Grand Ledge at Waverly – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 10, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Today, the Bleacher Denizen’s journey (Some day I hope to have enough Gravitas to refer to my travels as an “odyssey”, but I am probably not there yet.) takes him to Waverly, where the Warriors will host the Comets from Grand Ledge. The Warriors are 7-2 in the CAAC-Blue and 15-3 overall. Grand Ledge is 5-5 in the CAAC-Blue and 8-9 overall.

Derek Thomas II is one of the top juniors in MIchigan. He is a fearsome rebounder and defender in the lane. He gets a lot of points on putbacks. He averages 18 points and 7 rebounds per game. DeShawnta Malone is a guard who averages 13.7 points, 3.2 assists and 3.3 steals.

Xavier Pendergrass is an excellent rebounder and interior player. He plays about the rim on offense and defense and gets a lot of slam dunks. Waverly presses a lot and relies on guards De’Shawnta Malone, Louie McCloud (two steals per game, Jaice Harris and Sean Chaplin along with Cayden Ali, D.J. Pope and C.J. Gomez to provide pressure. All of these guards are big threats from the three point line as well; Jaice Harris leads the team in made three pointers.

Both Derek Thomas II and Xavier Pendergrass are excellent shot blockers who make interior scoring tough for Waverly opponents.

Kam Amunga, Robert Dorsey III and Mykell Jackson provide a lot of energy when they join the Warrior lineup.

Grand Ledge Coach Luke Charter provided me with this information about his Comet players. Carson Daly is a senior guard in his third year on the varsity. He is a solid ball handler and hits the three point shot consistently. Alex Moran is the team’s leading scorer. He is a threat to score on slashes to the basket or from the three point line. He is also an excellent passer. James Braden is a 6’8″ tough player who scores, rebounds and defends well in the post. He is also capable of defending on the perimeter.

Maddox Newberg is a tall player who rebounds and defends well in the post. He scores a lot on putbacks and other situations where he can take advantage of an opportunity. Isaac Hansbarger is a tough perimeter defender. Izaiah O’Dell is a post defender who brings great energy to the Comet lineup. He runs the floor and rebounds well. He scores in the post and on fast breaks. Kingston Nixon is a tough perimeter defender who is tough to stop when he slashes to the basket, but unfortunately, he is ill tonight and will not play.

I got to the freshman game in time to see the last couple minutes. Grand Ledge beat the Waverly freshmen 53-48.

Jaylen Walker led the Waverly freshmen with 24 points. Makai Watts supported his teammate with 13 points. Antonio Botello added 6 points. Marcellis Taylor put in 3 points and Andrew Williams tallied 2 points.

Jackson Halloran led the Grand Ledge freshmen with 20 points. Hudson Miller chipped in with 13 points. Emmet Miller scored 6 points. Carter Ordiway and Benjamin Erspamer each added 4 points. Rylen Richey and Cameron Boruta each had 3 points.

The JV game proved to be an exciting affair. Waverly started the game with a 7-1 lead, but Grand Ledge tied the game at 9-9. The game was tied at 11-11 after one quarter. Waverly outscored Grand Ledge by two points in the second quarter and had a 32-30 lead at halftime.

The JV Warriors pushed their lead to 3 points at 48-45 during the third quarter. The teams battled pretty evenly in the fourth quarter. Waverly hit a three point shot to go up 55-51 with around 4:00 left in the game. Grand Ledge’s Tyler Terranova was fouled and hit two free throws. Waverly then committed an offensive foul. Calvin Lynch passed to Zachary Bloomer-Samuels, who was fouled on a layup and hit one of his two free throws to close Waverly’s lead to one point at 55-54 with 2:46 left.

Waverly missed a layup. Zachary Bloomer-Samuels hit a fast break layup to give Grand Ledge a one point lead. Julio Nadeau hit a layup to retake the lead for Waverly. Grand Ledge missed a three point shot. Tyler Terranova blocked a Waverly layup. Waverly recovered and was fouled on a layup, but missed two free throws. With 1:23 left on the clock, Waverly had a 57-56 lead.

