Boys high school basketball season in review with top moments, upsets, awards
With the high school basketball season completed, let us look back at the top moments of the season and a look at some unofficial awards.
Historic moment of the Year
There were a lot of big moments and historic achievements this season, but the biggest was Black River knocking off Saugatuck not once, but twice.
The River Rats had not beaten Saugatuck in at least two decades in boys basketball.
Black River won 63-47 on Feb. 14.
"It is awesome. It means everything. They always beat us and I am just super happy that we were finally able to beat them," Black River's Jamison Huizenga said. "The start was great. I hit a couple 3s and we got rolling. The energy was there and we just knew we were going to make history tonight."
Black River wasn't done, either. The team earned their first ever postseason victory with a win over Saugatuck in the Division 3 district semifinals.
A huge step for coach Darrion Denham and the River Rats.
"It as huge to get the weight off our shoulders after going 18-plus years without being able to get the job done against Saugatuck," Denham said. "The energy was there, and we wanted it super bad."
Biggest Upset
While the biggest historical moment happened on Feb. 14, the biggest upset also happened on Valentine's Day.
Jeren Bronkhorst scored with four seconds left in overtime as Hamilton stunned No. 1 Unity Christian 65-63.
“That was unbelievable,” Bronkhorst said. “We haven’t beaten them in a long time. To be the No. 1 team in the state that’s just a different feeling. It was amazing.”
It was part of a huge run for the Hawkeyes, who started 1-8, then went 9-2.
“All the people who came here when we were 1-8 and are here now that we’re 10-10 … it’s just amazing to have them,” Bronkhorst said of the applause the team got.
Biggest Comeback
After getting blown out by rival Hamilton in the first matchup of the season, the Holland Christian boys basketball team wanted to prove it was better than that performance.
Late in the third quarter, down 17 points, it didn't look like the Maroons were going to fare any differently the second time.
But the Maroons kept chipping away and found a way to force overtime and rallied to beat rival Hamilton 75-68 in overtime on Feb. 21.
"We were playing well as a team but our defense had to step up. This game was bigger than us because it was for our seniors for their last game," Holland Christian's Titus Spencer said. "We weren't going to go without a fight, and that is what we did, we fought."
The Maroons kept that momentum and defeated Hamilton again in the district final.
Play of the Year
When Zeeland East's most frequent dunker went up with a chance to dunk, he looked to put the game away for Chix.
But West Ottawa's Darien Stewart was waiting and cleanly blocked the attempt - and with it went all the momentum.
The outlet pass went to Makai Campos who nailed a 3-pointer with 1:10 to go as the Panthers took their first lead since the first quarter and hung on for a sensational 77-73 comeback win over the Chix in the Division 1 district semifinals Feb. 26 at Holland.
"This was really big. We were down and that was special. We could feel the momentum change a lot from the block to the 3 and them taking a timeout. It changed a lot," Stewart said. "I just had to chase it down and I was able to go up and get it."
Sixth Man of the Year: Riley VanDerHulst
Hamilton's Riley VanDerHulst moved into an off-the-bench role this year and was able to spark a lot of Hamilton's offense. He averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds off the bench and had some big games.
VanDerHulst scored 22 points in a district win over Wayland. He had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in Hamilton's upset of No. 1 Unity Christian and poured in 18 in a win over Zeeland East and 19 in a win over Holland Christian.
Coach of the Year: Jared Redell
West Ottawa's Jared Redell knew his team had a lot of talent, but also knew they were extremely young.
With only one upperclassman starting, the youth movement grew significantly this year as Redell guided the Panthers to a district title.
He was able to get the most out of his young players and get the most leadership out of his small group of seniors. It was a strong mix and the Panthers are still on the rise.
Most Improved Player: Grant VanderZee
A couple of years ago, a strong breeze might have blown over Holland Christian's Grant VanderZee. The 6-foot-6 center was lanky and skinny and growing into his frame.
It happened this year, as VanderZee put together his skills, got stronger and gained more confidence on the floor to help Holland Christian to a regional final.
He averaged 9 points and 5 rebounds but also was a key leader on a strong Maroons team.
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Boys high school basketball season in review with top moments, awards
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