Croswell-Lexington at Kingston – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 6, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

In this video of “Red River Valley” from my You Tube Channel, I let the listeners know that you never know where the Red River Valley will lead you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AhhNk1M8

Well one place it does not lead to is Kingston High School; however, fortunately M-46 will lead you there. Thus, your Bleacher Denizen was able to get to Kingston High to blog their game with Croswell-Lexington.

The Kingston Cardinals enter this game with a 15-1 record. Their only loss is to Goodrich, a one of the best Division 2 teams in Michigan. (Kingston is Division 4 with an enrollment of 179 students.) In fact, just last week, Kingston defeated Lake Orion, a Division 1 school with nearly fifteen times as many students as Kingston has. The Cardinals are a certainly a powerful team this year. They returned everyone from last year’s team that made it to the quarterfinals. (The Bleacher Denizen was there to blog that one!) https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2023/03/15/fowler-vs-kingston-girls-basketball-mhsaa-division-4-quarterfinal-the-bleacher-denizen-march-14-2023-by-chuck-krafft/

Delaney St. George is a complete point guard who checks off every important skill on the list. Tough perimeter defense? CHECK! Dependable ball handling and accurate passing? CHECK! Three point shooting? CHECK! Slashing to the basket? CHECK!!! Poise and team leadership? CHECK!!! She scored her 1000th career point earlier this season.

Of course, Delaney St. George is not the only fine player on the Cardinal roster. Twin senior sisters Abby Walker and Gracy Walker have started for the Cardinals since they were freshmen. Abby Walker provides great defense and rebounding in the post; she is also a tough scorer in that area. Gracy Walker is an excellent perimeter defender who slashes to the basket well and is also a threat from the three point line. Their sophomore sister, Molly Walker is an excellent perimeter defender who is a dependable ball handler and an excellent scorer who can slash to the basket or shoot her accurate three point shot.

Keira McGarvie and Zoe van Rijn split time in the post. They are both tough defenders near the basket and good rebounders who can score on putbacks and layups when they receive a pass from one of Kingston’s excellent guards. Chesaney Wenzlaff is a fine perimeter defender with an accurate three point shot. Lauren Krug defends and rebounds well in the post; she also brings an accurate midrange jump shot to the Cardinals. Mikayla Adamczyk is a good post defender. Meeghan Flikkie and Lauren Smith defend the perimeter well.

Croswell-Lexington Coach Katelyn Noll provided me with this information about her Pioneer players. Isabella Edwards averages a double double in scoring and rebounds. Mackenzy Dennison is a double figure scorer with an excellent basketball IQ. She is a defensive demon who averages four steals per game. She is also an accurate three point shooter. Ava Oleski generally guards the opponent’s best offensive player. She is very athletic and can also score on the offensive end.

Savannah Krampits is a versatile defender who is nominally a guard, but can defend in the post as well when she needs to. She is also capable of scoring. Emma Noll and Addison McMillan play hard all the time and are fine rebounders also capable of scoring.

I got to Kingston in time to watch the JV game. Croswell-Lexington (frequently called CrosLex for the rest of the article to save wear and tear on your aging Bleacher Denizen’s fingers) got off to an 11-7 first quarter lead. Kingston scored the first nine points of the second quarter and earned a 21-15 lead by halftime. CrosLex outscored Kingston 6-4 in the third quarter to trim the Kingston lead to 25-21.

Kingston broke the game open when Cyrenna Schipinski hit one three pointer and Piper St. George hit two of them early in the fourth quarter. Kingston had a 36-23 lead with 5:15 left in the game and went on to a 38-27 win.

Nathalie Holes led the Pioneer JVs with 9 points. Ella McMillan supported her with 8 points. Penelope Persig scored 6 points and Rozlynn Cayce added 4 points.

Piper St. George led the victorious Cardinal JVs with 17 points. Lilah Kiley and Hailey McGuire each chipped in with 8 points. Cyrenna Schipinski had 5 points.

