East Lansing at DeWitt – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 6, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen’s schedule has indicated that it is time to slip and slide North to DeWitt (not Alaska for those folks as ancient as the Bleacher Denizen who may understand that song reference.) The BleacherDenizenMobile made the short trek from South Lansing to DeWitt and I’m proud to say that no car or building was damaged on my way!!

I don’t believe I was able to see a DeWitt Boys game last year and only saw East Lansing once, so I’m really happy to be able to blog this game. Last year was difficult because of the shortened season and the frequent cancellations that made me scramble to find games. Oh well, one good this is that I was able to get to the music studio in DeWitt frequently and work on some music. For those of you who may be curious (and I suppose for those of you who are not), here is a link to one of the songs I have been able to put on my “Chuck Krafft” You Tube page!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol3R-ZL9568

This game will feature two teams that are always near the top of the Lansing Area Basketball Pyramid (girls or boys). Brock Palmbos and Erik (Doc) Love from AM-730 are here to broadcast the game so your Bleacher Denizen will need to be extra accurate tonight. Hopefully your aging blogger will be up to the task!!

Coach Ray Mitchell from East Lansing was really helpful with information about his Trojan players. East Lansing brings a 5-1 record into this game. They have many strong players who will probably be able to play basketball or football in college.

Mason Woods puts the point in point guard. He is almost magically quick and very strong. He is a ferocious defender and your Bleacher Denizen considers him fortunate that he did not have to try to control the ball against players like Mr. Woods back in the ancient times when he attempted to play. On offense, he has a terrific handle and seems to get into the paint at will. He combines these offensive and defensive skills with a fine three point shot as well.

Evan Boyd is an athletic player who excels slashing to the basket and can also score from the three point line. On defense, he has good height and great athletic ability that lets him pester people on the perimeter or overpower players in the post. Brevin Jackson, who will not be able to play tonight is another player with great point guard skills who passes, shoots and defends really well.

Christian Dunn, who usually starts, but is also unable to play tonight gives the Trojans great defense in the middle. He has a great basketball IQ and is also able to score on inside moves or simply overpowering the opposing defense. Evan Sundermann is another fine athlete who is adept at shooting from the three point line or slashing to the basket. Freshman Cameron Hutson has a great basketball IQ for a freshman. He has a fine three point shot and also excels with his perimeter defense.

DeWitt Coach Bill Flannery was also really helpful with information about his Panther players. The Panthers enter the game with a 4-1 record. They are led by Bryce Kurncz, who is considered one of the top 100 players in Michigan, but Mick McCabe from the Detroit Free Press. Mr. Kurncz is a junior who has been a rotation player or starter on the varsity since he was a freshman. He is really good handling the ball and avoiding turnovers. He is also a great three point shooter who is not afraid to attack the big guys under the basket with a variety of clever moves.

Adam Flannery runs the point for the Panthers most of the time. He is a fine ball handler and passer who has an accurate three point shot. Landen Poe is a tough perimeter defender who gives the Panthers another threat from the three point line. Blake Davis and Grant Crawley provide fine post defense and rebounding for the Panthers.

East Lansing won the freshman game 47-45 on a layup by Ben Fletcher as time expired. In the JV game, the Trojans rolled to a 64-36 win.

Zach Nevison led the DeWitt JVs with 14 points. Luke Hanselman and Will Grant each added 4 points. John Amama, Zach Davis and Cooper Kingsbury tossed in 3 points apiece. Nick Weiss and Rece Baker each scored 2 points and Donovan Perry tallied 1 point.

Eric Williams led the victorious Trojan JVs with 14 points. Jace Clarizio joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Noah Lopez contributed 9 points. B.J. Windham and Jalen McFadden each added 5 points. Aliel Mitchell, Derrick White, Charlie Baker and Deontae Macey each tossed in 4 points. Allen McGrew put in 3 points. Ben Mayes tallied 2 points.

It is now time to look at the results of the varsity game through the overly eager lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play hoops in the days of yore. Alas, your Bleacher Denizen ruined too many of the peach baskets we used to shoot at with hopeless bricks that never, ever seemed to drop into or through the basket.

East Lansing gets the opening tap. The Trojans misfire on a jumper from the free throw line. Evan Sundermann pulls down the offensive rebound for the Trojans. East Lansing misses a layup. DeWitt misses a threeball from the wing. Landen Poe snags the offensive rebound for the Panthers and passes to Adam Flannery, who hits a three pointer from the wing to give DeWitt the first three points of the game. East Lansing misses a banked hook shot. Bryce Kurncz drives and hits a reverse layup to give DeWitt a 5-0 lead.

Mason Woods drives and is fouled on a five foot shot from the baseline. He hits two free throws to give the Trojans their first points. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the corner; the rebound goes out of bounds and East Lansing takes possession. East Lansing misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. DeWitt drives the baseline and misses a layup. Blake Davis blocks a Trojan layup. Marshal Kambasha grabs the loose ball and hits a layup to trim the Panther lead to 5-4.

