For the second time this season, the varsity boys basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in overtime to the Comstock Park Panthers.

The Red Hawks used a strong defensive effort in the first quarter to jump out to a 9-5 lead.  The defensive battle continued throughout the 2nd quarter, and Cedar Springs took a 19-15 edge into halftime. Great defense by both teams led to Cedar Springs shooting just 35 percent in the first half and the Panthers only 22 percent.

A key steal and a basket by Comstock Park late in the 3rd quarter trimmed the Red Hawk lead to six and gave the Panthers momentum heading into the fourth. The lead went back and fourth throughout the 4th quarter.  With 8 seconds remaining, the Panthers missed a free throw and Cedar Springs appeared to be fouled in the act of shooting. However, the official ruled that the foul occurred prior to the act of shooting and no free throws were awarded. Ryan Dines’ desperation 3-point was off the mark and the game went to overtime, which the Panthers dominated en route to a 50-44 overtime win.

Coach Secor commented, “I was awfully proud of the fight, effort, and energy we played with for 32 minutes. In a few crucial situations, we made some mental errors that really cost us. Having said that, I think we have proven that we can play with anyone in this league and the difference between who finishes first and who finishes fourth is very slim. I look forward to the challenge of the next 3 games and preparing to host districts for the first time in nine years.”

Brandon Slater played a key role throughout the contest, coming off the bench to score 10 points and grab 3 rebounds in one of his best games as a Red Hawk.  Ryan Dines led the team in scoring with 14 points. Dines and Jason Gingrich also combined to play solid defense on Comstock Park junior guard Ryan Schall, the leading scorer in the OK Blue. Their defense led to Schall shooting 2/19 and only mustering 10 points. The Panthers converted on 25/32 from the free throw line while the Red Hawks shot just 5/12.

Cedar Springs, now 8-9 overall and 5-5 in the OK Blue, finishes up league play with home games this week vs. Belding and West Catholic.  Tuesday the 28th will be “Senior Night” when the Red Hawks host undefeated, and ranked #4th in the state in Class “B,” Godwin Heights

The varsity boys basketball team has been on a hot streak that has turned their season around. At one point, the Red Hawks were 3-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference. What happened next was back-to-back OK Blue road wins at Belding and West Catholic (a game where Cedar trailed 17-2), and a home win over Tri County. The Red Hawks then turned their attention to their rival from Sparta.  The Spartans were ranked as high as #8 in Class “B” by some polls, were in first place in the OK Blue, and had defeated Cedar Springs by 24 points in their first meeting.  Behind great team defense and Trey Reed’s two free throws with 4.6 seconds left in overtime, Cedar Springs prevailed, 33-31.

“That win was one of the most satisfying wins in my 14 years in this program,” noted Coach Secor. “I knew what it meant to our guys and how hard they have worked to play in and win a game like that. Throw in that it was against that team down the road and for first place, that just made it even better.”  The win moved the varsity record to 7-6, and 4-2 in the OK Blue.

The win forced a three-way tie at the time between Cedar Springs, Comstock Park, and Sparta. Last Thursday, the Red Hawks traveled to Comstock Park to play the three-time defending league champions. Cedar Springs trailed by two at the half, but controlled much of the second half, leading by as much as six points with under a minute to go. However, a deep 3-pointer by Ryan Schall tied the game with 12 seconds left and the Panthers scored 15 points in overtime on their way to a 53-46 win. Cedar Springs was led by Jason Gingrich’s 15 points, and Trey Reed’s 13 points and 6 rebounds. Ryan Dines led the Red Hawks with 4 assists and great defense on Schall.

Coach Secor said, “It was a heartbreaking loss. We were just one play or one different coaching decision away from a huge road win. After that kind of game, you go back through and think of the 100 different things you could’ve done as a coach, and that is exactly what I will do. It just goes to show you the emotional roller coaster a basketball season is. Forty-eight hours earlier, we were on the highest of highs after the Sparta win, now we are trying to deal with this tough loss.  However, we are right in the mix of the league race with two difficult road challenges this week.”

