Marshall vs. Northwest Girls Basketball – Photo Gallery
Marshall vs. Northwest Girls Basketball Photo Gallery. Photos by JTV Sports
A chance at history
Michigan Center can take major step toward conference title tonight By Mike Moore Staff Writer Michigan Center – In a literal and mathematical sense, a victory tonight won’t clinch or guarantee anything. But a quick glance at the remaining schedule, and a little common sense would suggest a victory tonight would shape the landscape for the Michigan Center boys basketball team and its first conference title in a long, long time. Since 1993, to be exact. “One thing we talked about Thursday after practice was not putting too much pressure on ourselves, but really enjoying the moment,” Center coach Travis Gaddy said late Thursday night in regards to tonight’s home tilt against Hanover-Horton. “We have to embrace the moment. We expect a great atmosphere. People have been talking to me about this game for a week now. It’s on us to go out and make the most of it.” Center welcomes in Hanover this evening with a chance to sweep the season series and take a stranglehold of first place in the Cascades Conference standings. “This is a golden opportunity,” Gaddy added. “Not just for me, but for the players, the staff and…
An opportunity to embrace
Northwest gets second shot at Marshall and opportunity to win I-8 By Mike Moore Staff Writer Jackson – There are coaches who may try to temper enthusiasm, maybe stress the need of not putting too much into any single game. Ryan Carroll isn’t one of those coaches, at least not right now, at least not in regards to this game. “We’re certainly excited about this opportunity. Not everybody this Friday night will be part of a game of this magnitude,” Carroll, the Northwest girls coach said of Friday night’s home tilt against Marshall. “We’re trying to embrace it and enjoy it as much as we can.” Simply put, everything is on the line as the Mounties welcome in the Redhawks, namely a little revenge and a shot at the I-8 Conference title. “That’s a very good team, and we know that,” Carroll said of Marshall. “They execute very well offensively, and they take such good care of the basketball. We’re a team that forces turnovers, and we didn’t do that in the first game.” That first game he spoke of is the only blemish on Northwest’s otherwise perfect record. The Mounties (16-1)…
The frozen rematch: Jackson United vs. Lumen Christi
Lumen and Jackson United hockey teams set for rematch as regular season winds down By Mike Moore Staff Writer Jackson – From a close game at the end of one period to a lopsided one by the end of the next, the first meeting between the Lumen Christi and Jackson United hockey teams may have had all the emotions one would expect. But the final score left plenty to be desired. As the second, and final, meeting of the 2016 winter approaches, both coaches involved don’t expect another four-goal difference to separate the city rivals. “We expect this game to be much closer,” Jackson coach Andy Sinkovitz said Tuesday afternoon. “They’ve made a lot of changes the past few weeks, beaten some good teams recently. To me, this may be their biggest game of the season, and we have to be ready for that that.” “I think the biggest difference between then and now is we’re playing for 51 minutes,” Lumen coach Mike Wartella said. “In the first game, the first and third periods were pretty even. We went through a 10-minute stretch of breakdowns in the second, and they capitalized. Those are the…
Hogans leads Spring Arbor past Huntington in OT thriller
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men’s basketball team wrapped up its 2015-16 home slate with a thrilling 88-84 overtime win over Huntington University on Tuesday night behind a 31-point performance from junior Caleb Hogans. Spring Arbor trailed by two late in the second half, but Hogans hit a contested, driving lay-up with six seconds remaining to force overtime. In the extra period, the Cougars, again, found themselves down with less than a minute on the clock when Hogans knocked down a jumper to put SAU in front for good. It was the second straight 30-point effort for Hogans after dropping a career-high 32 in the win over Marian University on Saturday. The Farmington Hills, Michigan native finished 10-for-22 from the field and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line while also adding seven rebounds and three steals. Freshman Anthony Qasawa registered his first career double-double with 20 points and a season-best 11 rebounds. Sophomore Zach Medendorp netted 11 points and seven boards to go along with five blocks. After a back and forth start to the contest, Huntington (13-16, 7-10 CL) pulled ahead midway through the opening half and would maintain…
Community invited to third annual Mr. SAU pageant
