Charlotte at Central Montcalm – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 31, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

In my most popular You Tube video, I tell people that you never know where the Red River Valley might lead you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AhhNk1M8

Unfortunately, the Red River Valley does not lead to Central Montcalm High. Fortunately for your Bleacher Denizen, M-66 does lead there. After a quick stop in Edmore to grab a hotel room at Maxfield’s Inn (which is a nice, clean hotel) your Bleacher Denizen is off to Stanton so he can blog the Central Montcalm Hornet girls hosting the Orioles from Charlotte.

Central Montcalm Coach Rob Putnam has been encouraging me to come up and see the Central Montcalm gym. The gym is everything he said it was. It is so well maintained that it almost looks like a brand new gym. The basketball floor is beautifully waxed and the whole gym is really well lit, bright and cheerful! It is also a huge gym. I suppose I lose points for not thinking to ask the capacity while the Athletic Director was available.

When I got to the gym, I learned there would be a media extravaganza tonight. All the bright lights are here. John Tuinhoff and John Kearney are here broadcasting the game on the internet for MichiganSportsRadio.com. Alex Freeman is also here from the Greenville Daily News. Your Bleacher Denizen had better be on top of his note taking because there are other choices tonight!!

Central Montcalm has an 8-7 record entering into tonight’s game. When I covered the Hornet girls earlier this season, Coach Rob Putnam gave me this information about his players. Maia Sexton is a post player who uses her size to great advantage as she scores and defends really well in the paint. She has good hands and is very difficult to stop near the basket once she catches the ball. Emily Putnam handles the ball well and gives the Hornets an accurate three point shot.

Zoey Bacon runs the point for the Hornets on offense and is a determined, energetic perimeter defender. Lauren Alexander is a fine three point shooter and a strong perimeter defender. Kendal Stout is a versatile player who scores well and defends well either in the post or on the perimeter. Marta Morillo Teresa is a clever and creative ball handler who penetrates really well and can get to the basket.

Karlie Bacon is an aggressive defender who slashes to the basket well. Lily Bohen has a great motor and brings unlimited energy to the Hornet defense. Kyla McKeown and Erin Minikey defend and rebound well in the post.

The Charlotte Orioles bring a 4-10 record into tonight’s game. Coach Erin Gutierrez-Harbor was really helpful with background information about her players. Because of injuries and illness, the Orioles will only have seven players tonight.

Emma Carns is an aggressive perimeter defender. Samyah Berryhill is a fine passer. Mackenzie McDonald is a versatile player who can defend the post or the perimeter and brings a nice mid-range shot to her team. Ava Holmes and Allison Slanker provide defense, toughness and good rebounding in the post. Delaney O’Dell is a good three point shooter. Baylee Moore is a confident ball handler.

Your Bleacher Denizen got time to see the entire JV game and to chat with Oriole JV Coach Don Sare, who is a fellow musician (bass player) around the Lansing area. Always fun to see Don, who brings a great sense of humor everywhere he goes. He probably never gets technical fouls because his interactions with the ref keep them laughing way down deep!

The first quarter was a low scoring affair and Charlotte had a 4-3 lead after the first eight minutes. Central Montcalm scored the first eight points of the second quarter and moved out to a 11-6 halftime lead. Central Montcalm outscored Charlotte 6-1 in the third quarter and took an 18-7 lead into the final quarter. Charlotte closed the gap to 21-15 on a layup by Kallie Nichols, but got no closer as Central Montcalm won the JV game 23-15.

Kallie Nichols led the Charlotte JVs with 10 points. Amira Ridley scored 3 points and Ondine Lemoussu had 2 points.

Jordan Petersen led the Hornet JVs with 7 points. Braelyn Bunting contributed 6 points. Mikaylah Sowles and Celina Eldridge each chipped in with 4 points. Makayla Peterman tallied 2 points.

It is now time to look at the events of this game through the aging prism of an ancient Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the days of yore. The Bleacher Denizen showed great promise as a young dunker, but his basketball career was ruined when the powers that be decided to raise the rim from five to ten feet. I guess no one wants to see my windmill dunk unless it actually ends up going through the hoop.

Central Montcalm wins the opening tap. The Hornets are fouled on a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side, but miss two free throws. Charlotte misses a driving layup. Ava Holmes pulls down the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Charlotte misses a twelve footer from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Central Montcalm takes possession.

