Fowler vs. Baldwin – – MHSAA Boys Basketball Regional Semifinal – – The Bleacher Denizen – – March 3, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Today, the BleacherDenizenMobile is pointed at Merrill High School where the Panthers from Baldwin will meet the Eagles from Fowler in the semifinal round of the regional basketball tournament. Baldwin won finished first in the West Michigan ‘D’ League and has a 20-4 overall record. Fowler finished second in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference and is 22-2 overall. Their only two losses are to league Champion and Division 3 Title Contender Pewamo-Westphalia, who won their conference.

I have covered a number of Fowler games this season. Coach Kam Riley has provided me with this information about his Eagle players.

The Eagles were the runners up in Division 4 Basketball last year. Joe Epkey, the Eagles’ big man in the middle is the only returning starter from that team. He is strong and athletic. He is a formidable defender, rebounder and scorer in the lane. Jonah Thelen played a lot for last year’s Eagles and starts at forward this year. He is an excellent, skilled ball handler and passer who can defend the perimeter or the post. He is a good scorer who can hit shots from the three point line or drive to the basket, where he is smooth and creative.

Dylan Pline is a guard who got a lot of playing time for last years’ team. He is a strong all-around guard who runs the point most of the time. He is a dependable ball handler who does not make many mistakes and is also a formidable perimeter defender. He was able to get the steal and layup at the end of the game to help his Eagles to defeat Portland St. Patrick in the final seconds of this game. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2026/02/28/portland-st-patrick-vs-fowler-mhsaa-boys-basketball-district-final-the-bleacher-denizen-february-27-2026-by-chuck-krafft/

Isaac Thelen also got a lot of experience playing last year. He is a tough player who can defend the post well; he is also quick enough to be a top perimeter defender. He is a fine rebounder and scorer who can overpower opponents in the post or hit the three point shot. He is also good slashing to the basket. Aidan Riley is a versatile defender who is tall enough to cover opponents in the post and quick enough to defend the perimeter. He is good at slashing to the basket to score.

Garrett Klein is a good perimeter defender who brings an accurate three point shot to the Eagles. Drew Weber is a strong perimeter defender. Anthony Epkey is a tough defender and rebounder who can score in the lane. Hudson Fedewa gives the Eagles height and depth in the post.

Baldwin Coach Brandon Childress was generous with his time and information and provided me with this background about his Panther players.

Pierre Johnson is a speedy, athletic player. He is a great perimeter defender that generates a lot of turnovers; he uses his speed to convert these to fast break layups. He is really difficult to stop on drives to the basket as well. Chance Dockery is a fine athlete who is tall enough to defend in the post as well as being quick and agile enough to defend the perimeter. He is a four year starter who can score from the three point line, from mid-range and at the rim.

Lukas Frasier is a tough rebounder and defender in the post. He is always hustling. He sets a lot of screens and does a lot of good passing that may not show up in the box score, but makes the Panther team much better. Langston Ezell is a good rebounder and post defender who can hit the mid-range jump shot. Jalen’e Allen is a great perimeter who is frequently assigned to defend against the opposition’s best offensive player.

Kyrce Cook is a fine perimeter defender who can hit the three point or mid-range shot. Desafiar Lyons is a post defender and rebounder who can step out to score from the three point line. Michael Slone is a quick, gritty perimeter defender who is a threat from the three point line. Robert Dingee is a versatile defender who is a factor either in the post or on the perimeter.

I got to Merrill’s gym in time to watch the evening’s first semifinal between Saginaw Nouvel Catholic and Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian. After Nouvel opened the game with a 10-4 run, Tri-Unity turned things around and took a 12-10 lead after one quarter. Tri-Unity dominated the second quarter 16-5 and led 30-15 at halftime.

Tri-Unity controlled the game the rest of the way. The closest Nouvel got was to within eleven points at 52-41 with 1:51 to play when R.J. Kelley hit a three point shot. Tri-Unity closed the game with a 9-3 run to win 61-44 and will face the winner of the Fowler/Baldwin game in the regional final on Thursday.

