Webberville at Potterville – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – January 29, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Well, it’s Saturday night and many singers over the years have said that Saturday night’s all right for fighting, romance and many other things. Well, tonight, Saturday is the perfect night for a visit to Potterville to watch the Vikings as they host the Spartans from Webberville. Potterville enters the game with a 6-3 record and Webberville is at 7-4. Both of these teams love to play fast; tonight’s game will be a challenge for your Bleacher Denizen’s aging note-taking fingers!

Nate Lott, a thousand point career scorer, handles the ball for Webberville. If anything, he is even better at passing and handling the ball than he is at scoring (and 1000 points tells you about his ability in that area.) He is quick enough to smother opponents on the perimeter and tall enough to defend in the post as well. Kolson Lycos is a ball of energy. He is in constant motion and very effective doing that. He has a fine three point shot and attacks the basket really well, too. I know I would probably stand to the side rather that take a charge from the dynamic force known as Kolson Lycos.

Caleb Howard can slash to the basket and is a good perimeter defender. Riley Kingsley is a fine rebounder and can score in the post. Max Mills and Tate Mills do not back down when they are defending on the perimeter. Chase Abner is a tall, athletic player who can defend anywhere on the floor. He can attack the basket and is dangerous when he gets hot from the three point line.

This is the first time I have seen the Potterville Vikings this year, so Coach Jake Briney helped me out with some background information about his players. Chris Hicks runs the point. He is extremely quick and strong; this allows him to get a lot of steals and slash to the basket really well. Da’Marion Hicks plays in the post. He is a quick, strong defender who leaps really quickly and is a factor on nearly every rebound. He is also good at slashing to the basket.

Jonah Bovee and Benecio Vasquez are strong three point shooters for the Vikings. Spencer Fedewa brings quickness and intensity to the Viking perimeter defense. He is a fine ball handler and passer on offense.

I was able to get to the Potterville gym in time to see the last half of the JV game. Webberville had an 18-16 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, Potterville was able to tie the game; the score was 27-27 going into the fourth quarter. Potterville scored the first eleven points of the fourth quarter and went on to win 46-33.

John Wyatt Coe led Webberville with 13 points. Kevin Farmer joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Samuel Croft scored 4 points. Shad Pressel, Bradley Davis and Austin Johnson each tallied 2 points.

Jacob Bishop had 19 points for the victorious Vikings. Reid Jackson supported his teammate with 11 points. Keagan Dunning added 6 points. Ezariah Taylor chipped in with 5 points. Diego Vasquez scored 3 points and Andrew Wright tallied 2 points.

Potterville Band Director and Announcer Jim Smith led us in singing the national anthem and did a great job!! His band is excellent, too! They did not play tonight, but I remember them from a game a short while ago and they were really good! Your Bleacher Denizen always loves to salute a good musical performance. He is a professional musician, although now he mostly works with his “Chuck Krafft” You Tube Channel. Here is his latest You Tube attempt – – “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0IFWZLHHuc

It is now time to look at the events of this game through the bleary, aging eyes of a Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in ancient days when he was young enough to attempt to hoop. People used to criticize his court vision, but I’ll try to defend my passing by noting that the helmets we wore in ancient basketball games really limited most people’s peripheral vision.

Webberville wins the opening tap. Nate Lott passes to Max Mills, who hits a three point shot from the wing to give Webberville the first two points of the game. Benecio Vasquez hits a three point shot from the corner for Potterville to tie the game. Abe Hanna blocks a Webberville layup. Potterville misses a threeball from the wing. Nate Lott hits a three point shot from the wing to give Webberville a 6-3 lead.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the side; Abe Hanna hits a putback for the Vikings. Webberville misses a three point shot from the wing. Potterville misses a three point shot from the corner. Abe Hanna pulls down the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Webberville loses the ball out of bounds. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Caleb Howard passes to Kolson Lycos, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws to give his Spartans a 7-5 lead with 5:24 to play in the first quarter.

