Lansing Christian at Saranac – – CMAC Boys Basketball Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 28, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is off to Saranac to watch as the Red Hawks host the Pilgrims from Lansing Christian in the CMAC Boys’ Basketball Co-Game of the Week! I guess since I’m also covering Bath’s boys’ game at Perry this Friday, I don’t know that is fair to designate one or the other as the “Game of the Week.” Someday, I suppose I will have to consult with the powers that be in the blog article-naming realm to see how I’m officially supposed to handle this situation.

It’s been a long day for the Bleacher Denizen. I covered a game in Kingston and stayed in Frankenmuth. Then, I went to DeWitt to the music studio, went home, gassed up and headed out to Saranac to take notes. Fortunately, until I got to the David Highway near Saranac, there was no snow and ice on the road. I’m here and ready to take notes.

While we wait for the game to start, I hope you will enjoy this video of “Down South in New Orleans” from my You Tube Channel!
https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/05/07/dewitt-at-grand-ledge-first-game-of-baseball-doubleheader-the-bleacher-denizen-may-6-2024-by-chuck-krafft/

Lansing Christian’s Pilgrims enter tonight’s game with a 2-9 record in the CMAC; they are 3-9 overall. I have covered the Pilgrims earlier this season; with help from Coach Grayson Fuller, I have learned this background information about their players.

Ethan Damesworth is a strong ball handler and three point shooter. He runs the point for the Pilgrims much of the time. David Hall is a strong interior defender and rebounder who provides excellent mid-range shooting along with the occasional three point basket. Collin Leavitt defends the perimeter well and can hit the three point shot. Caleb Franck is another strong three point shooter.

Noah Bruno is a tough perimeter defender who runs the fast break well and can hit shots from the three point line. Quinn Jamieson is a determined defender on the perimeter who also provides ball handling for the Pilgrims. Trevor Orton brings energy to the Pilgrim defense whether he is in the post or on the perimeter. Charlie Baker plays in the post where he rebounds, screens and passes well; he is also a threat from the three point line.

Saranac’s Red Hawks are 4-6 in the CMAC and 6-8 overall.

Cody Whipple is the team’s best scorer. He is a fine three point shooter and can also get to the basket or hit mid-range shots even off the dribble. Brody Stanton runs the point for the Red Hawks. He handles the ball well and is tough to stop when he drives to the basket.

Eli Lauer is the team’s top perimeter defender. He is a huge factor in the Saranac press; on offense, he does a lot of screening and ball movement that don’t make headlines, but no good team can do without those things. Landin Barker is the man in the post for the Red Hawks. He is a solid defender and rebounder. Brayden Griffin, Kolten Janse and John Sterzick are all capable of getting hot from the three point line.

I got to the gym near the end of the first quarter of the JV game. Lansing Christian’s JVs had a 26-8 lead after one quarter, but Saranac outscored Christian 19-9 in the second quarter to trim the lead to 35-27 at halftime. Christian outscored Saranac 17-12 in the third quarter and took a 53-39 lead into the final quarter.

Saranac chipped away at the lead and after putbacks by Ethan Bollone and Dionne Giles, the Red Hawk JVs pulled to within five points at 53-48 with about 2:40 left in the game. Ben Rottman drove and hit a layup for Christian to stop the Saranac run.

Christian’s defense tightened up while the Pilgrim JVs hit some free throws to pull away. Nik Korrey hit six of eight free throws during this stretch. Saranac did not score again until Rejz Conner hit a three point shot from the corner to score the final points of the game with just a few seconds left.

Lansing Christian won the JV game 64-51.

Austin Haller scored 12 points to lead the Saranac JVs. Rejz Conner, Ethan Bollone and Dionne Giles each contributed 8 points. Cole Reagan scored 6 points. Jacob Bush added 4 points. Gabriel Thomas put in 3 points and Jace Smit tallied 2 points.

Nic Korrey led the Lansing Christian JVs with 24 points. Cole Crawford and Ben Rottman each chipped in with 14 points. Jamin Block and Cole Sendow each tossed in 5 points. Bronson Tracy had 2 points.

It is now time to review the results of this game through the occasionally alert 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 promise using a lasso to keep opposing offensive players from getting free for shots, but when the basketball powers that be claimed that this was unfair, your Bleacher Denizen lacked a “Plan B”. This resulted in much time spent watching from the bench as his teammates played basketball.

Christian wins the opening tap. The Pilgrims miss a three pointer from the side. Brody Stanton passes to Cody Whipple, who hits a layup for the Red Hawks. Christian misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. Saranac misses an eight foot banked shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac gets another chance. Caleb Franck knocks the ball out of bounds; Saranac gets the ball back. Ethan Damesworth taps the ball away from the Red Hawks, but Saranac recovers. Collin Leavitt steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Christian to tie the game at 2-2.

