This district, hosted by the Hopkins Vikings, has two clear front-runners.  Upsets aren’t likely, but not impossible.

Allegan- The Tigers have had a difficult season, going without a regular season win.  A first round bye, followed by a victory on Wendesday would make them forget about all their troubles.  It’s not like Allegan is completely devoid of offense– the Tigers are averaging a little over 37 points per game, and three players have netted over 100 on the season– Tanner Boysen (132), Shaquille Hill (125), and Trey Clifford (110)– Allegan just happens to play in a super-tough Wolverine Conference which saw five of its nine teams finish the regular season with ten or more victories.  The difficult truth of the matter is that Allegan will likely wind up playing Otsego in their second round game, which will spell the end of their season.

Wayland Union- Wayland Union comes into the District tourney hoping to snap an eight game losing streak.  The Wildcats are led by three-point machine Dilon Aten, who drilled 29 shots from downtown.  Wayland Union finds themselves facing an uphill battle on Monday night, taking to the court against Holland Christian.  If they happen to take down the Maroons, they will play Hopkins on Wednesday, whom they beat by seven in the first game of the season.

Hopkins- The host team of this District, Hopkins, was a team that struggled for consistency.  A win followed by a loss, followed by two wins, followed by a loss… you see the picture.  Clayton Williams paced all other Vikings by scoring 278 points this season.  A bye on Monday means Hopkins just needs one victory to play for the District title.  Unfortunately it is likely they will wind up having to play a difficult Holland Christian team.  The Vikings will get to see just how much of a home court advantage they have come Wednesday night…

Hamilton- Hamilton ended the regular season with a couple of strong offensive performances– scoring 76 against Rogers, 74 against Wyoming Park, and 58 against Coopersville.  The Hawkeyes will need every point of that offense if they want to make it beyond Monday’s game against Otsego.  Nick Kronemeyer and Chris Scholten lead the attack for Hamilton, scoring 230 and 178 points, respectively.  If Hamilton can manage the upset special on Monday night they should have an easy time putting away Allegan on Wednesday, giving the Hawkeyes a shot at winning a District crown.

Holland Christian- The Maroons enter Districts on an 8-2 run. They are one of two teams that should have expectations at winning the District title.  Although Kyle Steigenga (245 points) and Jon Maas (198 points) far-and-away lead their team in scoring, Holland Christian manages to spread the wealth among everybody else– the Maroons have five other players with 50+ points on the season.  Holland Christian opens up on Monday night against Wayland Union.  A win and they play host Hopkins.  Although neither game should be a pushover, the Maroons will likely find themselves playing in Friday’s finale.

Otsego- These guys are hands-down the favorites within this District.  The Bulldogs suffered their lone conference loss on February 21 at Vicksburg.  Other than that, Otsego essentially lay waste to the Wolverine Conference.  Jared Klein was a monster on offense, scoring an amazing 396 points.  Reid Dugan was a force down low, putting up 273 points, while also hauling in 138 boards.  Otsego should have no problem with Hamilton on Monday, same story, different day on Wednesday against Allegan.

Don’t expect any major upsets in the end here.  Although Holland Christian could trip and fall victim to looking ahead, this is Otsego’s District to lose.  A final matchup of Holland Christian/Otsego should be a fun one to watch, so this District won’t be a snooze-fest.  When all is said and done I predict the Bulldogs will come out on top over the Maroons, in a game decided by 5-10 points.

Feel free to give us your predictions below in the comments section!

This district at Wayland Union should provide us with some intriguing matchups. This district is one of the easier districts for us to sort out at WMA, but nonetheless there is a team or two that could make a little run.

Otsego and Wayland are clearly the two best teams in this district as they were the only two teams to have a winning record. Hamilton and Holland Christian are two possible surprise teams.

Allegan- with a 2-17 overall record this team will have had their eyes set on districts for quite some time. Unfortunately for Allegan a round one matchup with Holland Christian will most likely end their season. If Allegan can survive they have an easy matchup with Hopkins in the second round. Look for Allegan‘s Gary Jones and Shaquille Hill to try and fire up their team and make a run.

