We here at West Michigan Allstar are looking forward to a great 2012. Throughout this year we hope to build our hockey coverage and expand it even more. It is your feed back and comments that will help us as we try to give you, the fans, the best hockey coverage in the West Michigan area. Below are your week four rankings. There was very few games due to the holidays so many teams record will remain the same as last week and they will not move in the standings. Make sure to give us some feedback and defend your team or praise their positioning.

1.)Grand Rapids Catholic Central (7-1-1) OK Conference Tier 1

This past week brought the last team without a win to their knees as GRCC fell to East Kentwood in a close fought game that finally drew to a close in OT as the Falcons finally netted a third goal to seal the win. The game was very close however which allows them to stay on the top of the rankings this week.

2.) Grand Haven (8-1) OK Conference Tier 1

Off for holiday break last week, Grand Haven’s next game will be on Wednesday at 8:30pm against Hudsonville at Holland Edge Ice Arena.

3.) East Grand Rapids (7-2) OK Conference Tier 1

The Pioneers finished off their holiday break last week and will play GRCC at Patterson Ice Arena. The game will be at 6:00pm.

4.) Kenowa Hills (8-2) OK Conference Tier 2

The Knights also were off for the holidays and will face Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central at Walker Ice and Fitness Center Friday at 6:00pm.

5.) Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (7-4) OK Conference Tier 1

Forest Hills E/N was another team that got to enjoy a week free of games and will be itching to get another win when they play East Grand Rapids on Saturday.

6.) Mona Shores (3-5) OK Conference Tier 1

The awakened Sailors look to continue their winning ways and climb back to the top of the pack when they play in the Mona Shores hosted Konrad Memorial Hockey Tournament this weekend.

7.)Rockford (5-5) OK Conference Tier 1

The Rams broke even last week in the Big Rapids Tournament as they lost a game and won a game over the course of the tourney. They fell in the first game to Jackson Lumen Christi 6-2 and in the second game against Big Rapids, they were able to pull out a win 5-4.

8.)Jenison (7-4) OK Conference Tier 2

I apologize for missing the fact that Jenison had two games last week against Kalamazoo United and Portage Northern. The Wildcats did win both of those games however, as they continue to turn their slow start into a nice season.

9.)Lowell-Caledonia (8-1) OK Conference Tier 3

Lowell-Caledonia will look to keep up with its high flying ways as they play the Kalamazoo Blades at 8:30pm on Friday.

10.)East Kentwood(6-4) OK Conference Tier 2

East Kentwood had a huge win last week as they beat GRCC in overtime to hand the Cougars their first loss of the season. They will look to carry that momentum over to their game against the awakening Mona Shores Sailors in the Stan Memorial Hockey Tournament this weekend.

Honorable Mention

11.) Hudsonville (4-5) OK Conference Tier 2

Having the past week off might be helpful to the eagles as they prepare to play Grand Haven on Wednesday.

12.) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (3-6) OK Conference Tier 2

Hudsonville will be busy this week as they will also be the first game that FHC plays after their holiday break. Look for the Rangers to take advantage of a tired team when they play on Friday.

13.) Grand Rapids West Catholic/Cedar Springs (3-5) OK Conference Tier 2

The Falcons will play their first game of the new year this week as they face off against Reeths Puffer on Friday at Griffs IceHouse. The game will begin at 8:00pm.

14.)Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(5-3-2) OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats didn’t budge in the rankings this week as they also had a nice holiday break. They will look to move up the rankings as they play Wayland on Friday.

15.) West Ottawa (4-5-1) OK Conference Tier 3

The Panther’s will need to awaken after their break in order to balance out their record this week. They will hope to do this when they face Flushing on Friday at Flint Iceland Arena. The game will be at 6:30pm. 

We here at West Michigan Allstar hope you had a great Christmas this year! Now that it is past however, we are ready to jump right back into the hockey mayhem. Here are your week three rankings. There was a lot of movement this week so make sure to check last weeks rankings to see who rose and who fell in the rankings.