The Hornets miss a three point shot from the side. The Orioles miss a three point shot from the wing. Ava Holmes gets the offensive rebound for Charlotte. Zoey Bacon knocks the Charlotte inbound pass out of bounds; the Orioles retain possession. Charlotte misfires on a triple try from the corner. Central Montcalm misses a twelve footer off the dribble from the side of the lane. Charlotte throws a pass out of bounds. Central Montcalm misses a layup; Zoey Bacon pulls down the offensive rebound for the Hornets.

Central Montcalm misses a three point attempt from the side. Zoe Bacon steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. She hits one of her two free throws to give the Hornets the first point of the game with 5:42 remaining in the quarter.

Emily Putnam steals the ball for Central Montcalm. The Hornets miss a fast break layup. Lily Bohen knocks the ball away from an Oriole dribbler and out of bounds; Charlotte gets the ball back. Emily Putnam ties up the Oriole inbound pass. The Possession Arrow was drinking its coffee as it was too tired to see the play. The ball is awarded back to Charlotte. After the Possession Arrow has had some coffee, Kendall Stout ties up the Oriole inbound pass and the Arrow awards the ball to Central Montcalm. Emily Putnam passes to Kendall Stout, who throws in a threeball from the wing to give Central Montcalm a 4-0 lead.

Charlotte misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Central Montcalm misses a layup and fouls on the rebound. Charlotte misses a sixteen foot shot from the wing. Ava Holmes grabs the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Delaney O’Dell hits a fifteen foot shot from the corner to trim the Hornet lead to 4-2.

Central Montcalm misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Orioles take possession. Lily Bohen steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. She hits one of her two free throws to give the Hornets a 5-2 lead with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter.

Zoey Bacon nearly steals the Oriole inbound pass; the ball goes out of bounds and Charlotte gets another opportunity. Zoey Bacon steals the ball for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a threeball from the side. Charlotte misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. Ava Holmes ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow has now had coffee and a complete breakfast; it awards the ball to Charlotte. Delaney O’Dell passes to Ava Holmes, who hits a twelve foot shot in the lane to trim the Hornet lead to 5-4.

Lauren Alexander drives and hits a layup for Central Montcalm. Charlotte misses a sixteen foot shot from the wing. Samyah Berryhill blocks a Hornet layup. Maia Sexton grabs the loose ball after the block and hits a layup for Central Montcalm. Lauren Alexander steals an Oriole pass and tosses the ball to Marta Morillo Teresa, who hits a layup to give the Hornets an 11-4 lead.

Charlotte misses a ten footer from the baseline. Emma Carns gets back quickly for Charlotte to give a foul and stop a Erin Minikey from scoring a Hornet layup. Erin Minikey hits one of her two free throws to give Central Montcalm a 12-4 lead with 21.8 seconds to play in the quarter.

Kyla McKeown steals an Oriole pass. Emma Carns steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Charlotte. She is fouled on the play and she hits her free throw to shave the Central Montcalm lead to 12-7 with .1 of a second to go in the quarter. Central Montcalm gets the ball inbounds and the first quarter buzzer immediately makes its presence known.

After one quarter Central Montcalm has a 12-7 lead.

Charlotte inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Orioles miss a fifteen foot shot from the side. Central Montcalm misses a six foot hook in the lane. Emma Carns banks in a three point shot from the side. (I heard her yell, “BANK!!” I did! I did!) Emma Carns ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s (possibly apocryphal) shouting and steals the ball for the Orioles. Lily Bohen knocks a Charlotte pass out of bounds and Central Montcalm takes possession. Emily Putnam hits a jumper off the dribble from the free throw elbow to give Central Montcalm a 14-10 lead.

Samyah Berryhill passes to Ava Holmes, who takes a couple quick dribbles and hits a layup for Charlotte. Central Montcalm misses a jump shot. Delaney O’Dell drives and scoops in a layup for Charlotte to tie the game. Central Montcalm misses a layup. Emma Carns throws in a threeball from the wing to give the Orioles a 17-14 lead.

Central Montcalm missed a three pointer from the side. Kendall Stout gets the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Charlotte travels with the rebound and the Hornets get the ball back. A Hornet dribbler steps on the sideline. Charlotte throws a pass out of bounds. Central Montcalm misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Emily Putnam hits a putback to cut the Charlotte lead to 17-16.

Charlotte misses a ten foot banked shot from the side. Central Montcalm misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Charlotte misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Allison Slanker gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Charlotte misses a layup and fouls on the rebound. Central Montcalm misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Lauren Alexander pulls down the offensive rebound for the Hornets.

