#30 Yona Goodlow gets tough under the boards against Lawrence’s Emilio Ledesma during the Wildcats’ 62-19 win over the Tigers, January 19.
-Photos courtesy of Megan Schuur Photography
January 19, 2024: JV wins over Lawrence, 60-44; Girls varsity suffers a loss, 34-37;
Boys varsity wins, 62-19
-Kay Schten McAdam
Editor, The Marcellus News/PA Announcer, Marcellus Varsity Basketball
The Lawrence Tigers came to town, Friday, January 19, 2024, for the game I’ve been waiting for since March 10, 2023, and good things come to those who wait.
To rewind, on the aforementioned March 2023 date, the Lawrence Tigers squeaked by the Wildcats by three points to win the District Championship game at Lawrence, 47-44.
I was there as the PA Announcer for the tournament. As an unabashed Homer, that was one tough gig. The MHSAA rules for conduct at tournaments are specific – thou shalt not, by inflection, tone or word, favor one team over the other. I bit my lip and muscled through four games that week, three of which involved our Marcellus Wildcats.
For the record, Lawrence is one class act. As soon as I walked into the school for the first game last March between Marcellus and Kalamazoo Heritage Christian, I was honored (and relieved!) by the warm welcome I received from everyone working the tournament, and Lawrence coach and AD John Guillean is just the nicest guy ever!
But a game is a game and only one side goes home with the win. After all, basketball is a competition.
Fast forward to January 19, 2024. Wow. . . just wow.
At the end of the first quarter the Wildcats had outscored Lawrence 24-6. Our official scorekeeper, Darcie Plummer, leaned over to me and said, “I feel kind of sorry for those kids.”
I leaned back and said, “I don’t.”
Probably not the most adult thing to say, but I was enjoying the Wildcats’ dominance over the Tigers right up to the final buzzer.
Did I relish the ‘Cats 62-19 win over the Tigers? Very much so. We outscored them in the second, 22-4; 12-7 in the third, and 4-2 in the fourth. (By the fourth quarter, I did lean over to Darcie and said I was feeling kind of sorry for the Tigers, too, but that’s basketball. We’ve experienced games like that, too. At some point, all teams do.)
To be fair, the Tigers team we faced last week is not the exact same team as last year. Lawrence had four seniors on their team last year, two of whom, Tim Coombs and John Schuman, were starters. The Wildcats had only one senior last year, who was a support player. Three of Lawrence’s starters from last year, Christian Smith, Noel Saldana, and Ben McCaw, continue in that position this season.
As for the Wildcats, Coach Kahler not only has all six players (Lehew, Mihills, Adams, Tone, Ferguson, Goodlow) returning from last year’s team (there were only eight on the roster) but has added five solid contributors to this year’s squad: Abram Coffey, Ben Adams, Micah Gooden, Adam Bates, and Jesse Bixler. Fabulous! 11 talented players with which to work!
After experiencing a few bumps in the road at the beginning of the season, this Wildcat team is now a team and are 4-6. Those bumps were to be expected. The returning varsity players had to assimilate the new guys on the squad. Sounds rather like the Borg, doesn’t it? Resistance is futile. But the returning six had developed a unique method of communication on the court and that needed to be readjusted for this year’s larger squad. From the vantage point of the scorer’s table, they’re getting their groove on and, yes, they are fun to watch, especially last week defeating both Comstock (46-34) and Lawrence. Even Luann Robinson (#14’s grandma) said the same when we met at half time powdering our respective noses.
So, good job, Wildcats: #12 Dawsen Lehew – getting his groove back in point production. Lehew scored 13 points against the Tigers. When that 3-pointer went in, you could see him relax into it and a smile crossed his face. You’re doing great, Dawsen. You might have been just experiencing a football hangover for a few games. #12 Nate “From a Mile Away” Mihills – classic ball player. When I watch Nate play, I can see him fitting in with John Mooy’s championship team of the early 1960s. Classic form, leadership, and a sweet three-point shot. He, too, scored 13 against the Tigers. #14 Parker Adams – The Bull. Aggressive. Fearless. Great ball handling skills. Solid shooter. True, players like Parker tend to get into foul trouble, but as the season progresses, it is apparent he’s figuring out a strategy to avoid them. He tossed in 7. #20 Quinton Tone – A Fireball. That dude is fast, relentless, great on defense and offense, and literally leaves everything on the court. I can’t imagine how many calories he burns up in one game. #22 Beau Ferguson – Darcie considers him to be “silent” Beau, because before you know it, he’s hit another double-double in points and rebounds, like he did against Lawrence, 14 and 10, and against Comstock last Tuesday, 13 and 10. #24 Abram Coffey – Abram is a freshman. He’s a starter. He’s the future. He is court aware. He’s a contributor scoring 11 against the Tigers. #30 Yona Goodlow always ready to come off the bench and contribute on defense and offense, as do #32 Ben Adams, #34 Micah Gooden, and #54 Adam Bates. We don’t get to see Ben and Micah play that often but when we do, they are all in with solid ball handling skills and solid defense. Adam Bates, who wrestling Coach Sam Adams calls Big Ticket, is a force. From the scorer’s table, it looks like the tips of his fingers are not that far from the rim of the basket. If we could get him the ball under that rim so he could tip in maybe six points a game, that would be a nice contribution. Also on the roster is #40 sophomore Jesse Bixler. We don’t get to see him play that often, but he is still young and there’s plenty of basketball ahead.
Are the ‘Cats going to win every remaining game this season? Nah, that’s the nature of basketball and there’s a lot of competition ahead: White Pigeon, Centreville, Cass, Hartford. Plus, we get to meet up with Lawrence again for the last game of the regular season, February 23, at Lawrence.
No matter what. . . last week’s wins were really sweet. What a ride!
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