Grand Rapids West Catholic vs. Lansing Catholic – – Girls Basketball – – MHSAA Division 2 Semifinal – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 17, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

In tonight’s second Division 2 semifinal, the Falcons from Grand Rapids West Catholic will play the Cougars from Lansing Catholic. To save wear and tear on your Bleacher Denizen’s aging fingers (and probably the readers’ eyes) I will refer to the schools as GRWC and LC through most of the article.

As there are a couple Christian schools playing this game, why don’t we listen to this original Christian tune from my You Tube Channel as we wait for the game to begin!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYixQ0OWsd4

The Falcons from Grand Rapids West Catholic (GRWC) bring an undefeated 26-0 record into tonight’s game. They have beaten some tough Division 1 teams on their way to this record.

The Falcons top scorer is Cadence Dykstra, who averages 13.8 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.3 steals. Elisha Dykstra averages 11.2 points per game. Reese Polega scores 9.9 points per game and is a threat from the three point line as she has hit 46 of them this year. Ellie Bies averages 6.7 points and 3.2 steals. Emma Tuttle scores 6.4 points per game and pulls down 8.9 rebounds.

The Cougars from Lansing Catholic (LC) come in with a 22-5 record. However, four of those losses came in the first six games of the season. Haslett is the only team that beat Lansing Catholic in its last twenty-one games and Catholic handed them a twelve point loss in the District Final.

Anna Richards scores 12.2 points per game for the Cougars and she has hit 60 three pointers over the season. Her twin sister, Leah Richards scores 10.3 points and pulls down 5.8 rebounds per game. Gabby Halliwill scores 8.6 points per game to go and is another three point threat as she has hit 51 of them this year. Senior Hannah Pricco provides leadership and tough defense as she is the only senior among Lansing Catholic’s top six scorers. Catholic has balanced scoring with six players contributing at least 5.6 points per game.

I watched the semifinal game between Frankenmuth and Goodrich before this game. Here is that play by play in case you are interested! https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2023/03/17/__trashed-2/?fbclid=IwAR3Y6ZnJzOW5prGdYpdeu243v9qqobRxWLL8gviBTJDq5RyxiQyOeQAeUIU

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 play basketball in the ancient days. He was never able to figure out that even though his bakery manager always rewarded him for making turnovers, that basketball coaches frown on them. Who knew??

GRWC wins the opening tap. Gabby Halliwill gets a hand on the ball, but the Falcons are able to recover. Hannah Pricco steals the ball for the Cougars. Emma Tuttle steals the ball for GRWC. The Falcons miss a driving layup. LC misses a layup. Cadence Dykstra hits a three point shot from the side to give the Falcons a 3-0 lead.

The Cougars miss a three point shot from the side. GRWC misses an eighteen foot shot from the wing. LC misses a three point shot from the side. GRWC reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the side. Emma Tuttle gets the offensive rebound for the Falcons. GRWC misses a three pointer from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and LC takes possession. Anna Richards hits a twelve foot shot off the dribble from the wing for the Cougars to trim the Falcon lead to 3-2.

Cadence Dykstra spins in the lane and hits a driving layup for the Falcons. LC misses a threeball from the side. GRWC misses a threeball from the corner. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Falcons get another opportunity. The Falcons miss an eight foot shot in the lane. LC misses a three point shot from the wing. Elisha drives and dishes the ball to Emma Tuttle, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to give GRWC a 7-2 lead with 3:46 to go in the first quarter.

Rebecca Tuttle steals a Frankenmuth fumbled pass. Cadence Dykstra passes to Ellie Bies, who hits a layup for the Falcons. Morgan Wilcox passes to Hannah Pricco, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup for the Cougars. GRWC misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and LC takes possession. Ellie Bies steals the ball for the Falcons. The Dykstra Connection comes through for the Falcons as Cadence Dykstra passes to Elisha Dykstra, who hits a two point jumper on a fast break to give GRWC an 11-4 lead.

Rebecca Tuttle steals the ball for the Falcons. Cadence Dykstra is fouled on a fast break layup and hits two free throws to boost the Falcons to a 13-4 lead with 2:11 remaining in the opening quarter.

Reese Polega steals the ball for the Falcons. GRWC misses a fast break layup. Reese Polega gets the offensive rebound for the Falcons. Elisha Dykstra hits a layup for the Falcons. Hannah Pricco passes to Leah Richards, who hits a hook layup for LC. GRWC misses a layup. LC misses a layup. Reese Polega passes to Elisha Dykstra, who hits a layup to give the Falcons a 17-6 lead.

Emma Tuttle steals the ball for the Falcons. GRWC misses a three point shot from the wing. LC misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The Falcons pass for a layup, but lose the ball out of bounds. The Cougars do not have time before the first quarter buzzer sounds off.