Ava Holmes hits the floor to steal the ball for the Orioles. Charlotte misses a driving layup. Central Montcalm is fouled on the rebound, but misses the first shot of a one and one opportunity. Lauren Alexander steals the ball for the Hornets and passes to Kendall Stout, who is fouled on a six foot shot from the baseline. Kendall Stout hits two free throws and Central Montcalm retakes the lead at 18-17 with 2:20 to play in the half.

Emily Putnam steals an Oriole pass. Baylee Moore steals the ball for Charlotte. Delaney O’Dell drives and hits a layup to give Charlotte a one point lead. Ava Holmes blocks a Hornet layup. Lauren Alexander knocks the ball away from Charlotte and Zoe Bacon picks it up for Central Montcalm. Zoey Bacon is fouled and hits two free throws to retake the lead for Central Montcalm at 20-19 with 1:17 remaining on the first half clock.

Marta Morillo Teresa taps the ball away from Charlotte, but the Orioles recover. Delaney O’Dell is fouled on a shot and hits one of her two free throws for Charlotte to tie the game at 20-20 with 1:02 to go in the half.

Central Montcalm misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Karlie Bacon hits a putback to give the lead to Central Montcalm. Charlotte turns the ball over. Emma Carns hits the floor to tie up the ball. The possession Arrow is too focused on its Zumba class, misses the play and awards the ball to the Hornets. Marta Morillo Teresa drives from the top of the key and hits a layup for Central Montcalm. Karlie Bacon steals the ball for the Hornets as the halftime buzzer blares.

At halftime, Central Montcalm has a 24-20 lead.

Emma Carns has 9 points to lead the Charlotte scoring at halftime and Delaney O’Dell has 7 points.

Kendall Stout leads the Central Montcalm scoring with 5 points.

I ordinarily don’t post Christmas songs outside of December, but because Charlotte JV Coach Don Sare knows drummer Michael Rosetos (Razz) well, I thought I’d put this in. Razz did a beautiful job playing the snare drum to this! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWFryViWd20

Charlotte has the ball to start out the third quarter. Maia Sexton taps the ball away from Charlotte, but the Orioles are able to recover. Delaney O’Dell hits a three point shot from the wing to slash the Hornet lead to one point at 24-23.

Mackenzie McDonald gets her hand on the ball, but the Hornets are able to recover. Central Montcalm misses a three point shot from the wing. Maia Sexton gets the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a layup and Charlotte fouls on the rebound. The Hornets miss a layup. Maia Sexton grabs the offensive rebound for Central Montcalm. Kendall Stout passes to Emily Putnam, who hits a three pointer from the wing to lift the Hornets to a 27-23 lead.

Lily Bohen knocks the ball out of bounds; Charlotte retains possession. Charlotte loses its inbound pass out of bounds and Central Montcalm takes the ball. The Hornets miss a twelve footer off the dribble from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Central Montcalm gets the ball back. The Hornets miss a threeball from the corner, but Maia Sexton hits a putback to boost the Hornets to a 29-23 lead.

Charlotte misfires on a triple try from the side. Delaney O’Dell steals the ball for the Orioles. Charlotte misses an eight foot shot from the side. Delaney O’Dell pulls down the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Charlotte is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. With 5:43 remaining in quarter number three, Central Montcalm’s lead remains at 29-23.

Central Montcalm misses a three point attempt from the side. Zoey Bacon nearly steals the ball for the Hornets, but the Orioles are able to recover. Delaney O’Dell passes to Ava Holmes, who hits a layup for Charlotte. Emma Carns draws an offensive foul from the Hornets. Zoe Bacon steals the ball for Central Montcalm. The Hornets miss a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Orioles get the ball.

Maia Sexton knocks the ball away from Charlotte and chaos erupts before the ball is finally tied up. The Possession Arrow had the TV on while doing its calisthenics and loves Ms. Sexton’s defense. The ball is awarded to Central Montcalm. The Hornets miss a short hook shot in the lane. Charlotte misses a three point shot; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Orioles get another opportunity.

Kendall Stout steals the ball for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a six foot banked hook shot, but the Hornets pull down the offensive rebound. (Your aging Bleacher Denizen apologizes for failing to see which Hornet got that rebound.) Central Montcalm mislaunches a three pointer from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Hornets get another possession. Emily Putnam dribbles into the lane and hits a twelve foot shot to give Central Montcalm a 31-25 lead.

Lauren Alexander knocks the ball away from Charlotte, but the Orioles are able to recover. Kendall Stout ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow is in the shower and the steam obscures its sight; the ball is awarded to Charlotte. Zoe Bacon steals the Oriole inbound pass. Central Montcalm misses a three point shot from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and Charlotte gets the ball.