Tre Burton grabbed the offensive rebound for the Warriors. Tyler Terranova knocked the ball away from Waverly and Jayden Davis picked it up for Grand Ledge. Jayden Davis was fouled and hit two free throws for Grand Ledge to retake the lead. Julio Nadeau was fouled and hit one of his two free throws for Waverly to tie the game at 58-58 with 44.3 seconds to go.

After a timeout, Grand Ledge missed a jump shot near the top of the key. Waverly then took a time out. Tyler Terranova stole the ball for Grand Ledge. All Grand Ledge had time to do was throw up a long, long shot; it missed and the game went into overtime tied at 58-58.

Grand Ledge won the opening tap in overtime. The Comets missed a layup. Tre Burton passed to Julio Nadeau, who hit a layup to give the lead to the Warriors. He was fouled on the play, but missed his free throw. Grand Ledge missed a twelve foot shot from the side. Julio Nadeau is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to boost Waverly to a 61-58 lead with 3:07 left in overtime.

Jamel Kihara forced a tieup; the Possession Arrow gave the ball to Grand Ledge. Martez Jackson drove and hit a layup to give Waverly a five point lead. Martez Jackson blocked a Grand Ledge driving layup; the loose ball went out of bounds and the Comets got another possession. Tyler Terranova passed to Zachary Bloomer-Samuels, who hit a layup, was fouled and sunk his free throw to cut the Waverly lead to 63-61 with 2:15 left in overtime.

Tre Burton passed to Julio Nadeau, who hit a layup to open the Waverly lead back to four points. Zachary Bloomer-Samuels passed to Jayden Davis, who hit a three pointer from the wing for Grand Ledge to chop the Waverly lead to one point.

Zachary Bloomer-Samuels stole the ball for Grand Ledge, but fell out of bounds. Tre Burton passed to a Warrior teammate, who was fouled on a layup, but missed both his free throws. Brayden Sinko hit a three point shot from the wing to give the Comets a 67-65 lead.

Waverly committed a traveling violation. Martez Jackson and Tre Burton ferociously double teamed Grand Ledge and knocked the inbound pass off the Comets and out of bounds. Waverly took possession. The Warriors missed a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Grand Ledge was fouled on the rebound, but missed two free throws. Brayden Sinko hit one of his two free throws to give his Comets a 68-65 lead with 11.5 seconds to play in overtime.

Tre Burton was fouled on a threeball and hit one of his three free throws to trim the Comet lead to 68-66 with 2.9 seconds remaining in the overtime period. In a flash, Tre Burton stole the ball and seemingly in one motion, threw it at and through the basket from past the three point line as the buzzer sounded to end the game to give the Warrior JVs a 69-68 overtime win!

Jayden Davis led the Comet JVs with 18 points. Tyler Terranova scored 14 points and Brayden Sinko contributed 13 points. Anthony Baker put ten points through the hoop. Omaka Smith added 7 points Zachary Bloomer-Samuels put in 6 points.

Martez Jackson led the victorious Warrior JVs with 17 points. Tre Burton and Umar Broom each supported their teammate with 16 points. Julio Nadeau contributed 10 points. Eric Cooper put in 4 points. Makai Watts and Manny Easterly each tallied 3 points.

It is now time to learn of the results of this game through the somewhat open eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he played basketball in the ancient times when he was considered “young.” While your Bleacher Denizen was consistent about getting outside shots up, his Coach was strangely insistent that a lot of the shots actually needed to fall through the hoop. Alas, this led to the Bleacher Denizen rather quickly losing his playing time.

Waverly wins the opening tap. DeShawnta Malone passes to Derek Thomas II, who hits a twelve foot shot in the lane to give Waverly the first two points of the game. Isaac Hansburger passes to Carson Daly, who hits a three pointer from the corner to give the Comets a one point lead. Waverly is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. With 7:05 remaining in the opening quarter, Grand Ledge keeps its 3-2 lead.

