By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
ALLEGAN
Leading scorers Katelyn VanAtter and Carlee Rynearson are among the players Allegan coach Sharron Thompson lost to graduation from last year’s 7-15 squad.
That’s the bad news for the Tigers.
The good news? Six seniors who earned valuable experience as juniors a year ago are back to lead the charge as Allegan continues to strive for improvement.
“Yes, we lost a couple of scorers from last season, but the girls we have are very capable of elevating us this season,” Thompson said. “Most of these girls have been playing together for a few years now, so they have good chemistry, they work hard and they’re scrappy.”
Forward Shyonna Thompson, returning for her third season at the varsity level, leads the charge for the senior contingent.
Forward/center Hayden Maka, forward Alyssa Macherzak, forward Bailey Meade, center Maddie Antkoviak and point guard Ellie Bishop round out the list of returning seniors.
Newcomers Jayden Vandenakker and Ellija Ziemelis could also make an impact.
“Our numbers are small, but we are mighty,” Coach Thompson said. “This is a very coachable group and a great group of athletes. We will compete with anyone this season.”
It’s a group Coach Thompson believes can finish near the top of the divisional standings.
“I believe this team will be near the pinnacle,” he said. “Be ready for a high-octane season. The girls are ready and I’m ready. I’m looking for us to compete at a high level.”
FENNVILLE
After posting a 5-17 record during the regular season last year, Fennville avenged two losses to Blake River in the opening round of district play.
Fennville coach Cory Howard is hoping his team carries some of that momentum into the 2024-25 campaign.
The return of six players with varsity experience—including five seniors—should help that cause.
The retuning seniors include center Lila Rosema, who led the team is scoring as a junior. Center Addyson Brown, guard Ariel Latchaw, guard Christina Mendoza and guard Cailey Mokma join Rosema in that group of seniors.
Sophomore guard Ceeley Howard is also back after putting together a solid freshman season.
It’s a group Cory Howard expects to lead the way for the Blackhawks on both ends of the floor.
“I’m looking for us to play fast offensively and be scrappy on defense,” he said. “My expectations for this team are for us to play hard, play together and compete for four quarters.”
Junior guard Lily Achterhof and freshman guard Amiyah Johnson are among the team’s newcomers who will compete for playing time.
“Depth and size will be an area of concern, but these girls will play hard,” Coach Howard said.
HAMILTON
With conference realignment, Hamilton is now in the OK Black along with Zeeland East, Zeeland West, Holland, Holland Christian, Spring Lake and Unity Christian.
Hawkeyes coach Jacquelyn Malloch is looking forward to challenges the new league will provide for her team.
“I think there are a lot of competitive teams,” she said. “We are excited for the opportunity to compete and we anticipate playing in a lot of close games.”
Hamilton, coming off a 12-12 showing last year, boasts plenty of experience this season.
Seven players return from the varsity squad, including a trio of seniors in forward Kaitlyn Geurink and guards Haylie Peterman and Bella Tamminga.
“We will rely on the experience of returning players to help us build off of last season.”
Malloch said. “We will have success if we can use our speed and athleticism to set the tempo and generate points in transition.”
Juniors Joselyn Paskvan (forward) and Kelsey Mersman (guard) join the seniors as returning players, as do sophomore guards Emma Slotman and Leah Brink.
Newcomers include sophomore guard Brooke Petroelje and sophomore forward Allie VanOmmen.
HOPKINS
Rebounds and turnovers.
Those are the two statistics Hopkins coach David Flowers will be keeping a close eye on during the upcoming season.
“I think some factors in our success will be our ability to consistently win the rebounding and turnover battles,” Flowers said. “If we are able to consistently out-rebound our opponents while taking care of the ball, we will give ourselves a chance to win a lot of games.”
A quartet of returning seniors—center Isabella Laskowksi along with guards Alyssa Bracelin, Ava VanderVeen and Myah Duimstra—lead the charge for the Vikings.
Juniors Coralynn Hall (wing), Reegan Helderop (guard) and Ali Langlois (guard) also return.
Newcomers include senior forward Cami Hibma, junior wing Kelsey Burgess and sophomore guard Aliza Kerber.
“We have a good mix of returning players to go along with some new faces, so our focus at the beginning of the season will be learning to play and compete together,” Flowers said.
“Our non-conference is really tough again this year, so we are going to find out quickly what we are made of. With that being said, I expect us to be a team that competes no matter what, and at the end of the season I expect us to be a factor in the OK Silver.”