Nouvel’s R.J. Kelley led all scorers with 22 points. Kobe Box joined his teammate in double figures with 13 points. Jason Jimenez scored 4 points, Ty Iamurri totaled 3 points and Corbin Neil tallied 2 points.

Brayden Nelson led the victorious Tri-Unity team with 15 points. Cody Osbun supported his teammate with 14 points. Clayton Rowlader pitched in with 11 points. Nolan Demots added 8 points. Jake VanKlompenbert tossed in 7 points. Caleb Hoffman added 6 points.

It is now time to review this game through the eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the days of yore when he attempted to hoop. It seems the Bleacher Denizen did not realize that remarks about his “matador defense” were not complimentary and kept doing that. (“Matador Defense” is a term from a few years ago, when the Bleacher Denizen played. If it is not obvious, it comes up when you google!)

The Bleacher Denizen frequently gave the opposing ball handlers a friendly wave as they stormed by him. When he started to shout “Ole” as they went past, the Bleacher Denizen’s Coach had enough and found guys who defended by moving their feet to replace the Bleacher Denizen.

Baldwin wins the opening tap. The Panthers miss a driving six foot banked shot. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets the ball. Fowler misses a threeball from the wing. The rebound goes out of bounds and Fowler gets another possession. Isaac Thelen passes to Jonah Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Fowler the first three points of the game.

Joe Epkey forces a Baldwin traveling violation on a drive to the basket. Michael Slone steals the ball for Baldwin. Dylan Pline steals the ball for Fowler. Fowler misses a threeball from the corner. Baldwin misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Panthers get another opportunity. Baldwin misses a driving layup. Fowler throws a pass out of bounds. Pierre Johnson drives and hits a layup to give Baldwin its first two points of the game.

Joe Epkey passes to Jonah Thelen, who hits an eight foot shot in the lane for the Eagles. Pierre Johnson drives and hits a layup for Baldwin. The score is now Jonah Thelen 5 Pierre Johnson 4.

Aidan Riley drives and hits a layup for Fowler. Isaac Thelen steals the ball and Dylan Pline hits a layup for Fowler. Isaac Thelen gets his hand on the ball; Baldwin recovers. Jonah Thelen gets his hand on the ball and Baldwin loses it out of bounds. Dylan Pline passes to Isaac Thelen, who hits a three pointer from the corner for the Eagles. Pierre Johnson is fouled on a layup; he hits one of his two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 12-5 with 3:13 to play in the opening quarter.

Aidan Riley passes to Isaac Thelen, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup for Fowler. Aidan Riley gets his hand on the ball and knocks it out of bounds; the Panthers get another possession. Dylan Pline steals the Baldwin inbound pass. Joe Epkey passes to Dylan Pline, who hits a threeball from the side for Fowler to give his Eagles a 17-5 lead.

Baldwin is whistled for an over and back violation. Isaac Thelen passes to Joe Epkey, who hits a layup for the Eagles. The Panthers commit an offensive foul. Jonah Thelen drives the baseline and hits a layup for Fowler. Joe Epkey draws a charging foul from the Panthers. Kryce Cook steals a Fowler pass. Chance Dockery passes to Pierre Johnson, who takes a break from driving to the basket and throws in a threeball from the corner for Baldwin. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 48.6 seconds left in the opening quarter, Fowler’s lead is at 21-8.

Chance Dockery grabs the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Dylan Pline steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misfires on a triple try from the corner. Pierre Johnson drives and hits a layup for the Panthers. Fowler misses a driving layup. Anthony Epkey pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Anthony Epkey gets another offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a layup. Baldwin misses a long heave as the first quarter buzzer seeks attention and blares to end the quarter.

After one quarter, Fowler has a 21-10 lead. Pierre Johnson is having an excellent game for Baldwin and has scored all ten of their points.

Baldwin inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. The Panthers miss a threeball from the wing. Lukas Frasier knocks the ball away from Fowler, but the Eagles recover. Jonah Thelen drives and dishes the ball to Joe Epkey, who hits a layup for the Eagles. Baldwin misses a driving layup. Lukas Frasier hits a putback to shave the Fowler lead to 23-12.