Zoe Bacon blocks an Oriole three point shot; Charlotte is able to recover, but misses a layup. Ava Holmes grabs the offensive rebound for the Orioles and hits a twelve foot shot in the lane to trim the Hornet lead to 31-27.

Ava Holmes steals the ball for Charlotte. The Orioles miss a jump shot from the free throw line. Central Montcalm misses a driving layup. Charlotte misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Emily Putnam passes to Karlie Bacon, who hits a layup for the Hornets. Charlotte is fouled on a threeball from the wing, but misses all three free throws with 2.3 seconds to play in the quarter. The scrum for the rebound lasts until the third quarter buzzer says it’s time to stop.

After three quarters, Central Montcalm has a 33-27 lead.

Charlotte inbounds the ball to get the fourth quarter underway. Mackenzie McDonald passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both her free throws. Samyah Berryhill snags the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Charlotte misses a layup. Central Montcalm reciprocates and misses a layup. Emily Putnam gets the long offensive rebound and hits a jumper from the free throw elbow to boost the Hornets to a 35-27 lead.

Lily Bohen steals the ball for Central Montcalm. The Hornets miss a six foot hook shot in the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Charlotte takes possession. Zoey Bacon steals an Oriole pass. Kyla McKeown passes to Maia Sexton, who hits a layup to give Central Montcalm a 37-27 lead.

Charlotte misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and Central Montcalm gets the ball. A Central Montcalm dribbler trips and the Hornets lose the ball out of bounds. Charlotte misses a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane. Ava Holmes hits a putback for the Orioles. Central Montcalm is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Allison Slanker passes to Emma Carns, who hits a twelve foot shot from the side for Charlotte. Kendall Stout is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to give Central Montcalm a 38-31 lead with 5:08 left on the clock.

Zoey Bacon knocks the ball away from an Oriole dribbler to prevent a layup. The ball goes out of bounds and Charlotte gets another opportunity. The Orioles miss a layup. Central Montcalm misses a layup; the ball goes out of bounds and the Hornets get it back. Kendall Stout hits a layup for Central Montcalm. Emma Carns passes to Samyah Berryhill, who hits a layup for Charlotte to trim the Central Montcalm lead to 40-33.

Central Montcalm misses a hook shot. Zoe Bacon gets the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a driving ten foot shot in the lane. Baylee Moore hits a three point shot for Charlotte to slash the Hornet lead to four points at 40-36.

Zoe Bacon hits a ten foot banked shot off the dribble for the Hornets to give her team some breathing room. Kendall Stout blocks a Charlotte triple try from the top of the key. Central Montcalm misses a layup. Emily Putnam gets the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Charlotte takes possession. The Orioles miss a threeball from the corner.

Central Montcalm misses a driving layup, but Kendall Stout snares the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a three point attempt from the corner. Marta Morillo Teresa gets the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Central Montcalm misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Charlotte misses a three pointer from the side. Baylee Moore knocks the ball away from Central Montcalm and Emma Carns grabs it for Charlotte.

The Orioles are whistled for carrying the ball. Delaney O’Dell steals the ball for the Hornets. Baylee Moore passes to a teammate, who is fouled on a fifteen footer from the wing and misses both her free throws. Marta Morillo Teresa is fouled and sinks both ends of a one and one free throw opportunity to extend the Central Montcalm lead to 44-36 with 50.2 seconds left in the game.

Charlotte misses a three point shot from the corner. Delaney O’Dell gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Charlotte is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one opportunity. Emily Putnam passes to Maia Sexton, who hits a layup to give the Hornets a 46-36 lead.

Charlotte misses a threeball from the side. Delaney O’Dell pulls down the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Charlotte is fouled, but misses the first free throw in a one and one opportunity. Emma Carns steals the ball for Charlotte. The Orioles miss a three point shot from the wing. Kendall Stout hits a layup at the buzzer for the Hornets.

Central Montcalm wins this game by a 48-36 score.

Emma Carns had 11 points to lead the Charlotte scoring. Ava Holmes and Delaney O’Dell each chipped in with 10 points. Baylee Moore scored 3 points and Samyah Berryhill added 2 ponts.

Emily Putnam lead the Central Montcalm scoring with 11 points. Kendall Stout joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Maia Sexton contributed 8 points. Marta Morilla Teresa put in 6 points. Zoey Bacon added 5 points. Karlie Bacon totalled 4 points. Lauren Alexander pitched in with 2 points. Lily Bohen and Erin Minikey each tallied 1 point.