Lansing Catholic at Portland St. Patrick – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 10, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is heeding the great advice that Horace Greeley gave all young men, when he said, “Go West, Young Man!” Yes, he is heading over hither and yon and making the drive to Portland Jr. High, where the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick will host the Cougars from Lansing Catholic in a battle between two programs with a strong Girls Basketball History.

Since we’re going west, maybe we can listen to this Western tune from my You Tube Channel as we wait for the game to start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlPaiHsbOnA

Portland St. Patrick enters the game with a 5-2 record. St. Patrick is a Division 4 school; it’s losses are to Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Pewamo-Westphalia; both these schools have over three times St. Patrick’s enrollment.

Natalee Teachworth is a great athlete who jumps extremely well and quickly. This makes her a fierce defender and rebounder in the middle. She is also adept at scoring in the post and can hit shots from the three point line when needed. Laynie Meredith started on last years’ team where her energy and quickness made life difficult for opposing offenses. She is also a solid ball handler and passer. This year, she is being called on for more scoring and has stepped up. She is really quick getting to the basket; she is also a threat from the three point line. She was injured the last time I saw St. Patrick play a month ago. It will be fun to see how her game has evolved from last year.

Addy Scheurer is a quick player who is tough on the defensive end. She is a solid ball handler on offense and she has an excellent three point shot. Tori Sandborn is a fine shooter with a good basketball IQ. Sophia Schrauben is a quick player who jumps really well; this athletic ability is an asset to the Shamrock defense.

Isabella Russman is a sophomore who defends well inside. Mattie Honsowitz also helps inside. Gracelyn Rockey is an eighth grader with the heart of a lion who defends really well and is totally unintimidated dealing with all the older players.

Lansing Catholic has a 5-4 record that is somewhat misleading. Catholic is a Division 2 school. One loss was a forfeit. Two other losses were narrow defeats to Holt and Saginaw Heritage, who are Division 1 powers.

Catholic Coach Kacee Reid provided me with this information about her Cougar players.

Hannah Pricco is a fine, athletic player who excels on perimeter defense and slashing to the basket. Anna Richards is a tall point guard who handles the ball well, shoots the three well, can get to the basket and who can defend well either on the perimeter or in the post. Her twin sister, Leah Richards is a tall post player who defends and rebounds well. She is a versatile scorer who is equally at home scoring in the post or shooting from the three point line.

Gabby Halliwill is a fine ball handler with an excellent three point shot. Morgan Wilcox is an extremely active and versatile defender who is strong in the post or on the perimeter. She has nice moves and can score in the post as well. Tessa Roe is a ball of defensive energy who gets fast break layups and can shoot the threeball as well. T.R. Repichowski shoots well from the three point line. Faith Jungwirth is a great post player who scores, defends and rebounds well near the basket.

Catholic and St. Patrick battled pretty evenly through the first half of the JV game. With about six seconds left in the first half, Bella Lewis hit a three point shot to give Catholic a 13-10 halftime lead.

Catholic gradually pulled away in the third quarter and had a 26-19 lead going into the final period. Lily Sandborn hit two free throws with about 2:40 left in the game to trim the Catholic lead to six points, but Sophia Alvarado immediately launched and hit a three pointer from the top of the key to give Catholic a 35-26 lead.

The game ended with a 37-27 score favoring Lansing Catholic.

Isabella Russman led the St. Patrick JV scoring with 6 points. Mattie Honsowitz scored 5 points. Gracelyn Rockey and Megan Myers each contributed 4 points. Lily Sandborn added 3 points. Macie Smith and Naomi Hass each tallied 2 points.

Sophia Alvarado led Catholic’s scoring with 14 points. Bella Lewis joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Camille Clement supported her teammates with 6 points. Isabel Doerr, Avery Dunneback and Taylor Dunneback each scored 2 points. Eva Chain tallied 1 point.

