Portland St. Patrick at Lansing Christian – – CMAC Boys Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 15, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Today, the weather is frigid following up a Friday where almost every game in the state was cancelled because of snow and freezing weather. Today, it is not much warmer. We’ll see if the players wear their normal uniforms or if they will have parkas designed so they can play the game!

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this Christian tune from my You Tube Channel!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTcOako-a-w

The Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick enter the game with a 2-3 record in the CMAC and are 3-5 overall. Brayden Simon is a junior in his third year of starting for the varsity. He has excellent size and athletic ability. He is a tough defender in the lane and rebounder. He is also quick and agile enough to defend on the perimeter. He can score in the post, on slashes to the basket and from the three point line.

Jerryd Scheurer is a ninth grader in his second year as St. Patrick’s starting point guard. He is a smart, competitive player who is a quick and determined perimeter defender who can force turnovers. On offense, he runs the team with the poise you’d expect from a senior as he makes great decisions and is a fine ball handler. He scores well either on slashes to the basket or from the three point line.

Brady Leonard is a fine three point shooter and perimeter defender. Landon Simpson essentially gives the Shamrocks a second point guard who has the quickness to stifle opposing players on the perimeter. He also handles the ball well and can run the team. He is another threat from the three point line as well. Charlie Thelen is an excellent scorer in the post; he can also slash to the basket and hit the three point shot. He is capable of a twenty point explosion almost any night.

Devin Cook is a tough post defender and rebounder. Nathan Fears is an excellent on-ball and perimeter defender.

Lansing Christian’ Pilgrims were a team with many seniors last year. They won a district and had a strong season. David Hall, a starter and Ethan Damesworth, the sixth man are the only players with experience from last year’s team. Pilgrim Coach Grayson Fuller gave me this information about this year’s players. This year, the Pilgrims are 1-5 in the CMAC and 2-7 overall.

David Hall is a post player who scores, defends and rebounds well. On offense, he has a solid midrange shot and can hit the three pointer as well. Ethan Damesworth is a talented three point shooter who is running the point this year. He is a solid perimeter defender and ball handler. Collin Leavitt is an aggressive perimeter defender. Isaac Ciuk brings a lot of energy to the Pilgrims. He is a versatile defender who can play on the perimeter or in the post.

Brennan Sendow is a solid shooter who can defend on the perimeter or inside. Sam Mustapha is a tough, aggressive perimeter defender. Quinn Jamieson is a good ball handler.

I was able to see the JV game. St. Patrick’s JVs controlled the game the whole way. They had a 29-10 lead at halftime and won by the final score of 54-23.

Caleb Franck had 12 points to lead Christian’s JVs. Charlie Baker scored 4 points and Luke Meyer added 3 points. Jack Crawford and Sam Mustapha each tallied 2 points.

Mason Simon had 18 points to lead the Shamrock JVs. Sean Fedewa chipped in with 14 points. Isaiah Rockey and Aiden Fandel each tossed in 8 points. Aiden Mosser scored 4 points and Tyler Schneider had 2 points.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in ancient times. He was showing some ability to score near the basket, but then the Basketball Powers that Be banned players from playing on stilts. Alas, my interior offense was never the same!

Christian wins the opening tap, but turns the ball over almost immediately. Your aging Bleacher Denizen was not alert enough to catch the reason for the turnover. Brayden Simon drives and dishes the ball to Charlie Thelen, who throws in a threeball from the side to give the Shamrocks the first three points of the game.

Christian misses a jump shot. A Shamrock layup is negated because there was a foul before the shot. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the wing. Landon Simpson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point attempt from the wing. Charlie Thelen hits a putback to make the score Charlie Thelen 5 Lansing Christian 0.

Christian misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Landon Simpson grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Collin Leavitt makes a great pass to a Pilgrim teammate who misses his layup. Brady Leonard hits a three point shot from the top of the key for St. Patrick to give the Shamrocks an 8-0 lead.

Landon Simpson dives and ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow consults its Decoration Committee and decides to give the ball to St. Patrick. Charlie Thelen passes to Landon Simpson, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Shamrocks. Isaac Ciuk hits a fast break layup for the Pilgrims. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to trim the Shamrock lead to 11-3 with 5:03 to play in the first quarter.

