Coopersville Broncos 65 vs. Muskegon Heights Tigers 54
Coopersville Broncos vs. Muskegon Heights Tigers: The 10 Best Senior Romeo Blackshire (11 pts) started out hot knocking down a couple threes to start the game for MH Tigers but after Coach Hoogenstyn from Coopersville put in the press at…
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Continue Reading- Coopersville Broncos vs. Muskegon Heights Tigers: The 10 Best
Senior Romeo Blackshire (11 pts) started out hot knocking down a couple threes to start the game for MH Tigers but after Coach Hoogenstyn from Coopersville put in the press at the 4 minute mark the Tigers were taken out of their offense. The Boncos settled in on offense with Nate Castenholz (15 pts) and Drew Sikkema (10 pts) each knocking down a couple threes of their own.
The Broncos jumped out to a 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. At the start of the 2nd quarter Blackshire got a quick 3rd foul and was forced to the bench. Turnovers and missed free throws for the Tigers allowed the Broncos to build a 16 point lead in the 2nd. But the Tigers went to a full court press and forced some turnovers and the Tigers Lamonte Townsend (20 pts) started to heat up. He scored 7 straight points cutting the lead to 9 with 2 minutes to go in the the half. Then the Tigers Soph. DeAngelo Hollins got hurt just before the half and this disrupted the Tigers flow. The half ended with Coopersville leading 35-26
As the second half opened both teams turned the ball over on consecutive times down the court. Coming off the bench for the Tigers was 5’5 Auston Thomas (5 pts) and his energy provided a spark to the Tigers. After a timout, the Broncos came out and just beat the Tigers up the court for some easy layups. As the Tigers were struggling on offense they built a 17 point lead. The Tigers Townsend hit a big three to end the 3 min drought and the Tigers once again began to chip away at the lead. But the Broncos Sr. Vaughn VanTill had other thoughts as he converted an And One and then made a nice drive to finished the quarter scoring 7 points. Blackshire hit a buzzer beater to give the Tigers hope as the quarter ended. 51-39.
As the 4th quarter started it appeared as if Coopersville was going to blow this game wide open by scoring the first 5 points and extending the lead to 19 but Muskegon Heights just wasn’t gonna go away. The Tigers never gave up and quit as Coopersville went cold and started to turn the ball over. But the Broncos Sr. Connor Helsen took over on both ends of the floor and scored 8 in the 4th. The Broncos cruised in for 65 -54 win
- THE BEST:
- MVP: Connor Helsen ( Coopersville)
- He leadership on both ends of the court was obvious. He always seemed to make the big play at the right time. He finished with 15 points and had some key rebounds and steals.
- Play of the game: Kevon Washington (Muskegon Heights)
- In the 4th quarter with the Tigers making a run he stole the ball but missed an easy layup which would have cut the score to a seven point lead. Washington played a nice game finishing with 7 points and making some good defensive plays but his missed layup hurt the momentum.
- Best offensive performance: Lamonte Townsend ( Muskegon Heights)
Stone started the game out slow not scoring in the 1st quarter. But with Blackshire out with foul trouble and the injury to Hollins it was clear that Stone would have to step it up. He scored 20 points the rest of the way.
- Best defensive performance: Jack Devries ( Coopersville)
- Devries handled the paint effectively and controlled the boards. When he wasn’t making the rebound he was tipping the ball out to teammates. He took out all the dribble penetration moves by the Tigers with his presence.
- Best guy off the bench: Auston Thomas ( Muskegon Heights)
The 5’5 guard came off the bench and hustled on both ends of the floor. He was a pesky defender and distrbuted the ball well on offense.
- Best intangibles: Poor free throw shooting by Muskegon Heights
The Tigers got to the line 19 times only making 7. The missed free throws always seemed to come at the wrong time and suck the life out of the Tiger offense.
- Best under-the-radar performance: Connor Helsen (Coopersville)
This 5’10 Sr. made some good plays at the most opportune times. Expect him to only get better as the season progresses and watch him be more aggressive on offense as his ability to score should only increase as he understands and grasps his role as the leader of this team.
- Best underclassmen: Blake Stewart ( Coopersville)
The starting point guard really played within himself and didn’t try to do too much. He had tremendous court vision and made some nice passes to open teammates. He never got rattled and as he gets more experience he will learn how to control tempo and be more purposeful on offense as he yet has to master the ability to drive the lane and finish.
Best Atmosphere of the Game: Coopersville honoring the armed forces
The student section was filled with Students dressed in camoflauge. A well attended game with high energy which was lead by the enthusiam of the PA announcer.
Best Moment of the Night: The Coopersville student section cheering for Justin Hoogenstyn
The Bronco students were cheering for Coopersville to put in seldom used player Hoogenstyn. They were cheering “We love Justin.”