Dansville at Bath – – CMAC Boys Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 4, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, after ice, snow and cold forced your Bleacher Denizen to hide in his BleacherDenizenHouse for two days, I’ll be making the short trip from South Lansing to Bath to watch as Bath’s Fighting Bees take on Dansville’s Aggies. I was relieved to only see a couple igloos on my way to Bath; it was also great to avoid hitting any seals or walruses (walri???) on my way to the game. (Spell checker apparently frowns on “walri”; note to self for the next attempt at an arctic joke.)

The wintry weather puts the Bleacher Denizen into a quandary. To highlight the polar weather and post about Jolly Old St. Nicholas (from my “Chuck Krafft” You Tube Channel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15alGV17hKI

or – – – to wish Good Vibrations on both teams for getting here through the freezing tundra landscape of today? (Also from my You Tube Channel.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3482fQh0Rdo

In the usual indecisive Bleacher Denizen way, I guess I’ll post both!!

Bath enters the game with a 6-2 record in the CMAC; they are in third place in the league, but actually they are only one game out of first place. Dansville is overcoming injuries to their top two players and has a 2-6 record in the CMAC. Bath is 7-3 overall and Dansville has a 2-8 cumulative record.

For Bath, Ethan Swenson is one of the best players in the CMAC. He gets to the basket with ease and is very difficult to defend once he gets there. He can shoot the three point shot as well. He is an excellent rebounder and defender as well. DeVondre Chandler runs the point for the Bees. He is very athletic, a formidable perimeter defender and a fine ball handler. Ryan Knitter is a solid ball handler and passer. Josh Kares has a nice stroke from the three point line.

Lucas Mohr is a strong perimeter defender. Colin Kuhn and Jake McAlpine mad the middle for the Bees. Both are tough rebounders and defenders. Jake McAlpine scores well near the basket as well.

For Dansville, Sam Hodgson is back from a hand injury that took him out of the last Aggie game I blogged. He is 6’6″ and patrols the middle for the Aggies. He is a tough defender inside and rebounds really well. He is always thinking; this allows him to use his height to his team’s greatest advantage. He is a great passer and a good scorer inside. Jared Bristle is in his third year of varsity basketball. He is a strong three point shooter who can also shoot from midrange or slash to the basket.

Zach Sykes runs the point for the Aggies. He is a tough defender and runs the offense well. Drew Frantz is a fine ball handler who is very creative when he attacks the basket. He has an instinct that allows him to get a decent shot near the basket even in a crowd of defenders. His floater and three point shot are also solid. Cody Ream is a good three point shooter.

I was able to get to Bath in time to see the second half of the JV game. Bath had a 28-19 lead at halftime. The teams battled evenly in the second half; Bath won by 9 points. The final score was 56-47.

Dylan Ream led the Aggie JV scoring with 27 points. Mason Ruttan joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Quentin Mayes scored 4 points. Austin Hovey and Seager Kennedy each added 2 points. Austin Lewis tallied 1 point.

Brayden Bennett led the Fighting Bee JV with 12 points. Sam Wonch and Nathan Reed each supported him with 8 points. Ethan Wicks chipped in with 7 points. Bradlee Uhlmann and Jay Kriesler each added 6 points. Nathan Reed scored 4 points. Remington McCrimmon scored 3 points. Thomas Vang tallied 2 points.

It is now time to look at the events of the varsity game through the somewhat open eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who never did escape church league when he attempted to play hoops when he was young back in the Middle Ages. His basketball career was severely limited when he learned that he would not be permitted to use a catapult to launch his three point shots. (The powers that be also refused to allow it as a aid for cross court passes. How DO they expect a Bleacher Denizen to get ahead??)

Dansville wins the opening tap. Sam Hodgson passes to Calvin vanHartesvelt for an Aggie layup. Jake McAlpine passes to Ethan Swenson, who hits a layup for Bath to tie the game. Drew Frantz passes to Jared Bristle, who throws in a threeball from the side for Dansville. Ryan Knitter passes to Luca Mohr, who hits a three point shot for Bath to tie the game at 5-5.

Luca Mohr steals an Aggie pass. Bath misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Drew Frantz goes coast to coast for a layup to give the Aggies a two point lead. Bath misfires on a triple try from the wing. Ethan Swenson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a twelve foot shot in the lane. Ethan Swenson gets another offensive rebound for Bath. The Bees miss a threeball from the corner. Dansville misses a layup. Luca Mohr passes to Ryan Knitter, who hits a three pointer from the side to give his Bees an 8-7 lead.

Ethan Swenson knocks the ball out of bounds; Bath takes the ball. Jared Bristle knocks the ball out of bounds; the Bees retain possession. DeVondre Chandler passes to Josh Kares, who flings in a three pointer from the wing to give Bath an 11-7 lead.

