Fowler at Pewamo-Westphalia – – CMAC Boys Basketball – Co-Game of the Week – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 4, 2025 – – by Chuck Krafft

Today, Fowler’s Eagles will visit the Pirates of Pewamo-Westphalia to compete for the CMAC Boys Basketball Championship. These two teams played earlier this year at Fowler and the Bleacher Denizen was there to write up that game. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/12/19/pewamo-westphalia-at-fowler-cmac-boys-basketball-co-game-of-the-week-the-bleacher-denizen-december-18-2024-by-chuck-krafft/

The Season has progressed and the teams are only one game apart at the top of the CMAC standings – – because Pewamo-Westphalia won the game at Fowler earlier this season. Fowler is in second place in the CMAC with a 12-1 league record and is 15-2 overall. (The non-league loss was to a strong Division 2 Fruitport team.) Pewamo-Westphalia is 13-0 in the CMAC and 13-2 overall. Their non-league losses are to Division 2 Grand Rapids West Catholic and Division 1 Flint Carman-Ainsworth.

P-W’s Grady Eklund is a junior who already has 1000 career points. He is a tall (6′ 3″) point guard who has the ball handling skills to attack the basket where he is really hard to stop if he shoots and can also find teammates for easy baskets. He is also a fine three point shooter who can hit shots off the dribble. He is a quick, tough defender capable of playing on the perimeter or in the post.

Trent Piggott plays in the middle for the Pirates. He is really big and strong and tough for most P-W opponents to handle in the post. He finishes well near the basket and can also hit shots from the three point line. Reece Thelen is an aggressive defender on the perimeter who brings a nice three point shot to the Pirates.

Trevor Smith is an excellent defensive player who generally covers the opponents’ biggest offensive threat. Brady Heckman is hard-nosed and can finish at the hoop or shot from the three point line. Dominic Weber is one of the top three point shooters in the Lansing area. Lane Trierweiler brings solid defense and leadership to the Pirates.

Fowler’s Jacob Halfmann is a four year starter at the point guard position. He is an excellent athlete who defends really well either on the perimeter or in the post. He has a great flair for running the Eagle offense and keeps turnovers to a minimum while keeping his teammates involved. His athletic ability makes him tough to stop when he drives to the basket and he also has a good three point shot.

Alex Halfmann, the Eagle man in the middle is another four year starter for the Eagles. He is a formidable defender and rebounder who scores well in the post and is also a threat from the three point line. Asher Koenigsknecht is an energetic perimeter defender who never seems to run out of gas. He generates a lot of turnovers from Eagle opponents. On offense, he slashes to the basket well and can hit the three point shot. Aaron Simon is one of the Lansing Area’s top three point shooters; he can also drive to the basket.

Joe Epkey is a strong defender and rebounder in the post. Dylan Pline handles the ball well and can slash to the basket. Isaac Thelen made the Fowler varsity as a sophomore. He can defend any position and is a rugged rebounder. Jonah Thelen is a versatile offensive player who is a threat either slashing to the basket or shooting from the three point line. Augustine Spitzley is tall and very fast. He is able to defend either the post or the perimeter.

I got to the gym in time to see the last couple minutes of the freshman game and the entire JV game.

The Pewamo-Westphalia Freshmen won that game 58-33.

Easton Myers led the Fowler freshmen with 11 points. Beckett Hansen chipped in with 9 points. Jack O’Hare tossed in 5 points. Thomas Spitzley and Ben Thelen each had 4 points.

Andrew Kriss led the victorious Freshman Pirates with 17 points. Brandt Kramer joined his teammate in double figures with 12 points. Kevin Hafner contributed 6 points. Liam Piggott and Alex Birchmeier each added 5 points. Alex Drysdale, Easton Cook and Emeric Thelen each put in 3 points. Grant Thelen and Evan Nobach each tallied 2 points. Keygan Carpenter contributed a lot of energetic, hustling defense to the Pirate cause.