De’Shawnta Malone steals the ball for the Warriors. Waverly misses a driving reverse layup. Grand Ledge misfires on a triple try from the wing. Maddox Newburg gets the offensive rebound for the Comets. Grand Ledge throws a pass out of bounds. Waverly misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Louie McCloud gets his hand on the ball, but the Comet dribbler is able to retain possession. Grand Ledge misses a ten foot turnaround shot from the side of the lane.

Waverly misses a threeball from the wing. Grand Ledge reciprocates and misses a threeball from the wing. De’Shawnta Malone passes to Derek Thomas II, who hits an eight foot banked shot from the side for Waverly. Grand Ledge is whistled for a three second violation. Derek Thomas drives and hits a layup for Waverly. He is fouled on the play and sinks his free throw to make the score Derek Thomas 7 Grand Ledge 3 with 4:04 to play in the opening quarter.

Izaiah O’Dell passes to Maddox Newburg, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Grand Ledge. Izaiah O’Dell knocks the ball away from Waverly, but the Warriors recover. Waverly throws a pass out of bounds. Sean Chaplin knocks the ball out of bounds; Grand Ledge retains possession. De’Shawnta Malone knocks the ball away from Grand Ledge and Xavier Pendergrass picks it up for Waverly. The Warriors miss a fast break layup. Carson Daly hits a reverse layup to give Grand Ledge the lead. De’Shawnta Malone passes to Derek Thomas II, who hits a layup for the Warriors. The score is now Derek Thomas II 9 Grand Ledge 8.

De’Shawnta Malone forces a tieup. The Possession Arrow is practicing archery; it is pulling the drawstring back as Mr. Malone makes his play and does not see the fine defense. The ball is awarded to Grand Ledge. Alex Moran drives and hits a layup to give the lead to Grand Ledge. Sean Chaplin drives and hits an eight foot shot in the lane to give Waverly an 11-10 lead.

Grand Ledge misfires on a threeball from the wing. Waverly misses a driving reverse layup. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow pauses between its archery practice shots and awards the ball to Waverly. Carson Daly blocks a Warrior layup. Louie McCloud harasses Grand Ledge and nearly steals the ball, but the Comets do not turn it over. Just before the buzzer, a Grand Ledge layup is negated by a traveling violation.

After one quarter, Waverly has an 11-10 lead.

Grand Ledge has the ball to open the second quarter. Xavier Pendergrass steals the ball for Waverly. The Warriors miss a layup. Grand Ledge drives the baseline and misses a reverse layup. Waverly misses a threeball from the wing. Carson Daly drives from the side and hits a layup to give his Comets a 12-11 lead.

Sean Chaplin gets into the lane and hits a twelve foot shot for the Warriors to retake the lead. Grand Ledge misses a threeball from the top of the key and fouls on the rebound. Sean Chaplin blocks a Comet layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Waverly takes possession. Sean Chaplin passes to Derek Thomas II, who takes a hard dribble and hits a layup to give Waverly a 15-12 lead.

Sean Chaplin steals the ball for Waverly. The Warriors miss a layup. Kameron Amunga is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to push Waverly to a 17-12 lead with 5:10 to play in the second quarter.

Sean Chaplin steals the ball for Waverly. Carson Daly steals the ball for Grand Ledge. He throws a long pass to Izaiah O’Dell, who dunks the ball for Grand Ledge. Carson Daly steals the ball for the Comets. Alex Moran passes to Carson Daly, who hits a layup to cut the Waverly lead to one point. Waverly misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. Maddox Newburg hits a layup to give his Comets an 18-17 lead.

