Fulton vs. Lansing Christian – – Boys Basketball – – First Round District Tournament – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 26, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight is the opening of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Basketball Tournament. Your Bleacher Denizen is making his inaugural visit to Bellevue High School. In tonight’s first round game, the Fulton Pirates enter this game with a 16-6 record, while the Pilgrims from Lansing Christian had a 2-20 record in their first year in the rugged Central Michigan Athletic Conference.

While we wait for this game to begin, I hope you will enjoy this piano version of “Red River Valley” from my You Tube Channel. As I say in the introduction, you never know where the Red River Valley will lead you!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AhhNk1M8

Ethan Damesworth is an excellent guard for Lansing Christian. He is an excellent three point shooter who defends the perimeter well. He runs the point for the Pilgrims. David Hall is a versatile scorer who does well in the post, but also can score from midrange and the three point line. He is a solid rebounder and post defender as well.

Collin Leavitt is an excellent perimeter defender. Isaac Cuik is an brings a lot of energy to his perimeter and his post defense. Brennan Sendow can defend the perimeter and brings a solid shot to the Pilgrims. Sam Mustapha brings toughness to the perimeter defense. Quinn Jamieson is a solid ball handler.

Ian Lamkin is a strong perimeter defender with a great three point shot for the Pirates. Bryson Sattler is an aggressive perimeter defender who can get to the basket on offense. Parker Billings is the man in the middle for Fulton; he is a tough rebounder, defender and has solid scoring post moves. Parker Duflo runs the point for the Pirates much of the time. He is a competitive, determined defender on the perimeter who handles the ball well, can drive to the basket and is a threat from the three point line.

Peyton Reynolds is an aggressive post defender. Thomas Thelen is a tough post defender who excels at setting screens, making the right pass and doing the unsung things that good teams need.

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 in the days of yore when he attempted to play basketball. He did show some promise as a dunker in his early years, but then the basketball Powers that Be raised the rim from five feet to ten feet. Alas, all the time he wasted learning power dunks was wasted.

Christian wins the opening tap. The Pilgrims miss a ten foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. Bryson Sattler is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Fulton. Bryson Sattler blocks a Pilgrim layup; Christian recovers the loose ball. Ethan Damesworth drives and hits a layup for Christian to give the Pilgrims a 2-1 lead.

Fulton misses a threeball from the wing. Christian reciprocates and misses a threeball from the wing. Fulton misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Parker Billings gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Sam Mustapha steals the Pirate inbound pass. (There must be some irony in stealing from a Pirate, but your Bleacher Denizen is not seeing it at the moment. Sigh.) David Hall ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s temporary writer’s block and passes to Brennan Sendow, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give the Pilgrims a 5-1 lead.

Parker Billings hits a layup for Fulton. David Hall passes to Brennan Sendow, who hits a layup for Christian. Parker Billings passes to Bryson Sattler, who is driving to the basket for a Fulton layup. David Hall drives and hits a left-handed layup for Christian. Collin Leavitt steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. David Hall spins and hits a fast break layup to give Christian an 11-5 lead.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Donovan Shinaver gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Ethan Damesworth blocks a Fulton layup. The Pirates recover the loose ball. Fulton turns the ball over. Christian misfires on a threeball from the corner. Fulton misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Christian takes possession.

Christian misses a three pointer from the wing. Sam Mustapha pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian is fouled on a layup and misses two free throws. With 2:42 to play in the opening quarter, Christian leads 11-5.

Fulton misses a layup. Donavan Shinaver is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws for Fulton. Parker Billings grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a threeball from the wing. Donovan Shinaver makes a spectacular save for Fulton to keep the offensive rebound in bounds. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Donovan Shinaver (who else?) gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Ian Lamkin passes to Parker Billings, who hits a layup to trim the Christian lead to 11-8.

Sam Mustapha drives and hits a layup for Christian. Fulton is fouled, but misses two free throws. Donovan Shinaver gets yet another offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Connor Cunningham grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Parker Billings hits a layup for Fulton. David Hall is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give Christian a 15-10 lead with 1:15 left in the opening quarter.

Donovan Shinaver passes to Parker Billings, who hits a layup for Fulton. David Hall passes to Collin Leavitt, who hits a three point shot from the side for Christian. Bryson Sattler drives and hits a layup for Fulton. Connor Leavitt drives and hits a layup for the Pilgrims. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 23.5 seconds before the opening quarter ends, Christian has a 20-14 lead.

Ian Lamkin drives and hits an eight foot shot from the side of the lane for Fulton. Christian misses a threeball from the wing as the first quarter buzzer enters the scene.

After one quarter, Lansing Christian has a 20-16 lead.

