Middle school basketball teams started their season this week. Pictured is the eighth-grade team with coach Nick Niehaus.

The seventh-grade basketball team started off their season with two losses, to Addison and Michigan Center, but coach Lance Fielder complimented the team on their “strong passion” for the game.

On Tuesday, Grant Johnson led the young Dutchmen against the Addison Panthers with 15 points, followed by Jackson Walz with six points and Frank Majewski with two. The final score was 38-29. On Thursday, the Michigan Center Cardinals came to town and handed the Dutch a 53-12 loss; again led by Johnson who contributed seven points. Walter Ahrens added four points and Chase Conklin, two.

“Spending only 10 days with these young men, I can say they have a strong passion for the game of basketball,” said coach Fielder. “Their size and experience varies, but are a strong and talented group. It will be fun to watch them grow this season and for the next few years here at Manchester.”

The eighth-grade Dutchmen also played Addison on Tuesday.

“We got off to a good start and were leading by double digits in the first quarter,” said coach Nick Niehaus, “but cooled down in the second half.”

The Dutch still held a lead in the fourth quarter, but struggled, breaking the press, by the end of the game. The final score ended up 37-32. Leading scorers included Neal Gebhardt with eight points, and Konnor Duffing with nine.

“On Thursday we played Michigan Center,” Niehaus continued. “We did a good job defensively, holding them to only 38 points, but we struggled putting the ball in the basket.” The final score was 38-13 in the Cardinals’ favor. Duffing was again among the lead scorers, with he and Nathan Meyer each adding four points to the total.

“We did improve on taking care of the ball from our previous game,” said Niehaus.

The youngest Dutchmen were scheduled to host Vandercook Lake on Tuesday but that game had already been postponed. The Thursday night game scheduled against Grass Lake at home will fall under the MHSAA suspension of the season, through at least Dec. 8.