1.)Grand Rapids Catholic Central (6-0-1) OK Conference Tier 1

Thanks to Grand Haven joining the loss column last week the Cougars have finally taken the top spot. They once again show their dominance as they have yet to lose a game this year.

2.) Grand Haven (8-1) OK Conference Tier 1

The biggest story of the week was the fall of Grand Haven at the Hand of the Mona Shores Sailors. Although it may just be a little stumble, it was just the opening that GRCC needed to push the Bucs down to the second spot.

3.) East Grand Rapids (7-2) OK Conference Tier 1

The Pioneers are enjoying a nice holiday break until January 6th when they play GRCC at Patterson Ice Arena. The game will be at 6:00pm.

4.) Kenowa Hills (8-2) OK Conference Tier 2

The Knights won another game as they consistently continue to prove they have a very good hockey team this year.

5.) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern/ Northern (7-4) OK Conference Tier 1

The Huskies/Hawks beat Rockford soundly in our game of the week last week and added another win to their record. Their speed was the difference against the Rams, and it will continue to cause problems for their opposition as the season goes on. Make sure you check out the detailed coverage of the game here.

6.) Mona Shores (3-5) OK Conference Tier 1

Mona Shores is alive once again! The Sailors did what few people expected them to do as they beat Grand Haven last week in convincing fashion, topping the Bucs 5-2. The Sailors managed to score 3 goals in the final period to give themselves their third victory of the year.

7.)Rockford (4-4) OK Conference Tier 1

The Rams came out flat last week Wednesday losing to Forest Hills Eastern/Northern. They will face Jackson Lumen Christi on December 28th in hopes of getting back over .500

8.)Jenison (5-4) OK Conference Tier 2

Since topping the Grand Rapids Ice Hawks 10-0 on December 10th, Jenison has yet to play another game. They will face South Christian/ Calvin Christian on January 7th at the Kentwood Ice Arena. The game will be at 2:00pm.

9.)Lowell-Caledonia (8-1) OK Conference Tier 3

After a quick talk with the coach, we found out that Lowell-Caledonia has had a great season so far posting 8 wins and only one loss so far. This great record propels them up a few spots in our standings this week.

10.)East Kentwood(4-4) OK Conference Tier 2

East Kentwood has been off since they beat East Grand Rapids 3-2 on December 16th, and will look to beat the awakening Mona Shores Sailors on January 6th.

Honorable Mention

11.) Hudsonville (4-5) OK Conference Tier 2

A extremely hard fought loss to Forest Hills Central puts Hudsonville’s record at 4-5. Although they have struggled against some lower ranked teams, the eagles continue to play extremely close scoring games against their competition and show they have what it takes to win close games down the stretch.

12.) Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central(3-6)OK Conference Tier 2

Although it is a long shot until the Rangers hit .500 again, they took another step towards it with a win against Hudsonville on the eve of Christmas Eve.

13.) Grand Rapids West Catholic/Cedar Springs (3-5) OK Conference Tier 2

Another loss last week is not what GRWC/Cedar Springs was hoping for. They fell 6-2 against Catholic Central.

14.)Northview/Comstock Park/Sparta(5-3-1)OK Conference Tier 3

The Cats picked up another loss last week pushing them down in the rankings this week. They will try to rebound when they play Wayland–Middleview-Hastings on the 6th of January.

15.) West Ottawa (4-5-1) OK Conference Tier 3

Another loss was added to the Panther’s record last week by the hands of the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles. They stand at the bottom of our standings this week.

1.) Lowell (4-0)

Lowell has looked great giving up only 27 points on defense this year but the next three weeks will prove the Arrows metal. Christian coming to town is the first step.

2.) Muskegon (4-0)

After sliding by East Kentwood with timely Defense the Big Reds welcome in Rockford to truly begin their title quest. The toughest test comes first.

3.) Rockford (3-1)

Mark LaPrairie returned in a big way with the Rams win over West Ottawa on Friday. Rockford looked stagnant in the first half then shined in the second last week. It will take a complete game to beat the Big Reds on the road.