Fulton inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Pirates miss a layup. The Pilgrims miss a three point shot from the side. David Hall gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Parker Billings knocks the ball away from Christian and Donovan Shinaver picks it up for Fulton. The Pirates miss a fast break layup. The rebound is a long one and there is a scrum that results in a Christian foul. David Hall knocks the ball away from Fulton, but the Pirates recover.

Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. A Pilgrim travel negates a layup. Fulton misses a driving layup. Parker Duflo draws a charging foul from Christian. Fulton misses a threeball near the top of the key. Christian is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 5:38 remaining in the first half, Christian’s lead remains at 20-16.

Peyton Reynolds passes to Parker Hungerford, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Fulton. Christian misfires on a triple try from the side. A Fulton dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Ethan Damesworth drives and hits a layup for Christian to give the Pilgrims a 22-19 lead.

David Hall blocks a Fulton driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets another possession. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Bryson Sattler’s fierce defense forces Christian to miss a layup. Fulton misses a sixteen foot shot from the wing. Parker Reynolds gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Christian turns the ball over. Fulton misses a jumper from the free throw line. Sam Mustapha passes to Collin Leavitt, who hits a three pointer from the corner to give his Pilgrims a 25-19 lead.

Fulton misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Christian commits a double dribble violation. Bryson Sattler drives and hits a layup for Fulton. Christian misses a three point shot from the wing. David Hall gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Parker Billings gets his hand on the ball and causes a Christian double dribble violation. Fulton misses a driving layup. Bryson Sattler hits a putback to shave the Pilgrim lead to 25-23.

Christian misses an eight foot shot from the side. David Hall steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a layup. Collin Leavitt pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Ethan Damesworth hits a three point shot from the wing for Christian. Bryson Sattler passes to Parker Billings, who hits a layup for Fulton to trim the Christian lead to 28-25.

Christian misses a three point shot from the side. Ethan Damesworth grabs the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misfires on a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fulton gets the ball. Collin Leavitt’s stern defense forces a Fulton carrying violation. Christian loses its inbound pass out of bounds. Fulton misses a three pointer from the side as the second quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, Christian has a 28-25 lead.

Parker Billings has 10 points for Fulton and Bryson Sattler has 9 points.

Collin Leavitt has 8 points for Christian at halftime. Ethan Damesworth has 7 points and David Hall has 6 points.

While we wait for the game to resume after halftime, I hope you will enjoy these tunes from my You Tube Channel!

“Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins – – this version is a piano solo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw2KWzZEUZA

Here is “Maggie”, a 160 year old Canadian Love Ballad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUhc4KROlnw

Christian inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. David Hall drives and banks in a ten foot shot for the Pilgrims. Fulton misses a layup. Parker Billings pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Christian misses a threeball from the corner. Fulton misses a three pointer from the wing.

Parker Billings knocks the ball away from Christian; your aging Bleacher Denizen misses which Pirate picked the ball up. Fulton misses a layup. Thomas Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Fulton misses a layup. Collin Leavitt drives and hits a reverse layup for the Pilgrims. He is fouled as he shoots and hits his free throw to give Christian a 33-25 lead with 6:09 to play in the third quarter.

Fulton misses a driving layup. Ian Lamkin blocks a Christian layup. Christian recovers the loose ball. Collin Leavitt is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Christian. David Hall knocks the ball away from Fulton and Collin Leavitt picks it up for Christian. David Hall is fouled on a fast break layup and hits two free throws to boost the Pilgrims to a 36-25 lead with 5:26 remaining in quarter number three.

Thomas Thelen passes to Donovan Shinaver, who spins and banks in a six foot shot for Fulton to stop a Pilgrim eight point scoring run. Christian misses a three pointer from the corner. Fulton throws its outlet pass out of bounds. Bryson Sattler steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Fulton. Parker Billings steals the ball and passes to Bryson Sattler, who hits a fast break layup to cut the Pilgrim lead to 36-31.

Christian misses a layup. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Donovan Shinaver knocks the ball out of bounds; Christian retains possession. Christian misses a driving layup. Parker Duflo hits a high glass fast break layup for Fulton and is fouled on the play. Parker Duflo hits his free throw to cut the Christian lead to 36-34 with 3:21 to go in the quarter.

Christian misses a three point shot from the top of the key. David Hall hits a putback to stop a Fulton nine point scoring run. Fulton misses a layup; Christian fouls on the rebound. Parker Duflo drives and hits a layup for Fulton. Christian misses a three pointer from the corner. Bryson Sattler hits a ten foot floater off the dribble for Fulton to tie the game and is fouled. He misses the free throw, but the game is tied at 38-38 with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter.

Peyton Reynolds gets his hand on the rebound and Christian loses the ball out of bounds. Fulton misses a three point shot from the wing. Donovan Shinaver gets the offensive rebound and passes to Bryson Sattler, who hits a layup to give Fulton the lead. Collin Leavitt throws in a threeball from the wing to put Christian back on top with a 41-40 lead.

