Eaton Rapids at Portland – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 9, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft
Tonight your Bleacher Denizen’s journey takes him to Portland where the Raiders will host the Greyhounds from Eaton Rapids. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams will compete tonight. The boys will go first, so that’s why I’m typing this one now. (I suppose we could accurately infer that I will type the girls’ game later. The mind boggles.)
The BleacherDenizenMobile made it to Portland with few if any hitches although, even though I have been to Portland High for a number of games now, I managed to walk by the concession stand and go into a part of the high school that is most certainly not the gym. For a few minutes, I was worried that I would have to type a potential TV Pilot for the show, “Lost in Portland” instead of typing tonight’s game blogs, but I reversed my steps and found my way to the gym!!
As we get ready to blog this game, perhaps we can warm up with this original song from my You Tube Channel. We did some research and can now tell you “the rest of the story” in regard to the tale about Grandma and her tragic encounter with some reindeer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp3FW5dhL3E
I was able to talk with both coaches to learn about their players.
Eaton Rapids Coach Jason Houghton give me this information about his Greyhound players.
Caden Bartley is a fine point guard who is a solid perimeter defender who slashes to the basket well, passes well, runs the offense and can hit the three point shot. Ethan Gaston is an offensive threat who slashes to the basket well and can snipe away from the three point line. Owen Bartley is a tall guard who plays on the wing. Nicholas White is an energy player, whose constant hustle makes him a strong perimeter defender. Ashton Collins rebounds and defends well in the post.
Portland Coach Luke Pohl, who recently won a state championship while coaching at Pewamo-Westphalia gave me this information about his Raiders. Marc Nobis is a senior guard who defines the word, “grit.” He is a persistent perimeter defender who is a fine passer and ball handler on offense. Dominic Novara is a sophomore in his second year as a starter. He is a tall guard who runs the point a lot of time. He is a fine three point shooter who can even shoot well from outside off the dribble. He can also slash to the basket and is a solid ball handler and passer.
Christopher Battley is a sophomore in his second year of starting in the post. He is a tough rebounder and defender in the lane who can also score down low on post ups or putbacks. Evan Gross is a sophomore who was the sixth man for last year’s Raider team. He is a fine shooter either from the three point line or near the basket.
The night started with a moment of silence for Jason Goerge, last year’s varsity coach, who suddenly passed away last summer. I knew Coach Goerge as a coach at Portland as well as at Fowler and really enjoyed working with him. (I don’t know if any coach has been more supportive of “The Bleacher Denizen” blog than Jason and will miss him a lot.)
After that, the Middle School Choir sang the national anthem and did a fine job.
It is now time to review the results of this game through the glazed, but eager eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the days of yore. He was quite confused when his employer at the bakery complimented him for the many turnovers he helped make, but his basketball coach was not happy at all about his turnovers.
Eaton Rapids wins the opening tap. The Greyhounds miss a three point attempt near the top of the key. Caden Bartley gets his hand on the ball and it goes out of bounds; Portland retains possession. Portland misses a jumper from the baseline. Marc Nobis pulls down the offensive rebound for the Raiders. Danton Marowelli passes to Evan Gross, who hits a layup to give Portland a 2-0 lead.
Eaton Rapids misses a three pointer from the wing. Ashton Collins gets the offensive rebound for the Greyhounds. Eaton Rapids misses a layup. Dominic Novara passes to Marc Nobis, who its a layup for Portland. Eaton Rapids misses a three point shot from the side. Ashton Collins gets the offensive rebound for the Greyhounds. Ethan Gaston hits a layup for the Greyhounds to trim the Raider lead to 4-2.
Portland misfires on a triple try from the side. Dominic Novara steals the ball for the Raiders. Anton Marowelli reacts quickly to save an errant Raider pass from going out of bounds. Portland is assessed with a traveling violation. Christopher Battley blocks a Greyhound baseline jumper. Eaton Rapids is about to recover the loose ball and Owen Bartley banks in a jumper from the free throw elbow for Eaton Rapids to tie the game at 4-4.
Portland misses a three point shot from the side. Christopher Battley pulls down the offensive rebound for the Raiders. Danton Marowelli hits a fifteen foot shot from the baseline to give Portland the lead. Marc Nobis steals the ball and passes to Christopher Battley for a layup that pushes the Raider lead to 8-4.
Eaton Rapids throws a pass out of bounds. Portland misses a threeball from the wing. Eaton Rapids misses a threeball from the side and fouls on the rebound. Dominic Novara drives and to Christopher Battley, who hits a layup for the Raiders. Caden Bartley drives and banks in a six foot hook shot for Eaton Rapids. Barrett Brennan passes to Christopher Battley, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give Portland an 11-6 lead with 1:07 to play in the first quarter.