Dansville misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Bees take possession. Bath throws a cross court pass out of bounds. DeVondre Chandler knocks the ball away from Dansville and Josh Kares picks it up for Bath. Bath misses a threeball from the side and fouls on the rebound. Ryan Knitter knocks the ball out of bounds; Dansville retains possession. Dansville misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Bath misses a three point attempt from the side.

Jacob McAlpine gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Sam Hodgson blocks a Bath shot. Dansville misses a layup. Sam Hodgson gets the offensive rebound for the Aggies. Dansville misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Bath misses a threeball from the wing. Jake McAlpine gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misfires on a threeball from the side. Ethan Swenson gets the offensive rebound for the Bees and passes to Jake McAlpine, who is fouled on a layup. Jake McAlpine hits one of his two free throws to extend the Bath lead to 12-7 with 1:14 to play in the first quarter.

Jake McAlpine causes Dansville to miss a layup. Ethan Swenson passes to Luca Mohr, who hits a three point shot to extend the Bath lead to eight points. Drew Frantz is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Dansville with 18.5 seconds left. Bath misses a three point attempt from the wing at the buzzer.

After one quarter, Bath has a 15-9 lead.

Bath inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Bees miss a three pointer from the corner and foul on the rebound. Elijah Neal passes to Sam Hodgson, who hits a layup for the Aggies. Elijah Neal knocks the ball away from Bath, but the Bees are able to recover. Bath misses a reverse layup. Luca Mohr blocks a Dansville layup; the ball goes out of bounds and Bath takes possession. Ryan Knitter saves a loose ball to prevent a Bee turnover.

Bath misses a three point shot from the side. Ethan Swenson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a layup. Luca Mohr draws a charging foul to foil a Dansville fast break. Jared Bristle steals the ball for Dansville and hits a fast break layup. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw to cut the Bath lead to 15-14 with 5:50 to play in the first half.

Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. Zach Sykes bounces a pass to Sam Hodgson, who hits a layup to give Dansville a one point lead. Bath misses a six foot hook shot. Ryan Knitter pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Bees get another opportunity. Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. Jake McAlpine gets the offensive rebound for Bath. Ethan Swenson makes a jumper from the free throw line to retake the lead for Bath. Jared Bristle passes to Cody Ream, who is fouled on a layup. Cody Ream makes one of his two free throws to tie the game at 17-17 with 3:53 remaining in the first half.

Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. DeVondre Chandler knocks the ball out of bounds; Dansville retains possession. Ethan Swenson foils a Dansville layup. Ryan Knitter hits a fast break layup to give his Bees a two point lead. DeVondre Chandler knocks the ball away from Dansville; the Aggies recover. Jake McAlpine blocks an Aggie layup. Drew Frantz blocks a Bee layup. DeVondre Chandler makes a twelve foot shot from the side to give the Bees a 21-17 lead.

Dansville misses a three point shot from the side. Sam Hodgson gets the offensive rebound for the Aggies. Dansville misses a three point shot from the wing. Jared Bristle knocks the ball away from Bath and Drew Frantz grabs it for Dansville. Ethan Swenson blocks an Aggie five foot shot; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Dansville gets another possession.

Jake McAlpine blocks an Aggie ten foot shot in the lane. Drew Frantz draws a charging foul from Bath. Jared Bristle finds Cody Ream in the corner for Dansville. Cody Ream launches and hits a three point shot from the corner to chop the Bath lead to one point. Bath holds the ball for the last thirty or so seconds of the first half. The Bees miss a three point shot near the top of the key at the buzzer.

At halftime, Bath has a 21-20 lead.

Jared Bristle leads the Aggie scoring with 6 points. Sam Hodgson, Drew Frantz and Cody Ream each have 4 points.

Luca Mohr leads the Bath scoring with 6 points. Ryan Knitter has 5 points and Ethan Swenson has 4 points.

Dansville has the ball to start out the third quarter. Jake McAlpine blocks an Aggie layup. Bath misses a layup; Ethan Swenson hits a putback for the Bees. Jake McAlpine blocks a Dansville jump shot from the free throw line. Dansville recovers the loose ball; the Aggies miss a three pointer from the side. Calvin vanHartesvelt blocks a Bath layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Dansville gets the ball. Dansville attempts to drive and dish the ball for a shot, but travels. Calvin vanHartesvelt blocks a Bath reverse layup. Sam Hodgson hits a layup for Dansville. Bath is fouled on a driving reverse layup, but misses two free throws. With 5:36 to play in the third quarter, the Bath lead is at 23-22.

Dansville misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. Sham Hodgson drives and hits a six foot banked shot to give Dansville a one point lead. Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. Ethan Swenson steals a Dansville pass and goes coast to coast; he’s fouled on a fast break layup. Ethan Swenson hits one of his two free throws to tie the game at 24-24 with 3:51 left in the third quarter.

DeVondre Chandler hits a putback to give Bath a two point lead. Sam Hodgson drives and dishes the ball to Cody Ream, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Dansville to tie the game at 26-26 with 3:31 to play in the third quarter.

