St. Johns at Williamston – – Girls Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 7, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight your Bleacher Denizen’s basketball journey takes him to Williamston, where the Hornet Girls will take on the Redwings from St. Johns.

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this fun music video. The original song is vaguely based on a Walter Mitty type character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTdeYRUEOkc

The Williamston Hornet girls enter the game with one loss to Howell, a Division 1 school with a huge enrollment. Hornet Coach Pete Cool helped me out with some information about his players.

Reese Gaytan is an athletic girl who competes well on the perimeter and can be dominant in the post. She is a great scorer and defender who will be playing for Grand Valley State University next year. Claire Casey is an athletic perimeter defender who will be playing Division 1 Soccer in college. Addy Feig does the tough work like setting screens, rebounding and post defense.

Anna Judit runs the floor well and is a good shooter. Thea Fortin uses her high level of athletic ability to be effective on the perimeter both on offense and defense.

St. Johns enters the game with one win – – they defeated Eaton Rapids in their season opener earlier this week. Coach Rondi Fillwock provided me with some background about her Redwing players.

Jocelyn Kotowicz is an excellent scorer who slashes to the basket well; she is very strong and this helps her get the ball to the hoop. She is also a quality three point shooter and persistent perimeter defender. Isabel Thelen runs the point for the Redwings. She is a tough perimeter defender and versatile scorer who can either slash to the basket or snipe away from the three point line. Madison Robinson is a tough post defender and rebounder. Rachel Jackson is an accurate three point shooter.

Paityn Chant is an athletic player who is a good defender either on the perimeter or in the post. Lillian Sackrider is a fine scorer and defender in the post. Taylor Cook is unfortunately out for the season with an injury. Abigail DeRosia, Katelyn Thelen and Jaelah Medina are tough perimeter defenders. Abigail Hendy and C.J. Pendleton help out with the post defense and rebounding.

It was an interesting trip from South Lansing, where I live to Williamston High School. When I got to within about a mile from the high school there were “closed road” signs that had no information about a proper detour. (After all, who could possibly figure that people on the way to the high school on the most direct route could get lost if they were forced off the road and not told where to go.)

Sigh, after this failure, your Bleacher Denizen randomly drove about for about twenty minutes before he lucked into finding a back entrance to the high school. At least I got to the game in time, I suppose, but – – –

Oh well. When I got to the JV game, it was halftime and Williamston had a 29-14 lead. St. Johns closed the gap quite a bit in the second half, but never got closer than four points as Williamston finally won by the score of 43-37.

Samantha Prince led the Redwing JVs with 17 points. Allyanna Drews added 7 points. Abigail Tisdale put in 5 points and Samantha Hallead added 4 points. Abigail DeRosia scored 3 points and C.J. Pendleton tallied 2 points.

Ava Eddy led the victorious Hornet JVs with 9 points. Kylan Dillingham supported her teammate with 8 points. Isabella Eaton contributed 6 points. Maya McCullen, Lyla Hersey and Aspyn Lott each tossed in 5 points. Ava Mauk scored 3 points and Madison Stiffler tallied 2 points.

It is now time to review this game through the at least partially clear lenses of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he attempted to play basketball in ancient times. Your Bleacher Denizen’s coach was hugely supportive of passing, however, it took to long for the Bleacher Denizen to realize that you are only supposed to pass to those wearing a uniform similar in color to your own uniform. After a few dozen of what the coach callously referred to as “turnovers”, he lost coach and my playing time seriously dwindled.

Williamston wins the opening tap. The Hornets miss a layup. St. Johns drives and misses a six foot shot in the lane. Lillian Sackrider blocks a Williamston layup. Thea Fortin draws an offensive foul from the Red Wings. Williamston misfires on a triple try from the top of the key. Reese Gaytan gets the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Anna Judit hits a reverse layup to give Williamston the first two points of the game.

St. Johns misses a five foot shot from the side of the lane. Thea Fortin drives from the side and hits a layup for Williamston to made the score Thea Fortin 4 St. Johns 0.

Addison Feig steals the ball for Williamston. Williamston misfires on a triple try from the side. Thea Fortin hustles over to the baseline to try to save the rebound, but it goes out of bounds and St. Johns takes possession. The Redwings miss a driving layup. Williamston misses a three point shot from the side. Reese Gaytan steals the ball for the Hornets. Williamston misses a layup. Claire Casey is fouled on a putback and hits two free throws to give Williamston a 6-0 lead with 3:49 left in the first quarter.

Jocelyn Kotowicz is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of her two free throws for the first Redwing point. Jaelah Medina steals the ball for St. Johns. Anna Judit knocks a Redwing pass out of bounds; St. Johns retains possession. Claire Casey steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to give her Hornets an 8-1 lead.

Sophia Gaytan steals the ball for the Hornets. Williamston misses a three pointer from the wing. St. Johns misses a three pointer from the side; the Redwings get the offensive rebound. Claire Casey steals the ball for the Hornets. Williamston misses a three point shot from the side. Reese Gaytan hits a putback and is fouled, but misses her free throw. Williamston leads 10-1 with 1:42 to go in the quarter.

