Webberville vs. Lansing Christian – – Girls Basketball – – First Round MHSAA District – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 4, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is headed at Fulton High covering the Girls Basketball District. In the second game of the night, the Webberville Spartans will compete with the Pilgrims from Lansing Christian to determine who will play in Wednesday’s District Semifinal.

Here is a play by play of the night’s other game where Fulton played Morrice! https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/03/05/fulton-vs-morrice-girls-basketball-mhsaa-district-tournament-first-round-the-bleacher-denizen-march-4-2024-by-chuck-krafft/

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this Classic Western tune, “Cattle Call”! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlPaiHsbOnA

The Webberville Spartans enter this game with a 7-13 record. However, some of these losses came when Ryleigh Nelson was not available. Ryleigh Nelson is a tall, athletic player who is a great defender in the lane. She has the ball handling ability to slash to the basket really well; it is tough for opponents to keep her from piling up points.

Jolie Bryan is a good ball handler and passer who can score from the three point line. Makayla Culver provides persistent perimeter defense and is able to get a lot of steals for the Spartans. Haley Proctor and Lexi Proctor are also good perimeter defenders.

Lydia Brogan is an excellent all-around player for the Pilgrims. She is athletic enough to defend the perimeter well and tall enough to be a factor when defending in the post. She is a fine ball handler and passer who slashes to the basket well and can hit three point shots. Ava Mustapha is a tough defender on the perimeter who is excellent slashing to the basket. Sophie Hazelton defends and rebounds well in the post. On offense, she is a threat to step out and hit the three point shot.

Alyssa Shank is a determined perimeter defender who handles the ball and passes well from her point guard position. Sophia Carrillo is a fine defensive presence, rebounder and passer in the post. Maddie Crawford is a good three point shooter who defends the perimeter well.

It is now time to look at the events of this game through the perspective of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the ancient days when he was considered to be “young.” While many people criticized the Bleacher Denizen’s court vision, it was difficult for most players’ peripheral vision when we wore the armor helmets back in the medieval days when the Bleacher Denizen played.

Christian wins the opening tap. Sophie Hazelton hits a three point shot from the wing to give Christian the first three points of the game. Lexi Proctor saves a Webberville pass to prevent a turnover. Sophia Carrillo blocks a Spartan layup. The ball goes out of bounds and Webberville gets another possession. Jolie Bryan passes to Lexi Proctor, who hits a layup for Webberville. Maddie Crawford is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to give Christian a 4-2 lead with 6:38 left in the opening quarter.

Lydia Brogan pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a layup. Sophia Carrillo gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Alyssa Shank drives and hits a layup for Christian. Alyssa Shank knocks the ball away from Webberville and Maddie Crawford grabs it for Christian. The Pilgrims miss a layup. Alyssa Shank steals the ball and hits a layup to give Christian an 8-2 lead.

Lydia Brogan gets her hand on the ball, but the Spartans are able to recover. Alyssa Shank dives and ties up the ball for Christian. The Possession Arrow is being fitted for a fur coat, misses the play and awards the ball back to Webberville. Jolie Bryan saves a pass to prevent a Spartan turnover. Webberville misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Jolie Bryan gets the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane.

Ryleigh Nelson blocks a Christian layup. Christian recovers the loose ball. The Pilgrims miss a three point shot from the side. Maddie Crawford and Sophie Hazelton team up to force a tie up. The Possession Arrow and her little purse dog are impressed with the hustle and award the ball to Christian. Ava Mustapha drives and hits a layup to give Christian a 10-2 lead.

Webberville misses a eighteen foot shot from the side. Ava Mustapha passes to Sophia Carrillo, who hits a layup for the Pilgrims. Lydia Brogan knocks a Webberville pass out of bounds; the Spartans retain possession. Webberville misses a threeball from the wing. Mackenzie Langham hits a putback for the Spartans. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. With 2:39 to go in the opening quarter, Christian has a 12-4 lead.

Christian misses a threeball from the side. Ava Mustapha pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a three pointer from the wing. Ava Mustapha gets the offensive rebound for Christian. The Pilgrims miss a sixteen foot shot from the side. Christian is fouled on a putback, but misses two free throws. With 1:54 remaining in the first quarter, the Pilgrim led remains at 12-4.