In the JV game, Pewamo-Westphalia got off to a 22-11 lead after one quarter and extended it to 38-25 at halftime. The Pirates controlled the game the rest of the way and won by the final score of 70-52.

Anthony Epkey led the Fowler JVs with 17 points. Drew Weber contributed 16 points. Garrett Klein scored 9 points. Hudson Fedewa put in 6 points and Jesse Andros added 4 points.

Logan Farmer led the P-W JVs with 23 points. Damon Huhn supported his teammate with 13 points. Luke Nurenberg joined his teammates in double figures with 10 points. Nick Waltersdorf and Sam Thelen each totaled 8 points. Jackson Schmitz, Kaine Simon, Reed Trierweiler and Caleb Blyth each tallied 2 points.

Fifth Grader Aubrey Portenga sang the National Anthem. She sang with confidence and held her pitch well. This was a fine job, especially for someone so young. (This is the first time I have ever heard an elementary student perform the anthem. She was really strong!) As I’m a professional musician away from this blog (although I don’t do paid work much any more), I always love to salute a musical job well-done by a student!!

It is now time to review the events of this game through the cloudy lenses of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the distant past when he attempted to play basketball. He was showing some promise beating defenses down the floor on the fast break, but everything was ruined when the basketball powers that be ruled that he was no longer permitted to wear a jet pack to enhance his speed. His playing time quickly melted away.

Fowler wins the opening tap. The Eagles miss a three point attempt from the wing. Reece Thelen passes to Grady Eklund, who drives and hits a layup to give P-W the first two points of the game. Aaron Simon passes to Alex Halfmann, who hits an eighteen footer from the wing for Fowler to tie the game. P-W misses a threeball from the wing. Fowler fouls on the rebound. Reece Thelen passes to Trent Piggott, who hits a three point shot from the side to give the Pirates a 5-2 lead.

Fowler drives the baseline and misses a layup. Grady Eklund drives and hits a layup for P-W. Trevor Smith taps the ball, but Fowler is able to recover. Grady Eklund taps the ball, but Fowler recovers again. Fowler loses a pass out of bounds. Brady Heckman drives the baseline and hits a layup to give P-W a 9-2 lead.

Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. P-W fouls on the rebound. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup as he is fouled. He sinks his free throw to trim the P-W lead to 9-5 with 3:51 left in the opening quarter.

Augustine Spitzley steals the ball for Fowler and passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a layup for Fowler. Jacob Halfmann blocks a Pirate layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and P-W gets another opportunity. Reece Thelen inbounds the ball to Grady Eklund, who hits a layup for P-W. Jacob Halfmann drives and banks in a ten foot hook shot for Fowler. Augustine Spitzley steals the ball for the Eagles. Alex Halfmann passes to Augustine Spitzler, who banks in a jumper from the free throw line for Fowler to tie the game at 11-11.

Grady Eklund drives and hits a layup for P-W. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. Jacob Halfmann drives and hits a layup for Fowler to tie the game again. Brady Heckman is fouled on a driving reverse layup and hits two free throws to give P-W a 15-13 lead with 1:06 to play in the quarter.

Fowler misses a threeball from the side. Asher Koenigsknecht taps the offensive rebound to Jacob Halfmann. Trent Piggott steals the ball for P-W. P-W travels on a too fast break. Grady Eklund steals the ball for the Pirates. (If you are going to steal, I guess it makes sense that you do it for Pirates!) P-W misses a three pointer from the wing as the opening quarter comes to an end.

After one quarter, Pewamo-Westphalia holds a 15-13 lead.

During the quarter break, we learned that Jacob Halfmann scored his 1000th career point during the opening quarter. Congratulations, Jacob!! I’ve enjoyed watching you lead your team for four years. It’s great to see you achieve this milestone!!

