West Michigan Roundup, Wednesday 3/3/21

West Michigan Roundup, Wednesday 3/3/21

Best Win: Plainwell over Edwardsburg 55-49 (OT)

After coming up short a few times this season against strong opponents, (Three Rivers, Otsego) the Trojans got their signature victory. Jack Anderson was clutch at the free throw line with :04 left tying the game at 47 before Plainwell outscored Edwardsburg 8-2 in overtime.

Next Best: Coopersville over Northview 69-38

Despite Northview playing without Kyler Vanderjagt this was still a game that should have been competitive. The Wildcats were blown out by a senior-led Coopersville team who has now won four straight games.

Top Performance: Coloma’s Drew Goodline (2021 G): 33 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists

Goodline continues to shine for Coloma putting up a huge performance in a 80-53 win over Eau Claire. Small colleges should definitely have him on their radar because just like his brother he is a pure scorer.

Honorable Mentions:

Otsego’s Jakson Dentler (2021 G): 20 pts

NorthPointe’s Brayden Wilkerson (2022 G): 22 pts

Paw Paw’s Finlay Tate (2021 G): 21 pts

Coloma’s Jake Ickes (2022 G): 19 pts, 8 ast

Game I Attended: Plainwell 55, Edwardsburg 49 (OT)

Plainwell entered the game at (3-3) with close losses to both Three Rivers and Otsego looking to bolster their resume with a win over a strong Edwardsburg team. Edwardsburg entered the game at (5-1) still tied at the top of the Wolverine conference despite Otsego having the tiebreaker. Plainwell got off to a hot 12-4 start going 4-4 from the field. The Trojans also started the second quarter on a 9-3 run to extend their lead to 21-10. Edwardsburg was able to cut the deficit to 7 points at halftime 26-19. As the third quarter began yet again did Plainwell jump out to a quick start gaining their largest lead of the game 34-21. Midway through the third quarter was when Edwardsburg picked up the pace going on a 12-2 run to end the third quarter. Edwardsburg completed the comeback to tie the game at 43-43 with 3:10 remaining following some costly Plainwell turnovers. Plainwell’s Connor Buschini split a pair at the line with 1:28 remaining to give Plainwell a 44-43 lead. A huge bucket by Edwardsburg’s Jacob Pegura took the lead 45-44 for the Eddies with 1:02 left. Then once again did Connor Buschini come up clutch to take the lead back 46-45. The pressure was back on the Eddies, but Jack Anderson of Plainwell was called for a foul which sent Jake Moore to the line for Edwardsburg. He converted both free throws with :20 left giving them a 47-46 lead. Plainwell had one last chance to win the game with :10 remaining. Their junior center Jack Anderson drove towards the basket and tripped, but a controversial foul was called on Edwardsburg. Anderson made the first free throw, but missed the second sending the game into overtime 47-47. Plainwell brought the energy to the overtime period going on an 8-0 run ending almost any chance Edwardsburg had. The Trojans pulled out a major 55-49 overtime victory over Edwardsburg. Leading Plainwell was Caleb Maser with 15 points, Isaac Rowe with 12 points, and Diogo Ramos with 11 points. Edwardsburg was led by Isaac Merrill with 12 points off the bench while Jacob Pegura had 9 points.