Pewamo-Westphalia at Fowler – – CMAC Boys Basketball Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 5, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is headed to the Fowler Athletic Center for the third night in a row. Tonight, he will see the top two teams in the CMAC play a game that will probably determine the league championship. This game is also a Coaches Vs. Cancer Game.

The Pirates from Pewamo-Westphalia have a perfect 13-0 record in the league and are 13-2 overall record. (The losses are to Division 1 Grandville and Division 2 Grand Rapids Catholic Central and really not blemishes on the record.) The Eagles from Fowler are 12-1 in the CMAC and 16-1 overall. Their only loss is to Pewamo-Westphalia in an away game.

Here are some of the players you will see tonight!

Joe Epkey, a big post player, is the only returning starter from last year’s team that reached the State Final. He is a tough defender, rebounder and scorer in the lane. He is also good at finding open teammates on the perimeter when he is double-teamed. Dylan Pline got a lot of playing time for the Eagles last year as he was the first guard off the bench. He runs the point where he is a good ball handler and perimeter defender. He is a threat to score on slashes to the basket.

Isaac Thelen and Jonah Thelen are versatile forwards who can defend either on the perimeter or in the post. They are solid ball handlers and passers; both can score at the rim or hit shots form the three point line. Aidan Riley is a guard who defends the perimeter well and can help in the post. He can slash to the basket to score. Garrett Klein is a strong perimeter defender with an accurate three point shot. Drew Weber is a tough defender on the perimeter. Hudson Fedewa is a tall player who provides depth in the post.

P-W (abbreviated to save wear and tear on your Bleacher Denizen’s aging fingers) has some excellent players, too!

Grady Eklund is a four-year varsity starter who is one of the best players in Michigan. He is tall for a guard and has both the ball handling skills to run the point and the shooting and driving skills of a scorer. He defends the perimeter well and is tall enough to be a factor defending the post when he needs to. Pewamo-Westphalia is a program with a long, successful history and Grady Eklund is the all-time leading basketball scorer!

Trent Piggott plays in the post. He is a strong player who is a tough defender and rebounder. He can overpower most opponents in the post and is tough to keep from scoring, but he can also hit the three point shot. Logan Farmer runs the point much of the team. He is a fine perimeter defender and ball handler who can shoot the three point shot. Tyler Spitzley is a tough and versatile defender who can defend the perimeter or the post. He can score on slashes to the basket.

I got to the Fowler Athletic Center just before halftime of the JV game. Pewamo-Westphalia broke a 20-20 tie late in the second quarter and scored five points on the way to a 25-20 halftime lead. P-W out scored Fowler 15-12 in the third quarter and led 40-32 going into the final quarter.

Fowler refused to give up and got to within three points at 47-44 with about 2:25 left on the clock when Jesse Andros hit a layup. P-W misfired on a triple try from the top of the key. Dalton Thelen then hit a three point shot from the wing for Fowler to tie the game at 47-47.

Easton Cook passed to Grant Thelen, who hit a layup to give P-W a 49-47 lead. Andrew Kriss stole the ball for P-W. P-W missed a fast break layup and Jesse Andros got back quickly to block a P-W putback. After Jesse Andros knocked the ball away from P-W, Hudson Fedewa picked the ball up and raced for a Fowler fast break layup that tied the game at 49-49.

P-W missed a three point shot from the side. The rebound went out of bounds and Fowler had a possession late in the game. Alex Drysdale stole the ball for P-W. Brandt Kramer hit a leaning ten foot shot off the dribble to give P-W’s JVs a 51-49 win with 2.4 seconds left.

Dalton Thelen led the Fowler scoring with 11 points. Easton Myers joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Cam Rhynard and Jesse Andros each scored 9 points. Eli Thelen added 6 points and Hudson Fedewa had 4 points.

Grant Thelen led the victorious P-W JVs with 23 points. Brandt Kramer supported him with 9 points. Andrew Kriss pitched in with 6 points. Liam Piggott and Alex Drysdale each put in 4 points. Evan Nobach added 3 points and Kevin Hafner tallied 2 points.

Before the game, they announced the Coaches for Cancer Event. They collected money at the entrance and also passed a basket through the stands during the game. Each player picked a cancer victim from their life that they were playing for. The Announcer introduced every player on both teams and told who they were playing for.

When I was at the entrance, I purchased a round sticker and wrote the name of my grandfather, Richard Krafft, Sr. on it. He passed away from colon cancer. After all the players were introduced, they had a moment of silence and asked the people in the crowd to hold up names of cancer victims from their lives.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to hoop in ages past. He spent a couple season mixing mortar before every game before he realized that basketball coaches frown on throwing bricks at the basket. Because of this, his career never advanced much.