It is now time to report the events of the varsity game through the scratched lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in ancient times. Even after he stole a junior varsity uniform once, his pathetic performance in the layup line exposed him immediately and he was sent back to church league (without supper, if you must know.)

Catholic wins the opening tap. Gabby Halliwill is fouled on a driving, scooping layup and hits two free throws to give her Cougars the first two points of the game. Rylee Scheurer passes to Tori Sandborn, who launches and hits a threeball from the corner to give the Shamrocks a 3-2 lead.

Morgan Wilcox hits a layup to give the lead back to Catholic. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. (OK, it was actually a Shamrock player, not the saint himself, but I digress.) Tori Sandborn passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup to give the lead back to the Shamrocks at 5-4.

Rylee Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Anna Richards steals the ball for the Cougars. Catholic misses a threeball form the side. Leah Richards pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cougars. Catholic loses the ball out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Catholic misses a fast break layup. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Cougars take possession. Morgan Wilcox passes to Leah Richards, who hits a layup to give Catholic a 6-5 lead.

Addy Scheurer passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup for St. Patrick as the Shamrocks retake the lead. Catholic misses a threeball from the side. Morgan Wilcox grabs the offensive rebound for the Cougars. Anna Richards passes to Gabby Halliwill, who hits a three point who from the side to give Catholic a 9-7 lead.

Gabby Halliwill steals the ball for Catholic. Rylee Scheurer and Laynie Meredith team up to steal the ball for the Shamrocks. (Do the authorities at these fine Christian schools know of the theft wave happening on this basketball court?) The Shamrocks miss a layup. Gracelyn Rockey pulls down the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a layup. Morgan Wilcox is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give her Cougars a 10-7 lead with 3:53 left in the first quarter.

Tessa Roe steals the ball for the Cougars. Catholic throws a pass into the lane too high and out of bounds. St. Patrick loses a pass out of bounds. Laynie Meredith steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Anna Richards steals the ball for Catholic. Leah Richards is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to push the Catholic lead to 12-7 with 2:43 to go in the first quarter.

Laynie Meredith inbounds the ball to a Shamrock teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both her free throws. T.R. Repichowski steals the ball for the Cougars. Anna Richards drives and hits an eight foot banked shot in the lane for Catholic. T.R. Repichowski blocks a Shamrock threeball, but St. Patrick is able to recover the loose ball. Laynie Meredith is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to trim the Cougar lead to 14-9 with 1:23 to go in the quarter.

Catholic misses a three point shot from the wing. Anna Richards steals the ball, banks in a hook shot, is fouled and hits her free throw for Catholic. St. Patrick is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity with eleven seconds to play in the quarter. Catholic misses a driving layup at the buzzer.

After one quarter, Lansing Catholic holds 17-9 lead.

St. Patrick has the ball to start the second quarter. Anna Richards steals the ball for Catholic, but her momentum makes her step on the sideline, so the Shamrocks get the ball back. Hannah Pricco knocks the St. Patrick inbound pass back out of bounds; the Shamrocks retain possession. Tessa Roe knocks the ball away from St. Patrick; a Cougar teammate picks up the ball and passes it back to Tessa Roe, who hits a fast break layup to boost the Cougar lead to 19-9.

St. Patrick turns the ball over. Catholic misses a driving layup. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Leah Richards picks up a loose ball to save a Catholic possession. Mattie Honsowitz blocks a Catholic layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Catholic gets it back. Catholic misfires on a threeball from the wing; Hannah Pricco hits a putback for the Cougars. She is fouled on the play and makes her free throw to give Catholic a 22-9 lead with 6:27 to play in the half.

Sophia Schrauben passes to Mattie Honsowitz, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks get the offensive rebound. Tori Sandborn passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. The Richards connection comes throw as Anna passes to her twin sister Leah, who hits a layup to give Catholic a 27-14 lead.