P-W has the ball to open the second quarter. Reece Thelen is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for the Pirates. Trent Piggott knocks the ball out of bounds; Fowler retains possession. Jacob Halfmann inbounds the ball to Asher Koenigsknecht, who hits a ten foot shot from the side for Fowler. P-W misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Pirates get another opportunity.

The Pirates miss a layup. Trent Piggott steals the ball for the Pirates. Isaac Thelen steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misfires on a triple try from the wing. P-W reciprocates and misfires on a triple try from the wing. Trevor Smith gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. With 5:28 remaining in the first half, P-W holds a 17-15 lead.

Trent Piggott grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates. P-W misses a layup. Jacob Halfmann passes to Aaron Simon, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Fowler the lead. Lane Trierweiler passes to Grady Eklund, who throws in a threeball from the side for P-W. Jacob Halfmann hits a layup for Fowler to tie the game. P-W misses a threeball from the side. Jacob Halfmann is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give Fowler a 22-20 lead with 3:38 left in the first half.

Dominic Weber banks in a three pointer from the top of the key for P-W to retake the lead. Reece Thelen steals the ball for the Pirates. Asher Koenigsknecht knocks the ball out of bounds to stop a P-W fast break; the Pirates get the ball back. Trent Piggott passes to a teammate who is fouled on a six foot banked shot, but misses both his free throws. With 3:09 remaining in the half, the P-W lead remains at 23-22.

Fowler misses a ten foot banked shot from the side. P-W misses a fast break layup. Tyler Spitzley gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Augustine Spitzley and Jonah Thelen team up to block a Pirate layup. (Both of them were high in the air, they may both have actually hit the ball. Sometimes your aging Bleacher Denizen cannot see everything.) Jacob Halfmann ignores the Bleacher Denizen’s confusion; he drives and hits a layup to give Fowler a 24-23 lead.

Jonah Thelen knocks the ball away from P-W, but the Pirates are able to recover. Dominic Weber passes to Reece Thelen, who hits a three pointer from the side to give P-W a two point lead. Fowler misses a driving layup. Augustine Spitzley steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misfires on a triple try from the wing. P-W misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball.

Fowler misses a driving six foot hook shot. P-W misses a three point attempt from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball with 41.5 seconds to play in the half. Fowler holds the ball to shoot the last shot of the half. The Eagles miss a threeball from the side. The second quarter buzzer announces its presence before the ball can be rebounded.

Pewamo-Westphalia has a 26-24 lead at halftime.

Jacob Halfmann leads the Fowler scoring at halftime with 10 points. Asher Koenigsknecht has 7 points.

Grady Eklund leads Pewamo-Westphalia with 11 points and Reece Thelen has 5 points.

Fowler inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. The Eagles miss a driving layup. Trent Piggott passes to Reece Thelen, who hits a layup for the Pirates. Trent Piggott knocks the ball away from Fowler, but the Eagles are able to recover. Fowler misfires on a threeball from the corner. P-W misses an eighteen foot shot off the dribble from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and P-W gets another opportunity. Grady Eklund drives and hits a layup to extend the Pirate lead to 30-24.

Fowler misses a three pointer from the corner. Reece Thelen hits a fast break layup for the Pirates. Trevor Smith steals a Fowler pass into the lane. P-W loses the ball out of bounds on a too fast break. Fowler misses a three pointer from the corner. Reece Thelen hits an eight foot bast break shot from the baseline. Fowler misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Augustine Spitzley grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Grady Eklund is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give P-W a 35-24 lead with 4:25 remaining in quarter number three.

Fowler loses a pass out of bounds. P-W is whistled for an offensive foul. Fowler misses a driving eight foot shot from the side of the lane. Reece Thelen passes to Trent Piggott, who hits a layup for P-W. Asher Koenigsknecht is fouled on a three point shot from the side. He hits two of his three free throws to stop a fourteen point P-W scoring run extending back into the second quarter. With 3:27 to play in quarter number three, P-W holds a 37-26 lead.