Waverly misses a layup. Grand Ledge misses a driving layup. Sean Chaplin drives and hits an acrobatic layup where he leaps and slings the basketball around to confuse defenders before depositing the ball into the basket to give the lead back to the Comets. De’Shawnta Malone steals the ball for the Warriors and hits a fast break layup. Alex Moran drives and hits a layup for Grand Ledge. Jaice Harris passes to Derek Thomas II, who hits a jump shot from the free throw line to give Waverly a 23-20 lead.

Xavier Pendergrass steals the ball for the Warriors. Waverly misses a fast break layup and fouls on the rebound. Grand Ledge misfires on a triple try from the corner. Derek Thomas II is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give Waverly 24-20 lead with 49.2 seconds remaining in the half.

Grand Ledge misses a layup. De’Shawnta Malone drives and hits a layup for Waverly. Grand Ledge does not have time to shoot before the halftime buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, Waverly has a 26-20 lead.

Carson Daly leads the Grand Ledge halftime scoring with 9 points and Maddox Newburg has 5 points.

Derek Thomas II leads Grand Ledge with 14 points and Sean Chaplin has 6 points.

Waverly inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Jaice Harris passes to Xavier Pendergrass, who hits a short hook in the lane for Waverly. Grand Ledge misfires on a triple try from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Comets get another opportunity. De’Shawnta Malone, whose fierce defense has been constant today, harasses a Grand Ledge ball handler into losing the ball out of bounds. Xavier Pendergrass passes to Derek Thomas II, who spins and banks in a six foot shot from the side to give Waverly a 30-20 lead.

Maddox Newburg hits a three point shot from the corner for Grand Ledge. Waverly misses a three point shot from the corner. De’Shawnta Malone steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Waverly. Derek Thomas knocks the ball out of bounds and Waverly takes possession. The Warriors miss a threeball from the corner. Jaice Harris steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to push the Warriors to a 34-23 lead.

Isaac Handsburger passes the ball to Maddox Newburg, who dunks the ball for the Comets. Louie McCloud passes the ball to Derek Thomas II, who hits a reverse layup for Waverly. Derek Thomas II steals the ball for Waverly. The Warrior miss a fast break dunk. Maddox Newburg passes to Braden James, who is fouled on a twelve foot shot in the lane. Braden James hits two free throws to trim the Waverly lead to 36-27 with 3:31 to play in quarter number three.

Waverly misses a three pointer from the corner. Derek Thomas II pulls down the offensive rebound for the Warriors. He passes to Xavier Pendergrass, who hits a reverse layup for Waverly and is fouled. He makes his free throw. Grand Ledge misses a three point shot from the corner. Jaice Harris throws a long pass to Xavier Pendergrass, who hits a fast break layup, is fouled and sinks his free throw to boost the Warriors to a 42-27 lead with 2:46 to go in quarter number three.

Grand Ledge misses a three pointer from the corner. Waverly loses a pass out of bounds. Grand Ledge misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Carson Daly snags the offensive rebound for the Comets. Grand Ledge misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Waverly misses a twelve footer from the baseline. Grand Ledge misses a threeball from the side. De’Shawnta Malone drives and dishes to Xavier Pendergrass, who hits a layup to give Waverly a 44-27 lead.

Grand Ledge misses a threeball from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Comets get another opportunity. Kameron Amunga knocks the Comet inbound pass out of bounds; Grand Ledge retains possession. Maddox Newburg passes to Hayto Yoshida, who hits a reverse layup for Grand Ledge. Waverly misses a threeball from the corner as the buzzer tells us all the quarter number three has come to a conclusion.

After three quarters, Waverly has as 44-29 lead.

Grand Ledge has the ball to open the final quarter. Maddox Newburg drives and hits a layup for the Comets. Waverly misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline and fouls on the rebound. Xavier Pendergrass knocks the ball away from Grand Ledge and De’Shawnta Malone picks it up for Waverly. De’Shawnta Malone hits a fast break layup for the Warriors. Grand Ledge commits an offensive foul. De’Shawnta Malone hits a twelve foot turnaround shot from the side of the lane to give Waverly a 48-31 lead.