Evan Boyd emphatically blocks a DeWitt layup. The Panthers recover the ball and launch a threeball from the side the wedges between the rim and the basket. While your Bleacher Denizen was more than willing to try to leap and knock the ball down so play can resume, alas, one of the players on the floor stepped in and deprived the Bleacher Denizen of his opportunity to be of service. (No one EVER asks me to help. Oh well, I have an article to finish so I will need to wait for a while to soothe myself with my teddy bear.)

The Possession Arrow doesn’t worry about your Bleacher Denizen’s angst and awards the ball back to DeWitt. Marcus Haynie sends a DeWitt layup to the Great Airball in the Sky. (Many Bleacher Denizen layup attempts were also sent there by tall people who seemed to feel a need to intervene.) DeWitt inbounds the ball and misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. East Lansing misses a six foot shot from the baseline. Adam Flannery throws in a threeball from the wing to give the Panthers an 8-4 lead.

East Lansing misfires on a triple try from the corner. Bryce Kurncz is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to push DeWitt to a 10-4 lead with 2:47 to go in the first quarter.

East Lansing misses a three point shot from the wing. DeWitt misses a driving layup. East Lansing drives the baseline, but misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Trojans get another opportunity. Mason Woods drives in and hits a layup for East Lansing. Marcus Haynie blocks another DeWitt layup. Evan Boyd drives in an hits a layup for East Lansing to trim the DeWitt lead to 10-8.

Dorijan Jackson steals the ball for East Lansing. Will Gaugier steals the ball for DeWitt. DeWitt misses a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. East Lansing misses a driving layup. Marcus Haynie gets the offensive rebound for the Trojans. East Lansing misses a three point shot from the corner. DeWitt misses a layup. East Lansing misses a driving layup. DeWitt misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Grant Crawley saves the offensive rebound for DeWitt. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the wing at the buzzer.

After one quarter, DeWitt leads 10-8.

East Lansing inbounds the ball to start off the second quarter. Mason Woods passes to Cameron Hutson for a layup that ties the game. DeWitt misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Mason Woods is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give his Trojans a 12-10 lead with 6:51 to play in the second quarter.

Adam Flannery makes a nice, quick dribble and hits a twelve foot shot from the baseline for DeWitt to tie the game. Mason Woods passes to Evan Boyd, who swishes a threeball from the corner to give the lead back to East Lansing. Dylan Adkins passes to Bryce Kurncz, who drives, spins and hits an eight foot shot in the lane for DeWitt. Mason Woods drills a three from the top of the key for East Lansing. Landen Poe passes to Adam Flannery, who hits a threeball from the side to pull DeWitt back to within one point. Mason Woods hits a three pointer from the wing to give his Trojans a 21-17 lead.

DeWitt misses an eight foot runner in the lane. Matthew Nehf knocks a Trojan pass out of bounds; East Lansing retains possession. East Lansing misses a threeball from the wing. Bryce Kurncz saves a bad pass to prevent a Panther turnover. A DeWitt cross court pass sails out of bounds. Mason Boyd drives from the side and hits a layup for East Lansing. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to give East Lansing a 24-17 lead with 3:34 remaining in the first half.

DeWitt misses a three point shot from the wing. Blake Davis gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a jumper from the free throw line. East Lansing misses a fast break layup. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Bryce Kurncz gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a layup. Mason Woods drives and hits an eight foot bank shot from the side to give East Lansing a 26-17 lead.

DeWitt misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Grant Crawley gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the side. Landen Poe gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. East Lansing misses a threeball from the wing. Mason Woods pulls down the offensive rebound for the Trojans. East Lansing misses a ten footer in the lane and fouls on the rebound. Adam Flannery is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to trim the Trojan lead to 26-19 with 1:10 to play in the half.

East Lansing misses a three point shot from the corner. Grant Crawley passes the ball to Bryce Kurncz, who is cutting to the basket; Bryce Kurncz hits a layup for DeWitt. Mason Woods banks in a jumper from the free throw line at the buzzer. (I’m sure he called, “Bank!”)

At halftime, East Lansing has a 28-21 lead.

Adam Flannery and Bryce Kurncz have all of DeWitt’s first half points. Adam Flannery has 13 points and Bryce Kurncz has 8 points.

Mason Woods exploded to lead East Lansing’s first half offense with 16 points. Evan Boyd has 8 points.

DeWitt inbounds the ball to begin the third quarter. DeWitt misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. The clock goes out as East Lansing is working for a shot; it is fixed shortly and East Lansing gets another chance to score. East Lansing misses a three pointer from the wing and fouls on the rebound. DeWitt misses a fourteen foot shot from the side of the lane. Bryce Kurncz gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. He somehow gets a putback layup to fall through as he is falling to the floor. This trims the Trojan lead to 28-23.

Evan Boyd drives the baseline to hit a layup for East Lansing. DeWitt misses a three pointer from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and DeWitt gets another opportunity. Evan Sundermann steals the ball for East Lansing. Evan Boyd hits a fast break layup for the Trojans. DeWitt drives from the side and misses a layup. Blake Davis gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Mason Woods hits a fast break layup, is fouled and makes his free throw to push the East Lansing lead to 35-23 with 4:30 to play in the third quarter.

