Page 10 — Thursday, March 7, 2024 — The Hastings Banner
Lions chip away at district
deficit to beat Potterville
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
The Lions just stuck to the smallish goals.
Cut the Potterville lead in half. Then cut it
in half again. And finally wipe it away all
together.
The Maple Valley varsity boys’ basketball
team trailed by as many as 16 points in the
first half of its MHSAA Division 3 District
Semifinal at Potterville High School Wednes-
day, Feb. 38, and rallied for a 72-68 win over
the host Vikings.
The Lions’ prize was a date with
14th-ranked Pewamo-Westphalia in the
MHSAA Division 3 District Final back at
Potterville High School Friday – a ballgame
the Pirates won 59-42.
Trailing 24-10 at the start of the second
quarter of the district semifinal with Potter-
ville, the Lions just wanted to cut the Viking
lead to seven by the half. A three from senior
guard Ayden Wilkes got things started for the
Lions, sparking an 8-0 Maple Valley run over
the final couple minutes of that first half.
“This is a pretty heady group of kids,”
Maple Valley head coach Ryan Nevins said. “A
lot of them are three-year varsity players. They
have been through it. These guys have played
like 75 varsity games in three years. They just
never gave up, and that is kind of been our
mantra this year. No matter what the score is,
we’re going to keep fighting. We have done it
a few times. Kind of the cardiac kids this year.
We tend to come back in games a lot.
“It was fun.”
Senior forward Cam Carpenter had a put-
back, freshman guard Teegen McDonald
drilled a couple free throws, and a free throw
by junior guard Jim Wiggs had the Potterville
lead down to 32-25 by the half – just what the
Lions were looking for.
A 10-0 run in the middle of the third quar-
ter helped the Lions cut what grew back to a
12-point Potterville lead down to two, and
Maple Valley was as close as one before fin-
ishing the third down 47-44.
McDonald hit a couple free throws with
6:47 to go in the game to get the Lions within
49-48 and then attacked the basket for a
bucket that put the Lions in front 50-49 as the
clock ticked under six minutes to go. His
team never trailed again.
A free throw by Potterville star guard
Kaleb Batterham momentarily tied the ball-game at 50-50, but eventually McDonald
made an outstanding dish to Carpenter for an
open jumper that he knocked down to put the
Lions in front 52-50. A three by McDonald
pushed the Lion edge to 55-50.
The Maple Valley lead went to six, then
nine, then 11 before Batterham hit a three
with 3:02 to go to stymie the Lion surge
momentarily. Maple Valley was up by double
figures for the next two minutes before anoth-
er Batterham three with 1:01 to go cut the
Lion lead to 68-60. Yet another Batterham
three had the Vikings back within 70-65 with
29 seconds left.
A steal and then two free throws by Lion
senior guard Connor Joseph was enough to
seal the win in the final half minute.
McDonald finished with 25 points and
Wilkes had 24 for the Lions. Junior guard
Jakeb McDonald chipped in nine points and
Carpenter had eight.
“We have been playing together since first
grade or something like that,” said Wilkes,
who joined the Maple Valley varsity as a
freshman. “We just have great chemistry
from the four of us: me, Callan, Cam and
Connor. It is just really good chemistry.”
It took a little time this season to work in
the younger guys, but certainly adding the
freshman McDonald has been a boost.
“In the middle of the season, Teegen started
to get hot and we just didn’t know how to play
with each other, sharing the ball and stuff,”
Wilkes said. “We would have one guy go for a
lot and the other guys wouldn’t do anything.
Mixing him in with us makes us even better.”
Batterham had a game-high 32 points for
Potterville. He had five threes. The Vikings
also got ten points from Isaiah Woloszyn, 13
from Reid Jackson and eight from Diego
Vasquez.
“I thought they came out and played really
well,” Nevins said of the Vikings. “They
were making shots with hands in their faces,
and some of the things that we talked about in
our scouting report was not allowing [Batter-
ham] to get run-out lay-ins and he got three or
four in the first quarter and it really hurt us.
Once we stopped turning the ball over, we
started executing our offense. I thought they
did a really good job of trying to take away
Ayden [Wilkes] and Connor [Joseph]. Our
other guys stepped up in the second quarter. I
thought Teegen played an excellent game.“Even the guys who came off the bench
tonight that didn’t get a lot of minutes, they all
did something super positive for us to win.”
