It was a pretty good night Tuesday for the Wayland, Martin and Hopkins girs’ basketball teams, as all three squads emerged victorious.
The Martin girls turned in the most bizarre score by posting a 43-0 shutout verdict over Bloomingdale, a score that seems more likely in football.
Coach Ben Schipper said, “Tonight was an exciting start to our season. Our defensive intensity was outstanding. We were locked in the entire game. We’ve been so focused on installing our offense in practice that I was honestly worried about our defense, but the effort was there every single possession tonight.
“We told the girls in practice leading up to this game that all we asked of them defensively tonight was to give their best effort, and they did exactly that.
“Offensively, our focus was to be in attack mode. We were very pleased with our execution of this key emphasis. We had the defense on their heels a lot and it led to a very balanced scoring attack.”
Torryn Harris led the way with 10 pts and played tough defense all night. Anna Jager had 8 points coming off the bench. Alley Bacon and Macey Thorne each had seven points and Avery Jager had six.
“We manufactured a lot of good looks tonight,” the coach added. “I look forward to working with the girls on their balance while shooting and our shot selection to make us more efficient. I was very proud of the way Alley stepped into the point guard role tonight. She pushed the ball well and got us organized when we needed it. I was also especially pleased with our three sophomores who contributed immediately and in big ways in their first true game on varsity.”
All eight Clipper girls were able to score.
Hopkins pulled out a 40-36 triumph over host Three Rivers in its season debut. Cora Hall led a balanced attack with 11 points, Reegan Helderop had 8 points, and Ali Langlois and Ava VanderVeen 7 points apiece.
Wayland overcame fouls trouble for Harmony Laker, Charity Laker and Addie Sikorski to subdue a determined Comstock Park outfit, 63-27, claiming two victories in two starts this week.
Both Sikorski and Harmony were limited to six points with the foul troubles, but Lauren. Bultsma stepped up by pouring in 14 points and Rae Stallard added nine.
The Wayland guys, meanwhile, lifted their season record to 2-0 with a 61-56 victory over Comstock Park.
Hopkins varsity boys basketball lost Tuesday night at home vs. Three Rivers 41-30. Trent Smith led all Viking scorers with 9 points. Merek Zapolnik added 8, and Cruz Hitzler finished with 6.
Three Rivers led at all period stops, 11-7, 23-13 and 31-28.
“We really struggled to get our offense going tonight,” said coach Jake Jewett. “Three Rivers played a strong 2-3 zone, and we had costly turnovers all night long. After a tough first half, though, we bounced back in the third quarter, scoring 15 points and took the lead for a short stretch. Unfortunately, we just weren’t able to hang on and get the win.
“This will prove to be a good learning experience for a young team, and we’ll bounce back.”
The Vikings will be on the Wayland floor Friday night.
The Martin boys’ squad, which posted only one victory a year ago, already have won two jn just two outings this season by defeating 72-44.oys remain unbeaten tonight by a score of 72-44. Blake Sweeting put an exclamation point on the end of the contestwith a huge slam dunk in the fourth quarter.
Martin will be host will host to Gobles Friday. The girls will play at 6 p.m.