It is now time to record the events of this game through the occasionally watchful eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the days of yore. He thought he was conquering the game when he bought a crane used to hold him high near the basket where opposing defenses could not block his layups. (Remember, this is church league, not the NBA!)

However, everything went awry when an opposing coach purchased a crane for the Bleacher Denizen’s defender. Without his artificial height advantage, your Bleacher Denizen was exposed as a player whose offense was limited and his playing time dwindled quite a bit.

Your Bleacher Denizen sang the National Anthem before the game and is proud to say that he is unaware of any broken glass or hearing damage to anyone in the gym!!

CrosLex wins the opening tap. Molly Walker gets her hand on the ball, but the Pioneers are able to recover. Isabella Edwards passes to Ava Oleski, who hits a layup to give CrosLex the first two points of the game. Kingston misses a reverse layup. Delaney St. George gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a three pointer from the corner. CrosLex throws a pass out of bounds. Isabella Edwards blocks a Kingston threeball from the wing. Emma Noll passes to Mackenzy Dennison, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give the Pioneers a 5-0 lead.

Delaney St. George passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. CrosLex msises a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Gracy Walker passes to Zoe van Rijn, who hits a layup to give Kingston its first two points. Abby Walker steals the ball for the Cardinals. Kingston is whistled for a double dribble violation. CrosLex misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Kingston throws a pass out of bounds.

A traveling violation negates a Pioneer scooped layup. Mackenzy Dennison knocks the ball away from Kingston, but the Cardinals recover. Kingston misses a layup. Zoe van Rijn steals a Pioneer pass. Kingston misses a threeball from the wing. Molly Walker hits a putback to trim the CrosLex lead to 5-4.

Chesaney Wenzlaff steals the ball for Kingston. The Cardinals miss a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out and the Pioneers get the ball. Ava Oleski passes to Mackenzy Dennison who is cutting to the basket; she hits a layup for CrosLex. Kingston turns the ball over. Isabella Edwards hits a layup after catching an inbound pass to give CrosLex a 9-4 lead.

Kingston misses a driving layup. Molly Walker blocks a Pioneer layup. Kingston misses a three point shot from the wing. CrosLex misses a driving layup. Kingston misses a layup. Mackenzy Dennison drives and hits a layup to give CrosLex an 11-4 lead.

Kingston misses a three pointer from the top of the key. CrosLex misses a layup. Isabella Edwards gets the offensive rebound for the Pioneers. CrosLex misses a layup. Kingston misses a half court heave as the first quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After one quarter, Croswell-Lexington has an 11-4 lead.

Kingston has the ball to open the second quarter. The Cardinals miss a threeball from the top of the key. Gracy Walker, Keira McGarvie and Chesaney Wenzlaff overwhelm the Pioneer rebounder and tie up the ball. The Possession Arrow has been watching TikTok videos and missed the play; the ball is awarded to CrosLex. The Pioneers throw a pass out of bounds. Kingston misses a three point shot from the wing. Ava Oleski hits a fast break layup for CrosLex to give her team a 13-4 lead.

Kingston misses a driving layup. CrosLex misses a layup. Abby Walker hits a layup after a short drive for Kingston. The Pioneers commit a traveling violation. Kingston misses an eighteen foot shot from the wing. Delaney St. George pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cardinals and passes to Molly Walker, who sinks a threeball from the top of the key to trim the CrosLex lead to 13-9.

CrosLex misses a ten foot banked shot from the side. Gracy Walker drives and scoops in a layup for Kingston. Molly Walker ties up the ball. This time, the Possession Arrow and its Christmas Decoration Committee vote to award the ball to the Cardinals. Savannah Krampits blocks a Cardinal layup. Melody Persig passes to Isabella Edwards, who hits a layup to give the Pioneers a 15-11 lead.