The only three Batterham hit in the first
half was a buzzer beater from about
three-quarter court to close the first quarter.
Despite his inflated point total, Nevins was
exceptionally pleased with the efforts of
senior guard Callan Hoefler defensively try-
ing to keep him in check.
“Callan was awesome tonight defensively.
He’s a really, super tough kid. It is hard to
tell, because he doesn’t ever show emotion,
but I think he rally locked in and said ‘you
know what, it’s my senior year, I’m going to
get a stop and I’m going to help my team win
any way I can.’ I thought he played an excel-
lent game tonight.
“He fouled out with a minute and a half
left, and we were up 11 and [Batterham] start-
ed making shots again.”
Wilkes was pretty impressed with Hoe-
fler’s defensive efforts too, calling him a
“dog” on D. Hoefler got a standing ovation
from the Lion crowd when he fouled out late
in the ballgame.
The Lions end the year with a 10-14 over-
all this season. Potterville fell to 7-16 with
the loss. The 2013-14 season was the last
time the Lions had as many as ten victories,
and Friday was to be the program’s first dis-
trict final appearance since 2018.
“To do those things, it shows how hard
these kids have worked and put in the time
over the summer. It is starting to pay off a
little bit. Friday night is where we want to
be,” Nevins said.
Pewamo-Westphalia knocked off Saranac
64-40 in the second district semifinal in Pot-
terville Wednesday.
The Pirates moved to 22-2 with their dis-
trict final win over the Lions, and added a win
in their regional semifinal on their home
court over a previously undefeated North
Muskegon team Tuesday. Their only two
losses this season have come against eighth-
ranked Laingsburg.
Dominic Weber led Potterville with 11
points and Trevor Spitzley, Kash Pohl and
Trent Piggott had nine points each in the dis-
trict final win.
Teegen McDonald was the game’s
high-scorer with 16 points and Wilkes had 14
in the loss.Bigger, faster Chargers end Panther postseason
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
They both get to put numbers on the ban-
ner in their gymnasium for a district champi-
onship.
But Grand Rapids Covenant Christian was
much better at putting numbers on the score-
board in the MHSAA Division 3 Regional
Semifinal at Pewamo-Westphalia High
School Tuesday night. The Chargers took an
89-28 victory over the Delton Kellogg varsity
boys’ basketball team to get the chance to add
regional championship numbers to their ban-
ner Thursday night back at P-W.
“They’re battle-tested,” Delton Kellogg
head coach Jim Hogoboom said of the Char-
gers. “I think they’re probably the best 16-
team in the state. They have a number of
Division 1 opponents on their schedule from
Holland Christian, Zeeland East and West,
playing perennial powerhouses. They’re one
of those perennial powerhouse kind of pro-
grams too.
“They have a lot of size, even at the guard
position. As you stand next to them, they’re
bigger than they are on film. I think they’re
fast, athletic, strong and experienced. It was a
thrill to be there with three really, really
established, quality programs. Nobody likes
to get embarrassed on the scoreboard, but I’m
proud of my kids for continuing to try to have
some positive possessions.”
The DK boys end their season at 12-
with their program’s first district champion-
ship in 40 years.
Covenant Christian ran out to a 23-0 lead
in the game’s first three and a half minutes
Tuesday, with Delton Kellogg calling more
timeouts in that stretch (three) than it had
field goal attempts (two). Delton Kellogg
turned the ball over seven times during that
opening run by the Chargers.
Covenant Christian hit its first six shots of
the game, building a 14-0 lead. The Chargers’
first miss came only because senior Spencer
Holstege couldn’t quite put down a break-
away dunk attempt, but the Chargers rebound-
ed the miss eventually getting a triple from
senior Mike DeVries that upped the lead to
17-0 – spurring DK head coach Jim Hogo-
boom’s second timeout of the game with 5:
to go in the opening quarter. His first timeout
came just 57 seconds in down 6-0.
DeVries’ triple there was the third of the
game already for the Chargers, and they cer-
tainly had the inside game to pair with the
outside game.
