Stockbridge at Fowler – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 8, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Today, your Bleacher Denizen is off to Fowler where the Eagle girls will host the Panthers from Stockbridge.

Today is a special day in my history with Fowler. The Eagles won the Michigan State basketball championship in 2021 and 2022. When they won in 2022, the team presented me with some musically themed socks that I try to wear whenever I do a Fowler girls’ event.

This gets more interesting because I recently put a video of the original song, “A Man Like Me” on You Tube. The song is about a Walter Mitty type office worker dreaming about what he could do. I thought it would be fun to wear a pair of the Fowler musically themed socks in the video and near the end of the video I pull up a pant leg to make sure to display the sock! Fowler’s Facebook Girls’ Basketball page generously allowed me to post the video so the basketball girls and fans could see it. And here it is so you can see it!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

To commemorate the video, today, I wore the same sport coat, tie, etc. that I wore in the video (obviously including the “Fowler” socks!) We will see if anyone notices!

On the way to the game today, I performed a Christmas show at the Hazel Findlay home in St. Johns. Then, since there was time, I stopped by Ryan’s Roadhouse and had a wonderful chicken salad sandwich along with the soup and salad bar. Let’s just say that Ryan’s understands chicken salad really well; my dinner was delicious!!

One of these teams will win its first game of the season. Stockbridge is at 0-2 entering the game where Fowler has only one loss to powerful Division 1 Midland Dow on its record.

Stockbridge Assistant Coach James Christie gave me some background information about the Panther varsity players. Gracee Rabidou is a classic point guard who passes well and can score either driving to the basket or from the three point line. She is also a tough perimeter defender. Alaina Kellenberger is a good post defender and rebounder who can also score in the lane.

Maddie Dalton is a threat from the three point line; she also brings energy to the Panther perimeter defense. Taylor Asquith does a lot of the glue player chores like screening, passing and keeping the offense flowing. She is also a strong perimeter defender. Taylor Lockhart is an excellent leader who is a persistent defender whether she is in the post or on the perimeter. Melina Sayre is a good perimeter defender.

Fowler Coach Nathan Goerge was also really helpful with information about his Eagle players. As the Eagles graduated all five starters from last year’s semifinal team, a lot of players have expanded roles. Katie Spicer and Grace O’Hare got the most playing time of any of the returning players.

Katie Spicer is a skilled, creative ball handler who can hit from the three point line or score on creative drives to the basket. Grace O’Hare is a strong perimeter defender who handles the ball well and is an effective midrange scorer.

Rebecca Smith is a tough, energetic defender in the post. Brooke Weber has a high basketball IQ; she is also a tough defender, both in the post and on the perimeter. Isabella Halfmann is a freshman with the basketball IQ of a senior. She is able to help out on the wing or in the post. She is a solid outside shooter.

Elizabeth Hufnagel, Kelcie Pung and Paisley Hansen are energetic, determined perimeter defenders. Paige Thelen is a good scorer, defender and rebounder in the post.

I made it to the Fowler Athletic Center in time to see almost all the JV game. Fowler got off to a 17-8 first quarter lead and were able to extend their lead to 31-15 at halftime. The Eagles outscored the Panthers 25-13 in the second half and won the game by a 56-28 score.

Bella Pybus and Melina Sayre led the Stockbridge JVs with 7 points each. Madeline Topping contributed 5 points. Madisyn Atkins scored 3 points. JayLee Chapman and Iffy Bills each chipped in with 2 points. Bralynne Phillip and Tayla Trapp each tallied 1 point.

Josie Simon led the victorious Fowler JVs with 19 points. Karstyn Lackschiede joined her teammate in double figures with 11 points. Neelah O’Rourke chipped in with 9 points and Selena Stump contributed 8 points. Payton Rademacher and Kerigan Pung each added 3 points. Noelle Krepps scored 2 points and Saige Miller had 1 point.

The Fowler pep band was in the Fowler Athletic Center tonight; they started out the evening with a fine rendition of our National Anthem.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the somewhat perceptive eyes of an elderly Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the medieval times when he was considered to be “young.” The Bleacher Denizen was frequently criticized for his lack of foot speed when defending fast breaks. However, I will say that very few people motored up and down the court with any speed in the plate armored uniforms we used back in the middle ages.

Stockbridge wins the opening tap. The Panthers miss a six foot banked shot. Fowler misses a driving layup. Isabella Halfmann blocks a Stockbridge layup. Taylor Lockhart tips a Fowler pass out of bounds; the Eagles retain possession. Grace O’Hare tosses the ball to Katie Spicer who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Fowler a 3-0 lead.

Isabella Halfmann steals the ball for the Eagles. Katie Spicer reacts quickly to prevent a loose ball from becoming an Eagle turnover. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Rebecca Smith pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Grace O’Hare grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Isabella Halfmann hits a layup for Fowler. Brooke Weber steals the ball and Rebecca Smith hits a fast break layup to boost Fowler to a 7-0 lead.

Paige Thelen knocks the ball away from Stockbridge, but the Panthers are able to recover. Gracee Rabidou is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 7-1 with 5:19 remaining in the first quarter.