St. Johns misses a driving layup. Williamston misses a three point shot near the top of the key. Sophia Gaytan knocks a Redwing pass out of bounds; St. Johns retains possession. Abby Brannan nearly steals the ball for the Hornets, but her momentum makes her step on the sideline. Abby Brannan ties the ball up. The Possession Arrow is groggy from watching the Bleacher Denizen’s You Tube videos all night; it misses the play and Ms. Brannan’s great hustle. The ball is awarded to St. Johns.

Anna Judit knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Johns gets the ball back with just 6.6 seconds left in the first quarter. The Hornet defense refuses to allow St. Johns to inbound the ball in the required five seconds and the Redwings turn the ball over. Jocelyn Kotowicz steals the ball and hits a layup for St. Johns just before the first quarter buzzer blares.

After one quarter, Williamston holds a 10-3 lead.

Williamston inbounds the ball to start the second quarter. The Hornets miss a three pointer from the side. St. Johns is assessed with a traveling violation. Williamston misses a layup. Claire Casey knocks the ball away from St. Johns and Reese Gaytan picks it up for Williamston. Williamston misses a fast break layup. Abby Brannan snags the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Claire Casey throws in a threeball from the wing to give the Hornets a 13-3 lead.

St. Johns misses a three point shot from the corner. Williamston misses a three pointer from the wing. Isabel Thelen gets the rebound and goes coast to coast for a St. Johns layup. Williamston commits a traveling violation. Claire Casey steals the ball for the Hornets. Williamston misses a fast break layup. Abby Brannon is fouled on a putback and hits one of her two free throws to give the Hornets a 14-5 lead with 5:50 left in the second quarter.

Sophia Gaytan knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Johns retains posseession. St. Johns misses a threeball from the side. Lillian Sackrider gets her hand on a long Williamston pass; the ball goes out of bounds and St. Johns takes possession. Anna Judit knocks a pass out of bounds to slow down a Redwing fast break. St. Johns retains possession. The Redwings misses a three pointer from the wing. Claire Casey passes to Thea Fortin, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give the Hornets a 17-5 lead.

St. Johns misses a three pointer from the wing. Abigail Hendy fights for the offensive rebound and causes Williamston to lose the ball out of bounds. St. Johns misses a layup. Jaelah Medina hits a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line to trim the Hornet lead to 17-7.

Williamston throws a pass too high and out of bounds. Thea Fortin blocks a Redwing six foot shot from the side of the lane. Williamston is fouled on a driving hook/layup, but misses two free throws. Abby Brannon steals the ball for the Hornets. Williamston commits an over and back violation. St. Johns misfires on a triple try from the top of the key. Claire Casey drives and dishes the ball to Anna Judit, who hits a three pointer from the corner to boost Williamston to a 20-7 lead.

Claire Casey ties up a St. Johns inbound pass; the Possession Arrow was in a meeting with the Christmas party committee and missed the play; the ball is awarded to St. Johns. Reese Gaytan steals the St. Johns inbound pass. Williamston travels to foil a fast break. St. Johns misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Williamston gets the ball. Williamston misses a three pointer from the wing.

Addison Feig dives to tie up the rebound; the Possession Arrow is enamored with her hustle and aggression and the ball is awarded to Willimaston. Williamston misses a three point shot near the top of the key. Abby Brannon knocks a pass into the lane out of bounds; St. Johns gets the ball back. St. Johns misses a three point shot from the wing. Claire Casey banks in a thirty-five foot shot for Williamston at the buzzer.

Williamston has a 23-7 halftime lead.

Jocelyn Kotowicz has 3 points for St. Johns

Claire Casey leads Williamston with 10 points. Thea Fortin and Anna Judit each have 5 points.

As there are no halftime activities today, here are a couple (hopefully) humorous music videos from my channel.

Snoopy’s Christmas was a novelty hit in 1967; I’ve always loved this song and probably wore out my older brother’s 45 RPM record of the song. (The Aging Bleacher Denizen realizes he is dating himself.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1pZCnDBHL0

Here is a decidedly unclassical approach to the unclassical tune every pianist learned as a child, “Chopsticks.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqXxw1t5V0&t=3s

St. Johns inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Isabel Thelen spins and hits a ten foot shot off the dribble from the baseline for St. Johns. Reese Gaytan hits a layup for Williamston. She is fouled on the play and makes her free throw to boost the Hornets to a 26-9 lead with 7:25 left in the quarter.

St. Johns travels on a drive to the basket. Williamston misses a driving layup. St. Johns misses a three point shot from the side. Reese Gaytan takes the ball coast to coast and hits a six foot hook shot for Williamston. Reese Gaytan steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to give Williamston a 30-9 lead.

St. Johns misses a driving layup. Williamston misses a threeball from the corner. Reese Gaytan gets the offensive rebound for the Hornets. Williamston misses a three pointer from the side. St. Johns misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. The Redwings get the offensive rebound. Jaiden Griffith harasses the Redwings into a traveling violation. Madison Robinson blocks a Williamston layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and St. Johns takes possession.

