- All
Godwin Heights’ late push keeps Wolverines in first place in the OK Silver as they defeat Calvin Christian, 64-50
Wyoming — There was a lot of frustration on many of the faces of the Wyoming Godwin Heights players on Tuesday against visiting Grandville Calvin Christian.
And that hasn’t happened a lot lately to the reigning Class B state champions — especially on their home court.
But the top-ranked Wolverines found themselves in a hotly-contested game with their OK Silver Division rivals, a game that wasn’t decided until the final minutes when Godwin Heights fell back on its speed and athleticism, and pulled away for a 64-50 win.
"They did have us frustrated," Godwin Heights coach Tyler Whittemore said. "All the credit goes to (Calvin Christian coach Ryan Stevens) and his players. They came in here and played their butts off, and I know it is going to be very tough to beat them in their place."
After scoring the game’s first basket, Godwin Heights saw that Calvin Christian did come to play, as the Squires scored the next 11 points to take an 11-2 lead just four minutes into the game.
The Wolverines (8-1, 4-0) did make of run of their own to close out the quarter and take a 13-11 advantage into the second quarter, but that would be the theme the rest of the game, a back-and-forth push for momentum between two ranked teams.
"We are real familiar with them, and they are familiar with us, and when we get together, we expect this," Whittemore said. "I told the guys today, don’t be shocked, they are undefeated for a reason."
The Squires, ranked No. 8 in Class C, took a 31-28 lead into the break thanks to a 35-foot shot at the buzzer by junior guard Nate Knee.
The third quarter saw the Wolverines tighten up their defense and recapture the lead, 43-39, after three quarters.
Calvin Christian (8-1, 3-1) remained within striking distance until a late 16-6 run by the Wolverines put the game away.
"One thing that hurt us was foul trouble, not only late but in the first half," Stevens said. "And they are very fast. They just wanted it a little more, and they are a very good team."
It wasn’t easy and it took strong performances from Lamar Norman and Leon Redd, who scored 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Tony DeWitte’s 11 points topped Calvin Christian.
"We were a little tougher than I thought we were tonight," Stevens said. "We plated some very physical basketball against a very quick team."