P-W wins the opening tap. Isaac Thelen steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a fast break layup. Isaac Thelen ties up the ball; the Possession Arrow loves his hustle and awards the ball to the Eagles. Fowler misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Logan Farmer hits a fast break layup to give P-W the first two points of the game. Fowler misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. P-W is fouledon a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 6:24 remaining in the opening quarter, the Pirates have a 2-0 lead.

Jonah Thelen passes to Dylan Pline, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Fowler the lead. Dylan Pline steals the ball for the Eagles. Jonah Thelen passes to Dylan Pline, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Fowler a 6-2 lead.

Aidan Riley dives and knocks the ball out of bounds for Fowler; P-W retains possession. P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Fowler misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Aidan Riley knocks the ball away from P-W and Dylan Pline picks it up for Fowler. Jonah Thelen hits a three point shot from the side to give Fowler a 9-2 lead.

Grady Eklund is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to end the Fowler nine point scoring run. Jonah Thelen gets into the lane and hits an eight foot shot for Fowler. P-W misses a driving layup. Grady Eklund hits a putback for P-W. Jonah Thelen passes to Isaac Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Fowler a 14-6 lead.

Grady Eklund passes to Sam Thelen, who hits a layup for P-W. Trent Piggot knocks the ball away from Fowler and Ty Thelen picks it up for P-W. The Pirates throw a pass out of bounds. Fowler misses a threeball from the side. P-W misses a threeball from the wing. Sam Thelen is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws to shave the Fowler lead to 14-9 with 1:50 left on the first quarter clock.

Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. Jonah Thelen knocks the ball away from P-W and Dylan Pline picks it up for Fowler. Isaac Thelen passes to Joe Epkey, who hits a layup for Fowler. P-W misses a threeball from the corner. Fowler misses a driving layup. Joe Epkey hits a reverse putback for Fowler. Isaac Thelen knocks the ball away from P-W and Aidan Riley grabs it for Fowler. The Eagles miss a heave as the first quarter buzzer seeks attention and blares to end the quarter.

After one quarter, Fowler has an 18-9 lead.

P-W inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Pirates miss a three point shot from the side. Fowler drives the baseline and misses a layup. Isaac Thelen grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Jonah Thelen whips a cross court pass to Dylan Pline, who hits a three pointer from the side to give Fowler a 21-9 lead.

Grady Eklund drives and hits a layup for P-W. Fowler commits an offensive foul. Anthony Epkey gets his hand on the ball and a Pirate dribbler loses it out of bounds. Grady Eklund ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow consults its Magic 8 Ball and awards the ball to Fowler. Fowler misses a twelve foot turnaround shot in the lane. Dylan Pline draws a charging foul from P-W. Fowler misses a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line. Grady Eklund drives and hits a layup for P-W to trim the Eagle lead to 21-13.

Grady Eklund gets his hand on the ball, but Fowler recovers. The Eagles miss a driving layup. Garrett Klein knocks the ball away from P-W and Anthony Epkey picks it up for Fowler. The Eagles miss a three point shot from the side. Anthony Epkey grabs the offensive rebound for Fowler. The Eagles miss a three pointer from the side. Jonah Thelen steals the ball for Fowler. The Eagles commit a traveling violation. Logan Farmer drives and hits a layup to cut the Fowler lead to 21-15.

Fowler misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Dylan Pline passes to Isaac Thelen, who hits a layup for Fowler. P-W is whistled for an offensive foul. Grady Eklund steals an Eagle pass. Jonah Thelen knocks the ball away from P-W and Anthony Epkey grabs it for Fowler. Fowler is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 1:47 remaining in the second quarter, Fowler has a 23-15 lead.

Grady Eklund passes to Sam Thelen, who throws in a threeball from the side for P-W. Logan Farmer gets his hand on the ball and Fowler loses it out of bounds. Sam Thelen passes to Trent Piggott, who is fouled as he shoots a layup and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 23-19 with 1:10 remaining in the half.

Grady Eklund hits a putback of the missed free throw to pull P-W within two points. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. Ty Thelen and Grady Eklund hit the floor and force an Eagle player to lose the ball out of bounds. P-W misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Pirates get another opportunity. P-W misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Dylan Pline hits a three point shot from the wing for Fowler. Grady Eklund shoots a thirty foot shot from the top of the key; it dangerously rattles around the rim before falling off. The buzzer sounds as the shot goes up.

At halftime Fowler holds a 26-21 lead.

Grady Eklund (who else?) leads the P-W scoring with 10 points and Sam Thelen has 6 points.

Dylan Pline leads Fowler with 10 points. Jonah Thelen and Isaac Thelen each have 5 points.