Cedar Springs is now tied for 2nd place in the OK Blue at 7-7 overall and 4-3 in conference. The Red Hawks travel on the road this week for their final two road games at Coopersville and Forest Hills Northern.

Red Hawk Seniors (L to R) Andrew Klompstra, Kyle Chaney, Jake Holtrop, Tyler Hinton, Alec Hanmer, and Tyler Baker.

In the final home game of the season, the Cedar Springs boys basketball team celebrated the traditional Senior Night. Before the game against Unity Christian, head coach Andy Secor honored each of the six Seniors. He introduced each Senior player individually, and as they walked out on to the court for the final time, the coach said a few words about each of them. Here are some highlights:

#1 Tyler Baker. “Tyler is a three sport athlete here at Cedar Springs. He is a team first guy that cares more about winning more than any individual accomplishments. A tough kid, a hard worker who always gets the most out of his ability”.

#4 Alec Hanmer. “A very gifted athlete, and is a player who has shown unbelievable growth throughout his 4 years here. Last year at this time Alec was our 9th or 10th man, playing 2 or 3 minutes a game. This year he has started almost every game, and has led us in scoring. He’s made as big of a turn around as anyone I’ve seen in 13 years here at Cedar Springs.”

#5 Tyler Hinton. “Tyler has a desire to compete and to get better every single day, constantly asking our coaches what he has to do to get better. Has a never give up attitude. He will be a great success in life if he approaches everything the way he approached this season.”

#11 Jake Holtrop “A captain and one of the vocal leaders on our team, Jake is dependable and reliable. Every day when he comes to practice you know exactly what you are going to get. Has a never ending positive attitude.  A kid who is always willing to lay it on the line for Cedar Springs basketball.l”

#21 Kyle Chaney. “He has grown to love the game and love to compete. Kyle is a captain on our team this year and has spent countless hours around Cedar Springs basketball during his life.  I will remember the hard work he has put in during his time in our program, and his ability to get along with players throughout our program and on this team.”

#54 Andrew Klompstra, “Drew decided to come out for basketball his senior year and our staff will tell you how excited we are that he did. He gave us a big physical post presence in the middle that we really needed. I will remember his personality and sense of humor, and how good he was playing and how much he was improving before that injury at Sparta. He is a kid who our entire staff really enjoyed getting to know this year.”

For the Senior night game, the Red Hawks started 5 Seniors (all except the injured Klompstra). Tyler Baker got the Red Hawks going with a lay up on a pass from Alec Hanmer for a 2-0 Cedar lead. After a couple of Unity baskets, Jake Holtrop tied the game at 4 with a driving lay up. Two Hank Porter field goals kept Cedar close and Unity had a 12-8 lead after one quarter. In a low scoring 2nd quarter, Cedar got 2 buckets by Ryan Dines and one from Trey Reed and the score was 21-15 in favor of the Crusaders at the half.

Hank Porter came out red hot in the 3rd quarter hitting 4 consecutive 3 pointers to give the Red Hawks a 27-26 lead with a minute to go in the quarter. Unity came back to take a 29-28 lead heading in to the 4th. Two Derek Ash lay ups kept Cedar within 3 points with 4 minutes left. After a Crusader basket, Cedar failed to score and Unity went in to the delay game. The Crusaders sank six straight free throws down the stretch and defeated the Red Hawks 43-32.

Porter led Cedar Springs with a game high 16 points. Derek Ash and Ryan Dines had 4 each. Jake Holtrop, Tyler Baker, Alec Hanmer and Trey Reed had two points each, while Jason Gingrich led Cedar with 5 assists.

Cedar Springs ends the regular season with an 8-12 record. Their 6-6 OK Blue Conference record was good for a third place finish in the league.