4.) Grand Rapids Christian (4-0)

A change at Quarterback has spelled wild success for the Eagles. Travis Kraai has thrown for nearly 500 yards and six scores as Christian has out scored opponents 107-17 the last two weeks. Friday at Lowell will show us who Christian is.

5.) Holland (4-0)

The Dutch pushed all the chips to the center of the table on Friday night at Northview in OT. Corey Willis had a royal flush on the 2 point conversion and Holland may be on their way to an unbeaten year as the OK Black looks weak.

6.) East Grand Rapids (3-1)

Friday night destruction of Mona Shores sets the Pioneers up for a date at Greenville before hosting Lowell in a must see game.

7.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central (3-1)

A 42-7 beat down of Hastings was something great to see for Cougar fans. Many have felt that CC is ranked so high because of reputation; the Cougars are creating a new identity. That being said other teams have a better resume to this point.

8.) Zeeland West (4-0)

The Dux blasted Holland Christian for 64 points on Friday and look to avoid and pot holes on their way to an OK Green title.

9.) Oakridge (4-0)

An easy win over Hart has the Eagles ready for Ravenna who got beat up by Montague last week. An October 7^th meeting with currently unbeaten Shelby may decide the WMC where many good teams reside.

10.) West Catholic (3-1)

Back-to-back OT wins has proven any doubters of how tough this West Catholic team is but the Defense had better tighten up if the Falcons are to make a serious title defending run.

Honorable Mentions (in no order)

Shelby (4-0)

I mentioned to someone today that Shelby was 4-0. The ground shook with their jaw dropping. We’re not sure how but Shelby sits atop the WMC with Oakridge, I just can’t buy in yet and a game with Hart this week will do even less to help their cause.

Comstock Park (3-1)

Jake Brown and Jon Hoffman nearly took out West Catholic on the road but late defensive slip ups cost the Panthers.

West Ottawa (3-1)

A rough second half burned the Panthers after many opportunities to put points up against Rockford on Friday went array. Getting back home against Grandville will help.

Montague (3-1)

Montague took the Oakridge heart breaker out on Ravenna, Sorry Dawgs.

Northview (3-1)

Darren Kapustka is doing everything in his power to will the Wildcats to wins. A few more tackles of Corey Willis last week and Northview would have shocked the state.

Grand Haven (3-1)

The Bucs cruised over Jenison behind Dakota Smith who went for 247 and 4 scores. Haven can throw it to ya know…

We hope to see you out at a game and will keep you posted on where we will be. Don’t forget that we will update you every Monday on the new WMA rankings. Again feel free to discuss below!

In the extra time, West Catholic started with the ball and scored in one play on a Jalin Faison run up the middle. Park now had a shot to tie it or win outright with a two point conversion (Just as Holland did to Northview). Three plays brought Comstock to the 1 yard line and coming out of a timeout we had our ball game. Brown took an option read to RB Jon Hoffman and kept it himself only to be blasted by about three different Falcons and West Catholic escaped with another league win in OT.

Quick Hitters

West Catholic

• West Catholic is gritty and fights until the very end, a trait clearly absorbed from coach Dan Rohn. The Falcons were reminded heading into the extra time that they had been here before and that if they stuck together as a team they would find a way to win.
• Jalin Faison worked for every inch tonight, the only thing to come easy for him was the final score in OT.
• Staskiewicz made some big time throws and looked very poised.
• Catholic struggled on Defense all night long and did not tackle very well, key stops at crucial moments saved them.

Comstock Park

• Jon Hoffman almost never goes down on first contact, impressive considering he is a Danny Woodhead clone. Small is stature but is quick and finds a way to get things done consistently.
• Jake Brown is for real people, this kid has a cannon of an arm and was very accurate all night considering the cold temperatures (which was new for both teams).
• Panther Coach Mark Chapman implemented some head scratching clock management at the end of the 4th quarter. Park ran a QB draw on first down with 1:09 to play and then let :30 run off the clock with 3 timeouts in their pocket. Once Park threw they moved the ball on this drive, I have to wonder why you head to OT with 3 timeouts in your hand (they did use one with :06 to play just to set up and clock killing play). I understand being conservative back up on your 5 yard line but once you use the QB draw and get breathing room why let 30 second run off the clock? This cost CP dearly.
• The Panthers run a form of “The Wildcat” and I use that term loosely as Park runs in a pair of virtual O lineman and puts them in the back field along with Hoffman and the attempt to create a hole where it otherwise may not exist, very interesting and creative.

