Fowler vs. Muskegon Heights Academy – – Boys Basketball – – MHSAA Regional Final – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 6, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is headed to Sacred Heart Academy in Mt. Pleasant to watch the Regional Final between the Tigers of Muskegon Heights Academy and the Eagles of Fowler. Muskegon Heights Academy enters this game with a 9-10 record that is a bit misleading because they have won their last seven games in a row. Fowler is 19-3 and ranked in the Top Ten of Michigan Division 4 Boys Basketball Teams.

I have seen Fowler play a number of times this season and with help from Coach Kameron Riley, I have learned this about the Fowler players.

Jacob Halfmann is the point guard for the Eagles; this is his fourth year in the Eagle starting lineup. He is an excellent athlete, but his best trait may just be his confident, focused and poised presence. He never gets too excited for the moment while he always competes hard. He is a tough, quick and agile perimeter defender who is tall and strong enough to defend in the post when the situation requires it. On offense, he is a great ball handler who makes consistently good decisions. He is able to drive to the basket to score and is also a major threat from the three point line.

Alex Halfmann, Jacob’s cousin is another four year starter for the Eagles. He is a big, strong guy who plays in the post. He is a stifling post defender and a strong rebounder. On offense, he gets a lot of putbacks and inside scores. He is also able to hit shots from the three point line if opponents leave him open from there.

Asher Koenigsknecht is an excellent perimeter defender, who is confident, quick and focused. He generates a lot of turnovers from Eagle opponents. On offense, he handles the ball and passes well enough to function as a second point guard. He is a good shooter who can also slash to the basket to score.

Aaron Simon has a great three point shot. He is capable of getting hot, hot, hot and making bunches of three point shots in a short period. He is also a solid perimeter defender and keeps the ball moving in the Eagle offense. Joe Epkey provides Fowler with another big defensive and rebounding presence in the post.

Isaac Thelen is a versatile defender who can cover any position on the floor. He is also a steady rebounder. Jonah Thelen is a good offensive player who can slash to the basket or shoot accurately from the three point line. Augustine Spitzley is tall and quick. He is a great defender either in the post or on the perimeter where his length and quickness can be challenging for opposing ball handlers. Dylan Pline plays solid perimeter defense.

Today was a nice drive and the BleacherDenizenMobile made the trip from Lansing to the gym at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart with no problems. Sacred Heart’s gym is always fun to visit. There are a lot of banners commemorating lots of State Championships and State Runner-Up finishes in many sports all over the walls!

Coach Del Stewart from Muskegon Heights was really friendly and provided me with this information about his Tiger players.

Jamarion Taylor is a tremendous athlete who plays on the wing for the Tigers. He defends well either on the perimeter or the post. He is a tough rebounder and he blocks a lot of shots. Cardair Vance is a point guard who is an explosive athlete. He is really quick and uses this quickness to get a lot of steals and to score off the dribble. Robert Wallace is a tough perimeter defender with an accurate three point shot.

D’Marion Buchanan is strong defender and rebounder in the post. Willie Hector is a point guard who handles the ball well and plays fine defense on the perimeter. He is an accurate free throw shooter. Tayshaun Moody is an excellent on-ball perimeter defender. Marcus Bradford is a solid post defender and rebounder. Cardiyah Harris is a freshman who is already on the varsity. He is able to defend on the perimeter or on the post and is already a solid rebounder.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the occasionally alert eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in the ancient times when many considered him to be “young.” He was showing a lot of promise dunking the basketball, but when the basketball powers that be raised the rim from five feet to ten feet, the Bleacher Denizen’s elevation was not sufficient. His playing time was cut drastically. Alas, all that time spent practicing windmill dunks ended up not helping much.

Fowler wins the opening tap, but is quickly called for a double dribble violation. Muskegon Heights misses an eight foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. Willie Hector is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead with 7:41 remaining in the opening quarter.

Jacob Halfmann drives the baseline and hits a reverse layup for Fowler to tie the game. Muskegon Heights misses a layup. Fowler misfires on a triple try from the side. Jamarion Taylor gets into the lane and hits an eight foot shot to give for the Tigers. Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. Jamarion Taylor drives and hits a layup to give Muskegon Heights a 6-2 lead.

Alex Halfmann passes to Aaron Simon, who hits a three pointer from the wing for Fowler. Aaron Simon steals the ball for the Eagles. Joe Epkey passes to Aaron Simon, who hits a fast break layup to give Fowler the lead. Jacob Halfmann blocks a Tiger six foot shot from the side. The ball is tied up. The Possession Arrow decrees that Muskegon Heights shall have the ball.