The Chargers’ 6-foot-6 junior center Ben
Elzinga had a game-high 16 points with 12 of
those coming in the opening quarter. He scoredthe first two buckets of the game in the paint,
able to use his height to just turn and flip the
ball in over DK senior center Chad Stopher.
Elzinga was far from the only Charger
with some length to him, and Covenant
Christian used its size and athleticism to
pressure the Panthers into turnovers through-
out the first half.
Covenant Christian led 60-14 at the half,
and called off the press in the second half.
The Chargers’ starters gave way to the bench
a little over two minutes into the second half.
All 13 Chargers scored in the ballgame.
Junior Nick Oosterhouse and DeVries both
had 13 points. Senior Brett Cammenga and
junior Evan Pipe added eight points each.
The Chargers’ first half streak finally ended
when DK senior guard Torren Mapes came
off the bench to provide a bit of a spark han-
dling the ball against the Covenant Christian
pressure. He attacked and dished the ball out
for a look at three that freshman guard Grady
Matteson buried for his team’s first points
with 4:22 to go in that opening quarter.
In that second half, Hogoboom said he was
just looking for positive possessions from his
guys – handling any pressure and getting
good shots. He thought there were moments
when they accomplished that.
Matteson finished with a team-high nine
points. Foreign exchange students joined him
at the top of the DK scoring leaderboard.
Hugo Martino finished with six points and
Francesco Monni came off the bench late to
score six points too.
The DK crowd and bench were especially
appreciative of Monni’s buckets as a tough
evening wound down. Cristian Rojas saw
Monni breaking through the lane late in tran-
sition and fed him for a lay-up that accounted
for the game’s final points – a bucket that had
teammate Rhys Bedford up off the bench
cheering and clapping.
“The thrill of how they came together,
especially the last 3-4 weeks, is something
they can feel good about,” Hogoboom said.
“It gives me some pride, how they continued
to rally around each other. We had other lop-
sided loses this year, and that is not easy for
anybody. Each day they’d come back to
work, and work with each other and do what
we asked of them.”
This is the first season the Panthers have
had double digit wins since the 2016-
squad won 14 games. That Panther squad was
upset in a district semifinal ballgame by a
Galesburg-Augusta team it defeated twice
during the regular season.
Covenant Christian will face regional host
Pewamo-Westphalia in the MHSAA Division
3 Regional Final tonight, March 7. The 23-
Pirates won a very different ballgame Tues-
day night, out-dueling a previously undefeat-
ed North Muskegon 43-41 in overtime. Those
Norsemen see their season end with a 24-
mark.JOHNSTOWN TOWNSHIP
BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGANNOTICE OF SPECIAL ASSESSMENT PUBLIC HEARING
SYLVAN COURT PRIVATE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS SPECIAL ASSESSMENT
DISTRICT NO. 1TO: THE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF JOHNSTOWN TOWNSHIP, BARRY COUNTY,
MICHIGAN AND ANY OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS:PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that, pursuant to PA 188 of 1954, as amended, the Township Board of
Johnstown Township, Barry County, Michigan, has determined, based on petitions submitted, to
undertake a private road improvement project on Sylvan Court in the Township, and to create a
special assessment district for the recovery of the costs thereof by special assessment against
the properties benefited. The Special Assessment District shall be known as the SYLVAN COURT
PRIVATE ROAD IMPROVEMENT SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT NO. 1.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the land and premises in the special assessment district
within which the foregoing improvements are proposed to be made and within which the costs
thereof are to be specially assessed are more particularly described as all parcels fronting on and/
or abutting Sylvan Court which include the following parcel numbers:SYLVAN COURT PRIVATE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT NO. 108-09-150-014-00 08-09-030-030-02 08-09-030-030-07 08-09-150-021-0 0
08-09-150-017-00 08-09-030-030-03 08-09-030-030-
08-09-030-030-01 08-09-030-030-06 08-09-150-025-0 0PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Township Board has received plans showing the proposed
road improvements with associated activities, together with an estimate of the cost of the
project in the amount of $73,960 (including administrative costs), and has placed the same on file
with the Township clerk; has passed a resolution tentatively declaring its intention to make the
improvement and to create the special assessment district; and has tentatively found the petitions
for the improvement in compliance with the statutory requirements. The plans, cost estimates
and special assessment district may be examined at the Clerk’s office from the date of this Notice
to the date of the public hearing and may further be examined at such public hearing.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a public hearing on the petitions, plans, district and cost
estimates will be held on March 13, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. at the Johnstown Township Hall, 13641
S. M-37 Highway, Battle Creek, Michigan. At the hearing, the Board will consider any written
objections and comments to any of the foregoing matters which are filed with the clerk at or
before the hearing and any objections or comments raised at the hearing. If written objections
are filed with the township board at or before the hearing, signed by the record owners of land
constituting more than 20% of the road frontage proposed for improvement within the proposed
special assessment district, then the township board may not proceed unless petitions in support
of the project, signed by record owners of more than 50% of the road frontage proposed for
improvement within the proposed special assessment district, are filed with the township.