1.) Lowell (3-0)

After this week’s game with Forest Hills Central the Arrows will face the top three teams in their league in consecutive weeks. (Christian, East, Northview) Gabe Dean and Co. will either put the OK White in their rear view and focus on the playoffs or be in a dog fight to regain the league title.

2.) Muskegon (3-0)

The Big Reds are dangerous and should have a week to recover from a bruising game at Hudsonville on Friday. East Kentwood is 2-1 but Muskegon should win and then it’s back home to host Rockford… mark your calendars.

3.) Rockford (2-1)

Kyle Short has played great in Mark LaPrairie’s absence and the Rams are rolling with the ground game. West Ottawa comes in at 3-0 with a stiff defense so moving the chains will be imperative for Rockford on Friday night.

4.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central (2-1)

A huge win over Middleville TK gives the cougars some revenge for last year and now it’s on to Hastings as CC looks to rule the Gold yet again.

5.) Grand Rapids Christian (3-0)

Flying past Kenowa early allowed Christian to start thinking about their final tune up against Reeths Puffer before heading to Lowell on the 23^rd.

6.) Holland (3-0)

The Dutch are for real folks and a win this week over fellow unbeaten Northview could be the final test en route to an undefeated regular season.

7.) East Grand Rapids (2-1)

East bounced back nicely against Union this week and now look to cross T’s and dot I’s against Mona Shores as Greenville and then Lowell lie in the coming weeks.

8.) Comstock Park (3-0)

Jake Brown is completing 83% of his passes and Jon Hoffman does nothing but rip off long run after long run for the Panthers, The game at West Catholic is our Game of the Week (our breakdown can be heard on ESPN 96.1 on Friday).

9.) Zeeland West (3-0)

The Dux scooped up a mammoth fumble late to steal a win over rival Zeeland East, the winner of that game tends to win the OK Green.

10.) Oakridge (3-0)

Oakridge found a way to beat Montague in the final seconds and avenged a crushing loss to the Wildcats last year. A tough West Michigan Conference this year will provide for tests against Whitehall, Ravenna and Shelby but Oakridge is in the driver’s seat.

Honorable Mentions (in no order)

West Catholic (2-1)

An OT win over Forest Hills Northern was a scare the Falcons could have done without. Comstock Park comes to town this week and a 21 game league winning streak is on the line.

West Ottawa (3-0)

New Coach Rory Zeguins has the Panther D unloading on people and a true test this week at Rockford can again launch West Ottawa into OK Red title contention.

Montague (2-1)

A heart wrenching home loss to Oakridge on a fake extra point had to hurt but moving past that will be important if the ‘Cats want to have a chance to share the WMC.

Hudsonville (1-1)

Hudsonville had an extra week to prepare for Muskegon but that week wasn’t enough to match-up physically as the Reds always had an answer for the Eagle attack. Muskegon will never forget how it felt to play Hudsonville however.

Northview (3-0)

The Wildcats are 3-0 for the first time since 1994! Beating Holland Friday could be the latest chapter in this shocking story.

Grand Haven (2-1)

Special teams and the inability to stop the run doomed the Bucs but you expect to take a lick or two in the Red. The Bucs will need to bounce back to claim another share of the title.

We hope to see you out at a game and will keep you posted on where we will be. Don’t forget that we will update you every Monday on the new WMA rankings. Again feel free to discuss below!

1.) Lowell (2-0)

After a 49-7 rout of Kenowa Hills the Red Arrows look ahead to Reeths Puffer. Picking up a win is nice but seeing that East is beatable may be the best news of the week for Lowell.