Speaking of the OK Silver, Flowers believes Calvin Christian and Belding could be the teams to beat, with the other schools also presenting challenges.
“I think our conference is going to be really competitive again this year from top to bottom,” he said. “I think we can be right there as well.”
MARTIN
Martin coach Ben Schipper will have plenty of practice writing the name “Jager” in the scorebook this season.
Of the eight players on the roster, four of them have that last name. That includes returning senior guard Avery and sophomore newcomers Anna, Maggie and Kayden.
For the record, Avery, Anna and Maggie are cousins, while Kayden is not related and pronounces her last name differently.
“It’s going to be pretty cool to have three cousins sharing the court this year,” Martin coach Ben Schipper said.
Senior forward Macy Thorne joins Avery Jager as a returning player, as does the junior trio of guard Torryn Harris, forward Marybeth Ritchie and guard Alley Bacon.
“On an individual basis, we’re looking for big jumps in production and leadership for our seniors. Avery returns as a First Team All-Conference player and Macy was awarded our Most Improved Player award last year. We look forward to them building on last year’s growth.”
With only eight players on the roster, staying healthy will be key for the Clippers.
“Although we don’t have a lot of depth, I’ve really been impressed by the balance of our skill level,” Schipper said. “Every single player on the roster is going to contribute significantly.
“We have eight girls who all can score the basketball, which will make it tough for opponents to key in on anyone. Developing our guards into consistent leaders of our team will be a large focus as we move into unchartered territory after leaning on Makala Goddard the last four years.”
After finishing second to Saugatuck in the SAC Central last year, the Clippers are hoping to compete for the top spot this season.
“The SAC Central schedule is always such a tough slate because each of the teams play so hard and are so gritty,” Schipper said. “There is never an easy game in this division. We hope to be competing for the division title, and I would guess we’ll have to go through tough Saugatuck and Gobles teams to do that.”
Playing that tough SAC schedule should help the Clippers in their preparation for districts.
After winning five straight district titles, Martin has been bounced in the district finals the past two seasons.
“Our program’s goal is always to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season,” Schipper said. “We play such a tough schedule, especially a brutal stretch at the end of January. I’m hopeful for some wins early in the season to get our confidence going, but I’m more concerned about our development early on.”
OTSEGO
This year’s version of the Otsego roster will have a decidedly different look than last year’s squad.
Losing eight players to graduation will have that effect.
“It’s going to be an exciting season for us,” longtime Otsego coach Tony Koshar said. “With the losses we had to graduation, we’re going to be a young team
“Our young players are very talented, but will need some time to acclimate to the varsity level. In a perfect world, we may have some ups and downs early in the season but grow into a team that will be a tough out as we near the end of the season.”
Given the overall youth of the team, Koshar will rely heavily on his returning players to lead the way.
Senior forwards Tessa Prough and Reagan Engbers lead the way for the Bulldogs. Junior guards Audrey Lingbeek and Allie Proctor also return, as does sophomore guard/forward Brooke Smalldon.
“I think we will be a strong defensive team,” Koshar said. “Returning a couple of All-Conference players in Prough and Smalldon is a nice luxury. Lingbeek also played a major role and helped lead us to the district championship this year.
“I would say the main concern is our youth. It is a process and will be the responsibility of our staff to keep the girls on an even keel as we navigate through the season.”
Sophomore guards Madden Fitzpatrick and Peyton Johnson, sophomore forward Mya Engbers and freshman guard Olivia Hildebrand are among the newcomers.
It’s a group that Koshar hopes can finish near the top of the Wolverine Conference standings.
“I think the conference favorites should be Vicksburg and Paw Paw,” said Koshar, who led the Bulldogs to a 14-10 record last season and has a career mark of 172-76. “The top contenders after those two are us, Edwardsburg and Plainwell in no particular order.
“I have let our girls know that we plan on contending.”
PLAINWELL
Some teams are experienced. Other teams are young.
Plainwell is a mixture of the two.
Because while the Trojans only have two returning seniors on the roster, they have five other players who saw varsity action last season as Plainwell posted a 10-13 record.
“We have a lot of returning girls from a very young team last year,” Plainwell coach Mark Stephenson said. “While we are still young overall, we anticipate that a year of experience will help us to see an improvement in this year’s team.”
Junior guard Alyssa Weldon returns for her third season at the varsity level after earning Second Team All-Conference honors last year. Sophomore Forward/center Anna Overway was Honorable Mention All-Conference as a freshman.
