March 11, 2011
The crowd was roaring, people were on their feat, and both benches were holding their breath. Allendale and Unity Christian both played action-packed, exciting game on Wednesday, and they didn’t disappoint tonight, either. The Falcons, looking to win their first District Championship since 1996, were coming off a thrilling upset of Zeeland West. As the game started, Unity Christian jumped out to a big 20-4 lead, and it looked like Allendale might be suffering from a post-upset hangover. Showing there was still life in them, though, Allendale ended the first half on a 8-4 run, to go into the half trailing 24-12.
Starting the second half of the game, the Falcons started to chip away at the lead the Crusaders had built, and Allendale soon found itself with all the momentum. Allendale outscored Unity Christian by a sum of 13-5 in the third quarter, and was now only down by four (29-25) with eight minutes left to play. Allendale continued their hot shooting as the fourth quarter began, going on a 5-0 run, taking a slim 30-29 lead with 5:04 remaining. With just under three minutes left on the clock, Unity took the lead back, 32-30—this time they would have the lead for good. The Crusaders would open up a 36-30 lead with less than two minutes to go, but Allendale kept showing life, drilling a three with :22 left, pulling within three, 36-33. Both teams traded foul shots over the next couple possessions, and the Crusaders clung to a 39-35 lead with just a few ticks of the clock remaining. In need of a miracle, Allendale quickly set up a three point play, hoping for a foul during the shot. The three was good, but Unity’s defense wisely held back, avoiding the potential for a game-tying four point play. The score was 39-38. The final seconds flashed off the scoreboard. The crowd exploded. Unity’s bench charged the floor, players embracing in celebratory hugs, and the entire gym exhaled after what seemed like an hour of holding its breath.
Travis Vegter, a senior, led the way for Unity Christian’s offense tonight, scoring ten points. Eric Brower (junior) had nine points, and Mitch Sytsma (senior) had six. Senior Payton Ponstein hit the only three for the Crusaders, on his way to five points in the victory.
Senior Nate Wiersma led all scorers tonight, with a 13 point showing, including two late three pointers. Jake Hovingh, also a senior, hit Allendale’s other two threes, as part of his ten points scored. Senior Josh Modderman was a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe, scoring five points. Allendale players and fans, be proud of the effort put forth on the floor tonight. The drive shown to overcome a twelve point halftime deficit was fantastic.
With the victory, Unity Christian won its first District title since 2008, when it made a run to the state quarterfinals. This District title is the school’s 15th overall, dating back to 1954. The Crusaders will now play East Grand Rapids on Monday night in the Regional tournament at Grand Rapids Christian. Be sure to round back with West Michigan All Star for coverage of the game!
Matt Philpott Photography was proud to bring you coverage of tonight’s action. Please visit his website for details on how you can order prints from this, and many more games!
Travis Vegter (white) slips in and steals the ball.
Nate Wiersma (red) hauls in the rebound.
Jared Haverkamp (#20) puts up a shot.
Josh Modderman (#3) lets a shot go.
Mitch Sytsma (#30) moves the ball in on offense.
Mitch Luban (#10) swipes the ball away from Eric Brower (#40).
Eric Brower fires up a shot.
Andrew Crawley (#32) struggles to put up a jumper.
Jake Hovingh (#11) makes a last second drive to the hoop.
The Unity bench spills onto the court.
To the victor go the spoils.
Loading ...