Potterville misses a layup. Spencer Fedewa snags the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Chris Hicks pass to Da’Marion Hicks, who is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Potterville. Chris Hicks steals a Spartan pass. Potterville misses a fast break layup. Da’Marion Hicks gets the offensive rebound for Potterville. The Vikings miss a layup and Da’Marion Hicks is fouled on a putback. Da’Marion Hicks makes one of his two free throws to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:48 to go in the first quarter.

Benecio Vasquez’ tough defense causes a Webberville traveling violation. Max Mills intercepts a Viking pass. Webberville misses a fast break layup. Potterville misses a layup. Chris Hicks gets a putback to give the Vikings a 9-7 lead.

Webberville misses a threeball from the wing. Caleb Howard gets the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville misses a three point shot from the wing. Max Mills grabs the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Spencer Fedewa draws a charging foul from Webberville. Chris Hicks passes to a teammate who is fouled on a three point shot; Potterville misses the three free throws. With 3:06 remaining in the first quarter, the Potterville lead remains at 9-7.

Chris Hicks steals the ball for the Vikings. Potterville misses a fast break layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Webberville takes possession. Benecio Vasquez blocks a Spartan shot; the loose ball goes out of bounds and Webberville gets the ball back. Nate Lott hits a sixteen foot shot from the side to tie the game at 9-9.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. Abe Hanna gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses another three point shot from the side. In a deja vu moment, Abe Hanna gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings again. Chris Hicks banks in a threeball near the top of the key; I heard him call “bank!” (Or are the Bleacher Denizen’s aging ears failing him again?) Anyway, Potterville has a 12-9 lead.

Webberville misses a three pointer from the wing. Nate Lott draws a charging foul from the Vikings. Webberville commits an offensive foul. Caleb Howard knocks a Viking pass out of bounds; Potterville gets the ball back. Potterville misfires on a triple try from the corner. Jonah Bovee knocks a Webberville pass out of bounds; the Spartans retain possession.

Webberville misfires on a threeball near the top of the key. Tate Mills gets the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville misses a three pointer from the side. Potterville misses a three pointer from the wing. Kolson Lycos is fouled on an eight foot shot from the side. He hits one of his two free throws. Kolson Lycos knocks the rebound off Potterville and Webberville has the ball with about three seconds to play in the quarter. Kolson Lycos passes to Caleb Howard, who hits a three point shot from the wing as the buzzer sounds.

Webberville has a 13-12 lead after the first quarter.

Potterville inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Vikings miss a three ball from the wing; Spencer Fedewa pulls down the offensive rebound for Potterville. The Vikings miss a fourteen foot shot from the wing. Spencer Fedewa knocks the ball away from Webberville, but the Spartans retain possession. Webberville misses a jump shot. Abe Hanna blocks a Webberville putback. The action is so fast that your creaking Bleacher Denizen does not know whether the Spartans got an offensive rebound or stole the ball, but they do have it again.

Webberville misses a threeball from the wing. Potterville misses a layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Spartans take possession. Webberville misfires on a three point attempt. Potterville misses a ten foot banked runner on the fast break. The rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow consults its legal counsel and decides to award the ball to Webberville. Nate Lot is fouled on a fifteen foot shot from the wing. He hits two free throws to give the Spartans a 15-13 lead with 5:53 to play in the first half.

Potterville misses a layup. Abe Hanna gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a layup. Abe, “the rebounding machine”, Hanna gets yet another offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a layup. Spencer Fedewa gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings and Chris Hicks passes to Abe Hanna, who instead of getting a rebound, hits a fifteen foot shot from the baseline to close the Webberville lead to 15-14.

Webberville misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Potterville misses a layup. Chris Hicks gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville misses a threeball from the wing. Max Mills drives and hits a six foot banked shot for Webberville. Potterville misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Da’Marion Hicks hits a putback for Potterville. Nate Lott responds by sinking a threeball from the wing to give Webberville a 20-16 lead.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Chase Abner hits a fast break layup for the Spartans. Potterville misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Chris Hicks hits a putback for the Vikings. Webberville misses a three pointer near the top of the key. Potterville misses a sixteen foot shot from the side. Kolson Lycos hits a fifteen foot shot from the side of the lane for Webberville. Ryan Bishop hits a three point shot from the side to trim the Webberville lead to 24-21.