After one quarter, Grand Rapids West Catholic has a 17-6 lead.

LC has the ball to open the second quarter. Emma Tuttle steals the ball for the Falcons. GRWC turns the ball over. Tessa Roe passes to Anna Richards, who throws in a threeball from the side for the Cougars. GRWC misses a three point shot from the side. Elisha Dykstra grabs the offensive rebound for the Falcons and passes to Cadence Dykstra, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost the Falcon lead to 20-9.

LC misses a driving layup. GRWC misses a threeball from the side. LC misses a driving layup. Hannah Pricco steals the ball for the Cougars. Leah Richards is fouled on a driving shot and hits two free throws to trim the GRWC lead to 20-11 with 5:05 remaining in the second quarter.

A GRWC pass receiver is standing on the sideline when she catches the ball and turns it over. LC misses a three point shot from the wing. Tessa Roe gets the offensive rebound. LC is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. The rebound from the second missed free throw goes out of bounds and the Cougars get another possession. Elisha Dykstra knocks gets her hand on the ball, but the Cougars recover. T.R. Repichowski passes to Anna Richards, who hits a three point shot from the side to trim the Falcon lead to 20-14.

GRWC misses a three point shot from the corner. Cadence Dykstra steals the ball for the Falcons. GRWC loses the ball out of bounds on a fast break. Ellie Bies knocks the LC inbound pass back out; the Cougars retain possession. Cadence Dykstra steals the ball for GRWC. T.R. Repichowski and Morgan Wilcox double team the Falcons and force a traveling violation. Reese Polega steals the ball for the Falcons. Hannah Pricco blocks a Falcon fast break six foot shot from the baseline.

LC is whistled for a three second violation. Hannah Pricco steals the ball for the Cougars. LC misses a ten foot hook shot in the lane. GRWC misses a driving layup. Grace Nyeholt gets the offensive rebound for the Falcons. Morgan Wilcox gets her hand on a Falcon pass and GRWC loses the ball out of bounds. LC misses a thirty foot shot from the wing as the second quarter buzzer makes its presence known.

At halftime, Grand Rapids West Catholic holds a 20-14 lead.

As there is no halftime entertainment, I hope you will enjoy this acoustic version of a Classic Christian hymn from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dJt6E-siOg

GRWC inbounds the ball to get the third quarter underway. Leah Richards knocks a Falcon pass out of bounds. GRWC retains possession. Elisha Dykstra passes to Emma Tuttle, who spins and hits a layup for the Falcons. Ellie Bies steals the ball for the Falcons and hits a fast break for the Falcons. She is fouled on the play, but misses her free throw. Gabby Halliwill is fouled on a shot and hits two free throws to trim the Falcon lead to 24-16 with 6:36 to play in quarter number three.

GRWC misses a three point shot from the wing. Elisha Dykstra gets the offensive rebound for the Falcons. GRWC misses a threeball from the top of the key. Ellie Bies and Reese Polega double team the Cougars and steal the ball for the Falcons. GRWC misses a three point shot from the wing. Cadence Dykstra gets the offensive rebound for the Falcons. The Falcons are foul on a shot and miss two free throws. With 5:43 to play in the third quarter, the Falcons’ lead remains at 24-16.

Gabby Halliwill hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line for the Cougars. Leah Richards steals a Falcon bounce pass. Tessa Roe passes to Leah Richards, who hits a three point shot from the side to slash the Falcon lead to three points. Reese Polega passes to Emma Tuttle, who is fouled on a layup. Emma Tuttle hits two free throws to give GRWC a 26-21 lead with 4:12 left in the third quarter.

LC misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Hannah Pricco pulls down the offensive rebound for the Cougars. LC misses a threeball from the top of the key. GRWC misses a driving layup. Anna Richards passes to Faith Jungwirth, who makes a post move and is fouled on a layup. She hits two free throws to trim the Falcon lead to 26-23 with 3:17 to play in the third quarter.

Hannah Pricco knocks a Falcon pass out of bounds. GRWC retains possession. Hannah Pricco gets her hand on the ball, but the Falcons are able to recover. Gabby Halliwill steals the ball for the Cougars. LC drives the lane and dishes a pass out of bounds. Rebecca Tuttle passes to Reese Polega, who hits a three point shot from the corner for the Falcons. LC misses a ten foot jump shot off the dribble from the side. Faith Jungwirth hits a putback to trim the GRWC lead to 29-25.

Tessa Roe ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and its athletic committee are impressed with her hustle and award the ball to LC. Anna Richards passes to Tessa Roe, who hits a fast break layup for the Cougars. Hannah Pricco ties up the ball for LC. The Possession Arrow and its athletic committee were engrossed in their ping pong game and missed the play. The ball is awarded to the Falcons.

