The Panthers led the Byron Center Bulldogs by two points with less than a minute to go. Every eye in the Hudsonville Fieldhouse watched intently as Byron Center’s Avery Depagter shot a deep, desperate three-pointer. This wasn’t a standard last-second shot, Depagter had been draining threes the whole night, a serious threat to the Panthers. The shot caromed off the backboard, time expired, and the West Ottawa Girls Basketball team were regional champions for the first time since 1986.
After the nail-biter last Wednesday against the Bulldogs, the Panthers will take on an extremely skilled Rockford Rams team.
The Rams have found much success this season led by four all-conference players: Kate Higgins, Anna Wympch, Grace Lyons, and Sienna Wolfe. The Rams have suffered only one loss, accomplishing a record of 24-1. The one loss was to West Catholic 54-61, a team that beat WO in December 52 – 47. Rockford bounced back quickly after their loss, taking down Detroit Country Day by over 30 points.
West Ottawa has faced Rockford twice this season. At both the meetings the Rams have navigated a dominant win over the Panthers.
This meeting will be different for two reasons. First, the stakes are a lot different. Second, it has been reported recently that Rockford’s Sienna Wolfe is injured with a torn ACL, therefore will be out for the remainder of the season. Wolfe has been vital to the Rams during their big games. A sophomore standing at about 6 feet, Wolfe can shoot the ball, drive it through the defense, and deny any shots on the other end of the court.
With the key player of the Rams being sidelined on the bench, this will be a completely different matchup. Rockford will have to adjust their game plan and revise their strategies without Wolfe.
The Rams are coming off of a strong win in their Regional Finals against Midland Dow. The Rams were able to take down Midland Dow by 17 points, holding Dow to 22 points. They carry a lot of momentum as they take on the Panthers.
The Panthers will look to Miss Basketball candidate Gabby Reynolds to dominate in the upcoming game. Although Reynolds is the Panthers star player, a win over the Rams requires a whole-team effort including Magaly Lemus grabbing rebounds and Chelsea Overbeek scoring from beyond the arc. Other key players include Brooke Pedersen getting to the foul line and Taylor Catton playing disruptive defense.
Initially, the location of the state quarter-final between the West Ottawa Panthers and the Rockford Rams was scheduled to be played in Cedar Springs. The location of the game was moved to Grandville High School. This location is much closer than Cedar Springs, so there should be a great turnout for both competing schools. The exciting matchup between the OK Red schools will tip off on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m.
To attend the game, purchase a ticket online at https://gofan.co/.
