Portland St. Patrick vs. Fowler – – MHSAA Boys Basketball District Final – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 27, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is off to Fowler where the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick will meet the hometown Eagles in the District Final. Both these teams have had excellent seasons and finished near the top of the CMAC.

Fowler finished in second place in the league with a 16-2 record and are 21-2 overall coming into tonight’s game. Their only two losses have been to Division 3 power Pewamo-Westphalia. St. Patrick was in third with a 14-4 league record and is 18-5 overall.

I covered the semifinal game for each of these teams as well as several regular season games. I was able to learn this about the players. Thanks to Fowler Coach Kam Riley and St. Patrick Coach Curtis Meyers for their help with this information.

Joe Epkey is the big guy in the middle for Fowler’s Eagles. He is a tough player who is an excellent scorer, defender and rebounder in the post. He is the only returning starter from last year’s Eagle state finalists. Jonah Thelen got a lot of playing time for the Eagles last year. He is a versatile, skilled forward who handles the ball and passes it well. He is an able shooter from the three point line and he is also good at attacking the basket to score. He is a quality defender in the post or on the perimeter.

Dylan Pline was the first guard off the bench last year. This year, he is Fowler’s point guard who is a big factor on offense and on defense. He defends the perimeter aggressively and is a fine ball handler and passer who runs the Eagle offense well. He is able to slash to the basket to score and is also a strong three point shooter. Isaac Thelen is another versatile forward who also go a lot of playing time last year. He is a tough defender who can cover the post or the perimeter. He is also a strong rebounder who can slash to the basket to score or shoot an accurate three point shot.

Aidan Riley is a tough defender who can cover opponents on the perimeter or the post. He is a threat to score slashing to the basket. Garrett Klein is a quality perimeter defender who has a great three point shot. Drew Weber defends the perimeter well. Anthony Epkey defends, rebounds and scores in the post.

Charlie Thelen, a four year starter for St. Patrick who is a fine athlete that defended the perimeter or the post well and was a complete player with a great three point shot is unfortunately injured and cannot play tonight. He is also an excellent baseball catcher and I hope he heals in time to do that for the excellent Shamrock baseball squad.

Jerryd Scheurer is an athletic junior in his fourth year of playing varsity basketball. (He played varsity in eighth grade and was actually a starter at the end of the year.) He excels at basketball, baseball and football. He is a tough perimeter defender with great ball handling and shooting skills. He is a fine passer and can score on slashes to the basket or on three point shots.

Brady Leonard is a senior four year varsity player who also excels at baseball and football. He is a quick, tough perimeter defender who can help in the post when needed. He is a confident leader who can slash to the basket to score and is a threat from the three point line. Tyler Thelen is the man in the post for the Shamrocks. He defends the post and rebounds well. On offense, he is tough to stop when he gets the ball in the post. He has great post moves that maximize his height when he goes to score inside.

Mason Simon is a determined perimeter defender who handles the ball and passes well. He can slash to the basket to score and hits some shots from three point range. Sean Fedewa, who will probably start in place of Charlie Thelen is a great three point shooter and a tough perimeter defender. Aiden Mosser is strong and quick; he defends well either on the perimeter or in the post. Isaiah Rockey is tall, quick defender who can play on the perimeter or in the post.

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 the days of yore. He was showing some signs of being a great teammate on the bench when he encouraged the players ahead of him to defend as aggressively as possible.

When the coach realized that your Bleacher Denizen was hoping the aggressive defense would result in foul trouble for the starters which would result in playing time for your Bleacher Denizen, he became far less impressed. The Bleacher Denizen’s playing time disappeared quickly.

Fowler wins the opening tap. Brady Leonard knocks the ball away from Fowler and Tyler Thelen picks it up for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the corner. Brady Leonard hits a putback to give St. Patrick the first two points of the game. Tyler Thelen draws a charging foul from the Eagles. A Shamrock dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball.

St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. Isaac Thelen blocks a St. Patrick layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get another possession. St. Patrick throws its inbound pass out of bounds. Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get the ball back.