Lane Trierweiler drives and hits a layup for P-W. Aaron Simon drives and hits a six foot shot in the lane for Fowler. P-W misses a driving reverse layup. Lane Trierweiler hits a putback for P-W. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to give his Pirates a 42-28 lead with 2:15 to play in the quarter.

Fowler misses a driving layup. Lane Trierweiler tosses the ball to Grady Eklund, who hits a fancy, acrobatic layup for P-W. (He had to swing the ball in the air to throw the defenders off before he shot his layup.) Asher Koenigsknecht is fouled on a shot and hits two free throws to trim the P-W lead to 44-30 with 1:45 left in quarter number three.

P_W misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and P-W gets the ball back. Grady Eklund passes to Dominic Weber, who hits a three point shot from the wing to boost the P-W lead to 47-30.

Jacob Halfmann passes to Isaac Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Fowler. P-W misses a threeball from the side. Brady Heckman gets the offensive rebound for the Pirates. Jacob Halfmann knocks the ball away from P-W, but the Pirates recover. Grady Eklund passes to Brady Heckman, who hits a layup for P-W. Fowler misses a long heave as the third quarter ends.

After three quarters, Pewamo-Westphalia leads 49-33.

P-W has the ball to open the fourth quarter. The Pirates miss a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler takes possession. Alex Halfmann passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Fowler. Alex Halfmann’s tough defense causes a P-W traveling violation. Fowler misses a ten foot shot off the dribble from the side of the lane. Grady Eklund is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to push the P-W lead to 51-36 with 6:10 left on the clock.

Fowler misfires on a triple try from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and P-W gets the ball. P-W misses a layup. Fowler fouls on the rebound. Jacob Halfmann’s tough defense leads to another P-W traveling violation. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. Augustine Spitzley steals a Pirate pass into the lane. Augustine Spitzley passes to Jacob Halfmann, who hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the Pirate lead to 51-39.

Grady Eklund drives from the side and hits a layup for the Pirates. Fowler misses a three pointer from the wing. P-W fouls on the rebound. Jacob Halfmann is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to shave the Pirate lead to 53-40 with 4:00 remaining in the game.

Jacob Halfmann steals the ball for Fowler and hits a three point shot from the wing. P-W misses a threeball from the wing. Jacob Halfmann is fouled on a fast break layup and hits two free throws for Fowler. P-W throws a pass out of bounds. Fowler misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Alex Halfmann grabs the offensive rebound for the Pirates.

Trent Piggott steals the ball for P-W. Fowler commits its third and fourth fouls of the fourth quarter so that P-W will have to shoot free throws at the next foul. (There is 1:27 left in the game at this point.) Asher Koenigsknecht steals the ball for P-W. Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball back. Augustine Spitzley passes to Asher Koenigsknecht, who pours in a three pointer from the top of the key to slash the P-W lead to 53-48.

Fowler has come back from a seventeen point deficit late in the third quarter.

Grady Eklund is fouled and hits a pair of free throws with 1:00 left to give P-W a seven point lead. Brady Heckman steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for the Pirates. Trent Piggott steals the ball for the Pirates. Grady Eklund is fouled and hits two free throws for P-W. Fowler misses a ten foot shot in the lane. Aaron Simon grabs the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. P-W dribbles out the clock.

Pewamo-Westphalia wins this showdown by the final score of 59-48. The Pirates have a two game lead in the CMAC with only four games to play and will probably win the league championship this year.

Jacob Halfmann scored 22 points including the 1000th of his career to lead Fowler. Asher Koenigsknecht supported his teammate with 14 points. Aaron Simon tossed in 5 points. Jonah Thelen added 3 points. Augustine Spitzley and Alex Halfmann each had 2 points.

Grady Eklund had 24 points to lead the Pewamo-Westphalia scoring. Reece Thelen joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Brady Heckman chipped in with 8 points. Dominic Weber added 6 points. Lane Trierweiler and Trent Piggott each added 5 points.