CALVIN KNIGHT SAT. SPORTS REPORT FOR FEB. 9, 2013
Men's Basketball Falls to Hope;
Women's Basketball Defeats Olivet;
Track and Field Teams Host Own Calvin Invitational;
Men's Lacrosse Drops Varsity Debut
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Hope 73, Calvin 70
By Mitch Blankespoor
HOLLAND, MI – The 184th meeting between Calvin and Hope took place Saturday
afternoon in front of a sold-out DeVos Fieldhouse on the campus of Hope
College. The Flying Dutchmen defeated rival Calvin 73-70, marking the Knights’
first defeat since falling to Carthage in the MIAA/CCIW Challenge back on Dec.
1 of 2012.
Hope, who came into the game with a 14-8 record on the season and 9-2 in MIAA
play, got out to an early lead four minutes into the game. Freshmen Alex
Eidson (Grand Haven/Grand Haven HS) hit the game’s first basket; a long
three-pointer from the top of the arc. Calvin sophomore Tyler Dykstra
(Holland/Holland Christian) dunked on a pass from senior Tom Snikkers
(Hudsonville/Unity Christian) to cut Hope’s lead to 5-4. Two baskets from Hope
senior Nate Snuggerud (Zeeland/Zeeland East) gave the Flying Dutchmen an 11-5
lead at the first media timeout.
Calvin, who came into the contest boasted a 20-2 record including 11-0 in MIAA
play, responded with an 9-3 run of its own. Snikkers, Mickey De Vries
(Lansing/Lansing Christian) and Bryan Powell (Wyoming/Wyoming Park) all hit
field goals to fuel the Knights’ run.
The Knights took their first lead with 9:53 remaining on a basket from
Snikkers. Calvin earned its biggest lead of the first half, 24-17, on a
15-foot jump shot from junior center Tyler Kruis (Grandville/Calvin Christian).
The Flying Dutchmen cut Calvin’s lead to two points on an up-and-under post
move from senior Chase DeMaagd (Woodland/Barry County Christian) with 1:24
remaining in the first half.
Kruis answered with a three-pointer to put the Knights up 34-29 with a minute
to play, but DeMaagd responded with an offensive rebound and put back. Calvin
led 34-31 at halftime.
DeMaagd led all scorers at the half with 10 points. Snikkers ended the first
half with eight points and seven rebounds. De Vries was not far behind scoring
eight points and grabbing six rebounds.
We gave up eight offensive rebounds in the first half,” said Calvin head coach
Vande Streek in a post-game interview. “We needed to do a better job of boxing
out.”
Team statistics were dead even in the first half. Hope converted on one more
free throw while Calvin held a 19-18 rebound advantage.
Calvin scored the first basket of the second half on a layup from Kruis. Hope
responded with a 9-2 run fueled by five points from Eidson to give the Flying
Dutchmen a 40-38 lead.
Hope would lead the contest until a Mickey De Vries layup tied the game at 48
apiece with 11:34 remaining.
Hope held a slim two-point lead two minutes later until senior Billy Seiler
(Chillicotte, Ill./Valley Central) hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc
to give the Flying Dutchmen a 58-53 lead with 6:11 remaining.
Calvin sophomore Jordan Brink (Dyer, Ind./Illiana Christian) answered with a
long triple of his own on Calvin’s next possession.
The Knights played great defense on Hope’s next possession, but desperation
triple banked in for Hope senior Nate Snuggerud (Zeeland/Zeeland East) with one
second on the shot clock.
Once again, Calvin called on Brink to answer. Once again, he did, nailing a
three-pointer from the far side wing to pull the Knights within two.
Calvin could not regain the lead, however. The Flying Dutchmen went up two
points twice in the final three minutes, and both times the Knights answered
with layups from Kruis.
The pivotal bucket came with 33 seconds to play. Hope got the ball into the
post, and Van Arendonk hit a left-handed hook shot to give the Flying Dutchmen
a 69-67 lead.
Brink attempted a three-pointer six seconds later which fell short. Eidson
hit both free throws after being fouled. Hope led 71-67.
A deep three-pointer from Powell cut the deficit to a single point with just
1.9 seconds remaining. After Seiler connected on both free throws, Calvin
could not get a shot off in the final second, and left the De Vos Fieldhouse
with its first loss in 15 games.
“That is how a rivalry game is supposed to be played,” said Hope head coach
Matt Neil. “Two very good teams fought hard today. We were fortunate to come
out ahead at the end.”
Both teams finished with balanced scoring. The Knights were led by Snikkers
with 14 points and nine rebounds. Powell, Kruis, De Vries and Brink all
finished in double-digits in scoring.
Freshman Ben Gardner (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) led Hope with 16 points. Van
Arendonk and DeMaagd finished with 12 points. Three other Flying Dutchmen
finished with 11 points.
Snikkers scored six of his 14 points in the second half. He was held 0-4 from
beyond the three point arc.
“We didn’t bring it today,” Snikkers said. “That starts with me. I’m a
senior and a leader on this team. I did not get the job done.”
Hope shot 19-26 from the charity stripe while Calvin shot just 8-16. Hope
also held the advantage in rebounds, outrebounding the Knights 41-33.
“I can’t remember the last time we have been outrebounded,” Vande Streek said.
“We play fragmented. We need to play with a little more consistency.”
With its loss, #13 Calvin drops to 20-3 and 11-1 in the MIAA this season. The
Knights are currently one game ahead of Hope, who sits at 15-8 and 10-2 in the
MIAA.