Dominic Novara knocks an Eaton Rapids pass out of bounds. The Greyhounds retain possession. Conner Kazamer steals the ball for Portland. Portland misses a driving six foot banked hook/layup. Dominic Novara knocks a pass out of bounds; Eaton Rapids retains possession. Eaton Rapids misses a three pointer from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Conner Kazamer inbounds the ball to Dominic Novara, who hits a three point shot from the side at the buzzer. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw.
After one quarter, Portland has a 15-6 lead.
Portland inbounds the ball and the second quarter has begun. Ashton Collins steals a Raider pass. Caden Bartley hits a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line for the Greyhounds. Portland throws a pass out of bounds. Eaton Rapids reciprocates and throws a pass out of bounds. Portland misses a three point shot from the top of the key, but Christopher Battley hits a putback for the Raiders. Eaton Rapids travels with the ball. (I don’t suppose “traveling without the ball” would be terribly newsworthy, but basketball cliches are what they are.) Dominic Novara drives and dishes the ball to Christopher Battley, who hits a layup to give Portland a 19-6 lead.
Evan Gross gets his hand on the ball, but the Greyhounds are able to recover. Eaton Rapids throws a pass out of bounds. Evan Gross drives and hits a layup for the Raiders. Caden Bartley passes to Nicholas White, who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Greyhounds. (Apparently, the scorekeeper and I were both wrong as Eaton Rapids has a point taken off the board.) Evan Gross passes to Marc Nobis, who hits a jumper from the free throw line to extend the Portland lead to 23-10.
The Greyhounds misfire on a triple try from the corner. Portland fouls on the rebound. The Portland fouler shows us all a great “WHO ME??? REALLY??” gesture that might win him an academy award if it was in a movie! Barrett Brennan (not the previous fouler) defends aggressively and causes Eaton Rapids to throw the ball out of bounds. Dominic Novara hits a three point shot near the top of the key to give Portland a 26-10 lead.
Eaton Rapids is fouled, but misses the first free throw of a one and one opportunity. Dominic Novara makes a sweet dribble move and hits a three pointer from the wing for Portland. Nicholas White is fouled on an eight footer in the lane and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Portland lead to 29-11 with 2:34 left on the first half clock.
Portland misses a three point shot from the wing. Carter White grabs the offensive rebound for the Raiders. Owen Bartley knocks a Raider pass out of bounds; Portland retains possession. Christopher Battley hits a layup for Portland. Christopher Battley gets his hand on the ball and it goes out of bounds, but Eaton Rapids retains possession. Eaton Rapids misses a three point shot from the corner. Ashton Collins is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to shave the Portland lead to 31-13 with 1:09 remaining in the first half.
Portland misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Christopher Battley gets the offensive rebound for Portland. The Raiders miss a layup. Nicholas White is fouled on the rebound and hits two free throws. With 45 seconds left in the first half, Portland’s lead is at 31-15.
Portland holds the ball for the last shot of the half. The Raiders miss a three point shot from the wing. Christopher Battley pulls down the offensive rebound for Portland. Owen Bartley blocks a Raider putback as the halftime buzzer makes its presence known.
At halftime, Portland has a 31-15 lead.
Nicholas White leads the Eaton Rapids scoring with 5 points.
Christopher Battley has 11 points and Dominic Novara 10 for Portland.
As there is no halftime entertainment, maybe we can listed to this rendition of “Holly Jolly Christmas” from my You Tube Channel while we wait for the third quarter to commence. (I realize that I’m a mere Bleacher Denizen, but once in a while, it’s fun to throw a high-falutin’ word in there!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msk3US5xeZc
Eaton Rapids inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. The Greyhounds miss an eight foot shot from the side. Dominic Novara passes to Evan Gross, who hits a layup for the Raiders. Eaton Rapids misses a three pointer from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and Eaton Rapids gets the ball back. Caden Bartley passes to Ashton Collins who hits a layup to nudge the Portland lead down to 33-17.
Portland misses a threeball from the corner. Ethan Gaston hits a fast break layup for Eaton Rapids. Portland misses a three point shot from the side. Marc Nobis pulls down the offensive rebound for the Raiders. Owen Bartley blocks a Raider layup; the ball goes out of bounds and Portland gets it back. Marc Nobis passes to Dominic Novara, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup to boost the Portland lead to 35-19.
Ethan Gaston hits a three point shot from the corner for Eaton Rapids. Portland is whistled for a traveling violation. Eaton Rapids throws a pass through the lane and out of bounds. Ethan Gaston gets a hand on a Raider pass and it goes out of bounds; Portland retains possession. Dominic Novara passes to Evan Gross, who nails a threeball from the top of the key to give Portland a 38-22 lead.
