Ten Best: Grand Rapids Christian vs West Ottawa
This game between two of the top teams in Class A was one of the best games of the year. The game was close through the first half, with Christian keeping a steady 5-8 point lead throughout due to their stellar rebounding. While Christian held the lead consistently, it was still a close game in which every possession mattered. Christian was finally able to jump on West Ottawa in the third quarter, pushing their lead to as much as 18 at times. Even though they struggled to simply get a shot off in the third, West Ottawa never gave up and would find success in the fourth quarter. In what seemed like simply role reversal, West Ottawa locked up Christian for the final 4 minutes of the game, forcing turnovers, hitting threes, grabbing important rebounds, as well as finishing and-ones to erase the deficit and tie the game within the final 30 seconds. With possession of the ball and a chance for the last shot, West Ottawa inbounded the ball with 9.7 seconds left on clock. Grand Rapids Christian smothered Ottawa senior Jake VanTubbergen, forcing him to lose the ball. Several players dove for the ball, forcing a jump ball call. It would be Grand Rapids Christian’s possession with exactly 1 second left. Christian inbounded the ball from half-court to senior Thad Shymanski, who took one dribble and threw up a runner from near 30 feet. This buzzer beater won the game for Grand Rapids Christian, with the final score being 59-56.
Here’s my ten best from the game:
MVP – Thad Shymanski, GR Christian (2017)
While he may not have dominated the game by any means, he hit the game winning shot. Along with the game winner, Shymanski hit a couple big shots throughout the course of the game. He may not be a statistical monster, but his team is clearly better when he’s on the floor. He finished with 12 points.
Offensive Player of the Game – Tyler Bosma, West Ottawa (2018)
Bosma was huge for West Ottawa all game, especially offensively. Bosma, along with his teammate Jake VanTubbergen, led West Ottawa’s comeback run late in the fourth quarter. He did this with 10 points in the fourth, hitting a pair of threes and getting to the free throw line. He finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Defensive Player of the Game – Xavier Tillman, GR Christian (2017)
Tillman is the favorite to win Mr. Basketball this year and he had yet another convincing performance in this game. While he may not have dominated this game statistically, his presence in the paint both as a shot blocker and rebounder bothered West Ottawa all game. Additionally, Tillman used his great leadership to direct teammates and anchor the defense. He finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block.
Best Guy off the Bench – Thad Shymanski
GR Christian is simply a better team with Shymanski in the game, as proven in this game. Shymanski hit the game winner, so it’s hard not to give this to him. In addition to the game winner, he hit a couple other big shots that killed Ottawa’s momentum. He did a good job making plays without forcing things, scoring in the flow of the offense and setting his teammates up for easy shots.
Best Intangibles – Xavier Tillman
Any game he plays in he has the best intangibles. Tillman is constantly communicating with his teammates, controlling both sides of the ball. You can see him directing teammates on offense, calling plays as a point guard would. He does a great job keeping his team focused and making sure they don’t lose their composure. As usual, he displayed all of these qualities in this game.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance – Setric Millner, GR Christian (2018)
Millner is extremely underrated, most likely due to all of the big name players on his team. In this game, he was key with his defense, in addition to hitting the game-tying shot with 30 seconds to go. However, it was his defense that made the biggest impact, as he helped force turnovers multiple times. He finished with 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Another Notable Performance – Jake VanTubbergen, West Ottawa (2017)
The GVSU commit was quiet early in the game, but came alive in the fourth quarter to help lead West Ottawa’s comeback run. He had 8 of his 18 points during this run, including back to back and-ones. He also was everywhere on defense, with 3 steals and 2 blocks. Him and Tyler Bosma combined for 18 of West Ottawa’s 21 points in the fourth. He would have been MVP had West Ottawa finished with a victory.
Best Shooter – Nolan Eccker, West Ottawa (2017)
In a game filled with snipers, Eccker stood out as the purest shooter. While not a huge part of the team offensively, he knocked down a pair of threes to open up the game as well as a critical three late in the fourth. He was 3/3 and all three were perfect swishes.
Story to watch going forward – Thad Shymanski
Shymanski was huge in both regional games for GR Christian, scoring in double digits both games. He’s super efficient and doesn’t force shots or turn the ball over at a high rate, so when he scores in double digits it benefits his team tremendously. A big game from Shymanski may be the difference maker in GR Christian’s upcoming quarterfinal game against Kalamazoo Central. This is a huge game, as it was easily Christian’s closest game of the regular season, ending in a 2-point overtime win for Christian.