March 9, 2011
Allendale wasn’t supposed to win tonight. The one time they played Zeeland West this year, they got run off the floor, losing by 20. Somebody must have forgotten to give the Falcons the memo, however, as they pulled the upset in Hudsonville, beating the Dux 50-48.
Zeeland West jumped out quickly, building an early ten point lead and finding themselves ahead 13-9 at the end of the first quarter. Freshman Jordan VanDort quickly established himself as an inside power, scoring 17 first half points, giving Allendale fits trying to keep him under wraps. Things started to get interesting in the second quarter, as the Falcons managed to outscore the Dux 15-14, and a buzz started to fill the gym at Unity Christian. With the halftime score sitting at 27-24, fans knew an exciting finish was to come.
Both teams came out strong to start the second half of the game, scoring 11 points each in the third quarter, putting the score at 38-35, in favor of Zeeland West. With momentum fully on their side by now, Allendale began to turn the tide of the game in the fourth and final quarter. Halfway through the fourth, the Falcons tied the score at 42. The final four minutes of the game were a back-and-forth slugfest that saw the game tied on three separate occasions—44-44 with 2:42 left, 46-46 with 1:09 left, and 48-48 with 0:22 left. Allendale took a 50-48 lead with only five seconds left in regulation, on a pair of free throws. Zeeland West did their best to tie the game before the final buzzer sounded, but just couldn’t get a shot off in time.
Nate Wiersma, a senior, led the way for the Falcons tonight, scoring 16 points. Senior Jake Hovingh put up 12 points, including two threes, and senior Mitch Luban chipped in eight points.
Freshman Jordan VanDort led all scorers tonight, dropping in 25 points for the Dux. Senior Isaac Hernandez had eight points in the loss, and junior Zach Dreyer scored five points.
With tonight’s victory Allendale will now be playing for the District 52-B title on Friday night. They will square off against host Unity Christian at 6:00. West Michigan All Star will be on hand to cover all the action as the Falcons look to continue their dream ride through the post season!
Matt Philpott Photography was excited to bring you tonight’s game coverage. Please visit his site for details on how you can order prints from this, and many other, games!
Nate Wiersma drives the ball in.
Jordan VanDort on his way to 25 points.
Trevor Schulz puts up a jumper.
Jared Ensing (#44) blocks the attempted layup.
Mitch Hovingh (white) lets one loose from outside.
Isaac Hernandez with the inside jumper.
Nate Wiersma with a shot from the top of the key.
Jared Ensing (#44) takes a shot from close range.
Isaac Hernandez glides in with a layup.
Victory is sweet for Nate Wiersma (#34) and Mitch Luban (#10)
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