Bryce Kurncz responds with a three point basket from the side for DeWitt. Mason Woods hits a sixteen foot shot off the dribble from the side for East Lansing. DeWitt misses a layup. Adam Flannery steals the ball for the Panthers. Mason Woods steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to boost the East Lansing lead to 39-26.

J.L. Branson steals the ball for East Lansing. Bryce Kurncz steals the ball and hits a layup for DeWitt. Bryce Kurncz rips off the rock for DeWitt once again. DeWitt misfires on a triple try from the wing. Bryce Kurncz gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the wing. Mason Woods hits a fast break layup to give East Lansing a 41-28 lead.

DeWitt misses a layup. Grant Crawley stands tall in the lane and ties up an East Lansing player driving for a layup. The Possession Arrow arrogantly ignores Mr. Crawley’s fine defense and awards the ball back to the Trojans. Will Gaugier blocks a Trojan layup. Bryce Kurncz bursts into the lane and is fouled on a jump shot. Bryce Kurncz makes two free throws to cut the Trojan lead to 41-30 with 1:04 remaining in the quarter.

Evan Boyd drives from the side and hits a layup for East Lansing. DeWitt misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and East Lansing gets the ball. Dylan Adkins draws a charging foul from the Trojans. DeWitt misses a three quarter court heave with 1.1 seconds left, so East Lansing gets to try a heave. East Lansing misses its heave as the buzzer sounds.

After three quarters, East Lansing is holding a 43-30 lead.

DeWitt has the ball to commence the fourth quarter. The Panthers miss a threeball from the wing. Matthew Nehf gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a layup. East Lansing reciprocates and misses a layup. Dylan Adkins drives and hits a layup for DeWitt. Matthew Nehf knocks the ball away from East Lansing and Bryce Kurncz grabs it for DeWitt. Bryce Kurncz hits a layup to chop the East Lansing lead back to 43-34.

Cameron Hutson passes to Evan Boyd, who hits a layup for East Lansing. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the side. Bryce Kurncz is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for DeWitt to trim the Trojan lead to 45-35 with 5:40 left on the clock.

Dylan Adkins forces and East Lansing driver to alter a layup; the ball goes out of bounds and DeWitt takes possession. DeWitt bounces a pass out of bounds. Evan Boyd passes to Evan Sundermann, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Trojans. Dorijan Jackson steals the ball for East Lansing. East Lansing misses a layup, but Mason Woods grabs the offensive rebound. East Lansing misses a layup. Bryce Kurncz drives and scoops in a layup for East Lansing. Evan Sundermann drives and is fouled on a six foot bank shot from the side. Evan Sundermann hits one of his two free throws to push East Lansing to a 49-37 lead with 3:46 to go in the game.

Adam Flannery drives and dishes the ball to a teammate who is fouled as he shoots a layup. DeWitt misses two free throws. Dorijan Jackson passes to Mason Woods, who hits a layup for East Lansing. DeWitt misfires on a triple try from the side. Evan Sundermann passes to Cameron Hutson, who hits a three point shot to extend the East Lansing lead to 54-37.

Bryce Kurncz drives the baseline and hits a six foot scoop shot for DeWitt. Adam Flannery steals the ball and passes to Bryce Kurncz, who hits a layup for DeWitt. Landen Poe draws a charging foul from the Trojans. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the side. East Lansing misses a layup. Dylan Adkins blocks a Trojan putback. Bryce Kurncz is fouled; he hits one of his two free throws to shave the East Lansing lead to 54-42 with 1:46 remaining in the game.

Mason Woods passes to Marshal Kambasha, who hits a layup for East Lansing. Adam Flannery passes to Landen Poe, who hits a three point shot from the corner for DeWitt. Mason Woods is fouled and hits one of two free throws in a one and one opportunity to give East Lansing a 57-45 lead with 1:09 to go.

DeWitt travels as it attempts a layup. Dorijan Jackson is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for East Lansing. DeWitt is fouled, but misses two free throws. Dylan Adkins steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup for DeWitt. He makes one of his two free throws. Landen Poe knocks the ball away from East Lansing and Dylan Adkins grabs it for DeWitt. Dylan Adkins passes to Landen Poe, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Panthers. Alexander Mielock hits a putback for East Lansing. Dylan Adkins is fouled at the buzzer; he hits one of his two free throws to end the game.

East Lansing wins the game 60-50.

Bryce Kurncz led the DeWitt scoring with 27 points. Adam Flannery had 13 points, all in the first half. Landen Poe added 6 points and Dylan Adams scored 4 points.

Mason Woods led East Lansing with 28 points. Evan Boyd added 16 points. Cameron Hutson scored 5 Marshal Kambasha and Evan Sundermann each contributed 4 points. Alexander Mielock scored 2 points and Dorijan Jackson had 1 point.