Bad Memory Fades with Eagles' Fast Start
March 22, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
EAST LANSING – In case his players didn’t remember the heartache, Southfield Christian coach Josh Baker made sure they remembered.
Every practice, he’d mention last season’s Class D Semifinal loss to Powers North Central, decided in overtime on a last-second shot.
The Eagles never let Thursday’s return to the Semifinals get that far, or that close.
Southfield Christian opened up a double-digit lead before Dollar Bay scored its first point, and finished with a 71-32 victory at the Breslin Center.
“The mindset was just completely different this year,” Southfield Christian senior Bryce Washington said. “Coach brings up every day in practice that loss last year, how we have to play our hardest every possession. You see defensively we’ve been a lot better in the playoffs. It’s just played into our game.”
The Eagles (22-4) will play at 10 a.m. Saturday for their fourth Class D title this decade and first since 2014, against either Buckley or Hillsdale Academy.
Defense indeed is a renewed strength for Southfield Christian, and the 32 points were 13 fewer than Dollar Bay’s season low this winter.
Hand in hand with that improved defense is the team’s increased depth – and it played a major role in shutting the Blue Bolts down as Baker rotated multiple players to handle Dollar Bay seniors Devin Schmitz and Jaden Janke. They combined to score only 17 points.
“Last year we (played) about six or seven guys every game,” Eagles junior guard Harlond Beverly said. “This year we go 9-10 deep, and that makes it a lot easier for all of us … to get a two-minute break every game, come back in and keep that energy going.
The Blue Bolts (26-1) responded to the opening run with a 13-11 stretch, and Schmitz’ 3-pointer with 2:17 to play in the second quarter pulled his team within 12 of the lead.
It would get that close one more time 44 seconds later, but never closer.
Dollar Bay coach Jesse Kentala and his players all admitted it was just about impossible to prepare for Southfield Christian’s speed, even as the Blue Bolts often have that advantage on opponents.
“That was the first time anyone’s matched our speed,” Kentala said. “We’ve kinda lived off being able to go by guys and exposing defenses. I think we were shocked because the first three or four minutes of that game, we couldn’t go by them. And (my players) kept looking at me going, ‘Coach, what do you want us to do?’
“They are so fast and such active defenders … we just don’t see athleticism like we saw tonight.”
Washington led Southfield Christian (22-5) with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Caleb Hunter added 17 points, four assists and five steals and Beverly – who opened the game with a reverse dunk – added 12 points and four steals. Junior guard Jon Sanders had 10 points and three assists off the bench.
Janke had 12 points, six rebounds and two steals to lead the Blue Bolts in all three categories.
PHOTOS: (Top) Southfield Christian’s Harlond Beverly throws down a dunk during his team’s Class D Semifinal win Thursday. (Middle) Dollar Bay’s Devin Schmitz (20) works to get around Southfield Christian’s Rahmon Scruggs.
Perez Poised to Lead Hudsonville Charge
December 18, 2019
By Dean Holzwarth
Special for Second Half
HUDSONVILLE – Max Perez remembers the despair he and his Hudsonville teammates felt after a disheartening 61-60 loss to East Kentwood in last season’s Division 1 Regional Final.
The Eagles stormed back from a 19-point second-half deficit only to watch their season end in the closing seconds.
Hudsonville hopes to use the defeat as a rallying cry for this season.
“The motivation we have going into the season is really high. … We were that close to going to the Quarterfinals, which only three other Hudsonville teams had done,” Perez said. “We beat them twice (in the regular season) and they got us when it counted, so that really stung us.”
Although their postseason run ended prematurely, the Eagles still won 22 games and captured the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red championship.
Perez, a 5-foot-10 point guard, played a major role in the team’s success despite missing nine games with a broken thumb.
That was the first time the four-year varsity player had suffered an injury that forced him to sit out for an extended period of time.
“It was really tough, then I got the news that I would be out six weeks. But I just knew that I couldn’t get down on myself, and I would be back,” Perez said. “I just had to pick up my teammates every day in practice and encourage them and stay positive.”
Perez will be the floor general for an Eagles’ squad that has eight seniors, including 6-foot-7 Justin DeGraaf, who moved back to Hudsonville after five years living in Indiana.
Through an intense passion for the game and a strong work ethic, Perez has made giant strides since beginning his high school career as an undersized freshman on the varsity.
“I think my game has improved a lot,” Perez said. “I’m stronger now, I’m bigger now and I’ve really worked on my game. I’ve implemented more of a drive game because when I was a freshman I was small and just stayed on the 3-point line and shot jumpers.
“As the years have gone on, I’ve become more mature and added more of an arsenal to my game while also improving my defense, which was important to me.”
Hudsonville coach Eric Elliott also has seen Perez’ progression, and it’s been even more evident entering this season.
“I’ve seen a ton of growth in all aspects and every year he has grown up as a player and matured, but I think the largest leap has been from last year to this year and it’s been significant,” Elliott said. “He’s stronger and more mature, and he’s more of a calming force than in the past. He seems more at ease and relaxed.”
Perez, who averaged 15 points per game last season, has had a basketball in his hands since before he could walk.
Through the years, he’s attended numerous camps, played on successful travel teams and spent countless hours in the gym fine-tuning his pure jump shot.
“He’s more than a classic gym rat; he’s non-stop in the gym and on the gun, and there’s no doubt that it has made him a very good basketball player and an incredible shooter,” Elliott said. “He’s an extremely confident kid and a confident shooter, and that comes from repetition and time spent in the gym.”
Perez’ dedication recently helped him fulfill a goal he’s had since middle school.
Last week he committed to Indiana Tech, an NAIA school, on a full-ride scholarship.
“They showed me love since day one, and they were my first offer,” Perez said. “I love the coaching staff, their facilities and campus and I love the guys. I think it will be a great help for the season just to know that I’m playing for my team and not doing anything for myself since I’ve already committed to college.
“I can focus on the season and winning, and I think we can go a long way with this talented senior group.”
Elliott is thrilled for Perez to get the opportunity to play at the next level.
“I’m incredibly happy for Max,” he said. “Anytime you see a kid that puts in the time and the energy and the passion that he has, and then to see him get rewarded, as a coach, it’s awesome to see. I’m excited that he could make a decision now so he can totally relax and can just play now. He has that behind him.”
Perez scored 21 points in a season-opening win over Godwin Heights. It was a solid start for a team that has lofty aspirations.
“Our goal is to win the conference and win Districts, but we know how good teams are around us and the O-K Red is brutal,” Elliott said. “We have high expectations, and we feel like we can beat anybody on any given night. However, we also feel like we can be beaten by anybody. We have some things to work on, but we are very excited.”
Dean Holzwarth covered primarily high school sports for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years and more recently served as sports editor of the Ionia Sentinel and as a sports photojournalist for WZZM. Contact him at[email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTO: Point guard Max Perez directs the offense for Hudsonville. (Photo courtesy of the Hudsonville athletic department.)