Lansing Christian at Perry – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 24, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen’s continuing journey takes him to Perry, where the Ramblers will host the Pilgrims from Lansing Christian. Some day, I need to check with the powers that be to learn what I must do so that my journeys will qualify as an “odyssey.” Parts of me wonder if I’m there yet, but I digress – – –

Perry enters this game with a 5-7 record. I have seen Perry once before and got this information from Coach Scott Selbig. D.J. Jenks is a good scorer who can slash to the basket or snipe away from the free throw line. Joey McGraw-Allen is an aggressive perimeter defender who handles the ball well and runs the Rambler point much of the time.

Austin Poirier is a versatile defender who can play in the post or on the perimeter. He slashes to the basket well. Jylon Peek has a fine basketball IQ. He can either slash to the basket or shoot the threeball. Ty Webb scores and defends well in the post.

Lansing Christian enters the game with a 7-4 record. I saw the Pilgrims once before when they beat Portland St. Patrick by a comfortable margin. Coach Grayson Fuller gave me this information about his Pilgrim players.

Elijah Ellis is an aggressive perimeter defender who slashes to the basket and handles the ball well. Timothy Sullivan is a rugged defender who does not shy away from contact. He slashes well to the basket and can hit open shots from the three point line. Judah Schafer also plays tough defense and is a good outside shooter.

Benjamin Sambaer is a fine point guard both offensively and defensively. He is a great three point shooter who is quick and handles the ball well. He is also dangerous on slashes to the basket. Samuel Israel is a tough player who is able to handle the physicality of playing in the lane. He has an uncanny ability to find was to score even if he draws contact using his strength and intensity to get the ball into the basket.

Baylor Brogan is a tough player who defends and rebounds well; unfortunately he has had an ACL injury that will probably end his season. David Hall is a fine rebounder and defender in the post. His role has increased greatly since the first game of the season as he is shooting and scoring inside or outside. Ethan Damesworth brings an accurate three point shot to the Pilgrims.

In this You Tube video, I tell the listeners that you never know where the Red River Valley will lead you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AhhNk1M8 Unfortunately, one place where it does not lead is Perry, but luckily for those of us who want to watch the game, M-52 does lead there!!

Your Bleacher Denizen had a fine drive from Lansing to the Perry gym. He listened as Beanie Howell talked on AM-730 about the NFL; I always fine his program to be interesting and fun to listen to. Great job as always, Beanie.

I got to the game at halftime of the JV game. Perry held a 15-13 halftime lead. Lansing Christian’s JVs scored the first fourteen points of the third quarter to take a 27-15 lead and went on to win the game by a 43-28 score.

Jacob Adkins led the Perry JVs with 9 points. Nolan Krupp and Brandon Ketchum each added 5 points. Aydin Sloan put in 4 points. Alejos Torrez and Hunter Steiss each contributed 2 points. Alex McEwan tallied 1 point.

Payton Allaire led the victorious Pilgrim JVs with 11 points. William Stone and Caleb Franck each joined their teammate in double figures with 10 points. Brady Carmichael tossed in 7 points. Quinn Jamieson scored 3 points and Isaac Cuik scored 2 points.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the occasionally clear lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in those ancient times known as the 1970s. While he generally gave his all on defense, coaches uniformly did not think it was much. Your Bleacher Denizen was not helped when he embraced the concept of “matador defense” as a good thing. Alas, most do not agree and coaches frequently would invite the Bleacher Denizen to join them on the bench when he shouted “Ole” as ball handlers drove past him.

For those who do not want to Google the ancient concept of “Matador Defense”, here is a link!! https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=el%20matador%20defense

Lansing Christian wins the opening tap. The Pilgrims miss a driving layup. Joey McGraw-Allen drives into the lane and hits a six foot jump shot to give Perry the first two points of the game. Jylon Peek steals the ball and storms up the court for a Rambler fast break layup. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw to give Perry a 5-0 lead one minute into the game.

Tristan Krupp knocks a Pilgrim pass out of bounds; Christian retains possession. Tim Sullivan passes to Elijah Ellis for a Pilgrim layup. Tim Sullivan knocks the ball out of bounds, but Perry gets it back. Perry misses a six foot shot from the side. Christian misses a threeball from the wing. Joey McGraw-Allen drives and hits a layup for Perry. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 5:47 to play in the first quarter, Perry holds a 7-2 lead.

Joey McGraw-Allen gets the offensive rebound for the Ramblers. David Hall blocks a Perry layup. David Hall is fouled on a fast break driving six foot banked shot and hits one of his free throws for Christian. Perry misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Christian takes possession. Christian misses a three pointer from the corner. Tim Sullivan and Benjamin Sambaer get back quickly and cause Perry to lose the ball out of bounds on a fast break.