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University athletic department will be hosting the third annual Mr. Spring Arbor pageant on Sunday, Feb. 21. Mr. Spring Arbor is a male pageant with contestants representing each of the SAU men's athletic teams. They will be competing in three different categories – talent, dress, Q&A – and will be judged by a panel of guest judges consisting of University faculty and staff. The event is held each year to benefit various organizations. In 2015, Mr. Spring Arbor raised more than $2,000 for Northern Lights Ministries, an organization in Uganda founded by SAU graduate Kate Walugembe. One hundred percent of the proceeds went towards purchasing mattresses for children without one, as well as paying school fees for children without sponsors. This year all proceeds and donations will go towards Rise Above, a non-profit ministry in Jackson, Michigan founded by SAU graduate Neil Fernandes (’14). “This year we are choosing to partner with Rise Above,” said Shannon Balcer (Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian), a senior on the women’s soccer team, and event planner. “We wanted to go local and support a place that is impacting the community around us.” Rise Above…
Hogans scores career-high 32 to lead Spring Arbor Men’s Basketball past Marian
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Junior Caleb Hogans was a one-man wrecking crew, dropping a career-high 32 points to lead the Spring Arbor University men’s basketball team to an 89-85 win over Marian University on Saturday. Hogans scored 20 of his points in the second half, including eight during the final three minutes. He went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to help the Cougars hold off a late charge by the visiting Knights. Hogans helped Spring Arbor get off to a fast start capping a 7-0 run to open the game with a lay-in. The Cougars continued to lead throughout most of the first half until an 8-1 scoring spurt by Marian gave the Knights a 35-32 advantage with 4:25 left in the opening period. Sophomore Drew Zuidema would answer for SAU, though, knocking down a deep three-pointer to even the score, and the Cougars would tally 10 of the next 14 points to take a 45-39 lead into the locker room. Spring Arbor led by as many eight in the second stanza, but Marian battled its way back and carved the deficit to one with five minutes remaining. The Knights…
A search for consistency
Mulnix feels Western boys basketball can be a force when playing at its best By Mike Moore Staff Writer Parma – He’s got a team with a 7-6 record, and asked about that, Ryan Mulnix was as frank as he is intense on the Western boys basketball sideline each and every time a game begins. “I don’t know if 7-6 is particularly a bad thing,” Mulnix said. “We don’t get a night off in this conference, which I don’t think is true in other conferences.” Still, a 7-6 record also suggests a bit of up-and-down play, which Mulnix said has certainly been the case. “We haven’t had a three-game win streak all year,” he said with a laugh. “We played two of our best games recently, and then didn’t show up in a loss the following Monday. That’s just how it’s gone.” So success, especially in the long term, comes down to finding that consistency. “It really comes down to having a consistent effort, or to play well consistently is maybe a better way to say it,” Mulnix said. “We’ve been doing a good job rebounding and playing defense, and we’ve shot better…
Konkel’s 20 points pace Spring Arbor in 63-56 win over Saint Francis
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Junior Aimee Konkel scored a game-high 20 points, and Spring Arbor’s strong fourth quarter performance helped the Cougars to a 63-56 victory over the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) on Wednesday night. After taking a slim 38-37 lead into the final period, Spring Arbor logged 25 points over the final 10 minutes for its third win in the last four games. Konkel equaled her season-high with seven field goals, including four three-pointers. Sophomore Autumn Goggin added 14 points and seven rebounds while junior Kylie Townsley finished with 10 points, five boards and five steals. Saint Francis (12-12, 8-7 CL) took advantage of a slow start by SAU and jumped out to an early 11-4 lead. The visitors would maintain their lead throughout much of the first two periods and would close the half on a 6-0 run to grab a 30-24 edge at halftime. The Spring Arbor defense took over in the third quarter limiting Saint Francis to just seven points while forcing eight turnovers. Trailing 33-30 late in the period, Konkel and freshman Ryann Laier converted USF giveaways into points to put the Cougars on top. After the visitors fought back, Townsley…
Western’s Jonah Engle to carry on family tradition, inks with Spring Arbor Tennis
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men’s tennis team has added another local product to its roster for the 2016-17 season with the signing of Western High School standout Jonah Engle. Engle follows in the footsteps of his father, who also played for the Cougars under head coach Terry Darling. “This is a special pleasure for me because Jonah’s dad, Jason, played for me on one of our talented national qualifying teams that we had at Spring Arbor in the 1990’s,” said Darling. “I have had my eye on Jonah for many years and it has been gratifying to watch him continually improve over the past several years. Jonah is an excellent tennis player and a great person and we are thrilled that he will be continuing his family tradition as part of the SAU men’s tennis team.” Engle was selected as the Citizen Patriot Boys Tennis Player of the Year following his senior season where he won a regional title as his team swept the regional. Although he lost his first match of the state finals, Western tied for seventh to match the best finish in school history. Engle, who posted an…