GRCC Earns Repeat Title Bid with Repeat Semifinal Win over Ferndale
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
March 25, 2022
EAST LANSING – The showdown between two Mr. Basketball finalists, Jack Karasinski of Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Treyvon Lewis of Ferndale, certainly didn’t disappoint – and ended in a virtual draw.
It was the supporting cast which lifted reigning Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Catholic Central back into Saturday’s title game.
The Cougars (25-1) used their relentless fast break to offset a 3-point barrage by Ferndale in an 82-71 victory in the first Division 2 Semifinal on Friday at the Breslin Center.
“Everything stems from our defense,” said ninth-year GRCC coach TJ Meerman. “When we get stops, we’ve got a lot of guys with guard skills on the floor, who have an opportunity to get out and run.”
One of those with guard skills is Karasinski, a 6-foot-6 senior who has committed to William & Mary. The versatile Karasinski finished with a game-high 34 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
That performance was nearly matched by Lewis, a 6-5 senior who is headed to Loyola of Chicago. With Loyola head coach Drew Valentine sitting courtside, Lewis scored 32 points, with four 3-pointers and seven rebounds.
The difference in the game was Ferndale’s inability to slow down the Cougars’ fast break. GRCC pushed the ball for the full 32 minutes, repeatedly beating Ferndale down the floor and leading to an 18-2 advantage in fast-break points, a 38-14 edge in points in the paint and a 48 percent shooting percentage.
Sophomore Durral Brooks had six rebounds and five steals, and after each of those, would use his speed to beat Ferndale down the court, leading to 22 points (on 8-of-12 shooting) and also a game-high eight assists.
When asked about his dynamic performance at the postgame press conference, Brooks pointed to something not even listed on the stat sheet.
“I drew three charges today,” Brooks said with a smile.
That answer was music to the ears of Meerman, who has four starters back from last year’s championship team. The Cougars have lost only one game over the past two seasons – a 75-69 defeat to Division 3 semifinalist Flint Beecher earlier this season – and captured the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold title.
It was the second-straight Semifinal win for GRCC over Ferndale, as the Cougars won the same matchup 81-55 last year at Breslin.
But it’s clear they won’t be satisfied unless they win it all again Saturday.
“It would mean the world to me,” said Karasinski when asked about the possibility of a second consecutive championship. “Not a lot of teams have gone back-to-back, especially from West Michigan.”
GRCC led by five points after the first quarter, extended the lead to seven by halftime, then bumped it to 13 points, 55-42, entering the fourth quarter. Ferndale was never able to get the deficit down to single digits.
Kaden Brown scored seven points and had nine assists for the Cougars, while Luka Ressler and Jorden Brooks each scored seven points.
Ferndale (21-4) stayed in the game throughout thanks to its 3-point shooting.
The Eagles made almost as many 3-pointers (11) as they did 2-point field goals (12). Lewis led the way with four 3-pointers, while junior Cameron Reed made three to account for all of his nine points.
Ferndale was hurt by foul trouble for 6-2 senior guard Jason Drake Jr., a returning first-team all-stater. Drake scored 12 points with five rebounds and four assists, but played only 16 minutes due to fouls – then fouled out with 1:57 remaining in the third quarter.
“Give credit to Grand Rapids and TJ does a great job with them,” said Ferndale coach Juan Rickman, who is in his fourth year and led the Eagles to the Oakland Activities Association Red title. “But I feel bad for Jason Drake. … It was hard for us to hang with them without him on the court.
PHOTOS (Top) Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Kaden Brown (4) walls off Ferndale’s Cameron Reed (0) during Friday’s first Division 2 Semifinal at Breslin Center. (Middle) Ferndale’s Noah Blocker (4) and Treyvon Lewis (5) and GRCC’s Nathan VanTimmeren (11) try to gather a loose ball at the backboard. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
1,000-Point Scoring Pair has Howardsville Christian Eying Postseason Possibilities
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 5, 2025
MARCELLUS – Despite facing a shorter bench and tougher schedule this winter, Howardsville Christian’s boys basketball team still started this season much slower than head coach Ken Sparks had anticipated.
But Sparks, now in his fourth season, said the Eagles are highly confident they can achieve big things before the 2024-25 campaign ends.
Two reasons why are the exceptional play of shooting guard Kaden Sparks – Ken's son – and point guard John Paul Rose. The two four-year varsity players and senior starters both recently eclipsed the 1,000-point career scoring mark.
Howardsville Christian has fewer than 80 students, and they were the first pair in school history to achieve that milestone during the same season. A total of 17 players are now on the Eagles’ 1,000-point list, led by Dylan Jergens, the third-leading scorer in MHSAA history with 2,782 career points. All of their names appear on a banner on the wall behind one of the baskets inside the school gymnasium.
Needing just two points to reach his career milestone, Kaden Sparks scored a game-high 27 points in a 57-46 loss by Howardsville Christian to Division 2 Edwardsburg in the Tri-State Holiday Classic on Dec. 14 at Southwestern Michigan College.
Rose achieved the rare feat in the Eagles' 55-44 win over St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic on Jan. 7. Rose needed 30 points to reach 1,000 and scored exactly that many.
Making their feats even more impressive is that both Eagles starting guards stand just 5-foot-9.
Out of necessity, Kaden Sparks and Rose both made immediate impacts as freshmen on the Eagles' varsity.
