CONFERENCE PREVIEW – WEST MICHIGAN CONFERENCE
HART – Hart went 5-15 last year and look to rebound from a down year. Led by 6’5 senior C Alec Kempker and senior Simon Hererra along with Junior Ayden Beachum the Pirates return 8 varsity players from last year.
MASON COUNTY CENTRAL – The Spartans lost in the Class C regional finals last year and went 13-8 in the regular season. But the Spartans lost 9 seniors. It will now be up to 6’7 Junior Forward Jeffery Carrier to carry the load. Second on the team in scoring last year as a junior, the Spartans will need his offensive output to increase if they want to compete this year.
MONTAGUE– Returning every player from last year’s 13-8 team is going to make this team a contender. Seniors Hunter Mosher, Sebastian Archer and KenyanJohnston all return and bring point production and experience to the floor. Look out for Montague to sneak up on some people.
NORTH MUSKEGON – Led by returning All-Stater TJ McKenzie and returning starters DeShary Warren Jr and John Hayhurst make the Norsemen the West Michigan Conference favorites to repeat again this year. They got tripped up in the regionals last year and look to make it to the Breslin Center this year.
MUSKEGON OAKRIDGE – The Eagles finished 7-12 last year and lost one senior from last year’s roster. They hope to get things back on track with a more experienced team. Senior Jalen Hughes looks to be the floor general this year with hopes of shaking up the conference.
RAVENNA – Junior Joshua Cox and Senior Josh VanderWoude look to improve from an 11-9 record last year. The Bulldogs play team oriented offense and look to many different contributors each night. Along with their stifling defense this team will surely compete for a conference championship
SHELBY – The Tigers finished 5-17 last year and lost key seniors from the starting lineup. Returning senior Tyler Schouten should add some spark to the Shelby unit. Lacking size, this team needs to work defensively if they want to compete.
WHITEHALL – Looking to improve from a 13-7 season from a year ago the top returning scorer and rebounder is Ethan McKenzie. Also returning is junior D.J Wright who should hold down the guard position. Overall, this team is well coached and competes night in and night out. Even with the loss of their key performer Brandon Rake this team knows how to keep games close and win.