Asher Koenigsknecht taps the ball away from the Tigers, but Muskegon Heights is able to recover. The Tigers miss a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Jacob Halfmann drives, spins, and hits a reverse layup to give Fowler a 9-6 lead.

Joe Epikey steals a Tiger pass. Asher Koenigsknecht drives and dishes the ball to Alex Halfmann, who hits a layup for Fowler. Robert Wallace drives and hits an eight foot shot from the side for Muskegon Heights. D’Marion Buchanan gets a hand on the ball and Cardair Vance picks it up for Muskegon Heights. The Tigers miss a fast break layup. Fowler reciprocates and misses a fast break layup. Alex Halfmann hits a putback to give the Eagles a 13-8 lead.

A Tiger dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Jacob Halfmann passes to Aaron Simon, who hits a threeball from the corner for Fowler. Jacob Halfmann briefly steals the ball for Fowler, but Muskegon Heights quickly takes it back. Joe Epkey steals the ball for the Eagles. Asher Koenigsknecht throws in a threeball from the corner to boost the Eagle lead to 19-8.

Muskegon Heights misses an eighteen foot shot near the top of the key. Jacob Halfmann is fouled hard on a layup and hits two free throws for Fowler. Robert Wallace drives and hits a layup for Muskegon Heights. Aaron Simon hits a shot off the dribble from the free throw line for Fowler. Muskegon is assessed with a traveling violation. Dylan Pline bursts into the lane and hits a ten foot shot to give Fowler a 25-10 lead.

Willie Hector drives and dishes the ball to Robert Wallace, who hits a three pointer from the corner for Muskegon Heights. Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. Isaac Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses an eight foot banked shot. Joe Epkey grabs the offensive rebound for Fowler. The Eagles miss a three point shot from the side. Muskegon Heights misses a three point shot from the corner as the opening quarter buzzer says it’s time to pause.

After one quarter, Fowler holds a 25-13 lead.

Fowler inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. Cardair Vance knocks the ball out of bounds; Fowler retains possession. The Eagles commit an offensive foul. Muskegon Heights misses a layup. Jemarion Taylor blocks a Fowler layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Tigers take possession. Dylan Pline, Alex Halfmann, and Joe Epkey surround a Tiger player and steal the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Tigers take possession.

Alex Halfmann blocks a Tiger shot. Marcus Bradford grabs the loose ball and hits a layup for Muskegon Heights. Fowler misses a jump shot. Alex Halfmann pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Joe Epkey passes to Alex Halfmann, who hits a reverse layup to give the Eagles a 27-15 lead.

Muskegon Heights misses a driving layup. Tayshaun Moody ties up the ball for the Tigers. The Possession Arrow admires his hustle and awards the ball to Muskegon Heights. Alex Halfmann steals a Tiger pass. The Eagles fumble a pass out of bounds. Muskegon Heights misses a three point shot from the wing. Jacob Halfmann drives the baseline and hits a layup for Fowler to boost the Eagle lead to 29-15.

Jacob Halfmann gets a hand on the ball, but Willie Hector saves it for the Tigers. Muskegon Heights misses a layup. Fowler reciprocates and misses a layup. Joe Epkey hits a putback for Fowler. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to give his Eagles a 32-15 lead with 3:18 to play in the second quarter.

Muskegon Heights drives and tries to scoop in a layup, but is called for traveling. Willie Hector steals the ball and hits a layup for the Tigers. Joe Epkey passes to Alex Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Fowler. Dylan Pline draws a charging foul from the Tigers. Fowler misses a three point shot from the top of the key. A Tiger pass receiver steps on the sideline.

Fowler misfires on a triple try from the wing. Aaron Simon confronts a Tiger dribbler at midcourt and forces a turnover. Aaron Simon passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Fowler. Willie Hector passes to Jamarion Taylor, who is fouled on an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. Jamarion Taylor hits one of his two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 38-18 with 47.3 seconds remaining in the half.

Fowler runs clock for some time and then misses a three pointer from the corner. Joe Epkey hits a putback for the Eagles as the halftime buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, Fowler has a 40-18 lead.

Robert Wallace has 7 points for Muskegon Heights at halftime and Jamarion Taylor has 7 points.

Jacob Halfmann leads Fowler’s scoring at halftime with 11 points. Aaron Simon has 10 points and Alex Halfmann has 9 points. Joe Epkey has 5 points.

Muskegon Heights inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Tigers fumble a pass out of bounds. Aaron Simon passes to Asher Koenigsknecht, who hits a three pointer from the side for Fowler. Muskegon Heights misses a layup. Asher Koenigsknecht hits a fast break layup for Fowler. Jamarion Taylor passes to Willie Hector, who hits a jump shot from the free throw line to trim the Fowler lead to 45-20.