Saranac misses an eight foot shot from the side of the lane. Eli Lauer pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw line and fouls on the rebound. Christian drives from the side and misses a layup. Collin Leavitt grabs the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Ethan Damesworth passes to David Hall, who hits a layup to give Christian the lead. Cody Whipple hits a ten foot shot from the side for Saranac and the game is tied at 4-4.

Cody Whipple steals the ball for Saranac. Ethan Damesworth steals the ball for Christian. David Hall is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give the Pilgrims a 5-4 lead with 5:09 to play in the opening quarter.

On the other end, David Hall blocks a Saranac fast break layup. Saranac recovers the loose ball. Landin Barker passes to Cody Whipple, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Saranac a two point lead. David Hall is fouled on a driving layup. He makes one of his two free throws to cut the Saranac lead to 7-6 with 4:34 left in the quarter.

Warren Hill hits a layup for the Red Hawks. David Hall hits a short jump shot from the side for Christian. Saranac misses a sixteen footer from the side. Collin Leavitt drives and hits a layup for Christian to retake the lead. Saranac is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 3:05 left in the quarter, Christian has a 12-9 lead.

Christian misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. David Hall hits a putback for the Pilgrims. Saranac misses a spinning, driving layup. Quinn Jamieson passes to Noah Bruno, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Christian. Eli Lauer passes to Cody Whipple, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup to trim the Christian lead to 15-11.

Saranac’s press forces Christian to call timeout to prevent a turnover. When play resumes, the Pilgrims miss a layup, but Charlie Baker hits a putback. Saranac misses a driving layup. Warren Hill steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a twelve foot shot from the side. Eli Lauer gets the offensive rebound and passes to a teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both his free throws. With 26.2 seconds remaining in the quarter, Christian holds a 17-11 lead.

Christian loses a pass out of bounds. Charlie Baker steals the ball for the Pilgrims. Collin Leavitt hits a long, long (forty feet?) shot from the wing to barely beat the first quarter buzzer.

After one quarter, Saranac has a 20-11 lead.

Saranac inbounds the ball to start out the second quarter. The Red Hawks miss a three point shot from the wing. John Sterzick knocks the ball away from Christian, but the Pilgrims recover. Christian is whistled for a traveling violation. Quinn Jamieson knocks a Red Hawk pass out of bounds; Saranac retains possession. Logan Haller inbounds the ball to Brody Stanton, who throws in a threeball from the side for Saranac to trim the Pilgrim lead to 20-14.

Collin Leavitt passes to David Hall, who hits an eight foot shot in the lane for Christian. Saranac misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. The Red Hawks get the offensive rebound. Saranac misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Quinn Jamieson passes to Charlie Baker, who hits a layup for the Pilgrims. Saranac misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Cody Whipple knocks the ball away from the Pilgrims; Collin Leavitt races into the back court to retrieve it for Christian. David Hall passes to Collin Leavitt, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup to give Christian a 26-14 lead.

Kolten Janse drives and hits a layup for Saranac. Christian misses a threeball from the wing. David Hall blocks a Saranac ten foot shot from the side of the lane. The loose ball goes out of bounds and the Red Hawks get another opportunity. Ethan Damesworth steals the ball for Christian. Cody Whipple steals the ball for Saranac and passes to Brody Stanton, who hits a three point shot to shave the Christian lead to 26-19.

David Hall hustles and prevents a loose ball from becoming a Pilgrim turnover. Quinn Jamieson inbounds the ball to David Hall, who hits a layup for Christian to give the Pilgrims a 28-29 lead.

David Hall blocks a Saranac layup. Christian misses a driving layup. Saranac misses a threeball from the side. Cody Whipple steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Brody Stanton knocks the ball away from Christian, but the Pilgrims recover. Brody Stanton knocks the ball away from a Pilgrim dribbler and out of bounds; Christian retains possession.

Christian misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Pilgrims get another possession. Christian misses a three pointer from the corner. Saranac misses a half court heave.

Christian has a 28-19 lead at halftime.

Cody Whipple leads the Saranac scoring with 9 points and Brody Stanton has 6 points.

David Hall has 12 points for Christian and Collin Leavitt has 9 points.

Christian inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Ethan Damesworth drives and hits a layup for the Pilgrims. Saranac misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Landin Barker pulls down the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a threeball from the side. Collin Leavitt hits a fast break layup to give Christian a 32-19 lead.

Eli Lauer throws a touchdown pass over the Christian press and Cody Whipple hits a layup for Saranac. Cody Whipple takes a charging foul from the PIlgrims. Cody Whipple passes to Logan Haller, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup for Saranac to trim the Christian lead to 32-23.