2.) Muskegon (2-0)

Two games down and over 100 points scored for the Big Reds and their new squad. Hudsonville plays host this week and this will prove to be a vital OK Red opener.

3.) Grand Haven (2-0)

The Bucs won the opener through the air and won this week on the ground. A balanced attack makes Haven dangerous as Rockford will find out on Friday. Don’t expect many points.

4.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central (1-1)

A big win over Coopersville is just what the Cougars needed heading into this weeks matchup with Middleville in the OK Gold.

5.) Rockford (1-1)

A rebounding game against Holt has the Rams ready for Grand Haven on Friday and OK Red positioning will be at stake with the winner looking to avoid a landmine on their way to facing Muskegon.

6.) Grand Rapids Christian (2-0)

Christian is scoring plenty of points but slowing teams down on defense will be the key moving forward. Kenowa comes to town Friday.

7.) East Grand Rapids (1-1)

East ran into a buzzsaw in Corey Willis on Thursday night and saw their 34 game winning streak come to an end. We knew the Pioneers would need to replace a lot of talent this year but everyone was shocked to see them lose, especially this early.

8.) Hudsonville (1-0)

A bye week gave Hudsonville extra time to prepare for Muskegon. Too much time to think about it or decisive advantage? Friday night holds the answer.

9.) Comstock Park (2-0)

Park debuts a new field this week and does so off of mirroring 41-7 victories in the first two weeks. Jake Brown is zipping the ball all over the field for the Panthers.

10.) Montague (2-0)

The Cats keep rolling and hosting Oakridge is one of the biggest games on their schedule.

Honorable Mentions (in no order)

West Catholic (0-1)

The Falcons got back on track with a 55-0 win over Allendale last week. Forest Hills Central is next before hosting Comstock Park.

Kenowa Hills (1-1)

The Knights fell flat last week with Lowell in town. Kitwana Clark is the real deal and will be a load to handle in the OK Black.

Zeeland East (1-0)

The Chix took care of East Kentwood and face off with Zeeland West Friday, Matt Philpott will be all over it for WMA.

Holland (2-0)

A shocking win over East Grand Rapids was only a shock to those not involved with the Dutch Football program.

We hope to see you out at a game and will keep you posted on where we will be. Don’t forget that we will update you every Monday on the new WMA rankings. Again feel free to discuss below!

1.) Lowell (1-0)

Gabe Dean has risen his game and the Red Arrows have a stiff Defense. The OK White is a tough league but it’s hard to not be impressed by the victory last Thursday over Rockford. A nice road match-up with Kenowa Hills leads into 3 straight home affairs for Lowell.

2.) East Grand Rapids (1-0)

A gritty win over GR Catholic Central was a great test to begin the year and now East turns their focus to Holland on Thursday as part of 3 weeks of OK Black crossover games. Preparation for league play may be vital for the Pioneers this year with the loss of key players from last years team.

3.) Muskegon (1-0)

The Big Reds appear to be back in a big way behind Coach Shane Fairfield’s new “veer” offense (which you can read all about in our OK Red Media Guide) and QB Princton Duncan. Muskegon racked up 495 yards of total offense and look to re-claim OK Red supremacy in 2011. Heights come across town on Saturday at 2pm.

4.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central (0-1)

A loss to EGR is never something to hang your head about, ensuring you get back on track however, is something to worry about. The Cougars will look to do just that against Coopersville and then look towards Middleville who stole Catholic’s OK Gold crown last year.

5.) Rockford (0-1)

Sure the loss to Lowell stings but it may be the loss of Mark LaPrairie for a few weeks that doom Rockford. Taking care of Holt this Thursday has become super important or Grand Haven on their way the following week could spell disaster for the Rams.

6.) Grand Rapids Christian (1-0)

The Eagles soared past South Christian in week one and Drake Harris showed his skills go far beyond the basketball floor. The league is brutal to play in but picking up a key win or two will go a long way for Christian.