Hamilton- while Hamilton‘s 3-16 record is not very impressive, they are still not a team you can completely sleep on. Hamilton‘s key stat is 2-2 in the head-to-head category. Look for Chris Scholten and Nick Kronemeyer to try and finish the season strong. Hamilton has a tough round one matchup with the host team- Wayland Union. If Hamilton can get past Union they would have to play a tough Otsego team.

Hopkins- while Hopkins may look like a middle of the pack type of team based on overall record, they are a dismal 0-4 in head-to-head matchups. Fortunately for Hopkins they have drawn a bye for the first round and play the winner of Holland Christian/Allegan. Hopkins is led by Nick Weick who has been their primary scorer all season. If Hopkins wishes to take advantage of their first round bye and get to play in the district championship game, someone will have to step up and establish himself as the #2 scorer.

Holland Christian- the Maroons have been one of the most frustrating teams for me to watch this year. Holland Christian has one starter under 6’4″ and yet they are only 6-14. Holland Christian has one of the easiest roads to victory as they face off with Allegan in the first round and if they advance they will face Hopkins in the second round. If Holland Christian wishes to make a run in the playoffs their bigs will have to learn how to finish at the rim.

Wayland Union- the host team was able to cap off a solid regular season with a 67-45 rout of Caledonia. The victory over Caledonia put them at 15-5 overall. Wayland Union has drawn Hamilton in the first round and if they advance they will face a very good Otsego team. Look for Zach Kasper and Justin Pepper to really step up their game as they host districts.

Otsego- this 16-3 team is coming off a huge 91-55 victory over Hopkins. Otsego is an impressive 3-0 in head-to-head play and has drawn a bye for the first round. Otsego is led by Jared Klein who is averaging an a very solid 21.5 ppg. Their #2 scorer is Carl Nord who is averaging a solid 13.1 ppg. Look for Klein to have some big games if they want to advance on to Regionals. Otsego will be hoping for a Hamilton victory over Wayland Union in the first round, but would welcome the opportunity to face off against the host team.

Prediction: Holland Christian should be able to defeat Allegan in the first round and the host team- Wayland Union will beat Hamilton in the first round as well. That leaves us with a huge second round matchup between the two best teams in this district- Wayland Union and Otsego. Otsego will most likely be able to pull out a W against the host team but Klein needs to have a big game. Another thing Otsego has going for them is that Wayland will be coming off of only a one day rest while Otsego will have had 6 days to prepare. Holland Christian will be able to advance to the championship game and face off against a very good Otsego team. If Holland Christian’s bigs can learn to finish at the rim and their shooting is on they are capable of pulling of the upset. My pick in the championship game is Otsego; Otsego has had a great year and should be able to make a run in the playoffs this year behind the play of Jared Klein.

While some of the early round games will not be that flashy, they should still provide some solid basketball so be sure to check them out. Unfortunately we won’t get our Wayland v. Otsego game that we were wishing for in the championship game, however we will get a round two treat between these two teams which should be a very exciting one to watch. Remember to “like” us on facebook and vote for our1st and 2nd team all stars by following these directions. 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.

1. Hudsonville’s Carli Capestany stays perfect –and nice– on tennis court -The Grand Rapids Press
2. Otsego’s boys golf team one painful shot short of state tournament birth -Kalamazoo Gazette
3. Rosters set for annual East-West All-star football game at Spartan Stadium -The Grand Rapids Press  
4. Jordan Wolf, Elle Humphries lead Portage Central girls soccer team to rout of Kalamazoo Central -Kalamazoo Gazette
5. Devin Bond’s early goal propels Gull Lake to girls soccer district semifinal win over Thornapple Kellogg -Kalamazoo Gazette
6. Forest Hills Central will have shot to defend boys golf state title after winning tiebreaker -The Grand Rapids Press
7. Northview’s Casey Tull just misses out on medalist honors at Division 2 boys golf regional -The Grad Rapids Press
8. Three Rivers tops St. Joseph in Division 2 girls soccer district semifinal -Kalamazoo Gazette
9. East Grand Rapids wins Division 2 boys golf regional -The Grand Rapids Press
10. Vicksburg clicking at the right time, defeats Marshall in Division 2 girls soccer semifinal -Kalamazoo Gazette 
11. Liz Ruimveld scores 5 goals a Kalamazoo Christian girls soccer team routs Kalamazoo Heritage Christian -Kalamazoo Gazette
12. Pushint the limits: Autism doesn’t stop Loy Norrix discus thrower Cer Bolton’s rise to state meet -Kalamazoo Gazette
13. Jon Christ, Jack Rider lead Hackett boys golf team to regional title -Kalamazoo Gazette
14. Scott Manski helps send Vicksburg golf back to state tournament -Kalamazoo Gazette

