Dansville at Pewamo-Westphalia – – CMAC Boys Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 13, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Since this is the second CMAC Boys Game I’m doing this week, I guess we’ll call it the Co-Game of the Week. I guess I may need to have the Bleacher Denizen’s Legal Department do some extensive research to learn of the official game-naming requirements to make sure that the Co-Game Concept is legal. For tonight, I guess we’ll just handle it this way.

Your Bleacher Denizen has just put up a song on You Tube. The idea behind it is that you never know where the Red River Valley will lead you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AhhNk1M8

In twelve years of blogging CMAC games, your Bleacher Denizen has learned that four of the most important words in the English language are “Grange Road is Dry!” Tonight, fortunately, the roads were dry and your Bleacher Denizen knows exactly where Grange Road will lead!! (I hope that this tie-in to the You Tube video was not too awkward. Perhaps this is the reason that I’m still a mere Bleacher Denizen after twelve years instead of being an intrepid reporter for a big-time Sports Outlet!)

Anyway, after enduring many icy winter trips up and down Grange Road, tonight, your Bleacher Denizen got to Pewamo-Westphalia High School without his heart stopping even once!! I even had time to stop by Ox’s Market to pick up some of their great smoked chicken and chicken jerky!!

The Dansville Aggies enter this game with a 1-5 record while the Pirates from Pewamo-Westphalia are at 4-3.

Dansville will have to play this game without two of its best players. Sam Hodgson, the 6’6″ center who anchors the defense and is a big part of the offense has injured his thumb and will not play tonight. Jared Bristle, who adds a lot of scoring to the Aggie offense will also be out. Thanks to Coach Cal Hodgson for providing this information.

Zach Sykes runs the point for the Aggies most of the time; he is very competitive on defense and keeps the offense floating. Cody Ream has a nice three point shot. Drew Frantz is a fine ball handler and perimeter defender. He slashes to the basket well; he has a nice floater to go along with some really evasive moves that help him get his shot off in traffic.

P-W coach Dominic Schneider was helpful with some background information about his Pirate players. (This is the first time I have done a P-W boys game this year.) Blake Smith runs the Pirate Point. He is an excellent all-around player who handles the ball well, shoots the threeball, slashes to the basket well and plays the persistent perimeter Pirate defense that any Pirate player who wants to play in the game (as opposed to watching others play) must do. Jamison Eklund is a junior in his third year on the varsity. He has a lot of perimeter skills, but at 6’6″ he also mans the middle on defense. He is a fine defender and rebounder in the post. On offense, he handles the ball like a guard, slashes to the basket well and has an excellent three point shot.

Braden Miller plays ferocious perimeter defense for the Pirates. Cam Cook scores well on slashes to the basket or from the three point line. He is another serious defender on the perimeter.

I guess that now it’s time to relate the events of this game through the prism of a Bleacher Denizen who will hopefully see the game in color. Alas, when he attempted to play hoops in the days of yore, he was never able to escape church league. It seems that the Bleacher Denizen never realized that it was better to stay between his man and the basket on defense. Who knew that coaches frowned on you defending from the other side of your opponent. (I could try to say I was cherry-picking for a fast break, but your Bleacher Denizen’s teammates knew better than to throw him the ball.)

P-W wins the opening tap. P-W misfires on a triple try from the side. Jamison Eklund gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. He spins and is fouled on a five foot shot from the baseline. He hits one of his two free throws. Junior Keith passes to Calvin vanHartesvelt, who hits a layup to give Dansville a 2-1 lead.

P-W misses a threeball from the corner. Blake Smith gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Cam Cook throws in a threeball from the wing for P-W to retake the lead. Jamison Eklund’s tough defense causes a Dansville traveling violation. P-W misses a layup. Zach Sykes reacts quickly to save a pass to prevent an Aggie turnover. Zach Sykes is fouled on a six footer from the side and hits one of his two free throws to trim the Pirate lead to 4-3 with 5:49 remaining in the first quarter.