Kingston misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and CrosLex takes possession. Zoe van Rijn steals a Pioneer pass. Mackenzy Dennison steals the ball for the Pioneers. Abby Walker steals the ball ffor the Cardinals. Abby Walker passes to Molly Walker, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws to shave the Pioneer lead to 15-12 with 2:36 remaining in the half.

Mackenzy Dennison drives and hits a layup for CrosLex. Gracy Walker drives and dishes the ball to Abby Walker, who hits an eight foot shot from the side for Kingston. Addison McMillan passes to Ava Oleski, who hits a ten footer from the side to boost the CrosLex lead to 19-14.

Savannah Krampits knocks a Cardinal pass out of bounds; Kingston retains possession. Molly Walker drives and hits a layup for Kingston. Savannah Krampits passes to Melody Persig, who hits a three point shot from the side for CrosLex. Kingston misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and CrosLex takes possession. Molly Walker steals the ball and passes to Delaney St. George, who hits a fast break layup to trim the Pioneer lead to 22-18.

CrosLex misses a driving layup just before the halftime buzzer sounds off.

Croswell-Lexington has a 22-18 halftime lead. There is a good chance that they will continue to have the 22-18 lead at the start of the third quarter.

The Kingston third graders play some intramural basketball during halftime and seem to enjoy every moment of their time on the floor!

For those who did not see the halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy these two videos from my You Tube Channel. As I sang the National Anthem before the game, I thought I would present a couple patriotic songs from my You Tube Channel.

My friend Mark Wilcox and I performed this duet of “This Land is Your Land” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9XoJtKIbE

Here is “America the Beautiful!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjBoaLFVMU

Your Bleacher Denizen glances at the scoreboard and notes that once again, the score at the start of the third quarter is the same as the halftime score!! Wonders never cease!!! How do they do it!! (The mind boggles.)

Croswell-Lexington inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. The Pioneers commit a traveling violation. Emma Noll knocks the ball away from Kingston and Isabella Edwards picks it up for CrosLex. Savannah Krampits passes the ball to Emma Noll, who hits a long two point shot from the wing to give the Pioneers a 24-18 lead.

Molly Walker hits a fast break layup for Kingston after the Cardinals break the Pioneer press. Abby Walker steals the ball and passes to Molly Walker, who hits a fast break layup for the Cardinals. Gracy Walker knocks the ball away from CrosLex, but Savannah Krampits recovers the ball for the Pioneers. CrosLex misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. The Walker connection comes through as Molly Walker passes to Abby Walker who hits a layup for Kingston to tie the game at 24-24.

Gracy Walker steals the ball for Kingston. The Cardinals miss a layup. Molly Walker hits a putback to give the Cardinals a two point lead. Gracy Walker steals the ball for Kingston. Delaney St. George passes to Molly Walker, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Kingston. CrosLex throws a pass out of bounds. Delaney St. George passes to Abby Walker, who hits a layup and is fouled, but misses her free throw. With 5:07 to play in the third quarter, Kingston holds a 31-24 lead.

Kingston fouls on the rebound from the missed free throw. Mackenzy Dennison drives, hits a layup, is fouled and hits her free throw for CrosLex. Kingston misses a driving layup. Melody Persig drives from the side and hits a layup for CrosLex. Kingston misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Molly Walker is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give Kingston a 33-29 lead with 3:27 to play in quarter number three.

CrosLex misses a driving layup. Ava Oleski is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws for the PIoneers. Savannah Krampits hustles to tie up the rebound. The Possession Arrow and its Halloween Party Committee are spooked by some decorations they are looking at and miss the play. The ball is awarded to Kingston.

Kingston misses a three point shot from the corner. Zoe van Rijn gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a three point shot from the wing. Abby Walker gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Kingston misses a layup. Savannah Krampits is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to trim the Kingston lead to 33-31 with 2:27 remaining in quarter number three.