Alaina Kellenberger gets the offensive rebound and passes to Maddie Dalton for a Panther layup. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Paige Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Paige Thelen steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Brooke Weber ties the ball up; the Possession Arrow consults its decorating committee and decides the ball would look nicer in the hands of Stockbridge. Stockbridge misses a layup; Alaina Kellenberger hits a putback to chop the Fowler lead to 7-5.

Fowler misses a threeball from the wing and gets the offensive rebound, but Alaina Kellenberger steaals the ball for the Panthers and hits a fast break layup to tie the game at 7-7.

Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. Isabella Halfmann grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow and its legal consultant decree that the ball shall belong to Fowler. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing.

Isabella Halfmann saves a loose ball from going out of bounds. The ball is tied up. This time, the Possession Arrow and its competition committee agree to allow Stockbridge to have the ball. Kelcie Pung’s stiff defense forces Stockbridge into a violation for carrying the ball. Kelcie Pung passes to Grace O’Hare, who banks in a jump shot from the free throw line to give the Eagles a 9-7 lead.

Grace O’Hare steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a fast break layup. Stockbridge misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Taylor Lockhart knocks the ball away from Fowler and Madeline Topping picks it up for Stockbridge. Grace O’Hare knocks the ball out of bounds; Stockbridge retains possession. Brooke Weber knocks a pass out of bounds; Stockbridge gets it back again. The Panthers miss a three point shot from the wing. Fowler turns the ball over.

Kelcie Pung gets her hand on a Panther dribble and Stockbridge loses the ball out of bounds. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Gracee Rabidou drives and hits a layup for the Panthers. She is fouled on the play and hits her free throw to give Stockbridge a 10-9 lead with 33.2 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Maddie Dalton blocks a Fowler layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Fowler gets it back. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Gracee Rabidou passes to Melina Sayre, who hits a three point shot at the buzzer for Stockbridge.

Stockbridge has a 13-9 lead after one quarter.

Fowler has the ball to open the second quarter. The Eagles miss a three pointer from the side. Alaina Kellenberger passes to Taylor Lockhart, who hits a reverse layup for the Panthers. Isabella Halfmann responds by hitting a threeball from the wing for Fowler. Stockbridge misses a layup. Alaina Kellenberger snares the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Stockbridge misses a layup. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Alaina Kellenberger blocks an Eagle layup. Gracee Rabidou hits a fifteen foot shot from the side to give Stockbridge a 17-12 lead.

Fowler misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Katie Spicer pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Melina Sayre knocks the ball away from the Eagles, but they are able to recover. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and Stockbridge takes possession. Isabella Halfmann ties up the ball for Fowler. The Possession Arrow has a souffle in the oven for cooking class, misses the play and awards the ball to Stockbridge.

Stockbridge bounces a pass out of bounds. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Paisley Hansen gets the offensive rebound. Grace O’Hare passes to Katie Spicer, who takes a hard dribble into the lane and hits an eight foot shot for the Eagles. Katie Spicer draws a charging foul from the Panthers. Isabella Halfmann passes to Grace O’Hare who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Eagles to tie the game. Gracee Rabidou passes to Melina Sayre who is fouled on a layup; she hits one of her two free throws to give Stockbridge an 18-17 lead with 4:03 left in the half.

Stockbridge misses a three point shot from the wing. Gracee Rabidou passes to Alaina Kellenberger, who hits one of her two free throws to give Stockbridge a 19-17 lead with 3:43 to play in the half.

The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Stockbridge gets another opportunity. The Panthers miss a three point shot from the wing. Rebecca Smith passes to Isabella Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Fowler a 20-19 lead.

Stockbridge misses a fast break layup. Alaina Kellenberger blocks a Fowler layup. Stockbridge misses a five foot shot from the side of the lane. Alaina Kellenberger gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Stockbridge misses a layup. Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. Stockbridge bounces a pass out of bounds.. Fowler misses a twelve footer from the baseline. Paige Thelen hits a putback for Fowler. She is fouled on the play and hits her free throw to push Fowler to a 23-19 lead with 1:39 to go in the half.

Stockbridge drives and misses a reverse layup. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Paige Thelen gets the offensive rebound for Fowler. Taylor Lockhart steals the ball for Stockbridge. Stockbridge is closely guarded for five seconds and turns the ball over. Isabella Halfmann hustles and prevents a Fowler over and back turnover. Fowler throws a pass too high and out of bounds.

Paisley Hansen steals the ball for Fowler. The Eagles miss a three pointer from the corner. Stockbridge loses a pass out of bounds with .9 of a second left in the half. Fowler misses a forty foot heave as the second quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

Fowler has a 23-19 lead at halftime.

Gracee Rabidou has 6 points to lead the Stockbridge scoring at halftime and Alaina Kellenberger has 5 points.

Isabella Halfmann has 8 points to lead Fowler. Grace O’Hare and Katie Spicer each have 5 points.

Fowler’s band entertains at halftime. They did a fine job on Mony Mony as well as (I think) Telephone by Lady Gaga and another song whose title I can’t place. The musical Eagles are certainly a skilled group!!

