Holt at DeWitt – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 24, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is headed to DeWitt to watch both Girls’ and Boys’ basketball. The first game will feature the DeWitt Panther girls hosting the Rams from Holt. Both teams are having successful seasons and are the top two teams in the CAAC-Blue.

Holt has a 5-0 league record and is 8-3 overall. DeWitt has a 5-1 league record (the only loss was on the road to Holt) and is 11-1 overall.

It’s been a long, cold week, but the BleacherDenizenMobile was able to skate to DeWitt without many complications.

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this cover of “Down South in New Orleans” from my You Tube Channel!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QUZ5FrpeFA

Holt Coach Edwin Jones gave me a bit of background information about some of his top players.

Allison Metzger is a four year starter. She is a versatile player who can defend the perimeter or the post. She is adept at scoring either on slashes to the basket or from the three point line. Genevieve Nagel is a strong post defender and rebounder. Olivia Gadson runs the point for the Rams. She is a strong perimeter defender and ball handler who can score slashing to the basket or sniping away from the three point line. Coach Jones also asked me to give a shoutout to Grace Gaudard, who is having her birthday today.

DeWitt Coach Bill McCullen provided this information about his Panther players. Madi Uyl is a four year starter who has phenomenally quick hands and feat. She is a threat to steal the ball from any ball handler any time. On offense, she runs the point where she handles the ball and passes well. She gets a lot of baskets off her steals.

Tara Kurncz is another four year starter who has recently scored her 1000th career point. She is a great three point shooter who also runs the floor well; she gets a lot of fast break baskets. Carly Dennis is a strong rebounder and post defender who can slash to the basket or score from the three point line.

Madison McDonald is a tough defender anywhere on the floor who does a lot of the gritty things winning teams need like rebounding and setting solid screens. Sophia Beland is a fine perimeter defender who gets out in transition well. Golden Nicholson defends well on the perimeter or in the post. She also gives the Panthers another threat from the three point line.

I got to the gym as the first quarter of the JV girls game ended. The game was tied 12-12 at that point. In the second quarter, DeWitt got hot and made nine three point shots. They outscored Holt 30-4 in the second quarter to take a 42-16 halftime lead. The Panther JVs controlled the game the rest of the way and won by the final score of 64-26.

Savannah Bradshaw led the Holt JVs with 15 points. Malaysia Thompson added 6 points. Cassidy Ray put in 3 points and Gabby Flegler scored 2 points.

Rowynn Moore led the DeWitt JVs with 17 points. Jaynie English and Jessie English each scored 8 points. Adriana Dattilo chipped in with 7 points. Morgan George added 6 points. Anna Soltis contributed 5 points. Kaylynn Simons and Andey Jo Tate each tossed in 4 points. Audra Corneal had 3 points and Avery Linton tallied 2 points.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the generally open eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the Days of Yore, when he was actually considered to be “young.”

Alas, your Bleacher Denizen never mastered the concept of only throwing the ball to players wearing the same color uniform as his. While the Bleacher Denizen thought that throwing the ball only to teammates stifled his creativity, his Coach always seemed to be upset by what he referred to as “turnovers.” The Coach finally felt he had to severely curtail the Bleacher Denizen’s playing time.

DeWitt wins the opening tap. Olivia Gadson steals the ball for Holt. Olivia Gadson drives and dishes the ball to Chloe Buckley, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the side to give the Rams the game’s first two points. DeWitt misses a layup. Madi Uyl gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers and is fouled on a putback. She hits one of her two free throws to trim the Holt lead to 2-1 with 7:24 to play in the opening quarter.

Holt is whistled for a double dribble violation. Sophia Beland passes to Tara Kurncz, who throws in a threeball from the wing for DeWitt. Breanna Cornelius hits a fast break layup for HOlt to tie the game. Allison Metzger knocks the ball away from Holt and Grace Gaudard picks it up for Holt. Breanna Cornelius hits a three point shot from the wing to boost Holt to a 7-4 lead.

DeWitt misses a layup. Madi Uyl knocks a Holt inbound pass back out of bounds; the Rams retain possession. Tara Kurncz plays tough defense and forces a Ram over and back violation. DeWitt misses a driving layup. Holt misses a layup. Grace Gaudard fights for the rebound and causes DeWitt to lose the ball out of bounds. Olivia Gadson hits a fourteen foot shot off the dribble in the lane to give Holt a 9-4 lead.

