Bath at Pewamo-Westphalia – – CMAC Girls Basketball Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 15, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is headed out to Pewamo-Westphalia High School where the hometown Pirates will host the Bees from Bath. Bath and Pewamo-Westphalia are tied at the top of the CMAC Girls Basketball race with 6-0 records. Bath is a perfect 8-0 overall on the season while Pewamo-Westphalia is 7-1 with only a loss to Division 2 Power Flint Powers on its record.

Grange Road is the road that leads from I-96 to Westphalia and then to Pewamo-Westphalia High School. I have always wondered if this is the road the Beatles sang about in “The Long and Winding Road.” Grange Road winds through about eight miles of farms, at least one cemetery and a few woods. In the winter, when it is icy, it can be a real challenge to stay on the road.

I was truly relieved when I saw Grange Road had almost no ice or snow on it. Your Bleacher Denizen easily got through Grange Road and made it to the high school. I guess right now, the score is Bleacher Denizen 1 Grange Road 0, but the road gets another crack at me when I have to drive home!

I got to the game and was delighted to see that the golden-throated Brandt Buckley would be using his dulcet tones to announce the game. Of course, his brother Nathan is here to play music during the breaks, too. These young guys are doing a great job with their media company!

I saw Pewamo-Westphalia earlier this season against Portland St. Patrick. Coach Steve Eklund provided this information about his Pirate players.

Four-year Senior Starter Elly Bengel is a great three point shooter who handles the ball well and is a tough perimeter defender. Adrianna Eklund is a tall versatile defender who is tall enough to defend the post and quick enough to defend the perimeter. She is also a good ball handler and three point shooter. Alonna Thelen defends the perimeter well. She is also effective either slashing to the basket or shooting from the three point line.

Renell Eklund is an excellent post defender and rebounder. She is also great at passing out of the post to teammates who are open for three point shots. Brenne Thelen is a tough perimeter defender and dependable ball handler who can shoot the three point shot well. Peyton Eklund is an accurate three point shooter.

Bath Coach Gabe Sowa provided this information about his undefeated Bees.

Africa Beltran is a senior exchange student who is an excellent all-around guard. She handles the ball well, drives to the basket well, sees the floor, passes well and can score from the three point line or on drives to the basket where she has creative ways to finish her layups. Anna Poppema is a tall wing player who defends the perimeter well. She has an excellent three point shot.

Eva Arambula is a defensive specialist who nearly always guards the opponent’s best player. She is tall and tough enough to defend in the post and quick enough to cover guards on the perimeter. Addi Duflo has a great three point shot. Aubrey Dunckel is a tough post defender who gives the Bees another good three point shooter.

Olivia Brimley scores, rebounds and defends well in the post. Faith Hughes and Harper Williams are good perimeter defenders who are good three point shooters.

I was here in time to see the JV game. P-W took a 15-10 lead after one quarter and extended the lead to 32-23 at halftime. P-W took control of the game in the third quarter and finished the game with a 57-39 win.

Norah Ojerio led the Bath JVs with 14 points. Jaydin Barber supported her teammate with 8 points. Amelia Briggs contributed 6 points. Mya Vietzke and Alison Montri each put in 3 points. Teagan Kuykendall and Hattie LaLonde each scored 2 points. Courtney Lawhorne tallied 1 point.

Dakota Trierweiler led the victorious Pirate JVs with 13 points. Marlana Weber joined her teammate in double figures with 10 points. Lauren Nurenberg pitched in with 9 points. Adelyn Thelen added 8 points and Sidney Thelen contributed 7 points. Joslyn Smith scored 6 points. Amelia Winter and Julia Paxton each tossed in 2 points.

It is now time to look at the events of this game through the somewhat observant eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in times past. It seems that he could never understand that while effective defends includes watching your man, it also includes following him if he moves away from you. (Especially if he is near the basket.) Alas, your Bleacher Denizen lost his playing time to those who actually moved when it was necessary for effective defense.

The opening tap is not controlled cleanly by either team, but Bath finally comes up with the ball. Brenna Thelen gets her hand on the ball and knocks it out of bounds; Bath retains possession. Adrianna Eklund steals the ball for the Pirates. (I love typing that sentence; what else would a good Pirate do??) Adrianna Eklund ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s self-congratulation and scores a fast break layup to give her Pirates a 2-0 lead.

Alonna Thelen steals the ball for P-W. Africa Beltran blocks a P-W fast break layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and the Pirates get another opportunity. P-W misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Adrianna Eklund pulls down the offensive rebound for P-W. The Pirates lose the ball out of bounds. Elly Bengel knocks the Bee inbound pass out of bounds; the Pirates take possession. The Eklund connection comes alive as Renell Eklund passes to Adrianna Eklund, who hits a layup to give P-W a 4-0 lead.

Bath is called for a traveling violation. P-W misses a driving layup. Addi Duflo passes to Aubrey Dunckel, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to cut the P-W lead to 4-2 with 6:12 to go in the opening quarter.