St. Johns misses a three point shot from the wing. Williamston commits an offensive foul.. St. Johns misses a three pointer from the corner and fouls on the rebound. Madison Robinson leads the Redwing defense into harassing the Hornets into a violation for failing to inbound the ball in five seconds. Anna Judit steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to give Williamston a 32-9 lead.

Addison Feig steals the ball for the Hornets. Williamston misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Jocelyn Kotowicz hits a three point shot for St. Johns. Williamston misses a layup. Isabel Thelen hits a putback to shave the Hornet lead to 32-14.

Williamston misses a three point shot from the corner. St. Johns misses a driving six foot banked shot. Williamston misses a layup. Sophia Gaytan hits a putback for the Hornets. Sophia Gaytan steals the ball for the Hornets. Claire Casey passes to Thea Fortin for a Williamston layup. Jaelah Medina drives and is fouled on a ten foot shot. She hits one of her two free throws to trim the Williamston lead to 36-15 with 1:08 to play in the quarter.

Williamston is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. St. Johns misses a layup. Williamston misses an eight foot shot in the lane. The rebound is tied up and the Possession Arrow decrees that Williamston shall have the ball. Reese Gaytan hits a fast break layup at the buzzer for Williamston.

With three quarters in the books, Williamston has a 38-15 lead.

St. Johns inbounds the ball to open the final quarter. Sophia Gaytan steals the ball for the Hornets. Jocelyn Kotowicz gets her hand on the ball and it goes out of bounds. Williamston gets it back. Thea Fortin throws in a threeball from the top of the key to push the Williamston lead to 41-15.

Paityn Chant passes to Jocelyn Kotowicz, who hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Johns. Williamston misses a driving layup. Rachel Jackson passes to Madison Robinson, who hits a three point shot from the wing to trim the Williamston lead to 41-21.

Williamston misses a three pointer from the side. St. Johns misses an eight foot hook shot from the baseline. Williamston is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. St. Johns misses a three point shot from the wing. Lillian Sackrider gets the offensive rebound for the Redwings. St. Johns misses a three point shot from the side. Claire Casey is fouled on a driving eight foot shot in the lane. She hits one of her two free throws. With 5:19 left on the clock, the Williamston lead is at 42-21.

Reese Gaytan gets the offensive rebound for Williamston. Reese Gayton is fouled shooting and hits one of her two free throws for Williamston. Anna Judit knocks the ball away from the Redwings and Claire Casey picks it up for the Hornets. Jocelyn Kotowicz harasses the Hornets and they lose the ball out of bounds. Reese Gaytan knocks the ball away from St. Johns and Williamston gets the ball after it bounces off several hands. Claire Casey is fouled and hits two free throws to boost the Williamston lead to 45-21 with 4:59 left in the game.

Reese Gaytan ties up the ball; the Possession Arrow is impressed with her hustle and awards the ball to Williamston. The Hornets miss a three point shot from the side. Isabel Thelen hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Johns. Reese Gayton hits a layup for Williamston. She is fouled on the shot and hits her free throw. With 4:10 remaining in the contest, Williamston has a 48-24 lead.

Claire Casey steals the ball for the Hornets. Williamston misses a three point shot from the side. St. Johns misses a layup. Williamston reciprocates and misses a layup. Rachel Jackson drives the baseline and hits a reverse layup for St. Johns to cut Williamston’s lead to 48-26.

Williamston misses a three point shot from the side. St. Johns travels with the ball. Williamston misses a driving layup and fouls on the rebound. St. Johns misses a driving layup. The rebound is tied up; the Possession Arrow and its steering committee steer the ball to St. Johns. The Redwings miss a three point shot from the wing. Williamston fouls on the rebound. St. Johns is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. With 2:00 left to complete the game, Williamston has a 48-26 lead.

St. Johns gets the rebound from the missed free throw, but misses a layup. Madison Robinson gets the offensive rebound for the Redwings. Abby Brannan causes a tieup; the Possession Arrow and its management committee manage to award the ball to Williamston. The Hornets misses a layup. The Redwings miss a long threeball from the wing. Abby Brannan is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to give Williamston a 49-26 lead with 1:15 remaining.

St. Johns misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Redwings get the ball back. St. Johns misses a driving layup. Sophia Gaytan is fouled and hits one of her two free throws to give Williamston a 50-26 lead with just 28.8 seconds to go.

Jocelyn Kotowicz passes to Isabel Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the corner for St. Johns. Isabel Thelen steals the ball for the Redwings. St. Johns is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws with just 2.5 seconds left. Madison Robinson hits a put back for St. Johns as time is expiring.

Williamston wins this CAAC-Red contest by a final score of 50-31.

Jocelyn Kotowicz and Isabel Thelen each had 9 points to lead the St. Johns scoring. Madison Robinson and Rachel Jackson each added 5 points. Jaeleh Medina scored 3 points.

Reese Gaytan led the Williamston scoring with 15 points. Claire Casey supported her teammate with 13 points. Thea Fortin joined her teammates in double figures with 10 points. Anna Judit contributed 7 points. Sophia Gaytan put in 3 points and Abby Brannan tallied 2 points.