Chloe Buckley blocks a DeWitt layup; the Panthers recover the ball, but Breanna Cornelius steals the ball for the Rams. Holt misses a fast break layup. Chloe Buckley pulls down the offensive rebound for the Rams. Holt misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and DeWitt takes possession. DeWitt misses a threeball from the top of the key. Olivia Gadson passes to Grace Gaudard, who hits a layup to boost the Ram lead to 11-4.

DeWitt misses a layup. Golden Nicholson is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws for the Panthers. Ta’Shyra Evans sinks a threeball from the side to for Holt. Carly Dennis hits an eight foot shot in the lane for DeWitt to shave the Holt lead to 14-7.

Hold misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and DeWitt takes possession. Breanna Cornelius taps the ball away from DeWitt and causes a tieup. The Possession Arrow looks up from its needlepoint project and awards the ball to Holt. Carly Dennis knocks the ball away from Holt and Madison McDonald picks it up for DeWitt.

The Panthers miss a fast break layup. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow takes time away from changing its thread for the needlepoint project and awards the ball to Holt. Madison McDonald steals the ball for DeWitt. DeWitt misfires on a triple try from the side. Holt misfires on a triple try from the corner. DeWitt misses a six footer from the baseline. Madi Uyl blocks a Ram threeball from the top of the key as the first quarter buzzer announces its presence.

After one quarter, Holt holds a 14-7 lead.

DeWitt inbounds the ball to get the second quarter started. Madison McDonald passes to Tara Kurncz, who throws in a threeball from the top of the key for DeWitt. Olivia Gadson passes to Brenna Cornelius, who hits a layup for Holt. Vicky Palmer steals the ball for the Rams. Brenna Cornelius reacts quickly to prevent a loose ball from becoming a Ram turnover. Holt misses a three point shot from the top of the key and fouls on the rebound. DeWitt is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 6:20 to play in the first half, Holt has a 16-10 lead.

DeWitt gets the offensive rebound. Ryleigh Hanlin hits a three point shot shot from the top of the key for DeWitt. Holt misses a driving layup. Olivia Gadson snags the offensive rebound for the Rams. Holt misses a jumper from the free throw line. Tara Kurncz hits a threeball from the corner for DeWitt to tie the game at 16-16.

Holt misfires on a triple try from the corner. DeWitt misses a three pointer from the wing. Ryleigh Hanlin gets the offensive rebound for the Panthers. DeWitt misses a jump shot. Carly Dennis hits a putback to give her Panthers a two point lead. After a Holt timeout, the aggressive DeWitt defense forces Holt to turn the ball over for failing to inbound the ball in the required five seconds. Golden Nicholson passes to Jaynie English, who hits a three pointer from the side to give the Panthers a 21-16 lead.

Carly Dennis tips a Ram pass out of bounds; Holt retains possession. Holt misses a three pointer from the wing. Genevieve Nagel blocks a DeWitt fast break layup. Holt misses a fast break layup. Olivia Gadson steals the ball for Holt. The Rams commit an offensive foul. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the wing. Carly Dennis passes to Jaynie English, who throws in another threeball from the side to boost the DeWitt lead to 24-16.

Madi Uyl’s tough defense forces a Holt dribbler to lose the ball out of bounds. Madison McDonald passes to Jaynie English, who hits her third three point shot in about two minutes for DeWitt. Holt misses a heave at the buzzer. (Actually the ball was shot at the basket, not at the buzzer. Basketball cliches can be interesting sometimes. So is the Bleacher Denizen’s ability to make situations out of non-events.)

DeWitt has a 27-16 lead at halftime.

Breanna Cornelius leads Holt’s scoring at halftime with 7 points.

Tara Kurncz and Jaynie English each have 9 points for Holt.

Holt inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Chloe Buckley passes to Olivia Gadson, who throws in a threeball from the wing for the Rams. Allison Metzger dives and ties up the ball for the Rams. The Possession Arrow is tearing out some bad stitches from its needlepoint project and misses Ms. Metzger’s exemplary hustle. The ball is awarded to DeWitt. DeWitt misses a layup. Grace Gaudard passes to Allison Metzger, who hits a three point shot from the side for Holt to chop the DeWitt lead to 27-22.

Grace Goddard knocks the Panther inbound pass out of bounds; DeWitt retains possession. DeWitt drives the baseline and misses a reverse layup. Sophia Beland pulls down the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Chloe Buckley steals the ball for the Rams. Holt drives and dishes a pass out of bounds. Madi Uyl drives and hits a layup for the Panthers. Carly Dennis steals the ball for DeWitt. Madi Uyl drives and dishes the ball to Tara Kurncz, who hits a three point shot from the side to give DeWitt a 32-22 lead.