Braden Miller drives from the side to hit a layup for P-W. Zach Sykes passes to Calvin vanHartesvelt, who hits a layup for the Aggies. Jamison Eklund makes a nice pass to Blake Smith, who is cutting to the basket. Blake Smith is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give his Pirates a 7-5 lead with 4:47 to play in the first quarter.

Dansville misses an eight foot shot in the lane. P-W is whistled for a traveling violation. Blake Smith steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for the Pirates. Dansville misses a three point shot from the wing. Luke Smith alertly saves a bad pass to prevent a Pirate turnover. P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Corbin Schneider steals the ball for P-W. The Pirates miss a three point shot from the wing. Blake Smith gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a three pointer from the wing; Dansville fouls on the rebound. Corbin Schneider inbounds the ball to Braden Miller, who hits a layup to give P-W an 11-5 lead.

Drew Frantz drives and hits a six foot banked shot for Dansville. Cam Cook passes to Connor Bengel, who hits a six foot banked shot from the side for P-W. Dansville misses a layup. P-W reciprocates and misses a layup. Dansville misses a fast break layup. P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Dansville misses a three pointer from the wing at the buzzer.

After one quarter, Pewamo-Westphalia holds a 13-7 lead.

Dansville inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Aggies commit an offensive foul. Elijah Neal blocks a P-W shot; the ball goes out of bounds and Dansville takes possession. Corbin Schneider blocks an Aggie layup; the ball goes out of bounds and Dansville gets it back. Jamison Eklund steals a Dansville pass and goes coast to coast to dunk the ball and give the Pirates a 15-7 lead.

Dansville misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Jamison Eklund passes to Blake Smith who strokes a threeball from the wing for the Pirates. Nate Stec passes to Drew Frantz, who hits a three pointer from the wing for the Aggies. Nate Stec steals a Pirate pass. Zach Sykes passes to Nate Stec, who hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the Pirate lead to 18-13.

Blake Smith passes to Jamison Eklund, who hits a layup for P-W. Zach Sykes drives and dishes the ball to Calvin vanHartesvelt, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Dansville. With 3:33 remaining in the first half, P-W has a 20-14 lead.

P-W misses a three point shot from the wing. Connor Bengel gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a driving layup. Dansville misses a driving layup. P-W misses a three point shot from the top of the key. P-W misses a three pointer from the corner. Blake Smith steals the ball for P-W. Luke Smith banks in a three point shot from the top of the key for P-W. (I could swear I heard him call “BANK!”) This gives P-W a 23-14 lead.

Dansville misses a three point attempt from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Dansville gets another opportunity. Blake Smith hustles on defense and causes Dansville to lose its inbound pass out of bounds. Jamison Eklund hits a putback for P-W. Cam Cook knocks the ball away from Dansville; Blake Smith picks it up and hits a fast break layup to give P-W a 27-14 lead.

Dansville misses an eight foot shot in the lane. P-W misses a three pointer from the corner; Corbin Schneider hits a putback for P-W. Nate Stec is fouled on a six foot shot in the lane and hits two free throws for Dansville. Drew Frantz steals the ball for Dansville. The Aggies miss a half court heave at the buzzer.

At halftime, Pewamo-Westphalia has a 29-16 lead.

Nate Stec, Drew Frantz and Calvin vanHartesvelt each have 5 points to lead the Aggie scoring at halftime.

Blake Smith has 8 points and Jamison Eklund has 7 points for Pewamo-Westphalia.

P-W inbounds the ball to open the third quarter. Braden Miller to passes Blake Smith, who hits a three point shot from the top of the key for the Pirates. Corbin Schneider pirates the ball for the Pirates and hits a five foot banked shot. Corbin Schneider blocks an Aggie layup; the ball goes out of bounds and Dansville gets the ball back. Jamison Eklund made a great effort hustling to the sideline to try to save the ball for P-W, but he was not able to stay in bounds. Dansville loses a pass out of bounds. P-W misses a three point shot from the side.

Dansville misses a layup. Junior Keith makes a great effort to save the rebound for the Aggies, but it goes out of bounds and the Pirates take possession. Cam Cook passes to Jamison Eklund, who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Pirates to push the P-W lead to 37-16.