The Shamrocks miss a layup. Natalee Teachworth gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Sophia Schrauben gets the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Laynie Meredith harasses a Catholic ball handler and Gracelyn Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Morgan Wilcox steals a Shamrock pass.

Catholic misfires on a triple try from the side. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Sophia Schrauben pulls down the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a three point attempt from the side. Natalee Teachworth pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Catholic misses a threeball from the top of the key. Laynie Meredith passes to Natalee Teachworth, who hits a layup to trim the Cougar lead to 27-16.

Faith Jungwirth hits a layup for Catholic. Tessa Roe steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Catholic. St. Patrick tuners the ball over. Natalee Teachworth taps a Cougar pass, but Catholic is able to recover. Anna Richards passes the ball to Faith Jungwirth, who hits a layup for Catholic. Rylee Scheurer is fouled on a drive and hits two free throws for St. Patrick to trim the Catholic lead to 33-18 with 1:25 to play in the half.

Catholic misses a threeball from the side. Anna Richards inbounds the ball to Faith Jungwirth, who hits a layup for the Cougars. Anna Richards knocks a St. Patrick pass out of bounds; the Shamrocks retain possession. St. Patrick misses a fifteen footer from the side. Addy Scheurer knocks the ball away from a Catholic dribbler and out of bounds; Catholic retains possession. Catholic misses a three pointer from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession.

Tessa Roe knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. Anna Richards partially blocks a Shamrock three point attempt from the side as the halftime buzzer sounds off.

Catholic has a 35-18 halftime lead.

Natalee Teachworth leads the St. Patrick scoring with 8 points.

Gabby Halliwill has 8 points for Catholic. Faith Jungwirth and Leah Richards each have 6 points.

Since we are reporting on a game between two Catholic schools and there is no halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy this Christian Standard from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0IFWZLHHuc

Your Bleacher Denizen’s faith in mathematical accuracy is verified as he glances at the scoreboard at the beginning of the third quarter and notes that Catholic still has a 35-18 lead!

Catholic has the ball to start out the third quarter. The Cougars misfires on a threeball from the wing. Addy Scheurer drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Catholic misses a layup, but gets the offensive rebound. Anna Richards passes to Leah Richards for a Catholic layup.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and Catholic takes possession. Catholic misses a layup. Morgan Wilcox snags the offensive rebound for the Cougars. Catholic misses a jumper from the free throw line. Rylee Scheurer passes to Laynie Meredith, who hits a fast break layup to trim the Catholic lead to 37-22.

Catholic misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Anna Richards pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cougars. Catholic is whistled for a traveling violation. Rylee Scheurer drives and banks in an eight foot shot from the side for the Shamrocks. She is fouled on the play and makes her free throw to trim the Catholic lead to 37-25 with 5:59 left on the third quarter clock.

Hannah Pricco passes to Morgan Wilcox for a Catholic layup. Hannah Pricco blocks a St. Patrick layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get another opportunity. Anna Richards blocks a Shamrock triple try from the wing. Catholic misses a threeball from the top of the key. Morgan Wilcox blocks a Shamrock hook/layup. St. Patrick gets the ball back, but misses a ten foot shot from the baseline.

Gracelyn Rockey pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get the ball back. St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Catholic runs a too fast break and is whistled for a traveling violation. Gabby Halliwill blocks a Shamrock layup; St. Patrick recovers the ball. The Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the wing. Catholic misses a three point shot from the side. The Bleacher Denizen misses seeing the ball go into the basket.

Morgan Wilcox grabs the offensive rebound for Catholic. Catholic misses a three point attempt from the wing. Faith Jungwirth blocks a Shamrock layup. Tessa Roe hits a fast break to restore the Bleacher Denizen’s faith in basketball offense while giving Catholic a 41-25 lead in the process.