For those of you who could not hear this great halftime music, here are a couple novelty videos from my You Tube Channel!
Here is a not very classic rendition of the not so classic “Chopsticks!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqXxw1t5V0

This is “Snoopy’s Christmas”. It was a hit for the Royal Guardsmen in 1967 and has always been a personal Christmas favorite!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1pZCnDBHL0

It’s now time to get back to basketball!

Stockbridge inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Panthers miss a threeball from the side. Taylor Lockhart gets the offensive rebound for Stockbridge. Brooke Weber knocks the ball away from Stockbridge, but the Panthers are able to recover. Stockbridge misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball.

The Eagles misfire on a triple try from the corner. Brooke Weber gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler turns the ball over. Stockbridge misses a six footer from the side of the lane. Taylor Asquith gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Stockbridge misses a three pointer from the side.

Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. Stockbridge misses a driving shot. Maddie Dalton grabs the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Isabella Halfmann hassles the Panthers into an over and back violation. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing; the rebound goes out of bounds and Stockbridge takes possession. Alaina Kellenberger takes the inbound pass coast to coast and hits a layup to trim the Fowler lead to 23-21.

Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. Isabella Halfmann gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Stockbridge misses a three point shot from the wing. Brooke Weber hits a sixteen foot shot from the side for Fowler. Kelcie Pung blocks a Stockbridge runner. Katie Spicer is fouled on a fast break layup. She hits her two free throws to give Fowler a 27-21 lead with 3:28 to play in the third quarter.

Melina Sayre beats the Fowler press and hits a layup for Stockbridge. Fowler misses a fourteen foot shot in the lane. Katie Spicer knocks the ball out of bounds; Stockbridge gets the ball back. The Panthers miss a layup. Paisley Hansen hits a three run homer for Fowler. (She has been a dominant softball hitter since her freshman year.) Actually, Paisley Hansen passes to Grace O’Hare, who hits a three point shot that gives Fowler a 30-23 lead.

Stockbridge misses a layup. Melina Sayre gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Stockbridge misses a layup. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Stockbridge takes possession. Alaina Kellenberger passes to Gracee Rabidou, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Stockbridge. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Alaina Kellenberger hits a layup to cut the Fowler lead to 30-28.

Taylor Lockhart steals the ball for the Panthers. Isabella Halfmann steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Stockbridge misses a layup. Gracee Rabidou is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws with just .5 of a second left in the quarter. Fowler inbounds the ball and the buzzer blares.

After three quarters, Fowler has a 30-29 lead.

Fowler has the ball to start out the fourth quarter. The Eagles miss a three point shot from the corner. Katie Spicer gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Grace O’Hare knocks the ball away from a Panther dribbler; the ball goes out of bounds and Fowler takes possession. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Paige Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Grace O’Hare gets the offensive rebound for Fowler. Brooke Weber hits a three point shot from the wing to give Fowler a 33-29 lead.

Brooke Weber draws a charging foul from the Panthers. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Alaina Kellenberger drives the baseline and is fouled on a layup. She makes one of her two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 33-30 with 6:22 left on the clock.

Isabella Halfmann tosses a pass to Selena Stump, who hits a three point shot from the corner for the Eagles. Rebecca Smith draws an offensive foul from the Panthers. Kelcie Pung passes to Selena Stump, who hits another three point shot from the corner for Fowler. Grace O’Hare draws a charging foul from the Panthers. Grace O’Hare passes to Kaite Spicer, who hits a three point shot from the wing to push Fowler to a 42-30 lead.

Stockbridge misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Emma Monaghan steals the ball for the Panthers. Stockbridge throws a pass out of bounds. Taylor Lockhart steals the ball for the Panthers. Stockbrridge misses a layup. Selena Stump passes to Isabella Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Fowler. Maddie Dalton passes to Alaina Kellenberger, who hits a layup for Stockbridge and is fouled. Alaina Kellenberger hits her free throw. With 2:33 left in the game, Fowler leads 45-33.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Stockbridge reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Alaina Kellenberger knocks the ball away from Fowler, but Selena Stump recovers it for the Eagles. Fowler is fouled, but misses two free throws. Stockbridge turns the ball over. Selena Stump is fouled and hits two free throws to give her Eagles a 47-33 lead with 39.5 seconds left.

The ball gets away from Stockbridge and Grace O’Hare picks it up for Fowler. The Eagles run out the clock.

Fowler wins this nonconference game by the score of 47-33.

Alaina Kellenberger had 13 points to lead the Stockbridge scoring. Gracee Rabidou contributed 10 points. Melina Sayre chipped in with 6 points. Taylor Lockhart and Maddie Dalton each added 2 points.

Isabella Halfmann had 11 points to lead Fowler and Katie Spicer had 10 points. Grace O’Hare and Selena Stump each contributed 8 points. Brooke Weber scored 5 points. Paige Thelen tossed in 3 points and Rebecca Smith had 2 points.

And by the way, no one noticed the Bleacher Denizen was dressed the same as in the music video. I guess the world does not revolve around me anyway!