Morgan Wilcox blocks a Falcon driving layup. Anna Richards drives and banks in a twelve foot shot from the side. She is fouled on the play and hits her free throw to give the Cougars a 30-29 lead with 17.0 seconds to go in quarter number three.

Cadence Dykstra drives and hits a layup for the Falcons to retake the lead. The Cougars miss a fifteen foot shot from the side of the lane as the third quarter buzzer does its thing.

After three quarters, Grand Rapids West Catholic leads 31-30.

LC has the ball to start out the fourth quarter. The Cougars miss a ten foot shot from the side. Hannah Pricco gets the offensive rebound and passes to Gabby Halliwill, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give the Cougars a two point lead. GRWC misses a threeball from the side. Gabby Halliwill passes to Anna Richards, who takes a hard dribble, launches a threeball from the side and makes the shot. GRWC misses an eight foot hook shot in the lane. Leah Richards passes to Hannah Pricco, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Cougars a 39-31 lead.

Candence Dykstra is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for the Falcons. The Cougars lose an inbound pass out of bounds. GRWC misses a threeball near the top of the key. Gabby Halliwill is fouled and hits two free throws to give the Cougars a 41-32 lead with 4:41 left in the game.

GRWC misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and LC takes possession. Reese Polega draws a charging foul from the Cougars. Cadence Dykstra passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both her free throws. Leah Richards is fouled on the rebound and hits both ends of a one and one free throw opportunity to give the Cougars a 43-32 lead with 4:00 to go.

Hannah Pricco knocks the ball away from the Falcons and Leah Richards picks it up for the Cougars. Elisha Dykstra and Cadence Dykstra team up to force a tie up. The Possession Arrow and its welcoming committee are impressed by the teamwork and defense; the ball is awarded to GRWC. Tessa Roe blocks a Falcon three pointer from the corner. Leah Richards is fouled and hits both ends of a one and one opportunity to give the Cougars a 45-32 lead with 3:02 to go.

GRWC misfires on a triple try from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and LC takes possession. LC throws an outlet pass too long, but Tessa Roe races up the court, catches up to the ball and somehow keeps it from going out of bounds. Leah Richards is fouled. This is the tenth Falcon foul of the half; for the rest of this game the Cougars will shoot two free throws any time they are fouled. Leah Richards hits one of her two free throws and LC leads 46-32 with 2:45 left on the clock.

The Falcons miss a jumper off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Anna Richards is fouled and hits one of her two free throws for Catholic. Reese Polega passes to Elisha Dykstra, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for the Falcons. Anna Richards is fouled and hits two free throws for the The Falcons bounce a pass through the lane and out of bounds. Anna Richards is fouled and hits two free throws to give the Cougars a 49-35 lead with 2:00 remaining.

The Falcons bounce a pass through the lane and out of bounds. Anna Richards is fouled and hits two more free throws for the Cougars. GRWC misses a long three point attempt from the top of the key. Ellie Bies knocks the ball away from the Cougars and Cadence Dykstra picks it up for the Falcons. Reese Polega hits a three point shot from the side for the Falcons. Anna Richards is fouled and hits two more free throws to give the Cougars a 53-38 lead with 1:14 to go.

Gabby Halliwill gets her hand on a Falcon pass and then ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and the ping pong players are really impressed with her defense and award the ball to the Cougars. Catholic is fouled, but misses two free throws. Ellie Bies passes to Reese Polega, who hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the LC lead to 53-41.

Anna Richards is fouled and hits two free throws for the Cougars. Hannah Prico partially blocks a threeball from the wing by the Falcons. Leah Richards is fouled on the rebound and hits two free throws to give the Cougars a 57-41 lead with 25.9 seconds to play.

GRWC misses a three point shot from the corner. Anna Richards is fouled and hits two free throws for the Cougars with just 15.2 seconds left for the final scoring of the game. The Falcons lose a pass out of bounds. Reese Polega steals the ball, but there is no time for the Falcons to shoot.

Lansing Catholic wins this game by a 59-41 score and will play Frankenmuth in Saturday’s final game.

Cadence Dykstra led the Grand Rapids West Catholic scoring with 13 points. Reese Polega and Elisha Dykstra each suppored her with 9 points. Emma Tuttle put in 6 points and Ellie Bies added 4 points.

Anna Richards hit twelve of thirteen free throws and three three point shots on her way to leading the scoring for both teams with 25 points. Leah Richards hit 9 of her 10 free throws as part of her 14 points. Gabby Halliwill chipped in with 9 points. Hannah Pricco scored 5 points and had one of the three consecutive three point baskets at the beginning of the fourth quarter that blew the game open. Faith Jungwirth had 4 points, all in the third quarter while the Cougars were overcoming the Falcon lead. Tessa Roe added 2 points.