St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing. Christian loses a pass out of bounds. Isaac Ciuk blocks a Shamrock three pointer from the corner. The loose ball goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets another possession. St. Patrick misses a layup. Brayden Simon taps the offensive rebound to Landon Simpson. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Shamrocks a 14-3 lead.

Brennan Sandow passes to Isaac Ciuk, who hits an eight foot shot in the lane for Christian. St. Patrick commits an over and back violation. Jerryd Scheurer steals a Pilgrim pass into the lane. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who is fouled on a three pointer from the wing. Charlie Thelen hits two of his three free throws to give the Shamrocks a 16-5 lead with 3:05 to go in the opening quarter.

Landon Simpson pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Jerryd Scheurer knocks the ball away from a Pilgrim dribbler and out of bounds; the Pilgrims retain possession. Christian misses a three point shot from the side. David Hall gets the offensive rebound for Christian. Devin Cook steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Brayden Simon drives the baseline and hits a layup to give St. Patrick an 18-5 lead.

Christian misses a reverse layup. Nathan Fears passes to Charlie Thelen, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for St. Patrick. Christian misses a three point shot from the corner. St. Patrick misses an eight foot shot from the side. Collin Leavitt hits a fast break layup to trim the Shamrock lead to 20-7.

Jerryd Scheurer is fouled and hits two free throws for St. Patrick. Gabe Wernet steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Charlie Thelen hits a thirty foot shot from the wing as the first quarter buzzer announces its presence.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 25-7 lead.

Christian inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. The Pilgrims are assessed with a traveling violation. St. Patrick drives from the side, but misses a layup. Charlie Thelen gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. David Hall blocks a corner threeball by the Shamrocks. St. Patrick gets the ball back. Jerryd Scheurer hits a three point shot from the wing to give St. Patrick a 28-7 lead.

Brady Leonard steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. Charlie Thelen hits a putback, is fouled and hits his free throw to give St. Patrick a 31-7 lead with 7:03 to play in the first half.

Landon Simpson steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for St. Patrick. Charlie Thelen steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. Charlie Thelen hits two free throws for the Shamrocks. Christian loses a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick missess a three point shot from the top of the key. Brayden Simon gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side.

Christian loses a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Nathan Fears gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick travels with the ball. Christian misses an eight footer from the baseline. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Brayden Simon, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 37-7 lead.

David Hall drives and hits a layup for Christian. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. Landon Simpson steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick retains possession. David Hall blocks a Shamrock jump shot; St. Patrick is able to recover. Charlie Thelen passes to Lucas Simon, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 42-9 lead.

Lucas Simon steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing. Christian misses a driving layup. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the top of thekey. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball back. Brayden Simon drives and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Jerryd Scheurer knocks the ball away from Christian and Brayden Simon picks it up for St. Patrick. Brayden Simon hits a fast break layup to give the Shamrocks a 46-9 lead.

Christian misses a three point shot from the side. Collin Leavitt steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian is fouled on a fast break layup, but misses two free throws. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Grant Pline gets his hand on the ball and Christian loses it out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Landon Simpson knocks the ball away from Christian, but the Ethan Damesworth races into the backcourt to recover the ball for the Pilgrims. Chrstian misses a layup. Caleb Franck knocks the ball out of bounds as the halftime buzzer makes its presence known.

St. Patrick has a 46-9 lead at halftime.

Isaac Ciuk leads the Christian scoring with 5 points.

Charlie Thelen leads St. Patrick with 20 points. Brayden Simon has 11 points. Jerryd Scheurer and Landon Simpson each have 5 points.

As there is no halftime entertainment, here are a couple original Christian tunes from my You Tube Channel for you to enjoy!!
“Jesus Came to Save Us” is nominally a Christmas song, but with a couple word changes, it could apply to the whole year! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGipc4NwzN8

“The Trinity” as about the three persons of God. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5–h6fXMRnw

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Shamrocks miss a driving layup. Brayden Simon gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Brady Leonard knocks the ball away from Christian and Landon Simpson picks it up for St. Patrick. David Hall blocks a Shamrock triple try from the corner. A traveling violation costs Christian a made eight footer in the lane. After some consultation, Christian gets the ball back, but the basket does not count.

Charlie Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick loses the ball out of bounds on a too fast break. David Hall makes an up and under move that allows him to bank in a twelver foot shot from the side. Lucas Simon passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a three point shot near the top of the key for St. Patrick. Ethan Damesworth is fouled on a driving runner and hits two free throws for Christian. With 5:39 to play in quarter number three, St. Patrick has a 49-13 lead.