Dylan Pline blocks a St. Patrick layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball. Fowler misses a six foot shot from the side of the lane. Mason Simon passes to Sean Fedewa, who hits a threeball from the side to give St. Patrick a 5-0 lead.

Tyler Thelen blocks a Fowler layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Tyler Thelen gets his hand on the Fowler inbound pass, but the Eagles recover. Dylan Pline hits a three point shot from the side for Fowler to trim the Shamrock lead to 5-3.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. Sean Fedewa drives and dishes the ball to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup for St. Patrick. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Isaac Thelen blocks a Shamrock layup. Jonah Thelen hits a fast break layup to cut the St. Patrick lead to 7-5.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball. Fowler reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the corner. The rebound reciprocates and goes out of bounds; the ball goes to St. Patrick. The Shamrocks commit an offensive foul. Fowler misses a three pointer from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick gets the ball. St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing. Fowler misses a heave as the first quarter buzzer decides it is time for a break.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 7-5 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to start out the second quarter. Isaac Thelen steals the ball for the Eagles. Jonah Thelen hits a fast break layup for Fowler to tie the game. St. Patrick travels on a drive to the basket. (This was actually a Shamrock player and not the Saint, himself.) Fowler throws a lob pass out of bounds. Jerryd Scheurer hits a threeball off the dribble from the top of the key to give the Shamrocks the lead. Jonah Thelen passes to Joe Epkey, who hits a layup to trim the Shamrock lead to 10-9.

Isaac Thelen gets his hand on the ball and it goes out of bounds. Fowler gets the ball. The Eagles misfire on a threeball from the side. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler keeps possession. The Eagles miss a sixteen footer from the side. Aidan Riley’s tough defense forces a Shamrock traveling violation.

Fowler misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Anthony Epkey pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Fowler loses a pass out of bounds. Dylan Pline gets his hand on the ball for Fowler, but St. Patrick recovers. St. Patrick misses a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Sean Fedewa grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing.

Fowler misses a layup. Anthony Epkey knocks a pass out of bounds to prevent a Shamrock fast break layup. St. Patrick retains possession. The Shamrocks miss a driving layup. Brady Leonard steals the ball and hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 12-9 lead.

Fowler throws a pass out of bounds. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Shamrocks get another possession. Dylan Pline steals a Shamrock pass. Fowler misses a three pointer from the top of the key. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Dylan Pline fakes a shot, takes a couple hard dribbles and hits a jump shot from the free throw elbow for Fowler. Jerryd Scheurer heaves the ball from about fifty or sixty feet and hits the back of the rim just as the second quarter buzzer comes out of hibernation.

At halftime, St. Patrick has a 12-11 lead.

Dylan Pline has 5 points to lead Fowler’s scoring.

Brady Leonard has 4 points for St. Patrick.

Fowler has the ball to begin quarter number three. Sean Fedewa steals the ball for the Shamrocks and passes to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup. Joe Epkey passes to Aidan Riley, who throws in a threeball from the wing for Fowler to tie the game at 14-14.

St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the wing. Sean Fedewa taps the rebound to a Shamrock teammate. Jerryd Scheurer drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw to give the Shamrocks a 17-14 lead with 6:42 to play in quarter number three.

Fowler misses a three pointer from the top of the key. St. Patrick loses the ball out of bounds on a too fast break. Jonah Thelen passes to Isaac Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Fowler to tie the game. Jerryd Scheurer hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Patrick. Brady Leonard knocks the ball away from Fowler and Mason Simon picks it up for St. Patrick. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the corner. Isaac Thelen hits a fast break layup to chop the St. Patrick lead to one point at 20-19.

Brady Leonard passes to Sean Fedewa, who hits a three point shot from the side for the Shamrocks. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Mason Simon drives and hits a six foot banked hook shot. He is fouled on the play and sinks his free throw to give St. Patrick a 26-19 lead with 4:02 to go in quarter number three.

Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the top of the key and fouls on the rebound. Aidan Riley passes to Jonah Thelen, who is cutting to the basket; Jonah Thelen hits a layup for Fowler. Tyler Thelen is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to give St. Patrick a 28-21 lead with 3:17 remaining in quarter number three.

Fowler misses a three point shot near the top of the key. Jerryd Scheurer throws in a threeball from the wing to give St. Patrick a ten point lead. Aidan Riley passes to Anthony Epkey, who is fouled as he shoots a layup. Anthony Epkey hits two free throws to trim the Shamrock lead to 31-23 with 2:16 left in the quarter.

Aidan Riley blocks a Shamrock six foot shot from the baseline. Fowler misses a fast break layup. Sean Fedewa passes to Mason Simon, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Jonah Thelen hits a fourteen foot shot off the dribble for the Eagles. Jerryd Scheurer is fouled and hits two free throws to give his Shamrocks a 35-25 lead with 12.2 seconds to play in quarter number three.

Fowler misses a driving layup. St. Patrick heaves the ball at the basket just as the third quarter buzzer gets up from its nap and blares.

With three quarters in the books, St. Patrick has a 35-25 lead.

St. Patrick has the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the corner. Jonah Thelen spins and hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line for Fowler. St. Patrick misses a three pointer near the top of the key. Brady Leonard knocks the ball away from Fowler and Mason Simon picks it up for St. Patrick. Mason Simon tosses the ball to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 37-27 lead.

Fowler is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Joe Epkey gets the offensive rebound, is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws for Fowler. St. Patrick calls timeout just a split second before Fowler steals the ball. When play resumes, the Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the corner. Jerryd Scheurer steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick throws a pass out of bounds. Aidan Riley drives and scoops in a layup to trim the Shamrock lead to 37-31.

Isaac Thelen blocks a St. Patrick layup. Jonah Thelen passes to Joe Epkey, who hits a layup for Fowler. Dylan Pline closely guards a Shamrock player for five seconds and St. Patrick turns the ball over. Fowler misses a reverse layup. Isaac Thelen nearly steals the ball for Fowler, but Jerryd Scheurer saves it for St. Patrick. Jerryd Scheurer passes to Tyler Thelen, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to give St. Patrick a 39-33 lead with 3:00 left on the clock.

Aidan Riley passes to Jonah Thelen, who hits a beautiful jump shot as he leans back from about six feet out from the side. St. Patrick misses a driving six foot banked shot. Joe Epkey hits a layup for Fowler; he is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to cut the St. Patrick lead to 39-38 with 2:25 to go.

St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Fowler misses a ten foot shot from the side. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the corner. Tyler Thelen dives and steals the ball for the Shamrocks; he is fouled in the process. Jonah Thelen gets a hand on the ball for Fowler, but the Shamrocks recover. Jerryd Scheurer is fouled and hits two free throws to give St. Patrick a 41-38 lead with 48.2 seconds to play.

Joe Epkey passes to Dylan Pline, who hits a three point shot from the side for Fowler to tie the game. Dylan Pline steals the ball and quickly hits a layup to give Fowler the lead. Joe Epkey blocks a St. Patrick threeball; the Shamrocks recover the ball. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball (with a two point lead) with 2.5 seconds left.

Fowler is fouled and misses two free throws with 1.0 seconds left. St. Patrick throws its long inbound pass out of bounds. Fowler has the ball under its own basket with .4 of a second left. Tyler Thelen steals the inbound pass, but has no time to do anything before the final buzzer ends the game.

Fowler wins this incredibly exciting district final by the final score of 43-41. Kudos to St. Patrick for giving Fowler all it could handle, especially with one of its top players out with an injury.

St. Patrick’s Jerryd Scheurer led all scorers with 16 points. Tyler Thelen supported his teammate with 10 points. Sean Fedewa scored 6 points. Mason Simon added 5 points. Brady Leonard put in 4 points.

Jonah Thelen led the victorious Fowler team with 12 points. Dylan Pline joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points including the last five crucial points at the end of the game. Joe Epkey chipped in with 9 points. Aidan Riley and Isaac Thelen each added 5 points. Anthony Epkey tallied 2 points.