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Holland sophomore erupts for 32 points in defeat of rival Holland Christian
Holland – A light snow shower blanketed the lakeshore prior to Friday night’s rivalry matchup between Holland and Holland Christian in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Holland Civic Center.
Inside, it was purely a Lake effect that consumed everyone’s attention.
Demetrius Lake, a 5-foot-10 sophomore point guard, put on a stunning display of shooting, passing, defensive pressure and dunking – for the first time in his high school career – to lead Holland to a 62-55 victory.
Lake, who led all scorers with 32 points, established a career high with six 3-pointers in the first half.
“It’s a lot of fun. I’m a shooter – other teams know that, my coaches know that, everyone knows I’m a shooter,” Lake said of his 20-point effort in the first half. “I’m just doing what I can do, and that’s put up large numbers.”
He has put up a lot of large numbers this season.
Lake, who scored 29 points in the first meeting between the Dutch and Maroons earlier this season, entered Friday’s game averaging 27 points. He had 30 against Hudsonville Unity Christian, 33 against Zeeland West and a career-high 37 against Muskegon Reeths-Puffer entering a rematch with the Maroons.
The matchup was supposed to have been a showdown for first place in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green Division, but Lake and his teammates made the Maroons’ home court into their own playground.
Holland (11-3) withstood an early surge from Holland Christian (8-6) in front of a loud gathering of spirited supporters on both sides. The win lifted the Dutch to 5-2 in the league, while the Maroons fell to 4-3.
Midway through the first quarter, Holland put together a 9-0 scoring run that was punctuated by the second of Lake’s 3-point baskets.
In the second quarter, Lake pulled up on the fast break on two successive possessions approaching the end of the period, splashed 3-pointers through the net both times, and put the Dutch ahead 38-30 at halftime.
It was just another fond memory for Lake when it comes to shooting from long distance at the Civic Center. He hit the game-winning shot from beyond the arc against Christian last season.
“It was my third game on varsity. Two seconds left on the clock, I just stepped behind the college line and nailed a 3,” Lake recalled. “Everybody went nuts. This whole place was just rocking.
“I like the Civic. I like coming and playing here because there’s so many fans that come out and watch this great rivalry,” he added. “You never know what the outcome is gonna be. You never know what’s gonna happen.
“Something special happens every year for me”
The Maroons trailed by 12 entering the fourth quarter when Lake added something new and different to his repertoire. He stripped the ball from a Christian guard in the backcourt and went the length of the court, finishing the play with a one-handed dunk that prompted a huge reaction from the bench.
“No, not in a game,” Lake said when asked if he had ever dunked. “I was planning to earlier in the season, but tonight I just had a chance on the fast break. I saw (the defender) coming and I just dunked it.”
It put a smile on Holland coach Paul Chapman’s face to see Lake’s first dunk and see the Dutch take control of the OK Green.
“Our kids were really amped up. This was a huge game as far as the league goes. It gets us up one with three to play,” he said. “It’s city bragging rights. Every game we play against them is intense.
“Obviously, Demetrius had it going in the first half. He made shots from everywhere, he dunks one. He was super amped. He’s a special player. I’m just overall pleased with our effort all the way around.”
Kyler Beal, a senior guard, scored eight points for the Dutch. Senior Eric Brooks had seven points, senior JaQuan Pannell added six and senior defensive specialist Anders Northuis contributed four.
Tyler Hyma, a junior guard, and Matt Maas, a senior forward, led the Maroons with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Senior center Sam VanderSluis had eight points and junior guard Alex Bosch added seven.
“He’s a great player,” Holland Christian coach Jason Mejeur said of Lake. “He rises up against us every time he plays us. We threw things at him and he just kept stepping up and finding ways to score.”