Holt misses a three pointer from the side. DeWitt misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Breanna Cornelius passes to Allison Metzger, who hits a layup for Holt. Ta’Shyra Evans plays tough defense and forces a DeWitt traveling violation. Madi Uyl plays tough defense and forces a Holt traveling violation. Olivia Gadson plays tough defense and forces a DeWitt traveling violation. (With all this traveling happening, I hope everyone has their updated Visas!)

Carly Dennis ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s musing about travel papers and steals the ball from Holt; she is fouled in the process. Carly Dennis drives and hits a layup for DeWitt. She is fouled on the play and hits her free throw to give DeWitt a 35-24 lead with just 15.6 seconds remaining in quarter number three.

Holt misses a three point shot from the side as the buzzer ends the quarter.

After three quarters, DeWitt has a 35-24 lead.

Holt inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. Ta’Shyra Evans passes to Allison Metzger, who spins and hits a layup for the Rams. DeWitt misses a three point shot from the side. Sophia Beland ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow is finishing up its project; it admires Ms. Beland’s tough defense and awards the ball to DeWitt. The Panthers are whistled for traveling. Carly Dennis tips a Ram pass, but Holt is able to recover. Holt misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Carly Dennis is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to boost DeWitt to a 37-26 lead with 5:28 left on the clock.

Sophia Boland knocks the ball away from Holt, but the Rams are able to recover. Breanna Cornelius is fouled on a fifteen foot shot from the wing and hits two free throws for Holt. Madison McDonald passes to Sophia Boland, who hits a layup for the Panthers. Holt misses a three point shot from the wing. Allison Metzger gets the offensive rebound for the Rams. Holt misses a layup. Chloe Buckley is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to trim the DeWitt lead to 39-30 with 4:16 to play.

Tara Kurncz drives and hits a layup for DeWitt. Sophia Boland’s fierce defense forces Holt to miss a layup. Tara Kurncz hits a fast break layup for DeWitt. Olivia Gadson drives and hits a reverse layup for Holt. Olivia Gadson steals the ball for the Rams. Holt misses a fast break layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Rams get another opportunity. Holt turns the ball over when the DeWitt defense keeps them from inbounding the ball in five seconds. Tara Kurncz is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to boost DeWitt to a 44-32 lead with 2:14 remaining in the game.

Sophia Boland knocks the ball away from Holt, but the Rams recover. Holt misses a three pointer from the wing. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow decrees that the ball belongs to Holt. Breanna Cornelius inbounds the ball to Grace Gaudard, who hits a layup for the Rams. Tara Kurncz is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to give DeWitt a 45-34 lead with 1:43 to go.

Breanna Cornelius drives and hits a layup for Holt. Grace Gaudard ties up the ball for Holt. The Possession Arrow is having a post-project snack and misses the play. The ball is awarded back to DeWitt. Sophia Boland is fouled and hits two free throws for DeWitt. Holt misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. Tara Kurncz is fouled on the rebound and hits two free throws. With 1:00 remaining, DeWitt holds a 49-36 lead.

Holt misses a driving layup. The rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow decides to let the Rams have the ball. Olivia Gadson hits a ten foot jumper off the dribble from the side of the lane for Holt. Madi Uyl is fouled and hits two free throws for DeWitt with just 31 seconds left. Holt misses a three pointer from the wing. DeWitt runs out the clock.

DeWitt wins this game 51-38 and moves into first place in the CAAC-Blue.

Breanna Cornelius led the Holt scoring with 11 points. Olivia Gadson contributed 9 points. Allison Metzger chipped in with 7 points. Grace Gaudard and Chloe Buckley each scored 4 points. Ta-Shyra Evans added 3 points.

DeWitt’s Tara Kurncz had 20 points to lead all scorers. Carly Dennis added 9 points. Jaynie English had three big three point baskets late in the second quarter when the Panthers opened up their lead for 9 points. Madi Uyl added 5 points. Sophia Beland tossed in 4 points. Ryleigh Hanlin put in 3 points. Golden Nicholson tallied 1 point.

I also covered the boys’ game tonight between Holt and DeWitt. Here is the play by play of the boys’ game.
https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2025/01/25/holt-at-dewitt-boys-basketball-the-bleacher-denizen-january-24-2025-by-chuck-krafft/