7.) Grand Haven (1-0)

The Bucs look to continue building on each previous season and will do so this year on the arm of Scott Staal who found Danny Cotter for 4 (yes 4) passing Touchdowns last week. Grand Haven will host TC West this week and better not look to next week against Rockford.

8.) Hudsonville (1-0)

A 24-14 win on the road against Holt was just what Hudsonville needed to get this season rolling. An open week gives the Eagles two weeks to prepare for Muskegon to come take their shot.

9.) Comstock Park (1-0)

Wyoming Park welcomes the Panthers this week before Park debuts a new field turf surface and should roll into a week 4 contest against West Catholic with an un-blemished record.

10.) Kenowa Hills (1-0)

A convincing win over TC West thanks to running back Kitwana Clark who had 41 carries for 254 yards and two touchdowns! The OK Black should be theirs but crossovers such as this Friday hosting Lowell will prove the Knights metal.

Honorable Mentions (in no order)

West Catholic (0-1)

After last years opening weekend loss to Orchard lake St Mary’s the Falcons won 13 games in a row, including that last one in Detroit on Thanksgiving weekend…

Zeeland East (1-0)

Forest hills Eastern was no match for the Chix in week one but East Kentwood comes to town Thursday and the Falcons are looking for a big win.

Middleville (1-0)

One more tune up against Sparta before the Trojans head to Catholic Central for a mega battle in the Gold in week 3.

Montague (1-0)

Brandon Moore is unstoppable; Whitehall will be a good test this week.

We hope to see you out at a game and will keep you posted on where we will be. Don’t forget that we will update you every Monday on the new WMA rankings. Again feel free to discuss below!

This district at Forest Hills Northern is one of the easier Districts to sort through for us at WMA. Comstock Park and Catholic Central are clearly the two best teams here and the bracket allows for them to meet in the finals, with one slight potential hiccup.

Park and Catholic are not only the two best teams in this District but they are honestly two of my favorite teams that I have seen all year long. It’s a shame these two couldn’t face off in Regionals but if this shakes out like it should then West Michigan is in for a whale of a game.

Forest Hills Eastern- the Hawks received the lone bye in this bracket and won’t play until Wednesday, that’s the good news for FHE. The bad news is that they will face the FHN v CC winner and they are 0-3 against those teams, suffering a 30-18 loss to FHN and two double digit losses to CC.

Forest Hills Northern- the Huskies had an up and down year yet find themselves above .500 at the end of the year including a 7-5 record in the OK Blue. Drawing Catholic in the first round will not make Northern fans happy but maybe an influx of FH fans will make the trip and at least make it rowdy for the Cougars. FHN has been led by Dan Michaud all year and he will have to have a big night along with the team defense on Conor Hogan if the Huskies hope to have a chance at moving on.

East Grand Rapids- the Pioneers are one of the highest scoring teams in the area with four different players scoring over 200 points this year! Dion Jobe leads all Pioneers with nearly 300 points on the year and Cory Ditmar has made 61 threes this year (Ditmar only has 70 made baskets on the season). Keeping one eye on Ditmar will be key for Comstock Park in their opening game. EGR has played many high level teams close this year including Rockford, GR Christian and Holland it has been finding that W at the end that has proven to be the ender for EGR.

Catholic Central- the Cougars aren’t big, they aren’t long, heck they aren’t as athletic as many top teams in the area. What the Cougars are however is most importantly well coached. Dan Farrell has these kids playing GREAT basketball right now. CC is also very fast, smart, disciplined and can absolutely shoot the lights out! Conor Hogan amazes me every time I see him play, he will hit the big shot just when CC needs it and has an uncanny ability to get to the line (where he doesn’t miss from). The supporting cast is equally great at what they do; Zeke Mojica-Skinner, Brendan Penny, John Haley and sophomore Jon Marosi are the glue to this well built squad.