Carson Daly passes to Alex Moran, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for Grand Ledge. Waverly commits an over and back violation. Grand Ledge misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Waverly gets the ball. Cayden Ali drives and dishes the ball to Xavier Pendergrass, who hits a layup for Waverly. Sean Chaplin steals the ball and passes to Cayden Ali, who hits a layup to give Waverly a 54-34 lead.

Maddox Newburg is fouled on a shot and hits one of his two free throws for Grand Ledge. Sean Chaplin drives and hits a layup for Waverly. Xavier Pendergrass defends fiercely in the post and forces Grand Ledge to miss a layup. Alex Moran steals the ball for Grand Ledge. Isaac Hansbarger passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup and misses two free throws. With 4:08 remaining in the contest, Waverly has a 56-35 lead.

Braden James steals the ball for Grand Ledge. C.J. Gomez steals the ball for Waverly and hits a fast break layup. Grand Ledge is whistled for a traveling violation. Waverly misses a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Waverly steals the ball. The Warriors are fouled on a layup and miss two free throws. With 3:27 left on the clock, Waverly has a 58-35 lead.

Kameron Amunga throws the rebound off a Grand Ledge player to earn another possession for Waverly. C.J. Gomez drives and dishes the ball to Cayden Ali, who sinks a threeball from the corner for Waverly. Grand Ledge misses a layup. Caden Taylor hits a putback for the Comets. Cayden Ali is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to boost the Warriors to a 63-37 lead with 2:44 remaining.

Kameron Amunga knocks the Comet inbound pass out of bounds; Grand Ledge retains possession. D.J. Pope and C.J. Gomez knock the ball out of bounds; Grand Ledger retains possession. Hayato Yoshida is fouled and hits two free throws for Grand Ledge to shave the Waverly lead to 63-39 with 2:34 to play.

Hayato Yoshida steals the ball for the Comets. D.J. Pope steals the ball for Waverly. Sean Chaplin hits a fast break layup for the Warriors. Jace Conaty is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for Grand Ledge. Sean Chaplin passes to Kameron Amunga, who hits a fast break layup for Waverly Jace Conaty hits a three point shot from the wing for Grand Ledge. Mi’Kell Jackson is fouled and hits two free throws for Waverly to boost his Comets to a 69-43 lead with 1:34 left in the game.

Jace Conaty passes to Hayato Yoshida, who hits a three point shot for the Comets. DeShon Minor blocks a Grand Ledge layup. C.J. Gomez steals the ball and is fouled. He makes two free throws and Waverly leads 71-46 with 1:02 left on the clock.

D.J. Pope knocks the ball away from Grand Ledge and C.J. Gomez picks it up for Waverly. DeShon Minor briefly steals the ball for Grand Ledge, but steps on the sideline. Jace Conaty steals the ball and hits a three point shot from the corner for Grand Ledge. Waverly drives and dishes a pass out of bounds. Grand Ledge misses a threeball from the side. Jace Conaty steals the ball and hits a layup for Grand Ledge. Waverly commits a traveling violation. Grand Ledge misses a three point shot from the corner. Waverly rebounds the ball as the final buzzer puts an end to the proceedings.

Waverly wins this game by the final score of 71-51.

Maddox Newburg led the Grand Ledge scoring with 13 points. Carson Daly and Jace Conaty each chipped in with 9 points. Alex Moran and Yoshida Hayato each scored 7 points. Caden Taylor, Izaiah O’Dell and James Braden each tallied 2 points.

Derek Thomas II led the Waverly scoring with 18 points. Xavier Pendergrass contributed 12 points. De’Shawnta Malone and Sean Chaplin each joined their teammates in double figures with 10 points each. Cayden Ali tossed in 9 points. C.J. Gomex and Kameron Amunga each added 4 points. Jaice Harris and Mi’Kell Jackson each had 2 points.