Following the hearing, the township board may revise, correct, amend or change the plans, cost
estimates or special assessment district.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that appearance and protest at the public hearing is required
in order to appeal to the State Tax Tribunal within 30 days after the special assessment roll is
confirmed. An owner or party in interest, or his or her agent, may appear in person at the hearing
to protest the special assessment, or shall be permitted to file at or before the hearing his or
her appearance or protest by letter and his or her personal appearance shall not be required.
All interested persons are invited to be present in person or by representative and to submit
comments concerning the establishment of the special assessment district, the plans and cost
estimates. PROPERTY SHALL NOT BE ADDED TO THE PROPOSED SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT
AND THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE OF COST SHALL NOT BE INCREASED BY MORE THAN 10% WITHOUT
FURTHER NOTICE AND PUBLIC HEARING.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that if the Township Board determines to proceed with the special
assessments, the Board will cause a special assessment roll to be prepared and another hearing
will be held, after notice to record owners of property proposed to be specially assessed, to hear
public comments concerning the proposed special assessments.Johnstown Township will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals
with disabilities at the hearing upon seven (7) days’ notice to the Township Clerk.
Sheri Babcock
Johnstown Township Clerk
13641 S. M-37 Highway
Battle Creek, MI 49017
(269) 721-9709 Ext. 202 212855Delton Kellogg sophomore guard Keegan Hill looks to get a pass around pressure
from Covenant Christian senior Brayden Stange during the first half of their MHSAA
Division 3 Regional Semifinal ballgame at Pewamo-Westphalia High School Tuesday.
(Photo by Brett Bremer)Delton Kellogg senior guard Torren
Mapes works to drive past Covenant
Christian junior Nick Oosterhouse during
the first half of their MHSAA Division 3
Regional Semifinal ballgame at Pewamo-
Westphalia High School Tuesday. (Photo
by Brett Bremer)Delton Kellogg senior Francesco Monni
puts a shot up for two points during the
fourth quarter of his team's loss to
Covenant Christian in the MHSAA
Division 3 Regional Semifinal at Pewamo-
Westphalia High School Tuesday. (Photo
by Brett Bremer)Delton downed by G-A girls
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
The Delton Kellogg varsity girls’ basket-
ball team had its season ended by South-
western Athletic Conference Central Divi-
sion foe Galesburg-Augusta in the MHSAA
Division 3 District opener at Kalamazoo
Christian High School Monday.
The Rams took a 56-34 win – their third
win of the season over the Panthers.
“Really can’t fault our effort by an stretch
as the kids worked hard throughout the
game,” Delton Kellogg head coach Mike
Mohn said.
“Like we have for a majority of the year,
our shot selection was really good. We had
some outstanding looks, but the shots just
didn’t fall. It’s kinda off our makeup for the
year.”
The Delton Kellogg girls were just 26percent shooting from the floor and only 29
percent from the free throw line.
Delton Kellogg senior Paytn Robinson
had what coach Mohn called arguably her
best night in a Panther uniform. She had
ten points and seven rebounds while play-
ing some pretty good D according to her
coach.
Addie Stampfler led Delton Kellogg
with 11 points and nine rebounds.
The DK girls end the year with a 5-
overall record.
G-A improved to 9-14 with the win and
was set to take on the 21-1 Kalamazoo
Christian Comets back at K-Christian
High School last night, March 6, in the
district semifinals. Hackett Catholic Prep
and Comstock were slated to go at it in the
district’s other semifinal match-up
Wednesday.