Tessa Roe steals the ball for Catholic. Catholic throws a pass into the lane and it goes out of bounds. Faith Jungwirth ties up the ball for Catholic. The Possession Arrow has been polishing its coin collection and misses the play. The ball is awarded back to St. Patrick. (Why do we let this electronic device control so much of our basketball lives? The mind boggles.) St. Patrick misses a six foot hook shot. Mattie Honsowitz is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to shave the Cougar lead to 41-26 with 1:37 to play in the third quarter.

Hannah Pricco drives the baseline and hits a layup for Catholic. St. Patrick misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane and fouls on the rebound. Mattie Honsowitz knocks a Catholic pass out of bounds; the Cougars retain possession. Tessa Roe is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to extend the Catholic lead to 44-26 with 23.9 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Morgan Wilcox ties up the rebound for the Cougars. After consulting with its sewing circle, the Possession Arrow decrees that Catholic shall have the ball. Catholic misses a three point shot from the side. Hannah Weller pulls down the defensive rebound for the Shamrocks. The Shamrocks are fouled on a shot, but miss two free throws with just four seconds left in the period. Catholic misses a heave at the buzzer.

With three quarters in the books, Lansing Catholic holds a 44-26 lead.

St. Patrick briefly has the ball to open the fourth quarter, but Hannah Pricco steals it for Catholic. The Cougars miss a three point shot from the side. Hannah Pricco gets the offensive rebound for the Cougars and passes to Anna Richards, who sinks a threeball from the side. On the other end, Anna Richards blocks a Shamrock layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets it back. Anna Richards steals a Shamrock pass into the lane. Gracelyn Rockey steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to cut the Cougar lead to 47-28.

Catholic misses a driving, scooping layup. Hannah Pricco steals the ball for the Cougars. Catholic throws an inbound pass out of bounds. Gabby Halliwill knocks a Shamrock pass out of bounds, but St. Patrick retains possession. Gabby Halliwill steals the ball for Catholic. Anna Richards hits a fast break layup to boost the Catholic lead to 49-28.

Gabby Halliwill knocks a Shamrock pass out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. T.R. Repichowski knocks the ball away from St. Patrick and Tessa Roe picks it up for Catholic. Tessa Roe is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of her two free throws. With 4:45 remaining in the game, Catholic has a 50-28 lead.

Tessa Roe steals a St. Patrick pass. Catholic misses a three point shot from the wing. Morgan Wilcox grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Catholic misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a jump shot from the free throw line. T. R. Repichowski hits a fast break layup, is fouled and hits her free throw to push Catholic to a 53-28 lead with 3:56 left on the clock.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Catholic fouls on the rebound. Gabby Halliwill steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Catholic. Faith Jungwirth steals the ball and hits a layup for Catholic. St. Patrick is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Gracelyn Rockey hits a putback for St. Patrick. Tessa Roe passes to T.R. Repichowski, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost Catholic to a 60-30 lead.

St. Patrick is whistled for an over and back violation. Catholic misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Naomi Hass is trapped, but throws the ball off a Catholic player to save the Shamrock possession. Laynie Meredith passes to Gracelyn Rockey for a Shamrock layup. Gracelyn Rockey steals the ball for the Shamrocks, but they turn the ball over. Faith Jungwirth hits a fast break layup for Catholic to give the Cougars a 62-32 lead.

Tessa Roe steals the ball for the Cougars. Mattie Honsowitz steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Catholic runs out the clock.

Lansing Catholic wins this game by a 62-32 score.

Natalee Teachworth and Gracelyn Rockey each scored 8 points to lead the St. Patrick scoring. Rylee Scheurer tossed in 5 points. Laynie Meredith scored 4 points. Tori Sandborn added 3 points. Addy Scheurer and Mattie Honsowitz each tallied 2 points.

Anna Richards, Gabby Halliwill and Faith Jungwirth each had 10 points to lead the Lansing Catholic scoring. Tessa Roe and Leah Richards each added 8 points. T.R. Repichowski chipped in with 6 points. Morgan Wilcox and Hannah Pricco each had 5 points.