Also back are seniors guard Morgan Rayman, senior center Sophia Barth, junior guards Kaylee VanAtter and Anna Schierbeek and sophomore guard/forward Tessie Kiel.
“We have a lot of girls who have played at the varsity level, not only in basketball, but in several other sports as well,” Stephenson said. “This is important because, while young overall, we have girls who understand varsity level intensity.
“We have several very athletic girls which gives us a lot of options as a coaching staff. We are hoping that all of their experiences will help them play without fear and help them see the game more clearly.”
Newcomers include seniors Sophie Munch (forward/center) and Jadyn Erdody (forward) along with sophomores Jordyn Erdody (guard) and Alayna Ranney (guard/forward).
“We are very excited about the girls we have added to this year’s team,” Stephenson said. “All of them are great kids and will add energy and athleticism.”
In the Wolverine Conference, Stephenson sees Paw Paw and Vicksburg as the teams to beat.
“We know we have a lot to prove, but we believe we have a lot of potential,” Stephenson said. “The girls get along really well and seem to have a hunger to prove themselves. Now they just have to go play the games, give great effort, have fun and see what happens.
“The goal is to try to improve from last year and get into the top four in the league, which would give us a chance to win the conference.”
SAUGATUCK
New season. Same expectations.
“As we do every year, we fully expect to compete for conference and district championships,” Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. “We earned both the past two seasons, and we look forward to working extremely hard this season and getting them both in the same season.”
Not that Tringali expects that to be an easy task.
“We understand how difficult it will be, but we feel as long as we stay healthy and that our culture is in the right place we can control our destiny,” he said.
The return of players such as senior forward Kennedy Gustafson, junior guard Penny Grob and sophomore guard/wing Mylah Simpson are a big part of Tringali’s optimism for the season.
Gustafson—who recently committed to play basketball and soccer at Wartburg College—is entering her fourth season at the varsity level. Grob is back for her third season and Simpson returns after shining as a freshman.
“Kennedy has a chance to finish her career as Saugatuck’s all-time leading rebounder,” Tringali said. “She has great size and strength with very good foot work for a post player.
“Penny is small in size, but big in effort, energy and attitude. She has grown leaps and bounds as a student and an athlete and is starting to show leadership qualities. She’s a great ball handler and perimeter shooter.
“Mylah is an elite athlete with major upside, can shoot from deep and has phenomenal ball skills to attack defenses and distribute to her teammates. She takes great pride in locking down opponent’s best player.”
Junior guard/wing Natalia Laskowski is among the team’s newcomers after previously being homeschooled.
“Natalia is a phenomenal athlete who’s extremely quick with a very high motor and loves to defend and attack the basket offensively,” Tringali said. “She showed great leadership and chemistry with our team as soon as she stepped on campus. We are so excited for what Tali brings to our program on and off the court.”
Junior Maggie Loomis and sophomore Nova DeGraff are among the other newcomers.
“We know firsthand that depth is the key and that most schools our size are one injury away from the season going in another direction,” Tringali said. “We feel if we can continue to develop our players, our strength can be adding much-needed depth to have a successful season.”
WAYLAND
Compete for a conference championship and make a strong postseason run.
Those are, as usual, the goals Wayland coach Wes Hudson has for his team in the new season.
“The expectations are the same as always,” said Hudson, who led the Wildcats to a 14-9 record last season and has a career mark of 84-88 at Wayland.
The return of several players from last season’s squad should help in the pursuit of those goals.
Among those players are senior forward Harmony Laker, junior center Addi Sikorski, junior guard Laney Wolf and sophomore guard Marissa Ainsworth.
“Our team is a lot older than we have been the last couple years, so the experience should be there this year,” Hudson said. “I like the speed and grit that our team has and think that we will be able to compete in any environment or atmosphere because of the tenacity that our girls have.”
Newcomers who will try to earn playing time include sophomore center Lauren Bultsma and freshman guard Charity Laker.
“We are fast and pretty athletic,” Hudson said. “The camaraderie that our team already has this early is really promising. And being able to play one speed on defense and a different speed on offense is something we have really been focusing on as well as consistent communication.”
Those attributes will come in handy for the Wildcats, particularly playing a tough conference schedule.
“I think our conference will be similar to last year as far as competitiveness for the top few spots,” Hudson said. “I believe our team is in the top half of the conference.”