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1. North Muskegon beats Tri-unity Christian 10-6 in pre-district baseball -The Muskegon Chronicle
2. Spring Lake edges Orchard View in Division 2 softball pre-district thriller -The Muskegon Chronicle
3. Grand Rapids South Christian rolls past Parchment in Division 3 girls soccer opener -Kalamazoo Gazette 
4. Forest Hills Northern knows it won’t be easy to win another girls tennis state title -The Grand Rapid Press
5. Lauren Baguley looks to lead Hudsonville to water polo state championship -The Grand Rapids Press
6. Gull Lake baseball slips past Plainwell in districts -Kalamazoo Gazette
7. Mattawan baseball cruises by Benton Harbor in D1 districts -Kalamazoo Gazette
8. Kalamazoo Central girls soccer team picks up district opening win over Jackson -Kalamazoo Gazette
9. Allegan girls soccer team takes early lead, rolls past Wayland in Division 2 district tournament opener -Kalamazoo Gazette
10. Kenowa Hills’ Ryan Versen among athletes tuning up for track state finals at John Bos meet -The Grand Rapids Press 
11. Climax-Scotts baseball team downs Portage Northern in in state tourney tuneup -Kalamazoo Gazette
12. Cody Cramer shuts down Coloma, leads Otsego baseball team to Division 2 district-opening victory -Kalamazoo Gazette

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1. Girls basketball quarterfinal action, in photo form — Grand Rapids Press
2. Boys photos, but one week behind the girls — Grand Rapids Press
3. GRCC throttles Gull Lake in girls Class-B quarterfinal — Grand Rapids Press
4. Rockford bumped from girls tournament by East Lansing — Grand Rapids Press
5. List of 8-man football teams so far — MHSAA.com
6. Otsego’s Kelsey Kuipers up for athlete of the year — Kalamazoo Gazette
7. Emily Bos and Connor Kruse also up for athlete of the year — Grand Rapids Press

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After logging over 15-victories during the regular season, there are certain expectations placed on a team regarding how they will perform in the state tournament.  The higher that number, the higher the expectations. But apart from one or two teams each year who are simply out of everybody else’s league, the nature of the state tournament dictates that every team is expendable.

On the flip-side of that coin, no matter what your season looked like to this point, the state tournament is a chance to throw all that out the window.  It’s an opportunity of the kind that only exists in sports — the chance for a real do-over.

In the district semifinal round of the boys basketball state tournament, much went as expected.  Wayland won, Muskegon Heights advanced, Rockford rolled, Otsego is going on, etc.  But much went awry.  Both positively and negatively, depending on your perspective.  Two games in particular served as a potent reminder that in the state tournament, anything can happen.

Such is the beauty of playoff basketball.

East Grand Rapids-57, Grand Rapids Union-49

East Grand Rapids (13-9) held Union (19-2) scoreless for a stretch of more than 7 minutes late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, turning a seven-point deficit into a one-point lead. The EGR defense held the usually explosive Red Hawks to six points in the final 10 minutes.

After running all over their competition during the regular season to a record of 19-1, Grand Rapids Union had made a name for themselves as one of the top teams in the area.  Standouts Ladon Carnegie and Xavier Watson had never had trouble scoring the rock.  One bad game, one poor shooting night, and they won’t get another opportunity.

East Grand Rapids was pegged as a preseason favorite in West Michigan based on the talent on their team.  But until the tournament they hadn’t found a way to consistently put their best game out on the court.  Well, they seem to be figuring it out now (although it seems like you never know from game to game with EGR).  Lead by Colin Voss, AJ McEwen and Deon Jobe, the Pioneers are a perfect example of a team who can be incredibly dangerous throughout the tournament, despite a mediocre record.