Dansville misses a three point shot from the wing. P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Jamison Eklund seconds the offensive rebound for P-W. Blake Smith passes to Cam Cook, who hits a three point shot from the wing for the Pirates. Dansville misses a fifteen foot shot from the wing. Calvin vanHartesvelt gets the offensive rebound for the Aggies. Dansville misses a jump shot. Blake Smith hits a fast break layup to push the Pirate lead to 42-16.

Drew Frantz hits a layup for Dansville. Calvin vanHartesvelt blocks a Pirate layup. A Dansville pass receiver steps on the baseline and the Aggies turn the ball over. Devin Ackerson gets his hand on the ball and knocks it out of bounds; P-W retains possession. Connor Bengel passes to Braden Miller, who hits a three point shot from the wing for P-W. Dansville misses a driving, scooping layup. P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Drew Frantz banks in a ten foot runner to shave the P-W lead to 45-20.

P-W misses a threeball from the side; the rebound goes out of bounds and P-W gets the ball back. Nate Stec and Elijah Neal double team P-W and force a tie up. The Possession Arrow loves their aggressive hustle and decrees that Dansville shall have the ball. Blake Smith steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for P-W. Drew Frantz bursts into the lane and hits a six foot jump shot; he is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 35.4 seconds to play in the third quarter, the P-W lead is at 47-22.

Drew Frantz steals the ball for the Aggies. Dansville misfires on a triple try from the top of the key. Blake Smith’s seventy foot buzzer heave hits the back of the rim.

After three quarters, Pewamo-Westphalia holds a 47-22 lead.

P-W inbounds the ball to begin the fourth quarter. Calvin van Hartesvelt knocks the ball away from P-W, but the Pirates recover. P-W misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Dansville fouls on the rebound. P-W loses the ball out of bounds. Cam Cook blocks an Aggie runner; the ball goes out of bounds and Dansville gets it back. Cam Cook steals the ball for P-W. P-W misses a fast break layup. Drew Frantz goes coast to coast to hit a layup for Dansville. The P-W lead is now at 47-24.

Zach Sykes steals the ball; Dansville misses a fast break layup. Dansville gets the offensive rebound. Jamison Eklund steals the ball for the Pirates and hits a fast break layup. Dansville misses a jump shot. The Aggies get the offensive rebound. Nate Stec passes to Calvin vanHartesvelt, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws. With 5:53 left on the clock, P-W holds a 49-25 lead.

P-W misses a three point shot from the side. Blake Smith gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Drew Frantz steals the ball for the Aggies. Dansville misses a fast break layup. Calvin vanHartesvelt gets the offensive rebound for Dansville. The Aggies miss a layup. Nate Stec knocks the ball away from P-W, but the Pirates are able to recover. P-W misfires on a threeball from the wing. Dansville is assessed with a traveling violation. P-W misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Jude Paxton gets the offensive rebound for P-W. The Pirates miss a three pointer from the side.

Dansville misses a six foot shot in the lane. P-W misses a three pointer from the wing and Dansville fouls on the rebound. Dansville misses a driving layup. Luke Smith passes to Connor Bengel, who launches and hits a three point shot from the corner to boost the Pirate lead to 52-25.

Dansville misses a fourteen foot shot from the side. Devin Ackerson knocks the ball away from P-W, but the Pirates recover. Junior Keith knocks the ball out of bounds; P-W retains possession. The Pirates run out the clock.

Pewamo-Westphalia wins this CMAC matchup by the score of 52-25.

Drew Frantz led the Dansville scoring with 13 points. Calvin vanHartesvelt added 6 points. Nate Stec scored 5 points and Zach Sykes tallied 1 point.

Blake Smith led the Pewamo-Westphalia scoring with 15 points. Jamison Eklund joined his teammate in double figures with 12 points. Braden Miller contributed 7 points. Cam Cook scored 6 points. Connor Bengel tossed in 5 points. Corbin Schneider had 4 points and Luke Smith tallied 3 points.