Dylan Pline passes to Jonah Thelen, who throws in a threeball from the corner for the Eagles. Chance Dockery drives and hits a layup for the Panthers. Joe Epkey passes to Isaac Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Fowler to give the Eagles a 29-14 lead. Isaac Thelen and Dylan Pline draw a charging foul from the Panthers. Jalen’e Allen knocks the ball away from Fowler, but the Eagles recover. Jonah Thelen hits a layup for the Eagles and Fowler has a 31-14 lead.

Baldwin misses a jump shot from the free throw elbow. Dylan Pline is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Fowler. Dylan Pline knocks the ball out of bounds; Baldwin gets the ball back. Chance Dockery drives and hits a layup for the Panthers. Aidan Riley is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws to boost the Eagles to a 33-16 lead with 4:03 remaining in the second quarter.

Baldwin misses a twelve foot hook shot off the dribble from the side. Dylan Pline drives and hits a layup for Fowler. Chance Dockery drives and hits a layup for Baldwin. Kryce Cook steals a Fowler pass. Baldwin misses a driving layup. Fowler misfires on a threeball from the corner. Baldwin misses a reverse layup. Garrett Klein hits a fast break layup to give Fowler a 37-18 lead.

Baldwin is whistled for a traveling violation. Jonah Thelen passes to Anthony Epkey, who hits a layup for the Eagles. Baldwin misses a threeball near the top of the key. Pierre Johnson steals the ball for the Panthers. Baldwin is fouled on a shot, but misses two free throws. With 1:02 remaining in the second quarter, Fowler has a 39-19 lead.

Jonah Thelen passes to Isaac Thelen, who relays the ball to Anthony Epkey, who hits a layup for Fowler. Dylan Pline steals the ball for the Eagles. Fowler misses a threeball from the side just before the second quarter buzzer says it’s time for a break.

After two quarters, Fowler has a 41-19 lead.

Pierre Johnson has 11 points to lead the Baldwin scoring and Chance Dockery has 6 points.

Jonah Thelen has 12 points to lead Fowler. Dylan Pline and Isaac Thelen each have 8 points.

Fowler inbounds the ball to open quarter number three. The Eagles miss a layup. Joe Epkey hits a putback for Fowler. Baldwin misses a layup. Isaac Thelen drives and dishes the ball to Joe Epkey, who hits a layup for Fowler. Pierre Johnson drives and is fouled on a layup. He sinks two free throws to trim the Fowler lead to 45-21 with 6:33 left in quarter number three.

Fowler misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Dylan Pline inbounds the ball to Joe Epkey, who hits a layup for the Eagles. Baldwin commits a traveling violation. Fowler is fouled on a driving layup and has the foul luck of fouling up two free throws. With 5:39 remaining in quarter number three, Fowler’s lead is at 47-21.

Joe Epkey knocks the ball away from Baldwin and Garrett Klein picks it up for Fowler. Dylan Pline is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Fowler. Dylan Pline steals the ball for the Eagles. Jonah Thelen hits a fast break layup for Fowler. Dylan Pline taps the ball away from Baldwin; the Panthers recover briefly, but travel. Isaac Thelen passes to Jonah Thelen, who hits a three point shot from the corner to give Fowler a 54-21 lead.

Isaac Thelen gets his hand on a Panther pass and knocks it out of bounds. Baldwin retains possession. Baldwin travels on a baseline drive. Fowler misses a three point shot from the corner. Anthony Epkey hits a putback for the Eagles. Baldwin misses a ten footer off the dribble from the side. Lukas Frasier pulls down the offensive rebound for the Panthers.

Baldwin misses a driving layup; the rebound goes out of bounds and the Panthers get another opportunity. Pierre Johnson drives and hits a layup for the Panthers. Aidan Riley drives and dishes the ball to Anthony Epkey, who is fouled as he shoots a layup and hits two free throws to give Fowler a 58-23 lead with 2:41 remaining in quarter number three.

