By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
SCHOOLCRAFT — There aren’t a whole lot of things better in sports than winning a playoff game at home.
When it’s winning a regional championship at home, like Schoolcraft’s boys’ basketball team did for the first time in school history Thursday night in dominating fashion with a wire-to-wire 63-33 win over Kalamazoo Christian in the Division 3 playoffs, it’s even sweeter.
“We told the boys districts are tough to win, regionals are tough to win, but to be the only team in Schoolcraft history to win a regional at home and get this opportunity, this is just really special for the seniors and the guys that put in the time,” Schoolcraft head coach Derrick Small said. “All nine guys that just wanted to be committed to be successful and the dedication, the sweat, the blood, the tears, the time, the commitment, the hard work, they’ve earned it.”
By his own admission, Small said his team started out a “little nervous,” but still held a 10-7 lead with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter, thanks to three-pointers from Luke Rykse and Kodee Bienz and additional two-point buckets from Rykse and Ryley Bruner. But the Eagles would go on a 10-1 heater to end the quarter, with one more three-pointer each from Bienz and Rykse, a dunk by Jimmy Miller and another bucket off glass by Bruner to go into the second quarter with a 20-8 lead.
K-Christian would actually outscore Schoolcraft 14-11 in the second quarter, thanks in part to a 10-point outburst from the Comet’s Jack Ayotte. Schoolcraft got four points in the quarter from Tucker Walther, Bienz hit another three-pointer, Miller got another layup down low and Rykse made a shot off glass, keeping Schoolcraft on top 31-22 going into halftime.
The third quarter would pretty much seal the deal for Schoolcraft, as a stingy defense and lights-out shooting propelled them to an 18-4 advantage in the quarter to take a 49-26 lead. Miller had eight points in the quarter, including a three-pointer and three free throws, Walther had four points, including an emphatic coast-to-coast dunk off a turnover he caused, Bruner had four points, and Rykse added a couple points as well.
The fourth quarter was more of the same for Schoolcraft, as they finished out the game on a 14-7 quarter to cruise to the regional title. Bienz hit his fourth and fifth three-pointers of the night in the quarter, while Miller added six points in the quarter, including his second dunk of the game.
Defense was the main story of the game for Schoolcraft, as they blocked two shots, had 11 steals and had seven deflections on the day. They also helped out their own cause on the other end of the court, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds, and only turning over the ball nine times. Small said his team executed their defensive plan well in Thursday’s game.
“I think the strategies coming in on defense is we switch on guards and just let Jimmy handle the big man. We could switch everything else, we just have to know where shooters are and be able to get out on them. If we do, then good things will happen,” Small said. “The last time we played them, they shot 45 percent from the 3-point line, and tonight they weren’t as fortunate. We did a better job of knowing where shooters are and getting a hand up on the perimeter. It was a good thing to be able to do our job and do what we’re supposed to do defensively, and that’s the key for us this time of year.”
Miller was the leading scorer for the Eagles in the contest, notching 18 points on the evening. He was followed by Bienz, who had 17 points, including five three-pointers, and Rykse, who added 12 points. Walther and Bruner rounded out the scoring with eight points each. Small said he was most impressed by Bienz, a sophomore, and his shooting from beyond the arc.
“He’s really elevated his game the last month of the season. He’s shooting the ball with confidence, and he’s playing extremely, extremely hard. As a sophomore, he’s really developed well beyond his years right now,” Small said. “We needed that spark, especially with [Ty] Goddard not being in tonight with an injury, and him stepping up and answering that call. Really proud of that young man.”
Bienz said after the game consistency was the key factor for his performance on the night.
“Just staying consistent, just getting my feet set, teammates found me on the open looks, and knocked them down,” Bienz said. “It just felt great; I was in the zone.”
Miller said after the game that while they may have gotten off to a slow start, once they got in a rhythm, they were good to go.
“We had a rough first half, a couple turnovers, but once we slowed it down and played how we wanted to, we really picked it up,” Miller said.
Rykse, one of the four seniors on the team, said for him, winning a regional title in his final game on Schoolcraft’s home floor was something special.
“It feels great. Last year, we made it to the regionals and we lost to Brandywine, so it feels even better to make it your senior year and make it past the regional finals,” Rykse said.
K-Christian was led on the evening by Ayotte, who had 13 points, followed by Ian Tuin with seven points, Austin Richmond with five points, and Carter Mannion and Chris Daniels with four points each.
With the win, 14th-ranked Schoolcraft moves on to the state quarterfinals as one of the final eight teams left in Division 3. They will face off against ninth-ranked Pewamo-Westphalia in their quarterfinal matchup, which takes place Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo. The winner of that game will take on the winner of Jackson Lumen Christi-Riverview Gabriel Richard in the state semifinals Thursday, March 13 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Small said he’s looking forward to what’s ahead with his team as they are three wins away from a state title.
“You go to Loy Norrix, that’s another close home game for us, great fan support, great community environment, I think that’s what it’s going to be: the most experience and enjoyment for us as a community,” Small said. “If we’re fortunate enough to make it to next Saturday, we’ll approach it there, but it’s one game at a time right now.”
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