Bath misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Josh Kares grabs the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. The Aggies foul on the rebound. Bath misses a driving six footer from the baseline. Dansville misses a three point shot from the wing. Jared Bristle steals the ball for the Aggies. Cody Ream hits a fast break layup and is fouled for Dansville; he misses his free throw. With 2:11 to play in the third quarter, Dansville has a 28-26 lead.

Sam Hodgson gets the offensive rebound for the Aggies. Dansville throws a pass out of bounds. Zach Sykes knocks a Bath pass out of bounds; the Bees retain possession. Cody Ream knocks the ball away from Bath, but the Bees recover. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Bath gets another opportunity. DeVondre Chandler passes to Ryan Knitter, who throws in a threeball from the wing to give Bath a 29-28 lead.

Dansville misses a driving layup. Luca Mohr hits a fast break layup for Bath. Dansville misses a six foot shot in the lane. Zach Sykes gets the offensive rebound for the Aggies. Dansville misses a three point shot from the side. Bath misses an 80 foot heave at the buzzer.

After three quarters, Bath has a 31-28 lead.

Bath inbounds the ball to get the fourth quarter underway. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. Luca Mohr pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bees and passes to Ryan Knitter, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Bath a six point lead. Dansville misses a threeball from the side. Drew Frantz and Jared Bristle team up to tie up the ball for Dansville. The Possession Arrow and its crew of Chess Experts like the Aggie hustle and award the ball to Dansville.

Ryan Knitter steals the ball for Bath. Bath misses a layup. DeVondre Chandler gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath misses a layup. DeVondre Chandler gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Bath is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. With 6:22 left on the clock, the Bees have a 34-28 lead.

Bath fouls on the rebound. Drew Frantz sees Sam Hodgson cutting to the basket and passes him the ball for an Aggie layup. Cody Read forces Bath tips a pass away to prevent a Bee layup; the ball goes out of bounds and Dansville takes possession. Dansville misses a three point shot from the wing. Jake McAlpine passes to DeVondre Chandler, who hits a three point shot from the wing to push the Bath lead to 37-30.

Dansville misses a three point shot from the side. Sam Hodgson gets the offensive rebound and passes to Drew Frantz, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Dansville. After a timeout, Jared Bristle knocks the ball away from Bath and Sam Hodgson grabs the ball for Dansville. DeVondre Chandler steals the ball for the Bees. Drew Frantz draws a charging foul from Bath.

Ryan Knitter steals an Aggie pass into the lane. Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. Dansville misses a driving layup. Sam Hodgson steals the ball for the Aggies. Luca Mohr steals the ball for Bath. Jared Bristle knocks a Bee pass out of bounds; Bath gets the ball back. DeVondre Chandler drives and dishes the ball to Ethan Swenson, who is fouled on a layup. Ethan Swenson hits one of his two free throws to extend the Bee lead to 38-33 with 1:32 remaining in the contest.

Josh Kares gets the offensive rebound for Bath. Drew Frantz draws another charging foul from Bath. (He is tougher than me, for sure; I hated getting banged up taking charging fouls.) Zach Sykes if fouled on a driving ten foot shot in the lane and hits two free throws to trim the Bath lead to 38-35 with 1:03 left in the game.

Bath runs about fifteen seconds off the clock before they call time out. Bath is fouled, but misses the first shot in a one and one free throw opportunity. The rebound goes out of bounds and Bath gets the ball back. DeVondre Chandler is fouled and hits both ends of a one and one opportunity to push the Bath lead to 40-35 with 39.9 seconds to play.

DeVondre Chandler steals a Dansville cross court pass. DeVondre Chandler passes to Ryan Knitter, who hits a layup, is fouled on the play and makes his free throw. Drew Frantz responds by making a three point shot from the wing for Dansville to shave the Bath lead to five points. Ethan Swenson is fouled and hits two free throws to give Bath a 45-38 lead with 15.9 seconds left to play.

Nate Stec passes to Cody Ream, who throws in a threeball from the side for Dansville. Ethan Swenson is fouled with 2.9 seconds left and hits one of his two free throws for Bath. Ethan Swenson is fouled getting the rebound and hits two more free throws to give Bath a 47-41 lead with 1.3 seconds to play.

Dansville does not have time to set up a shot before time expires.

Bath wins this game 47-41 and continues to challenge Pewamo-Westphalia and Laingsburg for the CMAC Boys Basketball lead.

Cody Ream had 11 points to lead the Dansville scoring. Drew Frantz and Sam Hodgson each scored 10 points. Jared Bristle added 6 points. Zach Sykes and Calvin vanHartesvelt each had 2 points.

Ryan Knitter led the Bath scoring with 14 points. Ethan Swenson joined his teammate in double figures with 12 points. DeVondre Chandler contributed 9 points. Luca Mohr threw in 8 points. Josh Kares added 3 points and Jake McAlpine scored 1 point.