Eaton Rapids misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Ashton Collins hits the floor to secure the offensive rebound and draws a Raider foul. Evan Gross steals the ball for Portland. Nicholas White gets back quickly and ties up the ball to save a layup and foil the Portland fast break. The Possession Arrow just got up and was too groggy to see the play right; the ball is awarded to Portland. Marc Nobis inbounds the ball to Dominic Novara, who hits a three point shot from the corner to push the Portland lead to 41-22.
Eaton Rapids throws a pass out of bounds. Will Ribby knocks the ball away from Portland and Ashton Collins picks it up for Eaton Rapids. Ashton Collins is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws for Eaton Rapids. With 2:17 remaining in the third quarter, the Portland lead is at 41-25.
Portland misses a three point shot from the side. Eaton Rapids responds my missing a three point shot from the top of the key. Marc Nobis passes to Evan Gross, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for Portland. Chris Battley’s hustle and aggression causes Eaton Rapids to lose the ball out of bounds. Dominic Novara drives and hits a layup to give Portland a 46-24 lead.
Eaton Rapids misfires on a triple try near the top of the key. Nicholas White knocks a Portland pass out of bounds to prevent a layup. Portland misses a three pointer from the corner near the buzzer. Christopher Battley pulls down the offensive rebound, but there is no time to shoot.
After three quarters, Portland has a 46-24 lead.
Eaton Rapids has the ball at the start of the fourth quarter. Christopher Battley knocks the ball away from Eaton Rapids and Conner Kazamer picks it up for Portland. Portland runs a too fast break and loses the ball out of bounds. Eaton Rapids loses a pass out of bounds. Portland misses a fourteen foot shot from the side of the lane. Christopher Battley gets the offensive rebound for the Raiders. Portland throws a pass out of bounds. Eaton Rapids misses a layup. Dominic Novara passes to Christopher Battley, who pivots and hits a jumper from the free throw line to boost Portland’s lead to 48-24.
Ashton Collins is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Eaton Rapids. Barrett Brennan bounces a pass to Christopher Battley, who hits a layup for Portland. Christopher Battley hangs tough in the post and draws an offensive foul from Eaton Rapids. Gavin Doremire steals an errant Portland cross court pass and hits a fast break layup to trim the Portland lead to 50-28.
Portland misses a three pointer from the side. Eaton Rapids misses a layup. Ethan Gaston steals the ball for the Greyhounds. Eaton Rapids misses a three point shot near the top of the key. Nicholas White gets the offensive rebound for the Greyhounds. Eaton Rapids misses a layup. The rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow, still cranky from having been woke up a quarter ago, decrees that Portland shall have the ball. Evan Gross reels in a touchdown pass and hits a layup to give Portland a 52-28 lead.
Eaton Rapids missed a three point shot from the side. Portland misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Ethan Gaston drives and hits a layup for Eaton Rapids. Ashton Collins knocks the Portland inbound pass away; Portland recovers, but can’t get the ball over the midcourt line in the required ten seconds, so they turn the ball over. Eaton Rapids misses a layup. Nicholas White pulls down the offensive rebound for the Greyhounds. Eaton Rapids misses a layup. Portland reciprocates and misses a layup.
Evan Gross steals the ball for Portland. Caden Bartley steals the ball for Eaton Rapids. Eaton Rapids misses a three point attempt from the wing. Nicholas White gets the offensive rebound for the Greyhounds. Eaton Rapids misses a layup. Neither team cleanly rebounds the ball; Eaton Rapids picks up the loose ball. Caden Bartley passes to Will Ribby, who hits an eight foot shot from the side to trim the Portland lead to 52-32.
Caden Bartley blocks a Portland layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Eaton Rapids gets the ball. The Greyhounds miss a layup. Ethan Gaston and Will Ribby double team Portland and steal the ball. Caden Bartley hits a layup for Eaton Rapids. Conner Kazamer hits a layup for Portland to give the Raiders a 54-34 lead.
Eaton Rapids misses a three point shot from the baseline. Ashton Collins draws a charging foul from Portland. Conner Kazamer steals the ball from Eaton Rapids and draws a foul. He hits two free throws for Portland. Ethan Gaston is fouled and hits two free throws for Eaton Rapids. With 17.7 seconds left, the Raiders run out the clock.
Portland wins 56-36.
Ethan Gaston led the Greyhound scoring with 11 points. Ashton Collins contributed 8 points and Caden Bartley added 6 points. Nicholas White scored 5 points. Gavin Doremire, Will Ribby and Owen Bartley each put in 2 points.
Dominic Novara led the victorious Raiders with 17 points. Christopher Battley supported him with 15 points. Evan Gross joined his teammates in double figures with 14 points. Conner Kazamer and Marc Nobis each threw in 4 points and Danton Marowelli tallied 2 points.
I also stayed and covered the girls game between the Raiders and the Greyhounds. Here is a link to that game!