Forest Hills Central-66 , Grand Rapids Christian-58

At East Kentwood, Darrin Nesby sank four 3-pointers, made 12-of-14 free throws and finished with 30 points to lead FHC. Alex Mustert and Jaylen Staten scored 17 points each for Christian.

Christian had one of the more well-rounded and talented teams in the area throughout the regular season.  A trendy pick to advance far into the tournament, the Eagles seemed to have all the pieces with Jay Staten, Javin Hardley and James Slagter, and an unselfishness characteristic of the best teams.  An uninspired performance coincided with Nesby’s second consecutive 30-point outing, and Christian is done early.

As for Forest Hills Central, they are not to be overlooked.  At 13-8 overall, they are 5-1 over their last six outings.  As long as Nesby keeps shooting the way he has been, and keeps relentlessly attacking their opponents, he gives them a chance to win one game against even the best teams.  They play Wayland on Friday, which is the best team in West Michigan.  But Forest Hills Central doesn’t need to prove themselves the better team, which would be near impossible next to Wayland.  Whether it be due to luck, skill or whatever, they only need to beat the Wildcats once.

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1. East Grand Rapids upsets GR Union in district semifinals — Grand Rapids Press
2. Allendale moves into district finals, thx to Venturini — Grand Rapids Press
3. Parchment beats schoolcraft (upset?) in districts — Kalamazoo Gazette
4. Otsego sneaks past Comstock in districts — Kalamazoo Gazette
5. South Haven’s Walker went off in overtime to get a win — Kalamazoo Gazette
6. Whoa, Muskegon Heights is baaaack — Muskegon Chronicle
7. Wayland holds off Ottawa Hills to remain undefeated — Grand Rapids Press
8. Holland takes out Hudsonville in district semifinal action — Grand Rapids Press
9. Calvin Christian surges past Covenant Christian — Grand Rapids Press
10. Lowell gymnast rides skills to state finals — Grand Rapids Press

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1. March 4 boys basketball scores — Associated Press
2. Ludington boys basketball captures Lakes 8 title — Muskegon Chronicle
3. Boys basketball district from hell — HSBB
4. Hopefully Rockford’s City Manager gets overtime for this — Grand Rapids Press
5. Climax-Scotts’ Beau Langs heated up in the fourth — Kalamazoo Gazette
6. Holt ends Portage Central‘s hockey season in 2OT — Kalamazoo Gazette
7. GR Christian beats Mattawan in another 2OT — Grand Rapids Press
8. Gull Lake has Otsego’s number, once again — Kalamazoo Gazette
9. Skee-town wrestlers had a pretty good day — Muskegon Chronicle
10. Oh that Weatherspoon, what a game — Grand Rapids Press

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1. March 2 high school basketball scores (boys)(girls) — Associated Press
2. March 2 boys basketball rankings — Associated Press
3. March 2 girls basketball rankings — Associated Press
4. Wayland caps off undefeated season — Grand Rapids Press
5. Little more on the topic — Grand Rapids Press
6. Holland Christian manhandles Grand Rapids Christian — Grand Rapids Press
7. Schoolcraft dominates Kalamazoo Christian — Kalamazoo Gazette
8. Otsego and “them Klein boys” hold off Three Rivers — Kalamazoo Gazette
9. Gull Lake holds off South Haven‘s comeback bid — Kalamazoo Gazette
10. Parchment sneaks past Delton Kellogg — Kalamazoo Gazette

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1. Feb. 20 high school basketball scores (boys) (girls) — Associated Press
2. Class-D high school basketball rankings — HSBB
3. No doubts left, Kalamazoo Central #1 in WM — Kalamazoo Gazette
4. And they proved it again against Loy-Norrix — Kalamazoo Gazette
5. Mattawan’s Coy, Otsego’s Depauw win King Air title — Kalamazoo Gazette
6. Forest Hills Central beats Grand Haven in hockey — Muskegon Chronicle
7. Mattawan hockey repeats as SWMHSHL tourney champs — Kalamazoo Gazette
8. Cedar Springs edges Kenowa Hills in comp cheer finals — Grand Rapids Press
9. Otsego is well represented in D-3 wrestling — Kalamazoo Gazette
10. So are Lowell and Rockford — Grand Rapids Press

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