Quinn Jamieson knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds. Fulton retains possession. Fulton misses a layup. Bryson Sattler grabs the long offensive rebound for the Pirates, drives and banks in a six foot shot to give Fulton the lead. Christian misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Bryson Sattler hits a fast break layup to give the Pirates a 44-41 lead.

Peyton Reynolds draws a charging foul from the Pilgrims. Collin Leavitt steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a twelve foot shot in the lane. A Fulton player slips and falls; Pirate Coach Tyler Walton sees it before it happens and calls time out to preserve the Fulton possession. Ethan Damesworth knocks a Fulton pass out of bounds; Fulton gets the ball back with just 6.6 seconds to play in the quarter. Fulton drives and misses a layup at the buzzer.

After three quarters, Fulton has a 44-41 lead.

Fulton inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. Parker Duflo passes to Parker Billings, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Christian misses a three point shot from the wing. Fulton reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the wing. Christian misses a driving layup. Fulton misses a three point shot from the side. Parker Billings dives to get the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Parker Hungerford passes to Parker Billings, who hits an up and under layup to give the Pirates a 48-41 lead.

Thomas Thelen steals the ball for the Pirates. Bryson Sattler hits a fast break layup for Fulton. Christian misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Pilgrims get another possession. Parker Duflo steals the Pilgrim inbound pass. Bryson Sattler hits a fast break three point shot from the corner to give Fulton a 53-41 lead.

Christian turns the ball over. Parker Billings passes to Donovan Shinaver, who hits a fast break layup for the Pirates. Parker Billings steals the ball. Ian Lamkin hits a fast break layup for the Pirates. Christian misses a jump shot. Fulton misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. Collin Leavitt passes to David Hall, who hits a jump shot from the free throw elbow for Christian to trim the Fulton lead to 57-43.

Bryson Sattler drives and hits a layup for Fulton. Sam Mustapha throws in a threeball from the side for Christian. David Hall blocks a Pirate layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Christian takes possession. Ethan Damesworth passes to Collin Leavitt, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Christian. Ethan Damesworth steals the Fulton inbound pass. Collin Leavitt passes to Ethan Damesworth, who hits a three point shot from the wing to cut Fulton’s lead to 59-52.

Fulton is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. Christian misses a driving layup. Parker Duflo passes to Bryson Sattler, who hits a three point shot from the side for Fulton. Quinn Jamieson hits a two point jump shot for Christian. Quinn Jamieson steals the ball for Christian. The Pilgrims miss a fast break layup. Ian Lamkin hits a three point shot from the side to give Fulton a 65-54 lead.

Ian Lamkin draws a charging foul from the Pilgrims. Ethan Damesworth knocks the ball away from a Pirate dribbler and out of bounds; Fulton retains possession. Parker Duflo is fouled and hits two free throws to push Fulton to a 67-54 lead with 1:59 left on the clock.

Christian misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Pilgrims get another opportunity. Christian loses a pass out of bounds. David Hall knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds, but Fulton gets the ball back. Parker Duflo is fouled and hits two free throws. With 1:32 remaining in the game, Fulton’s lead is at 69-54.

Christian misses a three point shot from the side. David Hall gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Parker Duflo knocks Christian’s inbound pass out of bounds; the Pilgrims retain possession. Thomas Thelen steals the Christian inbound pass and is fouled. Thomas Thelen hits one of his two free throws and Fulton leads 70-54 with 1:07 to go.

David Hall drives and hits a six foot shot from the baseline for Christian. Quinn Jamieson steals a Pirate pass. Thomas Thelen draws a charging foul from the Pilgrims. Fulton loses its inbound pass out of bounds. Christian misses an eight foot banked shot. Parker Duflo is fouled and hits two free throws for Fulton with just seventeen seconds left for the final scoring in the game.

Christian misses a three point shot from the wing. Fulton runs out the last 2.2 seconds left on the clock.

Fulton wins this first round District game by the score of 72-54. The Pirates will play Fowler in the District Semifinal Wednesday night.

Collin Leavitt led the Lansing Christian scoring with 18 points. David Hall chipped in with 16 points. Ethan Damesworth joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points. Brennan Sendow and Sam Mustapha each tossed in 5 points. Quinn Jamieson tallied 2 points.

Bryson Sattler led the victorious Fulton Pirates with 31 points. Parker Billings supported his teammate with 14 points. Parker Duflo had 11 points, all in the second half when Fulton made its big push. Ian Lamkin contributed 7 points. Donovan Shinaver added 5 points. Parker Hungerford tossed in 3 points. Thomas Thelen notched 1 point.