Fowler has an excellent pep band. As Fowler held a fundraiser involving shooting half court shots at halftime, the pep band entertained with some great music including “Freeze Frame!”

P-W inbounds the ball to open quarter number three. Grady Eklund passes to Tyler Spitzley, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Fowler misses a driving layup. P-W misses a threeball from the corner. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. P-W misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Joe Epkey hits a putback to give Fowler a 28-23 lead.

Grady Eklund drives and hits a layup for P-W. Fowler misses a fourteen foot shot in the lane. Grady Eklund drives and hits a layup for P-W. Logan Farmer knocks a Fowler pass out of bounds; the Eagles retain possession. Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. P-W misses a three pointer from the corner. Grady Eklund hits a putback for P-W and is fouled. He misses his free throw but the Pirates have a 29-28 lead with 4:40 remaining in quarter number three.

Fowler throws a pass out of bounds. Grady Eklund is fouled on an eight foot shot in the lane and hits two free throws for P-W. Jonah Thelen passes cross court to Isaac Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the side for Fowler to tie the game at 31-31.

P-W misses a layup. Fowler misses a three point attempt from the side. P-W misses a driving layup. Nolan George gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Joe Epkey steals the ball for the Eagles. Dylan Pline is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to give Fowler a 32-31 lead with 3:09 to go in quarter number three.

P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Grady Eklund throws the rebound off a Fowler player to earn another possession for P-W. Isaac Thelen knocks the ball away from P-W and Dylan Pline picks it up for Fowler. The Eagles throw a pass out of bounds. A P-W player steps on the baseline while maneuvering for a layup. Sam Thelen gets his hand on the ball and Fowler loses it out of bounds. Grady Eklund passes to Trent Piggott, who hits a layup to give his Pirates a 33-32 lead.

Fowler turns the ball over. P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Joe Epkey blocks a P-W layup. Grady Eklund recovers the loose ball and hits a layup for P-W. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to give P-W a 36-32 lead with 1:06 to play in quarter number three.

Nolan George draws an offensive foul from Fowler. Ty Thelen is fouled and hits two free throws for P-W. Dylan Pline passes to Jonah Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the side for Fowler. Dylan Pline draws a charging foul from P-W that negates a layup. Fowler misses a long threeball from the wing as the buzzer announces the end to quarter number three.

With three quarters in the books, Pewamo-Westphalia has a 38-35 lead.

Fowler inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Eagles miss a three pointer from the top of the key. Isaac Thelen gets his hand on the ball, but P-W recovers. Grady Eklund hits a fourteen foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane for P-W. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Grady Eklund passes to Tyler Spitzley, who hits a layup to give the Pirates a 42-35 lead.

Fowler misses a layup. Dylan Pline gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles and hits a ten foot shot from the side. P-W commits an offensive foul. Tyler Spitzley and Logan Farmer double team a Fowler player and force a traveling violation. Isaac Thelen blocks a Pirate layup. Aidan Riley passes to Joe Epkey, who is fouled as he shoots a layup. He hits one of his two free throws to shave the P-W lead to 42-38 with 4:59 left on the clock.

Sam Thelen passes to Ty Thelen, who hits a layup for the Pirates. A Fowler dribbler steps on the baseline. Isaac Thelen steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a fast break layup and a tipin attempt. Grady Eklund drives, spins and hits a layup to give P-W a 46-38 lead.

Fowler misses a driving layup. Ty Thelen drives and hits a layup for P-W. Dylan Pline is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to trim the P-W lead to 48-39 with 1:55 to go.

Sam Thelen passes to Trent Piggott, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Joe Epkey drives and hits a reverse layup for Fowler. Aidan Riley dives to knock the ball away from P-W and Joe Epkey grabs it for Fowler. Dylan Pline hits a layup and is fouled. He makes his free throw to cut the Pirate lead to 50-44 with 36.8 left.

Logan Farmer is fouled and hits two free throws for P-W. Tyler Spitzley steals an Eagle pass. Grady Eklund is fouled with 23.9 seconds remaining and hits two free throws for P-W. Jonah Thelen drives, spins and hits an eight foot shot in the lane for Fowler. Grady Eklund is fouled with .3 of a second left and hits two free throws to basically end the game.

Pewamo-Westphalia wins this clash between the top two teams in the CMAC by the final score of 55-46.

Dylan Pline led the Fowler scoring with 19 points. Jonah Thelen joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Joe Epkey totaled 9 points and Isaac Thelen had 8 points.

Grady Eklund had a brilliant game for P-W and scored 28 points in addition to playing strong defense and dishing out a bunch of assists. Ty Thelen, Logan Farmer and Sam Thelen each added 6 points. Trent Piggott put in 5 points and Tyler Spitzley scored 4 points.