Webberville misfires on a three pointer from the wing. Potterville misses a five foot fast break runner. Webberville misses a jump shot. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Spencer Fedewa knocks the ball away from Webberville and Chris Hicks picks it up for Potterville. Kolson Lycos blocks a Webberville layup. Potterville gets the ball back, but misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Max Mills passes to Kolson Lycos, who hits a ten foot shot in the lane to give Webberville a 26-21 lead.

Jonah Bovee hits a three point shot from the wing to trim the Webberville lead to two points. Jonah Bovee steals the ball from Webberville. Potterville misses a fast break layup. Webberville reciprocates and misses a fast break layup. Max Mills nearly steals the ball for Webberville, but Potterville recovers. Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. Nate Lott is fouled on a three pointer from the side and hits three free throws to give Webberville a 29-24 lead with ten seconds left in the half.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Nate Lott throws the ball full court; the ball hits the front of the rim. What an effort – – even if it didn’t go in!!!

Webberville leads 29-24 at halftime.

Chris Hicks leads the Potterville scoring at halftime with 7 points. Nate Lott has 13 points and Kolson Lycos has 6 points for Webberville.

Potterville throws in the ball to get the third quarter started. The Vikings miss a twelve foot shot from the baseline. Chris Hicks gets the offensive rebound; Potterville misses a layup. Abe Hanna hits a putback for Potterville. Max Mills hits a two point jumper for Webberville. Benecio Vasquez throws in a threeball from the wing for Potterville. Nate Lott hits a two point jumper for Webberville. Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. Abe Hanna hits a putback for Potterville. Nate Lott drives and hits a layup to give Webberville a 35-31 lead.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Jonah Bovee knocks the ball loose and Webberville turns it over. Potterville misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Webberville misses a threeball from the wing. Tate Mills throws the rebound off a Viking player and out of bounds; the Spartans get the ball back. Abe Hanna steals the Webberville inbound pass. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Jonah Bovee pulls down the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville is whistled for a traveling violation.

Webberville misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and Potterville takes possession. Potterville misses a three point shot from the side. Chris Hicks outraces everyone for the long offensive rebound. Potterville misses a three point shot from the corner. Caleb Howard drives and dishes the ball to Kolson Lycos, who is fouled on a layup. Kolson Lycos hits two free throws to push the Webberville lead to 37-31 with 4:02 left to play in the third quarter.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Chris Hicks taps the ball away from Webberville and Da’Marion Hicks picks it up for Potterville. Potterville misses a fast break layup. Potterville misses a fast break layup. Webberville reciprocates and misses a fast break layup. Webberville gets the ball back; they miss a three point shot from the top of the key. Chris Hicks hits a sixteen foot shot from the wing off the dribble to shave the Spartan lead to 37-33.

Webberville misses a three point shot from the side. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Da’Marion Hicks makes a great hustle play as he dives for the rebound, but the ball goes out of bounds and Webberville takes possession. Caleb Howard drives the baseline and hits a layup for Webberville. Chris Hicks drives the baseline and hits a layup for Potterville.

Webberville misses a jumper from the free throw line and fouls on the rebound. Potterville misses an eight foot banked shot from the side of the lane. Kolson Lycos is fouled on a fast break layup and hits one of his two free throws to give Webberville a 40-35 lead with 45.9 seconds left on the third quarter clock.

Tate Mills draws a charging foul from Webberville. Nate Lott drives and hits a four foot shot from the side for Webberville. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Webberville gets the ball. Webberville misses a twelve foot shot from the side of the lane at the buzzer.

After three quarters, Webberville leads 42-35.

Webberville inbounds the ball and the fourth quarter is underway. Chris Hicks steals the ball for Potterville. Nate Lott ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow and his consulting team were arguing about how old the Bleacher Denizen is and missed the play; the ball is awarded to Potterville.