Comstock Park- the Panthers have had 7 of their games decided by four points or less, the Cardiac Cats have grown accustomed to playing in close games and finding a way to win them. The lone blemish on Parks season is a prime example however, Howard City Tri-County (a 4^th place team in their own conference) came into CP and handed the Panthers their only loss of the year in a 75-73 ball game that could have went either way. It’s good to have a knack for winning close game but I’m sure coach Scott Berry and Panther fans enjoy the convincing wins just a little more. Ty Mason, who is headed to Cornerstone in the fall, has nearly hit the 450 point mark for this season and is a flat out scorer.

Prediction: Catholic should move past both Forest Hills squads and be in the final on Friday. Comstock Park needs to be ready to roll on Wednesday as East can flat out score. I’m taking Park because I think the last thing any team wants to do is get in a scoring battle with Mason. So we are set with a Catholic v Park final. Mason and Hogan tend to spend all game at the line and both rarely miss with a hand in their face let alone from the stripe. This game will go down to the final :30 and whoever has the ball last will take this one. I feel that someone is going to hit a wildly clutch shot, the question is who..

Don’t overlook the CP v EGR game on Wednesday; the Panthers need to get by that hurdle before they think about Catholic. Feel free to discuss below in the comments section and tell us all the reasons why we’re right, as well as why we’re wrong.

Early on in the game the Panthers of West Ottawa were able to jump out to a 9-2 lead. After a basket by Comstock Park to put it at 9-4 Zach Crittendon was able to knock in a 2 to put it at 9-6, after coming up short on several possessions with the score not changing, Crittendon was able to successfully complete an “and one” to tie up the game at 9. Both teams continued to battle it out, while surprisingly Jorddan Myrick and Ty Mason stayed relatively quiet for their teams. The score after one was 17-11 in favor of West Ottawa.

Ty Mason opened up the second with a put back two pointer to put the score at 17-13. Myrick answered back with a three pointer, despite the three by Myrick, Comstock Park was able to pull within 2 points of West Ottawa in the middle of the second. An “and one” by Ty Mason put the score at 23-22 in favor of Comstock Park, this was their first lead of the game and they would not look back for the rest of the half. Myrick was able to close out the half with a buzzer beating three to bring the score to 30-28. You could tell that West Ottawa was missing their second leading scorer in senior Andrew Maxey as he sat on the bench; however West Ottawa continued to fight hard.

Both teams continued to go back fourth for the first several minutes of the second half and we resume our action in the middle of the fourth with the score at 44-40 in favor of Comstock Park, this was when Tre Boeve knocked down a three to bring West Ottawa within one. A two at the end of the third by Myrick brought West Ottawa to within 1 again. At this point we check out our highlight performers, heading into the fourth TY Mason had an astounding 18 points for Comstock Park, Tre Boeve had 10 for West Ottawa and Jorddan Myrick was at 12. The score after three was 48-47 in favor of Comstock Park.

Two free throws by Myrick at the beginning of the fourth put West Ottawa up by one. After a successful trip down the court for Comstock Park, Caleb Bosch nailed a three to put West Ottawa up by 2. A minute later Bosch came up huge again by tipping in a missed free throw to put West Ottawa up by four. We resume our action with the score at 69-67 in favor of Comstock Park, that’s when Myrick knocked down a two to tie the game. Ty Mason was fouled on the next possession and nailed both his free throws to put the score at 71-69 Comstock Park. Josh Wisbang made a layup to tie it and headed to the line for one free throw as he was fouled on the shot. Unfortunately for West Ottawa, Wisbang was unable to make his free throw so the score remained tied at 71. Ty Mason answered back with a two pointer to put the score at 73-71. That’s when Comstock Park’s center rotated onto Myrick and Myrick took advantage of the miss match as he performed a nasty crossover on the baseline and finished at the rim to put tie the game with 11 seconds left. Andrew Ejsmont received the ball at the top of the arch and proceeded to drive to the bucket and nail a layup with 1.2 seconds left on the clock, at that point the referees called the game and the final score read 75-73, Comstock Park.

