West Ottawa hit seven 3-point baskets in the first quarter, five by sophomore JT Gill, in racing to a 29-16 lead. The Panthers extended that lead to 46-29 at halftime.
East showed some mettle in the third quarter, putting the clamps on West Ottawa’s offense and generating some offense of its own. A basket by East junior Will Drnek pulled the Chix to within eight at 53-45 late in the quarter.
However, that would be as close as the Chix would get as they end their season with a record of 14-8.
Drnek led East with 16 points, while junior center Josiah Norman added 14 points and eight rebounds.