Kingston misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and CrosLex takes possession. Melody Persig is fouled and hits two free throws for CrosLex to tie the game at 33-33 with 2:04 to play in the quarter.

Melody Persig knocks the ball out of bounds and the Pioneers get the ball. CrosLex misses a three point shot from the side. Isabella Edwards pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pioneers. CrosLex misses a layup. The ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow looks up from its interplanetary research and awards the ball to the Pioneers. Melody Persig passes to Isabella Edwards, who hits a layup to give the Pioneers a 35-33 lead.

Kingston drives and dishes a pass out of bounds. CrosLex is whistled for a traveling violation on a drive to the basket. Savannah Krampits blocks a Kingston threeball from the wing. CrosLex misses a half court shot as the buzzer sounds.

With three quarters in the books, Croswell-Lexington has a 35-33 lead.

Kingston has the ball to start out the fourth quarter. Molly Walker whips a pass to Delaney St. George, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Kingston a 36-35 lead.

A CrosLex dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Kingston misfires on a triple try from the wing. Abby Walker gets the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Kingston misfires on a triple try from the wing. CrosLex misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. (Many referees in the stands disagreed with this, but the opinion of the ones paid to be on the floor prevailed.) Savannah Krampits steals the ball for CrosLex. The Pioneers are fouled on a layup, but miss two free throws. With 6:47 to play in the game, Kingston has a 36-35 lead.

Isabella Edwards gets the offensive rebound for the Pioneers. Ava Oleski hits a layup to give CrosLex a one point lead. Molly Walker passes to Keira McGarvie, who hits a layup to give the lead back to Kingston. CrosLex misses a layup. Kingston misses a six foot scooped shot from the baseline. Molly Walker pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Abby Walker passes to Keira McGarvie, who hits a layup to give Kingston a 40-37 lead.

CrosLex misses a ten foot shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Kingston takes possession. Kingston misses a three pointer from the wing. Abby Walker grabs the offensive rebound and passes to Delaney St. George, who hits a three point shot from the side to boost the Cardinal lead to 43-37.

Mackenzy Dennison drives and hits a layup for CrosLex. Kingston misses a three pointer from the side. Gracy Walker grabs the offensive rebound for the Cardinals. Kingston misfires on a threeball from the side. Molly Walker pulls down the offensive rebound, drives and hits a layup for the Cardinals. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 3:23 left in the game, Kingston has a 45-39 lead.

CrosLex misses a driving layup. Kingston misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Gracy Walker steals the ball for Kingston. Kingston is assessed with a traveling violation. Keira McGarvie tips a CrosLex pass, but the Pioneers recover. Gracy Walker steals a Pioneer pass. Savannah Krampits nearly steals the ball for CrosLex, but Kingston recovers. Kingston runs a delay offense for about a minute and has to call time out with 50.9 seconds left on the clock to avoid an over and back violation. Delaney St. George is fouled a couple seconds later and hits one of her two free throws to boost the Kingston lead to 46-39.

Mackenzy Dennison drives and hits a layup for CrosLex. Delaney St. George is fouled and hits one of her two free throws for Kingston. Gracy Walker steals the ball for the Cardinals and is fouled. She hits one of her two free throws and Kingston has a 48-41 lead with 11.2 seconds to go.

CrosLex misses a long threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Kingston takes possession. Kingston runs out the clock.

Kingston wins this non-conference game by the final score of 48-41.

Mackenzy Dennison led the Croswell-Lexington scoring with 16 points. Ava Oleski contributed 9 points. Melody Persig tossed in 7 points. Isabella Edwards added 6 points. Emma Noll scored 2 points and Savannah Krampits tallied 1 point.

Molly Walker led the Kingston scoring with 21 points. Delaney St. George joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Abby Walker chipped in with 8 points. Keira McGarvie notched 4 points. Gracy Walker scored 3 points. Zoe van Rijn had 2 points.