I was very impressed with Ty Mason as he dropped 31 points on West Ottawa and also grabbed 6 boards. Crittendon came up big for Comstock Park as he netted 13 points to compliment Mason. Ejsmont also came up big as he scored 15 points. This win is “huge” for Comstock Park as they are now one win away from having their school’s best record in a 20 game season for boy’s varsity basketball. Comstock Park was definitely helped by their shooting at the free throw line as they were an astounding 27-31 from the stripe.

Jorddan Myrick battled it out with Mason but he came up just short as he scored 26 points, recorded three assists and 4 turnovers. West Ottawa received some unusual help from Caleb Bosch, Josh Wisbang, and Tre Boeve. Boeve had 10 and Bosch and Wisbang both had 12 for West Ottawa. West Ottawa was not helped by the free throw line as they shot 15-25 from the line; West Ottawa was also not helped by the fact that their second leading scorer Andrew Maxey was riding the pine. Despite shooting 15-25 from the line and playing without Maxey, West Ottawa was able to stay close the whole game and had an opportunity to win the game at the end. West Ottawa has now lost an incredible 9 games in a row and will have their eyes on their first round district game against Grandville.

On a side note be sure to vote for 1st and 2nd team all stars (two of the twelve on the ballot were playing in tonight’s game, Ty Mason and Jorddan Myrick). You can vote by following these directions OR going straight to our facebook page.

Be sure to continue to check the site for more district previews as well as game coverage in the coming weeks as the regular season winds down. Feel free to discuss tonight’s game in the comments section below.

Were working hard to bring you some amazing coverage and giving you some input is vital to us. Check out our polls where you can vote for the coverage you want to see, help your vote by passing the poll along to friends as you can only vote once. Try to keep up and help us with any comments to get your team where they belong. We encourage the fans of WMA to tune into ESPN 96.1 as we will have nice spots running to keep you the fans updated on all that is West Michigan High School Sports.

1.) Grand Rapids Union (16-3)

Union showed their grit last week with a 4 point win over Forest Hills Central and a 1 point win over Holland on Friday. The Red Hawks head to Catholic Central on Thursday.

2.) Montague (18-0)

Montague got past a scare against North Muskegon and have two remaining games before an insane district opener against Western Michigan Christian on March 7^th.

3.) Grand Rapids Christian (18-1)

The Eagles cruised this week and have one final game at Holland Christian before the District season.

4.) Comstock Park (16-1)

With the conference tied down, its post season prep time for Park. The Panthers kick things off with a trip to West Ottawa on Tuesday.

5.) Grand Rapids Catholic Central (16-2)

The Cougars locked down the OK Gold on Friday and now face a pair of interesting tune up games for Districts, FHC tonight and Union on Thursday.

6.) Tri Unity Christian (17-1)

Tri Unity took care of business taking down two very tough opponents in Godwin Heights and Western Michigan Christian.

7.) East Kentwood (15-4)

The Falcons took home the OK Red crown on Friday. A nice District warm-up at South Christian on Thursday should be a great game to see.

8.) Godwin Heights (16-3)

A tough loss at Tri Unity Christian on Tuesday made for a split last week. Godwin Heights will host their district; look for a preview later this week.

9.) Rockford (13-7)

We got our OK Red title game and it was a thriller, unfortunately for Rockford they ended up on the short end of the draw, nothing on tap for the Rams until the second round of Districts.

10.) Wayland (14-5)

Wayland dropped both games this week and now have a week off to gain some momentum (although it will have to be done in practice) before districts.

Honorable Mentions (in no order)

Muskegon (13-6)

The Big Reds dropped Tuesday’s affair with Rockford but closed out OK Red play with a win against Jenison. Mona Shores is next for Muskegon.

Holland (13-6)

The Dutch nearly pulled off the major upset over Union on Friday.

Muskegon Heights (13-6)

The Tigers took home a pair of wins this week and now look ahead towards to post season.

Grand Rapids South Christian (14-5)

The Sailors came up short in their attempt to share the OK Gold title with Catholic.

We hope to see you out at a game and will keep you posted on where we will be. Don’t forget that we will update you every Monday on the new WMA rankings. Again feel free to discuss below!