Defense continues to improve

By Rebekah Cronk

On Tuesday, January 5, the varsity basketball game had fans on the edge of their seats as Cedar Springs went head to head with Lowell.

“Lowell is one of the better teams in the area this season. We battled with them throughout the game,” said Cedar Springs varsity basketball coach Jeff Patin.

The Red Hawks lost against Lowell with an ending score of 73-58. The game was close and the basketball team definitely gave the Arrows a run for their money.

“We played Lowell last year in the regular season and the districts, unfortunately, [we lost] both times. Their program has improved much in the last several years,” said Patin.

Although Cedar Springs suffered a loss at Lowell, there were some highlights throughout the game. Jameson Pavelka led the team with 17 points, and Taylor VanDyke added 14 points and 12 rebounds. The Cedar Springs varsity basketball team has not won against Lowell the last few times they played against them, but their losses against the team will not hinder their hopes for the next time they take them on.

The Cedar Springs varsity basketball team also battled it out with Wyoming on Friday, January 8.

“It was our first league game and we wanted to come out with a good start. We didn’t play particularly well in the first half. We were trailing by 9. In the second half, we fought back and took the lead midway through the fourth quarter. From that point, the game was back and forth,” said Patin.

Unfortunately, the Red Hawks lost that night against Wyoming with a final score of 69-66.

“Losing on Friday is a minor setback for us, but we’ll keep focusing on the areas we need to improve,” said Patin.

It wasn’t the strongest week for the varsity basketball team, but they’re taking the losses against Lowell and Wyoming and spinning something positive out of it.

“Our defense has continued to improve. We will [continue] to work in all areas as we approach the midpoint of the season,” said Patin.