Calvin returns to action Wed., Feb. 13, when it hosts the Trine University
Thunder.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 87, Olivet 61
By Mark DeHaan
The Calvin women's basketball team, first in conference with a perfect 13-0
record, hosted the third-place Comets of Olivet Saturday afternoon at Van Noord
Arena. On an afternoon in which they honored their six seniors, the Knights
kept their MIAA record perfect, defeating the Comets 87-61 and improving to
14-0 in conference and 21-1 overall.
The game began with a pair of old-fashioned three point plays from Calvin
senior Carissa Verkaik and Olivet's Kelsey Campbell. The Comets then held the
lead for a brief period of time before the Knights took over.
Utilizing its depth in the front court, Calvin outscored Olivet 30-4 in the
paint in the opening half. The Knights also forced the Comets into 11 first
half turnovers while committing only two themselves and assisting on 14-of-18
field goals.
Calvin took a 42-20 lead into the break, led by Verkaik's 16 points, six
rebounds and six blocks. Senior Julia Hilbrands chipped in nine points and five
boards at intermission while senior Ally Wolffis added five points and eight
rebounds.
The Knights continued to utilize that strength in the second half, and with
3:01 remaining, took their largest lead of the game at 82-45.
With just under two minutes remaining, the five seniors who were on the court
were subbed off to a standing ovation.
On Senior Day, the Knights coasted to the 87-61 win. Calvin finished the game
with a 54-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Verkaik led the way with 32 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks. Hilbrands
added 11 points and seven rebounds while Wolffis finished with eight points and
13 rebounds. Sophomore Maria DeKuiper added 11 points. For Olivet, Campbell
scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
“I think we came out really well defensively; to hold them to 17 points until
the last second of the first half was really good. I also think we did a really
good job of attacking their post, which was one of our key areas of focus” said
head coach John Ross. “Right now, we have to take a look at Adrian. They played
us really tough the first time and we just have to be ready.”
Calvin, now 14-0 in the MIAA and 21-1 overall, will host Adrian Wednesday
night. before traveling to rival Hope next Saturday. The Comets drop to 15-9
overall and 10-5 in conference.
The Knights' contest against the Bulldogs on Wednesday is scheduled to tip-off
at 6 p.m., with the Calvin men to face Trine at 8 p.m.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
The Calvin men's and women's track and field teams put together a solid day of
competition in hosting their own Calvin Invitational inside the Huizenga Tennis
and Track Center Saturday. The invitational was unscored.
In the women's competition, Calvin had several first place finishes. Winners
for Calvin included:
*Junior Julie Busscher (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) in the 200 meter dash
(26.18).
*Sophomore Jordyn Platt (Wood Dale, IL/Timothy Christian HS) in the 800 meter
run (2:28.32).
*Sophomore Lisa Schultz (Caledonia/Caledonia HS) in the mile run (5:53.58).
*Junior Alyssa Oram (Chebogyan/Home Schooled) in the 3,000 meter run
(10:40.30).
*Sophomore Christina Geating (Abington, PA/Abington HS) in the high jump
(5-1).
*Junior Hilary Banning (Whitinsville, MA/Whitinsville Christian HS) in the
triple jump (34-4) and long jump (15-8).
*Calvin's 4x400 meter relay team of sophomore Kelley Tuinenga (Grand
Rapids/South Christian HS), freshman Hope Hinken (Twin Lake, Mich.), freshman
Kacie Van Hofwagen (Exeter, CA) and junior Olivia Butler (Grant/Grant HS) took
first place in a time of 4:18.17.
*Another early-morning highlight took place at the Grand Valley State Big Meet
as Calvin's distance medley relay team of senior Jodi Hoekstra (Homer Glen,
IL/Chicago Christian HS), Olivia Butler, freshman McKenzie Diemer
(Caledonia/South Christian HS) and junior Nicole Michmerhuizen (Holland/Holland
Christian HS) clocked a time of 12:03.87 that will be good enough to place the
quartet on the national performance list.
In the men's competition, Calvin also had a handful of first place
performances. First place efforts included:
*Junior Gabe Gunnink (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) in the 3,000
meter (8:58.79).
*Sophomore Erik Holstege (Kewsick, VA/Monticello HS) in the 60 meter hurdles
(8.74).
*Senior Aaron Meckes in the shot put (50-3).
*Calvin's 4x400 meter relay team of Holstege, freshman Justin Dykema
(Zeeland/Holland Christian HS), sophomore Steven Norregaard (Wheaton,
IL/Wheaton North HS) and sophomore Calvin Kuyers (Lansing/Lansing Christian HS)
also took first place in a time of 3:29.22.
Both Calvin teams are back in action next Saturday at the Grand Valley State
Tuneup Invitational in Allendale.
MEN'S LACROSSE
Carthage 29, Calvin 2
PONTIAC, Mich. - Calvin's first-ever varsity lacrosse match took place on
Saturday at the Pontiac Ultimate Soccer facility. Calvin was defeated by
Carthage 29-2.
Calvin trailed after the first quarter 3-1 and closed to within 3-2 but could
not hold strong against a veteran Carthage team that had a significant
advantage of depth with over 40 players on its roster.
Calvin's goals were scored by sophomore Tim Marco (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids
Christian HS) and junior Casey Harless (DeWitt/DeWitt HS).
Calvin is back in action next Saturday, traveling to Baldwin-Wallace College
for a 1 p.m. match.
Received on Sat Feb 9 19:41:31 2013
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