Webberville commits a double dribble violation. Ava Mustapha drives from the side and is fouled on a layup. She hits two free throws for Christian. Maddie Crawford knocks a pass out of bounds; the Spartans get another opportunity. Ryleigh Nelson drives and hits a fast break layup for the Spartans. Christian misses a jump shot. Ava Waldron grabs the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Hayley Proctor steals the ball and passes to Ryleigh Nelson, who hits a fast break layup to cut the Christian lead to 15-8.

Christian misses a layup. Webberville misses a threeball from the wing. Ava Mustapha is fouled and hits one of her two free throws with 1.5 seconds left in the quarter. (She actually hit both of them, but the second one was negated by a lane violation.) Esther Lee knocks the ball inbound pass out of bounds; the Spartans get the ball back. Webberville has no time to shoot before the first quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

After one quarter, Christian has a 16-8 lead.

Christian inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Pilgrims throw a pass out of bounds. Ava Waldron knocks the ball away from Webberville, but the Pilgrims travel when they try to pick the ball up. Webberville misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Ava Mustapha passes to Ava Waldron, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Christian a 19-8 lead.

Webberville misses a fourteen foot shot from the side of the lane. Makayla Culver causes a Christian traveling violation. Webberville misses a threeball from the side. Makayla Culver grabs the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville misses an eight foot shot from the baseline. Ava Mustapha hits a layup for Christian to boost their lead to 21-8.

Webberville misses a three point attempt from the wing. Lydia Brogan passes to Ava Mustapha, who hits a layup for Christian. Rylie Wayner knocks the ball away from Webberville and Lydia Brogan picks it up for Christian. Christian misses a three point shot from the side. Natalie Adams gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Lydia Brogan hits a three point shot for the Pilgrims. Webberville misses a layup. Rylie Wayner drives from the side and is fouled on a layup. She hits one of her two free throws to give Christian a 27-8 lead with 3:54 remaining in the first half.

Webberville misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Christian takes possession. A Christian travel negates a layup. Sophia Carrillo knocks the ball away from Webberville, but the Spartans are able to recover. Webberville misses a layup and fouls on the rebound. Payten Sholty and Ryleigh Nelson execute a double team on Christian and tie the ball up. The Possession Arrow and her furrier love the hustle and award the ball to Webberville.

The Spartans miss a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Webberville gets another opportunity. Webberville misses a three point shot from the side. Mackenzie Langham gets the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Sophie Hazelton steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a layup. Sophie Hazelton gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a three pointer from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Webberville gets the ball. Lydia Brogan steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to give Christian a 29-8 lead.

Sophie Hazleton dives and forces Webberville to call timeout to save its possession. Webberville misses a fifteen footer from the baseline and fouls on the rebound. Juliette Tallon passes to Ava Mustapha, who hits a three point shot from the side for Christian. Payten Sholty passes to Lexi Proctor, who hits a sixteen foot shot from the wing to shave the Christian lead to 32-10.

Christian misses a driving layup. The rebound is tied up; the Possession Arrow and its couturier look up from their designer fashion layout and grant the ball back to Christian. Christian misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Webberville does not have time to shoot before the halftime buzzer blares.

At halftime, Lansing Christian holds a 32-10 lead.

Ryleigh Nelson and Lexi Proctor each have 4 points for Webberville

Ava Mustapha has 12 points and Lydia Brogan has 5 points for Lansing Christian.

While everyone takes a halftime break, I hope you will enjoy these tunes from my You Tube Channel!

“Blues Stay Away From Me” is a vintage Blues song done in a vintage style!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TtsKUnqw7g

“Just a Closer Walk with Thee” is both a religious song and a jazz/blues standard! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0IFWZLHHuc

Webberville inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. Sophie Hazleton and Maddie Crawford team up to tie up the ball for Christian. The Possession Arrow and its fashion designer love their hustle and award the ball to the Pilgrims. Christian misses a layup. Sophia Carrillo gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian turns the ball over. Webberville commits a double dribble violation.

Christian misses a three point shot from the side. Maddie Crawford gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Jolie Bryan steals the ball for the Spartans. Lydia Brogan steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a fast break layup. Lydia Brogan hits a putback to give Christian a 34-10 lead.

Lexi Proctor passes to Payten Sholty, who hits a layup for Webberville. Jolie Bryan knocks the ball away from Christian and Makayla Culver grabs it for Webberville. Maddie Crawford knocks the ball out of bounds; Webberville retains possession. Ava Mustapha steals the Spartan inbound pass and hits a fast break layup to give Christian a 36-10 lead.