Baldwin misses a threeball from the wing. Pierre Johnson forces a Fowler traveling violation. Pierre Johnson cleverly throws the inbound pass off a Fowler player and quickly hits a layup for Baldwin. Chance Dockery blocks a Fowler layup. Baldwin misses a driving layup. Chance Dockery hits a layup for Baldwin to trim the Fowler lead to 58-27.

Fowler misses a three point shot from the wing. Isaac Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler misses a three point shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Baldwin takes possession. Baldwin misses a three pointer from the side. Michael Slone pulls down the offensive rebound for the Panthers. Chance Dockery drives and hits a layup for Baldwin. Dylan Pline drives and hits a layup for Fowler. Baldwin misses a last second heave before the buzzer calls for the end to quarter number three.

After three quarters, Fowler has a 60-29 lead.

Baldwin inbounds the ball to open the fourth quarter. Pierre Johnson drives and hits a double pump layup for the Panthers. Fowler misses a driving banked shot. Joe Epkey hits a putback for the Eagles. Chance Dockery passes to Lukas Frasier, who banks in a threeball from the wing to trim the Fowler lead to 62-34.

Fowler misses a driving layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Dylan Pline inbounds the ball to Isaac Thelen, who this a three point shot from the corner for the Eagles. Pierre Johnson drives and hits a layup for Baldwin. Lukas Frasier knocks an Eagle pass out of bounds; Fowler retains possession. Fowler misses a threeball from the side. Isaac Thelen steals the ball for the Eagles. Chance Dockery steals the ball and hits a fast break layup for Baldwin to shave the Eagle lead to 65-38.

Joe Epkey hits a layup for Fowler. Garrett Klein ties up the ball for Fowler. The Possession Arrow loves his aggressive play and awards the ball to the Eagles. Dylan line passes to Joe Epkey, who makes a post move and hits a layup. He is fouled on the play and makes his free throw. With 4:35 left on the clock, Fowler holds a 70-38 lead.

Baldwin misfires on a threeball from the side. Fowler misfires on a threeball from the wing. Chance Dockery is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws for Baldwin. Michael Slone blocks a Fowler layup. The loose ball goes out of bounds and the Eagles get another opportunity. Fowler misses a three pointer from the side. Garrett Klein gets the offensive rebound for the Eagles. Fowler is fouled on a layup and misses two free throws. With 3:18 to go, the Eagle lead remains at 70-40.

Jonah Thelen draws a charging foul from the Panthers. Jonah Thelen drives the baseline and hits a layup for Fowler. Baldwin misses a ten foot shot from the side of the lane. Chance Dockery hits a putback for the Panthers. Pierre Johnson knocks an Eagle pass out of bounds; Fowler gets the ball back. Pierre Johnson steals an Eagle pass and hits a fast break layup to trim the Eagle lead to 72-44.

Fowler loses the ball. It is tied up; the Possession Arrow likes Baldwin’s hustle and awards the ball to the Panthers. Baldwin misses a layup. Fowler throws a pass out of bounds. Chance Dockery is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for Baldwin. With 1:10 remaining in the contest, Fowler’s lead is at 72-46.

Pierre Johnson knocks an Eagle pass out of bounds; Fowler retains possession. Fowler bounces a pass out of bounds. Chance Dockery hits a three point shot off the dribble from the wing for Baldwin. Chance Dockery knocks the ball away from Fowler and Lukas Frasier picks it up for Baldwin. Baldwin misses a layup. Camden Rhynard is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for Fowler with just 3.6 seconds to play. Baldwin misses a long heave as the final buzzer sounds.

Fowler wins this game by the final score of 73-49 and will play Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian in the Regional Final on Thursday.

Baldwin’s Pierre Johnson led all scorers with 23 points. Chance Dockery supported him with 21 points. Lukas Frasier scored 5 points.

Jonah Thelen led Fowler’s scoring with 19 points. Joe Epkey contributed 17 points. Dylan Pline chipped in with 12 points. Isaac Thelen joined his teammates in double figures with 11 points. Anthony Epkey added 8 points. Aidan Riley put in 3 points. Garrett Klein tallied 2 points and Camden Rhynard scored 1 point.