Potterville misses a layup. Webberville misses a three point shot from the wing. Max Mills hustles and runs down the offensive rebound. The Spartans miss a three point shot. Webberville gets the offensive rebound. Nate Lott hits a layup, is fouled and misses his free throw. With 7:12 remaining in the contest, Webberville has a 44-35 lead.

Tate Mills knocks a Viking pass out of bounds; Potterville retains possession. Potterville misses a layup; the rebound is tied up. The Possession Arrow’s consulting team votes unanimously to award the ball to Webberville. Webberville misses a fifteen foot shot from the baseline. Da’Marion Hicks passes to Benecio Vasquez, who hits a layup for Potterville to shave the Webberville lead to 44-37.

Webberville misses a three point shot from the side. Max Mills gets the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Webberville misses a layup. Potterville misses a driving layup. Da’Marion Hicks is fouled on a putback and hits one of his two free throws for Potterville. Kolson Lycos drives and hits a six foot banked shot for Webberville. Potterville misses a three point shot from the corner. Chris Hicks hits a putback to cut the Webberville lead to 46-40.

Webberville misses a driving layup. Chris Hicks spins into the lane and hits a ten footer for Potterville to trim the Webberville lead to four points. Kolson Lycos hits a two point jumper from the side for Webberville. Da’Marion Hicks hits a layup for Potterville. Nate Lott drives and is fouled as he shoots a layup. He hits two free throws for Webberville. With 3:23 left on the clock, Webberville’s lead is at 50-44.

Da’Marion Hicks is fouled on a shot and hits one of his two free throws for Potterville. Tate Mills saves a bad pass to prevent a Spartan turnover. Spencer Fedewa knocks the ball out of bounds; Webberville retains possession. Jonah Bovee blocks a Spartan layup; the ball goes out of bounds and Webberville gets it back. Kolson Lycos is fouled and makes both shots of a one and one free throw opportunity to push the Webberville lead to 52-45 with 2:18 remaining in the game.

Caleb Howard blocks a Viking shot. Tate Mills picks up the loose ball for Webberville. Webberville is fouled, but misses the first shot of a one and one opportunity. Benecio Vasquez fires the ball to Ryan Bishop, who sinks a three point shot from the corner for Potterville. Nate Lott drives and hits a layup for Webberville. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to give Webberville a 55-48 lead with 1:46 to play.

Kolson Lycos shows some impressive soccer skills as he kicks the ball. The ball is awarded back to Potterville. Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Tate Mills and Max Mills dive and secure the long rebound for Webberville. Webberville misses a layup. Nate Lott gets the offensive rebound for the Spartans. Caleb Howard is fouled and makes two free throws to give Webberville a 57-48 lead with 1:02 remaining.

Potterville misses an eight foot shot in the lane. Chris Hicks gets the offensive rebound for the Vikings. Potterville is fouled and misses the first shot of a one and one opportunity. Nate Lott is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for Webberville. Nate Lott draws a charging foul from the Vikings. Kolson Lycos is fouled and hits two free throws to give Webberville a 60-48 lead with 28.1 seconds to go.

Potterville misses a three point shot from the wing. Chris Hicks gets the offensive rebound for Webberville. The ball gets loose and Nate Lott is fouled. He hits one of his two free throws for Potterville with just 8.4 seconds left on the clock. Chris Hicks passes to Benecio Vasquez, who hits a three point shot from the wing as the final buzzer makes its presence known.

Webberville wins 61-51.

Chris Hicks led the Vikings with 15 points. Benecio Vasquez joined his teammate in double figures with 11 points. Da’Marion Hicks and Abe Hanna each contributed 8 points. Ryan Bishop scored 6 points and Jonah Bovee added 3 points.

Nate Lott had 28 points for Webberville to lead all scorers. Kolson Lycos supported him with 17 points. Max Mills and Caleb Howard each chipped in with 7 points. Chase Abner had 2 points.