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Calvin Christian gets 31 points from DeWitte, reaches Class C final
East Lansing – Tony DeWitte scored all of his 31 points in the first three quarters and Grandville Calvin Christian ran past McBain, 65-42, in a Class C semifinal at the Breslin Center on Thursday.
DeWitte scored his team’s first 10 points and had 15 at the end of the first quarter as Calvin Christian led 22-14.
DeWitte had 26 at halftime, four more than McBain, as the Squires led by 14.
Once Calvin Christian took a 55-29 lead at the end of the third it was just a matter of playing out the string.
It wasn’t just DeWitt. The Squires shot exceptionally well. DeWitte was 12-of-15 from the floor including 4-of-5 from the 3-poinbt range. Calvin Christian shot 59.5 percent (25-42) from the field, 57.1 percent from the 3-point range (8-14).
Conversely, McBain did not shoot well. The Ramblers were 9-25 (36 percent) from the field in the first half, 16-49 (32.76 percent) for the game.
There are times when this game is that simple.
“The rim seems like it’s two times bigger,” DeWitte said. We like to push the ball and get some skip threes. Yeah, we like to play in transition.
“I came out shooting with confidence. My teammates found me and I made some shots.”
DeWitte is a 6-2 senior. He has yet to decide what school he will attend in the fall but he said he will likely go to either Hope College or Calvin College to play basketball.
Calvin Christian coach Ryan Stevens said what the fans at the Breslin Center saw wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“(Tony) can score in so many ways,” Stevens said. “You’ll see him coming off of screens, off the back cut and pull up jumpers. Thing is, we’ve got other guys who can do that, too.”
Stevens’ son, Braden, added 10 points and seven other players scored.
For McBain (26-1) Logan Eling had 18 points. He was 4-of-5 from the 3-point range. His teammates were 2-of-12.
“I’m a little upset right now,” McBain coach Bruce Koopman said. “This wasn’t our ‘A’ game by far. We’re a better team than this.
“We tried some different things defensively. They hit everything. They executed well. Maybe we were a little tight, a little fatigue. Take nothing away from (Calvin Christian). They’re a good team.”
Calvin Christian (21-4) will play the winner of the Flint Beecher-Detroit Loyola game for the title on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
The Squires last made a state final in 1994 when they defeated Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 85-83, in overtime to win the Class C championship.