Jerryd Scheurer passes to Charlie Thelen, who hits a reverse layup for the Shamrocks. David Hall hits a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane for Christian. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the baseline. Lucas Simon gets the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the corner. David Hall hits an eight foot turnaround shot from the baseline for Christian. David Hall knocks the ball out of bounds, but St. Patrick retains possession. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Lucas Simon, who hits a reverse layup to give St. Patrick a 53-17 lead.

Christian misses a twelvce foot shot from the baseline. Landon Simpson drives the baseline and hits a ten foot runner for St. Patrick. Brennan Sendow hits a reverse layup for Christian. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. David Hall passes to Brennan Sendow, who hits a fast break layup for Christian. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Landon Simpson, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 57-21 lead.

The Shamrocks misfires on a triple try from the wing. Devin Cook grabs the offensive rebound for St. Patrick. Collin Leavitt steals the ball for Christian. The Pilgrims miss a three point3er from the wing. Ethan Damesworth snares the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims and passes to David Hall, who hits a three point shot from the side for Christian. St. Patrick’s lead is at 57-24.

The Pilgrims’ Sam Mustapha dives to tie up the ball. The Possession Arrow and its Christmas Celebration Committee are enamored of Mr. Mustapha’s hustle and decree that Christian shall get the ball. Christian misses a driving layup. Collin Leavitt gets the offensive rebound for the Piglgrims. Chrsitian misses a layup. Brennan Sendow gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims.

Chrstian loses the ball out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a layup and fouls on the rebound. Christian misses a ten foot shot from the side. David Hall gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a layup. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the corner. Devin Cook steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a halfcourt heave as the buzzer sounds.

After three quarters, St. Patrick’s lead is at 57-24.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to start the final quarter. Charlie Thelen drives and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Brayden Simon knocks the ball away from Christian, but the Pilgrims are able to recover. Chrstian misses a driving layup. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Christian misfires on a threeball from the corner. David Hall steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Christian. Lucas Simon hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 61-26 lead.

David Hall passes to Brennan Sendow, who hits a layup for Christian. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. David Hall blocks a St. Patrick fast break layup; the ball goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get another opportunity. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Gabe Werner steals a Pilgrim pass.

Brennan Sendow blocks a Christian layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get it back. Ethan Damesworth knocks the ball out of bounds; it goes back to St. Patrick. Ethan Damesworth blocks a Shamrock layup. Gabe Wernet steals a Christian pass. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Brady Leonard, who slings in a threeball from the wing to give the Shamrocks a 64-28 lead.

Christian misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Pilgrims get another possession. Brady Leonard knocks the Christian inbound pass off the backboard and starts a scrum. The ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow and its Cooking Club are working on a souffle and miss the play. The ball is awarded to Christian. Gabe Wernet blocks a Christian layup. St. Patrick misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Tyler Groothuis hits a putback to give St. Patrick a 66-28 lead.

Christian misses a layup. David Hall blocks a Shamrock layup. Christian misfires on a three pointer from the side. Gabe Wernet passes to Brady Leonard, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. David Hall hits a fifteen foot shot from the baseline for Christian. Gabe Wernet drives and hits a layup to give Christian a 70-30 lead.

Christian misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and Christian gets the ball back. Grant Pline steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Brennan Sendow knocks the ball away from St. Patrick; the ball is tied up and the Possession Arrow grants the ball back to the Shamrocks. Caleb Franck blocks a Shamrock layup, but St. Patrick recovers the ball. Grant Pline hits a fifteen foot shot from the side to give St. Patrick a 72-30 lead.

Christian misses a layup. David Hall steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Tyler Groothuis steals the ball for the Shamrocks and hits a fast break layup as time expires.

St. Patrick wins this game by the final score of 74-30.

David Hall led the Christian scoring with 15 points. Brennan Sendow scored 6 points and Isaac Ciuk added 5 points. Ethan Damesworth and Collin Leavitt each had 2 points.

Charlie Thelen led the Shamrock scoring with 24 points. Brayden Simon joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Landon Simpson chipped in with 9 points. Brady Leonard and Jerryd Scheurer each contributed 8 points. Lucas Simon added 6 points. Tyler Groothuis put in 4 points. Gabe Wernet and Grant Pline each tossed in 2 points.