In 1986, the West Ottawa girls varsity basketball team, led by Karen Beverwyck, fell to Saginaw in the state semifinals by a score of 41-60 at Grand Valley State College. That was the last time a West Ottawa girls basketball team advanced beyond the regional round.
Now, the current West Ottawa girls varsity basketball team is just one win away from being regional champions.
The girls will face off against Byron Center on Wednesday at 7 P.M. at Hudsonville’s fieldhouse. This will be the second meeting between the Panthers and Bulldogs this season, as they matched up earlier this year in January. In the first meeting, West Ottawa hosted Byron Center in a solid home win for the Panthers, where they beat the Bulldogs by a score of 66-58.
In the game between West Ottawa and Byron Center, the Panthers were able to neutralize Byron Center’s Miss Basketball candidate, Lily Zeinstra. The Panthers were running a diamond and one defense, which put a big chunk of their focus on Zeinstra. Zeinstra was limited by the Panther defense through all four quarters and the Bulldogs strugglied to adjust.
On top of limiting Byron Center’s star player, the Panthers were a force to be reckoned with on offense. Their ability to create open shots, along with their precision from the free throw line was too much for the Byron Center defense, as the Bulldogs failed to slow down our own Miss Basketball candidate, Gabby Reynolds, who notched 35 points and 6 assists in the Panther’s win.
Even though the Panthers were able to roll past the Bulldogs in the previous match-up, it will be crucial to not overlook this continuously improving Bulldog squad. Byron Center is riding an eleven-game win streak and has looked unstoppable in recent games. The Bulldogs took down highly touted East Kentwood in an upset to win their district final with a score of 47-44. They followed that win with a blowout victory over highly ranked Lowell with a score of 55-36.
As opposed to the Bulldogs, the Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak with impressive wins that include Grand Haven and Zeeland West. The Panthers’ most recent win came against Kenowa Hills, who boasted a record of 18-6 going into the game. The Panthers crushed Kenowa Hills with a score of 45-19 in a game where West Ottawa guard Chelsea Overbeek dominated. The senior standout scored 18 points, including a handful of three-pointers.
The winner of the Miss Basketball showdown will move on to play in the state Quarterfinals on March 19 in Cedar Springs. They will face the winner of the Rockford vs. Midland Dow game, also played Wednesday night.
