Varsity basketball struggles for a comeback
After starting off the season on a good note in December, the Varsity Dutchmen have been facing an uphill battle as the new year begins, against some very good teams.
On January 4, the Dutch took a tough 59-42 loss against Stockbridge.
“We started a little slow but battled back in the second quarter,” said head coach Zach Neal. “We also started really well out of half time but ultimately Stockbridge pulled away in the fourth quarter. This was our first game in nearly three weeks, and I could tell that we were rusty.”
The Dutch were led by Jaxon McGuigan with 15 points and 5 rebounds, and by Aiden Kelly who scored 8 points and contributed 6 rebounds.
A 63-47 loss to Vandercook Lake on Thursday, January 6, was no easier to take, although Neal commended the team for sticking to the game throughout.
“Vandercook is one of the favorites in our conference and we knew this would be a big challenge coming into the game,” Neal explained. “As a team, we thought that we had the athletes to compete with their two best players and we did a really good job on them. (Vandercook) found their touch in the third quarter and started to pull away. Still, I’m happy with the way we fought until the very end of the game.”
Kelly led in points and rebounding this game with 17 and 12, respectively. Garrett Corwin followed up with 7 points and 6 rebounds, while McGuigan added 7 points to the scoreboard while grabbing 4 rebounds.
The Dutch faced an even tougher loss to Michigan Center, on January 11. Still, there was reason for Neal to show optimism and pride in his team’s abilities and determination.
“Michigan Center has been one of the most successful programs in the conference over the last 10 years and they proved that on Tuesday,” Neal said. “We stuck with them in the first half, until about two minutes before halftime, despite having to use some lineups we’ve never played with.
“Once again we came out of halftime a little flat and they used their experience to pull away down the stretch.”
And pull away they did, ending in a lopsided score of 79-36 with the Dutchmen on the bottom.
Always a contender, McGuigan brought 7 points and 6 rebounds to the board and Anthony Bargardi added six points.
Upcoming games will be Thursday, January 20 vs Addison @ home; Monday, January 24 @ East Jackson; and on Wednesday, January 26 the Dutch will host Grass Lake. Varsity games begin at 7 pm.
Neal would like to remind the community that the Varsity and JV Dutchmen will be playing at Little Caesars Arena prior to the Detroit Pistons game on Thursday, February 10. “We need to sell 200 tickets as a team and we are currently halfway there,” he said.
For more information about tickets, people can check the team’s facebook page or email Neal directly at Zacharyneal@yahoo.com.
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