The Pirates miss a threeball from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and Bath takes possession. Bath beats the P-W press, but travels as they start their play. P-W misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Africa Beltran passes to Anna Poppema, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Bath a 5-4 lead.

Elly Bengel passes to Alonna Thelen, who throws in a threeball from the corner to retake the lead for the Pirates. Alonna Thelen steals the ball for the Pirates. P-W misfires on a triple try from the side. P-W gets the offensive rebound and Renell Eklund hits a layup for the Pirates. Bath misses a driving six foot shot in the lane. P-W misses a layup. Brenna Thelen grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates.

P-W misses a layup. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow is packing its suitcases for a Florida vacation. It looks up and decrees that the Pirates shall have the ball. P-W misses a three pointer from the wing. Elyse Thelen grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Renell Eklund is fouled on a shot and hits two free throws to give P-W an 11-5 lead with 3:24 to play in the opening period.

Africa Beltran is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for the Bees. Elyse Thelen is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give P-W a 13-6 lead with 2:43 to play in the first quarter.

Bath misses a three point shot from the wing. Addi Duflo gets the offensive rebound for the Bees. Adrianna Eklund gets her hand on the ball, knocks it to herself and streaks down the court to hit a fast break layup for the Pirates. Bath commits an offensive foul. Eva Arambula’s tough defense forces a Pirate traveling violation. Bath misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Adrianna Eklund drives and hits a layup to give P-W a 17-6 lead.

Bath misses a three point shot from the wing. P-W misses a threeball from the corner just before the first quarter buzzer decides to make it known that it is time for the opening period to end.

After one quarter, Pewamo-Westphalia holds a 17-6 lead.

Bath inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. Adrianna Eklund blocks a Bee layup. Anna Poppema grabs the loose ball and hits a layup for Bath. Adrianna Eklund is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws to boost her Pirates to an 18-8 lead with 7:26 to play in the second quarter.

Bath misses a threeball from the side. The Pirates miss a fast break layup. Alonna Thelen knocks a Bee pass out of bounds; Bath retains possession. Adrianna Eklund dives and steals the ball for P-W. On the other end, Adrianna Eklund hits a three point shot near the top of the key for P-W. Bath misfires on a triple try from the corner. P-W misses a driving layup. Bath drives the lane and dishes the ball out of bounds. Elly Bengel drives and hits a layup to give P-W a 23-8 lead.

Peyton Eklund steals the ball for the Pirates. Peyton Eklund passes to Alonna Thelen, who throws in a threeball from the side for the Pirates. Addi Duflo hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the side for Bath. Africa Beltran gets her hand on a P-W pass, but the Pirates recover.

P-W misses a layup. Renell Eklund pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a layup. Bath misses a three point shot from the side. P-W commits a double dribble violation. Africa Beltran gets into the lane, spins and hits a six foot shot for Bath. P-W misses a threeball from the side. Elyse Thelen steals the ball for the Pirates. Brenna Thelen is fouled on a fast break layup and hits two free throws to boost her Pirates to a 28-12 lead with 2:56 remaining in the half.

Elyse Thelen knocks the ball out of bounds; Bath retains possession. The Bees miss a driving layup. The Pirates miss a three pointer off the dribble from the top of the key. Elly Bengel steals a Bath pass. Faith Hughes gets back quickly to block a Pirate fast break layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Bath takes possession. Alonna Thelen steals the ball for P-W.

P-W misses a driving layup. Bath is assessed with a traveling violation. Africa Beltran knocks the ball away from P-W and Addi Duflo dives on the ball to tie it up. The Possession Arrow is looking for a match to its blue sock so it can get on with its packing. It ignores the gritty defense by the Bees and awards the ball to the Pirates. Brenna Thelen inbounds the ball to Renell Eklund, who hits a layup to give P-W a 30-12 lead.

Bath misses a threeball from the top of the key. Brenna Thelen passes to Alonna Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Pirates. Bath bounces a pass out of bounds. Elly Bengel is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws with just .2 of a second to play in the quarter to send the Pirates to the locker room with a 35-12 halftime lead.

Adrianna Eklund has 12 points for Pewamo-Westphalia at halftime. Alonna Thelen has 9 points and Renell Eklund has 6 points.

Anna Poppema leads the Bath scoring with 5 points.

Bath inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Adrianna Eklund steals a Bee pass and is fouled as she shoots a fast break layup. She hits two free throws for the Pirates. Bath loses its inbound pass out of bounds. P-W fumbles a pass out of bounds. Bath fumbles a pass and Adrianna Eklund seizes the loose ball for the Pirates. Renell Eklund passes to Adrianna Eklund, who hits a layup to give P-W a 39-12 lead.

