Six Best: St. Johns Homeschool vs Hudsonville Homeschool
The Michigan homeschool season commenced last weekend as several teams from around the state converged in Carson City for a day of competition. The event featured some weak teams as well as some very talented ones. This resulted in both blowouts as well as games that went down to the wire, shot for shot. One such game is the subject of this article, the 7:00 P.M. matchup between the Hudsonville Hornets (HHBA) and St. Johns Warriors for Christ.
Synopsis
The game began with the Warriors going on an 8-0 run, establishing their ability to make shots from deep. This trend of outside shooting continued throughout the game and is the strongest asset for this St. Johns squad. After a timeout and a minute of play, the Hornets began to narrow the lead. Using their advantage of height, they attacked on the inside where they found most of their first quarter points. They continued this into the second quarter when they also began to hit some outside shots. St. Johns did not slow down on their shooting and began finishing at the rim themselves, giving them a 28-27 advantage at the half. The second half saw even more outside shooting from St. Johns with four of five starting players connecting from deep. HHBA stayed in it by continuing to attack the basket on breaks and drives, occasionally making shots from midrange and beyond the arc. The Hornets held a 3 point advantage with just seconds left in regulation, at which point St. Johns tied the game and sent it into overtime. About halfway through OT, they took control, forcing the Hornets to foul and consistently converting their free throws. In the end, St. Johns finished the battle on top, winning 61-59.
The Six Best
MVP: Louis Irrer (St. Johns)
Scoring 31 points, Irrer was the clear leader of his Warriors squad and, in most areas, the most talented player on the floor. His outside shot must be respected, and he has a confident dribble and quick first step. He is able to shoot off the dribble or the pass, often pulling from college range. He can also beat his defender off the dribble or cut and finish at the rim, with crafty moves or positioning of the ball if he must. In this particular game, he scored for his team very consistently and was there for them when they really needed him, hitting big-time shots and clinching game-defining free throws.
Play of the Game: Louis Irrer (St. Johns)
The quintessential moment that signified Irrer’s importance to his team occurred with eight seconds left in regulation. At this point, the Warriors trailed by three and it seemed like HHBA would take home the win. However, Irrer caught the ball on the inbound, dribbled up the court, and stopped to sink a three and send the game into an extra quarter, saving his team in the process.
Best Defensive Performance: Gabriel Farrell (HHBA)
Because of how guard-heavy the St. Johns squad was, the Hornets power forward often found himself in less than ideal defensive situations, forced to cover a ball handler or outside shooter. The Warriors definitely took advantage of this mismatch, making moves to beat Farrell off the dribble or even on the inside. He did, however, manage to hold his own for the majority of the time. There were multiple plays where he used his length to make a steal or disrupt a guard’s dribble. One play he poked the ball away at the top of the key and sacrificed his body by diving for it, leading to a fast break for his team. He also altered shots, even blocking Irrer off the backboard on one of his drives.
Best Underestimated Performance: David Lang (St. Johns)
Standing around 5’6 or 5’7, Lang was outsized by everyone else on the court at all times. However, the SG made important contributions with some creative and deceptive finishes on the inside and some clutch outside shots to leave the contest with 12 points.
Dynamic Duo: Kwabene Kalumbula and Tommy Westrate (HHBA)
At certain key times throughout the game, these two players came through to keep their team in the contest. In the Hornets’ first comeback from behind, Westrate made important plays off the dribble, either finishing at the rim or dishing the ball off to convert to points. In the second quarter, when the Hornets trailed by 11, Kalumbula made a pair of threes off the fast break dribble to bring the game within five. He later assisted Westrate for another three, one of two the SG would have to close the gap before halftime. By the game’s end, Kalumbula and Westrate would lead the Hornets in scoring, posting 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Biggest Takeaway: (Both)
Last year, HHBA and St. Johns split during the regular season, and each team finished top four in the homeschool league. Coming out of this game and the others played last weekend, I think we can safely say that the league remains competitive, at least among the top four or five teams, and it is likely that these two teams will continue to be in the thick of things, battling each other and other top contenders from now through March.
Note: The two teams met again in a regularly-scheduled matchup on November 20th, a contest which St. Johns won, 70-59. They will meet once more on January 8.