Christian misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Pilgrims get the ball back. Jylon Peek blocks a Christian ten foot shot from the side. Jylon Peek grabs the loose ball and races up the court to hit a fast break layup that gives Perry a 9-3 lead.

David Hall hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line for Christian. Perry misses a three point attempt from the wing. Elijah Ellis is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Perry lead to 9-6 with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter.

Perry is whistled for a traveling violation. David Hall passes to Elijah Ellis, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup for Christian. Perry travels in the lane. D.J. Jenks knocks the ball out of bounds; Christian retains possession. The Pilgrims miss a driving layup. Elijah Ellis steals the ball for Christian. Samuel Israel drives and hits a layup to give the Pilgrims a 10-9 lead.

Tim Sullivan steals the ball for Christian. Elijah Ellis inbounds the ball to Samuel Israel, who is cutting to the basket, for a Pilgrim layup. Perry misses a three point shot from the side. Ethan Damesworth passes to Benjamin Sambaer, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Christian a 15-9 lead.

Perry misses an eight foot shot from the side; the rebound goes out of bounds and Perry gets it back. The Ramblers misfire on a threeball from the wing. Ty Webb gets the offensive rebound for the Ramblers. Perry misses a runner in the lane. Tristan Krupp secures the offensive rebound for the Ramblers. Perry misses a fifteen foot shot from the side at the buzzer.

After one quarter, Lansing Christian has a 15-9 lead.

Perry inbounds the ball to get quarter number two started. The Ramblers pass the ball out of bounds. Tim Sullivan passes to David Hall, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Pilgrims. Ethan Damesworth blocks a Rambler layup. Jylon Peek steals the ball for Perry. D.J. Jenks banks in a six footer for Perry to trim the Pilgrim lead to 18-11.

Christian misses a three point shot from the wing. Samuel Israel pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a driving layup. Tim Sullivan pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a jump shot in the lane. David Hall is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws to give Christian a 19-11 lead with 6:26 to play in the first half.

Perry misfires on a threeball from the wing. Tim Sullivan is fouled handling the ball for Christian and makes both ends of a one and one free throw opportunity. David Hall steals a Rambler pass. Benjamin Sambaer hits a three point shot from the wing for the Pilgrims. Tim Sullivan steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to extend the Pilgrim lead to 26-11.

Elijah Ellis steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Benjamin Sambaer drives and dishes the ball to Ethan Damesworth, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Christian. Perry misses a threeball from the corner. Christian misses a driving layup. Ty Wood gets the offensive rebound for Perry. The Ramblers miss a layup. Elijah Ellis throws in a threeball from the corner to give Christian a 32-11 lead.

Perry misses a three point shot from the wing. Tanner Selbig gets his hand on the ball and forces a Christian traveling violation in the lane. Perry misses a three point shot from the wing. Austin Poirier gets the offensive rebound for the Ramblers. Tristan Krupp hits a layup for Perry. Austin Poirier steals the ball for the Ramblers. Tim Sullivan nearly steals the ball for the Pilgrims, but his momentum makes him step on the sideline. Perry misses a threeball from the corner. Ty Webb is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws for the Ramblers. With 1:22 to play in the half, Christian has a 32-14 lead.

Christian misfires on a triple try from the wing. Ty Webb is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Perry. D.J. Jenks steals a Christian pass. Perry misses a layup. Ty Webb hits a putback for the Ramblers. Christian misses a threeball from the wing. David Hall pulls down the long offensive rebound for the Pilgrims and hits a fifteen foot shot from the side. Perry misses a heave as the halftime buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, Lansing Christian has a 34-17 lead.

Jylon Peek has 5 points for Perry. Joey McGraw-Allen and Ty Webb each have 4 points.

David Hall has 9 points for the Pilgrims. Elijah Ellis has scored 7 points. Benjamin Sambaer has 6 points. Samuel Israel and Timothy Sullivan each have 4 points.

The Ramblers held a duck throwing contest (small plastic ducks) at halftime. As we can’t watch that, maybe we can listen to this Boogie Woogie tune from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1MxOus8t44

Christian inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. The Pilgrims miss a layup. Perry misfires on a threeball from the side. Christian misses a ten foot shot from the side. Perry misses a driving layup. D.J. Jenks steals the ball for the Ramblers. Judah Schafer hustles and knocks the ball away from a Perry dribbler to slow down a Rambler fast break. The ball goes out of bounds and Perry retains possession. Perry misses a three point shot from the side. David Hall hits a jump shot to give the Pilgrims a 36-17 lead.