Sophie Hazleton blocks a Spartan layup. Christian misses a layup. Sophia Carrillo pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Alyssa Shank hits a threeball from the wing for the PIlgrims. Sophie Hazleton knocks the ball out of bounds; Webberville retains possession. Webberville misses a six foot shot from the side of the lane. Lydia Brogan hits a threeball from the top of the key to boost Christian to a 42-12 lead.

Webberville misses an eight foot shot from the side. Esther Lee saves a loose ball to prevent a Pilgrim turnover. The ball is tied up; the Possession Arrow and its hair consultant give the ball back to Webberville. Lael Ritter steals the ball for the Pilgrims. The ball gets away from Christian and the Pilgrims foul trying to recover. Jolie Bryan is fouled on a fifteen foot shot from the baseline and hits one of her two free throws. With 2:11 to play in quarter number three, Christian holds a 42-13 lead.

Christian misses a driving layup. Ava Mustapha ties up the rebound. The Possession Arrow and its shoe designer are impressed by her hustle and award the ball to Christian. Jolie Bryan steals the Pilgrim inbound pass. Ryleigh Nelson is fouled driving the baseline and hits one of her two free throws. With 1:40 to go in the quarter, Christian’s lead is at 42-14.

Christian fumbles a pass out of bounds. Ava Mustapha knocks Webberville’s inbound pass out of bounds; Webberville retains possession. The Spartans miss a ten foot shot from the baseline. Christian commits a traveling violation. Webberville throws a pass out of bounds. Christian misses an eight foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Ava Mustapha steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a fast break buzzer. The third quarter is over before Webberville can shoot.

After three quarters, Lansing Christian has a 42-14 lead.

Webberville inbounds the ball to start the fourth quarter. Natalie Adams knocks the ball away from Webberville, but the Spartans recover. Natalie Adams gets her hand on the ball again, but the Spartans recover again. Mackenzie Langham hits a layup for the Spartans. Natalie Adams passes to Sophia Carrillo, who hits a layup to give Christian a 44-16 lead.

A Webberville pass into the lane is too high and sails out of bounds. Sophia Carrillo launches and hits a threeball from the corner for Christian and the Pilgrims have a 47-16 lead.

Natalie Adams ties up the ball; the Possession Arrow and its event planner love her hustle and award the ball to Christian. Christian misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Sophia Carrillo knocks the ball away from Webberville and Alyssa Shank picks it up for Christian. Christian misses a three point shot from the side. Natalie Adams gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Juliette Tallon passes to Maddie Crawford, who hits a three point shot from the side. At this point, Christian has a 50-16 lead.

Fiona Chuba passes to Ryleigh Nelson, who is fouled on a jump shot from the free throw line and hits one of her two free throws for Webberville. Valerie Grosser nearly steals the ball for Webberville; Christian is able to recover. Christian is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Juliette Tallon steals the ball and passes to Esther Lee, who hits a layup to put Christian up by 52-17.

Paloma Oropeza-Burt steals the ball for Christian. The Pilgrims miss a three point shot from the side. Maddie Crawford gets the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a ten foot shot from the baseline. Webberville misses a threeball from the wing. Hayley Proctor nearly steals the ball for Webberville, but Christian is able to recover.

Ryleigh Nelson knocks a Christian pass out of bounds; the Pilgrims get the ball back. Jolie Bryan steals the ball for Webberville. Palomo Oropeza-Burt steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Christian commits an offensive foul. Webberville misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Christian takes possession.

Jolie Bryan ties up the ball for Webberville. The Possession Arrow and its makeup consultant decide that her hustle was quite impressive and award the ball to the Spartans. Maddie Crawford steals the ball for Christian. The Pilgrims miss a fast break layup. Fiona Chuba passes to Makayla Culver, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Spartans. Christian inbounds the ball and the final buzzer ends the game.

Lansing Christian wins this game 52-20 and will play Portland St. Patrick in Wednesday’s district semifinal.

Ryleigh Nelson led the Webberville scoring with 6 points. Makenzie Langham and Lexi Proctor each added 4 points. Makayla Culver tossed in 3 points. Payten Sholty put in 2 points and Jolie Bryan tallied 1 point.

Ava Mustapha led the Lansing Christian scoring with 14 points. Lydia Brogan joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Sophia Carrillo and Alyssa Shank each contributed 7 points. Maddie Crawford chipped in with 5 points. Ava Waldron and Sophie Hazleton each notched 3 points. Esther Lee scored 2 points and Rylie Wayner added 1 point.