"We knew that Kaden and John Paul were going to be good players from the very start of their careers. Both of them became starters right away because we didn't have lot of impact returners in the way of upperclassmen. That forced them to play at a high level early on, and now it’s really paying off for both of them," said Ken Sparks, a 2000 Howardsville graduate and also a member of the 1,000-point club. "When both Kaden and John Paul are on the court, they find a way to get the ball to the other. Even though they are our main scorers, they are also our top two guys in assists and work hard to get everyone else involved.
“Having two guys in the same class reach 1,000 points is really special. We try to make it a big deal so it inspires our younger kids in the program to work hard and achieve similar success when they reach the high school level."
Kaden Sparks’ strength and athleticism is a big reason why he leads the Eagles in every statistical category. Through 16 games, Sparks is averaging 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game.
"We're confident if Kaden gets the ball inside the post that he can still finish against bigger guys because of his strength. That's a big reason he is able to lead us in rebounding, because he does such a great job of boxing out," Ken Sparks said. "His athleticism and quickness help him anticipate where the ball is going. Defensively, he's led our team in steals the last couple seasons. As a coach, out of nowhere you'll see him intercept the ball and head the other way downcourt. He has more speed than most other players on the floor. Offensively he's always shot one of the higher percentages during his career."
On Jan. 2 in a game against Battle Creek St. Philip, Kaden suffered a bad ankle sprain that sidelined him nearly three weeks. But he's returned to top form.
"Scoring 1,000 points has always a goal of mine, and it’s neat to accomplish the same thing my dad did, but to also have a teammate from my class achieve that too is pretty special as well," Kaden Sparks said. "I don't consider my scoring as my biggest contribution to the team though. I pride myself on defense and try to motivate my teammates to do the same. That's what wins championships."
Rose is currently averaging 19 points, 6.2 rebounds, three assists and 2.1 steals per game. Scoring and rebounding have been his two biggest areas of improvement the past two years.
"John Paul led us in scoring as a junior. He was a great young point guard his freshman and sophomore year and led our team in assists. I've gotten several compliments from opposing coaches about what a great ballhandler he is and his ability to run the point guard position. He's been a good mainstay for us that way," Ken Sparks said. "He has a very solid mid-range jump shot and also has a knack for finishing well under the basket. His quickness allows us to put him on the other team's best offensive player too. From a leadership standpoint, he's very vocal on the court and is a good encourager for our younger players in practice. Like Kaden, he's really put in the time during the offseason to improve."
Rose credits cousins David and Michael Crips, both assistant varsity coaches at Howardsville, as being big influences to him in basketball.
"Those two have helped me a lot in my development and inspired me to work hard. Last year we had six losses and three of those were to Our Lady of the Lake Catholic, so being able to get my 1,000th point this year against them was pretty special," Rose said. "I'm proud that I've become a better ballhandler. I have a good mid-range shot, while Kaden is a better 3-point shooter. But I feel like I've made my most improvement defensively."
Last year Howardsville finished 19-6, losing in the Regional Semifinals 49-43 to Our Lady of the Lake.
"I think we have a good shot to repeat as District champions, but it’s going to be tough with (Kalamazoo) Phoenix and Marcellus is a pretty good team as well," Ken Sparks said.
Howardsville's overall record stands at 6-11, including a 4-4 mark good enough to tie for third in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph League. Kaden's career point total now stands at 1,168, and Rose had scored 1,092 entering Tuesday's home game with Covert.
One of Howardsville Christian's other losses came Dec. 28 to Jackson Northwest, a Division 1 school, 73-51 in the Spring Arbor University Shot Clock Classic.
The Eagles, with six games remaining, have their sights set on finishing the regular season on a strong note and building momentum for the postseason. Howardsville Christian has won six District titles over the last nine seasons, including a run to the Quarterfinals during Jergens' senior year in 2018.
Howardsville Christian will be one of five teams vying for the District title Feb. 24-28 at Marcellus High School, along with the host school, Phoenix (12-1), Kalamazoo Heritage Christian and Lawrence. Howardsville lost to Phoenix 53-50 on Dec. 20.
"If we could win our remaining regular-season games, that would give us momentum for the postseason. John Paul and I are a big presence and give our team lots of energy when we are on the floor, so that makes us work that much harder to help our team succeed," Kaden Sparks said.
Howardsville's head coach is confident his Eagles can work some postseason magic, especially with five seniors joined by three talented freshmen to make up the current roster.
Other Eagles seniors besides Kaden Sparks and Rose playing key roles are guard Sean Kimble, 6-4 center Isaac Nagel and 5-11 forward Jonah West. Leading a solid freshman class are 5-10 guard Kole Sparks – Kaden's younger brother – 6-3 Keaton Grandlinard at forward/center and 6-2 forward Caden Grant.
"Our No. 1 goal is to repeat as District champions. I know we're about to turn the corner. We wanted to challenge our kids by scheduling some tougher games this season and finish in the top of our conference," Ken Sparks said. "We've really spoke with our other seniors and younger guys about stepping up in scoring, rebounding and defense. Everyone plays a role, and I think it’s set us up for a good run here at the end of the season."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Howardsville Christian’s John Paul Rose (3) brings the ball upcourt this season against Cassopolis. At right, Kaden Sparks drives around a screen set by a teammate against Kalamazoo Phoenix. (Middle) Howardsville Christian teammates and coaches pose for a photo after Sparks surpassed 1,000 points for his career during a loss to Edwardsburg in the Tri-State Holiday Classic at Southwestern Michigan College. (Below) Howardsville teammates and members of the coaching staff celebrate Rose reaching 1,000 career points against St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic. (Howardsville/Cassopolis photo by Brooklyn Scheidel. Howardsville/Phoenix photo by David Sparks. Banner photos by Kristen Sparks.)