David Hall taps the ball away from Perry; Judah Schafer grabs it and hits a fast break layup for Christian. Perry turns the ball over. Austin Poirier steals the ball for the Ramblers. Ty Webb passes to a Rambler teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both his free throws.

Tanner Selbig and Tristan Krupp double team a Christian ball handler and force the Pilgrims to call timeout to save their possession. Judah Schafer passes to Timothy Sullivan, who hits a three pointer from the side for Christian. Tristan Krupp is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Perry. With 4:05 to go in the third quarter, the Christian lead is at 41-18.

Ty Webb grabs the offensive rebound for the Ramblers. Perry misses a six footer from the side and fouls on the rebound. Christian misses a layup. Perry misses a three point shot from the corner. Tanner Selbig steals the ball for the Ramblers. Tim Sullivan ties up the ball in the lane. The Possession Arrow ignores Mr. Sullivan’s fine defense and decrees that Perry shall have the ball. Perry misses a layup. Tim Sullivan passes to Benjamin Sambaer, who hits a three pointer from the wing to boost the Pilgrim lead to 44-18.

Perry is cited for an offensive foul. Gannon Fisher passes to Benjamin Sambaer, who hits a three point shot from the side for Christian. D.J. Jenks passes to a Rambler teammate who is fouled on a layup. but misses both his free throws. Tristan Krupp hits the floor to knock the ball out of bounds; Christian retains possession.

The Pilgrims lose a pass out of bounds. Perry misses a three point shot from the wing. Tristan Krupp pulls down the offensive rebound for the Ramblers. D.J. Jenks passes to Tristan Krupp, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Perry. With 18.5 seconds to play in the third quarter, the Christian lead is at 47-20.

Noah Boske-Smitherman blocks a Christian layup. Perry misses a rushed layup at the buzzer.

After three quarters, Lansing Christian has a 47-20 lead.

The Pilgrims have the ball to begin the fourth quarter. Judah Schafer is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for the Pilgrims. Payton Allaire gets his hand on the ball to knock it away from the Ramblers. The basketball momentarily morphs into a hot potato as it is juggled by a number of players before heading out of bounds. Perry retains possession. The Ramblers miss a twelve foot shot in the lane.

Tanner Selbig blocks a Pilgrim layup. Perry misses a three point shot from the side. David Hall causes Perry to lose the ball. Christian misses a fast break layup. Perry is fouled on a driving layup, but misses both its free throws. Christian is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. With 6:33 left on the clock, Christian leads 49-20.

Austin Poirier drivers and passes to Ty Webb, who hits a layup for the Ramblers. Christian is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity. Perry misses a layup. Ty Wood hits a putback for the Ramblers. Cameron Damesworth dives to the floor to prevent a loose ball from becoming a Pilgrim turnover. Ethan Damesworth is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to boost the Pilgrim lead to 51-24 with 4:50 remaining in the game.

Perry misses a twelve foot shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Ramblers get another opportunity. Perry throws a pass out of bounds. Judah Schafer drives and hits a layup for Christian. Jylon Peek hits a three point shot from the side for Perry. Benjamin Sambaer drives and hits a layup to give Christian a 55-27 lead.

Perry misses a driving eight foot shot in the lane. Jylon Peek knocks the ball away from Christian and Payton Allaire darts into the backcourt to retrieve the ball and prevent a Pilgrim turnover. Christian is fouled and misses two free throws. Cameron Damesworth steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Joey McGraw-Allen steals the ball for Perry. Perry misses an eight foot shot from the side. Payton Allaire is fouled and sinks one of his two free throws for Perry. With 1:14 remaining in the contest, Christian’s lead is at 56-27.

Payton Allaire steals the ball for Christian and is fouled on a fast break layup. He hits one of his two free throws for Christian. Perry is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one free throw opportunity with 46.1 seconds left. Christian runs out the clock.

Lansing Christian wins this GLAC league game by the score of 57-27.

Jylon Peek and Ty Webb had eight points each to lead the Perry scoring. Tristan Krupp added 5 points and Joey McGraw-Allen threw in 4 points. D.J. Jenks added 2 points.

Benjamin Sambaer had 14 points to lead the Lansing Christian scoring. David Hall joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Elijah Ellis scored 8 points and Timothy Sullivan added 7 points. Judah Schafer put in 6 points. Ethan Damesworth chipped in with 5 points. Samuel Israel contributed 4 points. Payton Allaire tallied 2 points.