Class C Champions - Kalamazoo Christian

Kalamazoo Christian 54 Flint Beecher 49

Flint won the tip and went to work, but couldn’t get their first shot to fall. Both teams were cold to start and we didn’t see any scoring until one minute had run off the clock. Stephen Gould had two blocks early in the game for K-Christian. Both teams were getting a lot of blocks early on. Each team took some good shots and there were not many fouls through half of the first. There are a lot of people here for this game. It’s not sold out by any means, but both squads are well represented. Fans from both sides are being very loud as well. At the end of the first quarter, the score was K-C 13 Beecher 12. Kalamazoo had white knee socks with purple and gold bands on them, looking like a team from the 70’s (it would work better if their shorts were three inches shorter).

The quick pace continued into the second quarter. K-C was definitely hitting the boards harder than Beecher, getting offensive rebounds and turning them into points. With K-C leading 20-12 just past the four minute mark, Beecher seems to be getting upset and is starting to foul a bit harder. The Comets wanted to play a half court game and Beecher wants to run, but the Comets were able to run with the Bucs. Over half way through the second quarter and the Bucs still hadn’t scored. It took them past the three minute mark to finally get a point. By that point, Beecher had a lot of fouls and both teams were in the bonus. The second quarter was controlled by K-C to the frustration of Beecher. At one point, a long outlet pass was thrown to Beecher’s Edward Cold, but he missed the shot and then fouled K-C immediately. The Comets stalled to end the half, but found Linder for an easy two foot shot to end the half with the score Kalamazoo Christian 29, Beecher 18.

Beecher got the ball to start the second half and Taron Boose hit the shot. The Bucs push the ball and play quick in the early goings on the third quarter, tempting Kalamazoo Christian to play their game. It worked in the first three minutes and they pulled within seven. Beecher then decided to run a full court press and it seems to slow the Comets down. Buursma got fouled on a layup and fell, grabbing his knee (that’s in a brace). K-C wanted goaltending, but it wasn’t called. Beecher was much more aggressive in the third quarter than they were in the first half and the third quarter belonged to them. They outworked K-C and were more intense. Coach Mike Williams must have gotten on them in the locker room.

When Beecher got the ball and drove to the hoop to start the fourth quarter, Gould had a huge block that sent the ball into the third row. K-C started the fourth with the intensity not seen since before the half. As if to answer, Beecher ratcheted up their intensity as well. Travis Hilton for K-C played a heck of a game, helping pull down rebounds and scoring points as well. Beecher made the game more interesting, getting turnovers and scoring to take the lead at the 4:30 mark, but that would be their only lead. Beecher started the stalling game and took a minute off the clock, without even a dribble with the score tied at 46. Some sloppy plays by both teams keep the game tied with less than two minutes. K-C scored twice, once by Gould and once after a steal, and was up 50-46 with 42.4 seconds left. A three point shot is no good and Beecher was forced to foul. Cory Scheffers hits both on the one and one. Cold hits a three pointer to pull within three with 16 seconds remaining. They foul immediately on the inbounds pass to leave 14.5 seconds on the clock and VanderPloeg on the line. Hit hits both to put K-C up 54-49 for the final score of the game.