January 27, 2012
Unity Christian knew a win wouldn’t come easily when they took the court against the 11-0 Zeeland East Chix on Friday night. The house was packed, the fans were noisy, and both teams brought their best, but in the end the Crusaders succeeded in meeting their goal, handing the Chix their first loss of the season, and keeping themselves in the OK Green conference race.
From the onset of play, it was clear both teams were closely-matched tonight, with the Chix and Crusaders trading baskets back-and-forth. At the conclusion of the first quarter, Zeeland East and Unity Christian were knotted up at 10-10. Unity Christian gained a slight advantage on the second quarter, at one point opening up a seven point lead, but Zeeland East battled back in the final moments, cutting the lead to four, with a 20-16 halftime score.
The Chix came out from the break looking to make a statement, and midway through the third quarter Zeeland East had actually worked to build a three point lead (27-24), thanks in large part to a huge four-point play by Zac VanBeek. VanBeek drained a three while being fouled, and nailed his free throw, finishing up a huge swing of momentum to his Zeeland East squad. Unity Christian didn’t collapse, however, and closed the gap over the final half of the quarter, with the score at the end of the third 31-30, in favor of Zeeland East.
Defense took over as the fourth quarter began to unfold. The Crusaders rode a 4-0 run to take a 34-31 lead with 6:21 to go. Little did they know they would score only one more point the rest of the way. Zeeland East pulled within two, 35-33, with just under two minutes on the clock, but that was as close as they would get. The Unity Christian defense was able to turn away the Chix on their final possessions, and time expired right as a potential game-tying shot clanked off the rim.
Of note from this game, each team only had one player to score in double digits. Also, both squads only had two players each attempt free-throws. Zac VanBeek led all scorers with 19 points in the game. Nate Poll and Josh Groenhof each scored 4 points. Leading the way for Unity Christian was Ryan Wassink, with 17 points. Jared Haverkamp scored 8 in the victory, and five other Crusaders each had 2 points.
Unity Christian improves to 7-3 on the season. The Crusaders improve to 5-2 in the OK Green, and tonight’s victory helps them keep pace in the race for the conference crown. Unity Christian next plays tomorrow when they host cross-town rival Hudsonville in the annual Salad City Classic. Zeeland East falls to 11-1 on the season, 6-1 in the OK Green. The Chix look to return to their winning ways on Tuesday when they host Hamilton.
Matt Philpott Photography was proud to bring you coverage of tonight’s action. Visit his website to learn more about the services he offers!
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