Cody Whipple blocks a Pilgrim layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Christian gets another opportunity. Christian misses a layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Pilgrims get another possession. Noah Bruno drives and dishes the ball to David Hall, who hits a layup for Christian. Cody Whipple is fouled on a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane and hits one of his two free throws to shave the Christian lead to 34-24 with 5:36 to play in quarter number three.

Cody Whipple steals the ball for Saranac. The Red Hawks miss a twelve foot banked shot from the side of the lane. The rebound goes out of bounds and Saranac gets the ball back. Eli Lauer passes to a Red Hawk teammate who is fouled on a layup, but misses both his free throws. Christian misses a three point shot from the side. David Hall grabs the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Christian misses a layup. Saranac misses a threeball from the side. Christian commits an offensive foul. Cody Whipple drives the baseline and hits a layup to cut the Christian lead to 34-26.

Christian misses a three point shot from the wing. Saranac misses a layup. Landin Barker blocks a Christian layup. The Pilgrims recover the loose ball, but bounce a pass out of bounds. Logan Haller passes to Brody Stanton, who throws in a threeball from the top of the key to chop the Pilgrim lead down to 34-29.

Eli Lauer plays tough defense and forces a Christian dribbler to lose the ball out of bounds. Saranac commits a traveling violation. Collin Leavitt hits a twelve foot shot from the side for Christian. Saranac misses a three pointer from the top of the key and fouls on the rebound. Warren Hill knocks a Christian pass out of bounds; the Pilgrims retain possession. David Hall drives and hits a layup to give his Pilgrims a 38-29 lead.

Saranac loses the ball out of bounds. Caleb Franck throws up a buzzer heave from about midcourt that bounces off the top of the rim as the third quarter buzzer announces its presence.

After three quarters, Lansing Christian has a 38-29 lead.

Saranac inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Red Hawks miss a jump shot from the free throw line. Warren Hill grabs the offensive rebound for Saranac. Saranac misses a layup. Eli Lauer steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Brody Stanton passes to Eli Lauer, who hits a six foot shot in the lane to trim the Christian lead to 38-31.

Brody Stanton steals the ball for the Red Hawks. Saranac misses a layup. David Hall dives to prevent an errant Pilgrim pass from becoming a turnover. Ethan Damesworth spins, drives and hits a layup for Christian. David Hall knocks a pass out of bounds to prevent a Saranac layup. Saranac retains possession. Cody Whipple passes to Landin Barker, who hits a five foot shot from the baseline to cut the Christian lead to 40-33.

Collin Leavitt inbounds the ball to Ethan Damesworth, who hits a three point shot from the side for Christian. Saranac misses a driving layup. Cody Whipple hits a putback for the Red Hawks. Christian throws a pass out of bounds. Ethan Damesworth blocks a Saranac triple try from the corner; Christian retrieves the loose ball. Quinn Jamieson passes to Ethan Damesworth, who hits a three pointer from the wing to boost the Christian lead to 46-35.

Caleb Franck’s tough defense forces Saranac to miss an eight foot shot in the lane. David Hall drives and hits a layup for Christian. Saranac misses a three point shot from the side. Landin Barker hits a putback for the Red Hawks. He is fouled on the play and sinks his free throw. With 3:17 left on the clock, Christian’s lead is at 48-38.

Cody Whipple knocks the ball away from Christian and Logan Haller picks it up for Saranac. Saranac misses a fast break layup. Ethan Damesworth hits an eight foot shot off the dribble from the baseline for Christian. Saranac loses the ball out of bounds. Logan Haller gets his hand on the ball, but Christian is able to recover. Collin Leavitt is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to push the Christian lead to 51-38 with 1:20 remaining in the game.

Ethan Damesworth knocks the ball away from Saranac, but the Red Hawks recover. Saranac misses a three point shot from the wing. Landin Barker gets the offensive rebound for the Red Hawks. Caleb Franck blocks a Saranac layup. Ethan Damesworth is fouled and hits one his two free throws for Christian. Collin Leavitt pulls down the offensive rebound for the Pilgrims. Ethan Damesworth is fouled and hits two free throws for Christian. With 36.5 seconds to go, Christian has a 54-38 lead.

Saranac loses a pass out of bounds. Christian dribbles out the clock.

Christian wins this CMAC matchup by the final score of 54-38.

Cody Whipple led the Saranac scoring with 16 points. Brody Stanton supported his teammate with 9 points. Landin Barker tossed in 5 points. Logan Haller, Warren Hill, Eli Lauer and Kolten Janse each tallied 2 points.

David Hall led the Lansing Christian scoring with 18 points. Ethan Damesworth chipped in with 15 points. Collin Leavitt joined his teammates in double figures with 14 points. Charlie Baker scored 4 points and Noah Bruno had 3 points.