Fowler misses a jump shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Fowler drives and misses a six foot shot in the lane. Joe Epkey steals a Tiger pass. Fowler msises a three point shot from the corner. Muskegon Heights misses a fast break layup. Willie Hector steals the ball for the Tigers. Muskegon Heights misses a layup. Alex Halfmann passes to Asher Koenigsknecht, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost the Fowler lead to 48-20.

Muskegon Heights misses a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the baseline. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler takes possession. The Eagles commit an offensive foul. Marcus Bradford drives and hits a layup for the Tigers. He is fouled on the play and sinks his free throw. With 4:47 left in quarter number three, Fowler has a 48-23 lead.

Aggressive defense by Cardair Vance and Robert Wallace forces Fowler to call timeout to prevent a turnover. Fowler fumbles a pass out of bounds. Jacob Halfmann knocks the ball away from Muskegon Heights and Aaron Simon picks it up for Fowler. Fowler misses a fast break layup. Muskegon Heights misfires on a threeball from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball. Alex Halfmann gets into the lane, spins and hits a layup to push the Fowler lead to 50-23.

Muskegon Heights misses a three pointer from the wing and fouls on the rebound. Alex Halfmann drives the baseline and hits a layup for Fowler. Muskegon Heights misses a seventeen foot shot from the wing. Fowler misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Alex Halfmann hits a putback for the Eagles. Muskegon Heights misses a three point shot from the side. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Muskegon Heights is fouled on a fast break layup, but misses two free throws. With 1:17 to go in quarter number three, Fowler’s lead is at 54-23.

Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. Isaac Thelen hits a putback for the Eagles. Jamarion Taylor gets into the lane, rises, leans back and hits a twelve foot shot for Muskegon Heights. Dylan Pline passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a layup for Fowler. Dylan Pline steals the ball as the buzzer decides to end quarter number three.

With three quarters in the books, Fowler has a 58-25 lead.

Fowler inbounds the ball to open the final quarter. The Eagles miss a three pointer from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and Muskegon Heights takes possession. The Tigers miss a threeball from the wing. Jonah Thelen passes to Asher Koenigsknecht, who is cutting to the basket. Asher Koenigsknecht hits a layup for the Eagles to boost their lead to 60-25.

Muskegon Heights is whistled for an offensive foul. Alex Halfmann passes to Asher Koenigsknecht, who hits a three point shot from the side for the Eagles. Muskegon Heights is fouled on a twelve foot shot from the side, but misses two free throws. With 6:37 left on the clock, Fowler has a 63-25 lead.

Jacob Halfmann is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws for Fowler. Muskegon Heights misses a ten foot shot from the side. Aaron Simon hits a fast break layup for Fowler. Muskegon Heights misses a three point shot from the wing. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Muskegon Heights misses a layup. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow allocates the ball to the Tigers. Robert Wallace hits a three point shot from the side to trim the Fowler lead to 66-28.

Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for Fowler. He is fouled on the play, but missres his free throw. The rebound from the missed free throw goes out of bounds and Fowler gets another possession. Dylan Pline passes to Aiden Riley, who hits a layup for the Eagles. Muskegon Heights misses a driving layup. Jamarion Taylor pulls down the offensive rebound for the Tigers. Muskegon Heights misses a layup. Ford Phillips passes to Aidan Riley, who hits a layup for Fowler and is fouled, but misses his free throw. With about 2:00 left in the game, Fowler’s lead is at 72-28.

Cardair Vance hits a twelve foot shot from the side for Muskegon Heights. Dylan Pline passes to Gavin Luark, who fakes a shot, takes a dribble and hits a three point shot from the side for Fowler. Cardair Vance throws in a threeball from the wing for the Tigers. Dylan Pline is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to give Fowler a 76-33 lead with 1:13 remaining.

Cardair Vance is fouled on a three point attempt near the top of the key and hits two of his three free throws for Muskegon Heights. Fowler dribbles out the final 54.3 seconds.

Fowler wins this game by the final score of 76-35 and will play Bellaire in the State Quarterfinal on Tuesday night.

Robert Wallace led the Muskegon Heights scoring with 10 points. Cardair Vance and Jamarion Taylor each contributed 7 points. Willie Hector added 6 points and Marcus Bradford scored 5 points.

Asher Koenigsknecht and Jacob Halfmann each scored 16 points to lead Fowler. Alex Halfmann contributed 15 points. Aaron Simon chipped in with 12 points. Joe Epkey tossed in 5 points. Aidan Riley added 4 points. Dylan Pline and Gavin Luark each put in 3 points. Isaac Thelen tallied 2 points.