Anna Poppema is fouled on an eight foot banked shot from the side and hits one of her two free throws for Bath. Aubrey Dunckel knocks a Pirate pass out of bounds; P-W retains possession. Africa Beltran taps the ball away from P-W and Aubrey Dunckel picks it up for Bath. Africa Beltran drives the lane and passes to Anna Poppema, who hits a three point shot from the side for Bath. P-W misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow.

Adrianna Eklund grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Brenna Thelen passes to Elly Bengel, who hits a fast break layup for the Pirates. Africa Beltran is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for P-W. With 4:37 remaining in quarter number three, the P-W lead is at 44-18.

Elly Bengel whips a cross court pass to Peyton Eklund, who hits a three point shot from the side for the Pirates. Elyse Thelen knocks the ball out of bounds; Bath gets the ball back. Faith Hughes drives and hits a layup for Bath. P-W misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and Bath gets the ball. Bath misses a six foot shot from the side of the lane. Africa Beltran and Harper Williams tie up the ball for Bath. The Possession Arrow is folding T-shirts to put in the luggage. It misses the play, disregards the fine defense and awards the ball to P-W.

Olivia Brimley blocks a P-W layup. Bath misses a three point shot from the corner. P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Bath reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the side. Olivia Brimley pulls down the offensive rebound for the Bees. Brenna Thelen steals the ball for P-W. P-W misses a threeball from the baseline. Bath misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and P-W takes possession. Elyse Thelen drives and hits a layup for P-W. She is fouled on the play and hits her free throw to give her Pirates a 50-20 lead with 1:32 remaining in quarter number three.

Elyse Thelen steals the Bath inbound pass. Alonna Thelen is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for P-W. Adrianna Eklund knocks the Bath inbound pass out of bounds; the Bees retain possession. Alonna Thelen steals the ball and is fouled on a fast break layup. She hits one of her two free throws to give the Pirates a 53-20 lead with 45.9 seconds to play in quarter number three.

Africa Beltran drives and hits an eight foot shot from the side of the lane for Bath. P-W misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side as the Buzzer decides it is time to end quarter number three.

With three quarters in the books, Pewamo-Westphalia holds a 53-22 lead.

Bath inbounds the ball to start out the final quarter. Anna Poppema is fouled on a driving eight foot shot from the side and hits two free throws for Bath. Adrianna Eklund passes to Elly Bengel, who hits a three point shot from the wing for P-W. Adrianna gets her hand on the ball, but Bath recovers. Harper Williams drives and hits an eight foot banked shot from the side for Bath to trim the P-W lead to 56-26.

P-W misfires on a threeball from the side. Elly Bengel pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W is whistled for traveling. Adrianna Eklund knocks the ball out of bounds; Bath retains possession. Anna Poppema drives and hits a ten foot banked shot from the side. P-W misfires on a threeball from the side. Elly Bengel gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W is whistled for traveling.

Adrianna Eklund knocks the ball out of bounds; the Bees retain possession. Bath misses a fourteen foot shot from the side of the lane. Africa Beltran gets her hand on the ball. P-W is able to recover. P-W throws a pass out of bounds. Bath misses a driving layup. Adrianna Eklund is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give P-W a 58-28 lead with 4:49 left on the clock.

Africa Beltran throws in a threeball from the wing for Bath. P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Africa Beltran is fouled on a shot and hits two free throws to cut the P-W lead to 58-33 with 4:07 to go.

Africa Beltran steals the ball and passes to Addi Duflo, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for the Bees. Peyton Eklund drives and hits a layup for P-W. Bath loses a pass out of bounds. Faith Hughes steals the ball for the Bees. Bath misfires on a triple try from the side. P-W misses a driving layup. Elyse Thelen gets her hand on the ball and knocks it out of bounds; Bath retains possession. Macey Pascoe drives and hits a layup for Bath. The P-W lead is now at 60-38.

Peyton Eklund throws in a threeball near the top of the key for P-W. Bath loses the ball out of bounds. Elyse Thelen is fouled on a layup and hits one of her two free throws for the Pirates. Bath is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 52.5 seconds remaining, P-W has a 64-38 lead.

Faith Hughes knocks the ball away from P-W and Addi Duflo picks it up for Bath. Harper Williams passes to Addi Duflo, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Bath. P-W dribbles out the clock.

P-W wins this game by the final score of 64-41 to take the lead in the CMAC Girls Basketball standings.

Anna Poppema scored 13 points to lead the Bath scoring. Africa Beltran joined her teammate in double figures with 12 points. Addi Duflo contributed 8 points. Faith Hughes, Harper Williams, Macey Pascoe and Aubrey Dunckel each tallied 2 points.

Adrianna Eklund had 18 points to lead the P-W scoring. Alonna Thelen supported her with 14 points. Elly Bengel joined her teammates in double figures with 10 points. Peyton Eklund chipped in with 8 points. Renell Eklund and Elyse Thelen each added 6 points. Brenna Thelen scored 2 points.