Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian masters Division 4 with 79-59 win for second title in 3 years
EAST LANSING — OK, we’ll go with Defenders.
But only because all the other skills Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian has mastered — such as shot-altering, transition game, 3-point proficiency and the general ability to shoot out the lights — won’t fit on the front of the jersey.
The Defenders got a complete game Saturday morning at Michigan State’s Breslin Center, defeating Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in the MHSAA Division 4 state championship game, 79-59.
While the final wasn’t really expected to be a repeat of the 30-point blowout that No.1 -ranked Tri-Unity hung on No. 2 Sacred Heart on Dec. 5, the piece-by-piece play of the Defenders enabled them to pull away in the middle quarters and earn the program’s sixth title — the second in three years.
“We just have weapons all around,” Defenders senior guard Jordan VanKlompenberg, the team’s high scorer with 19 points, said. “We were hitting shots tonight, we were really efficient from the field and we really got out in transition, in the second half in particular when they wearing down. We got to the free throw line a lot too.”
After outshooting Sacred Heart 54.5% to 25% in the first quarter yet only clinging to a 17-14 lead, Tri-Unity (24-5) started the second by scoring on seven of its first eight possessions. The run included a mix of 3-pointers, put-backs and free throws, and the Defenders had those options because they were usually halfway up the court by the time Sacred Heart could react after a miss or rebound.
“We had a little bit of advantage in length, and that freed us up a little bit,” Tri-Unity coach Mark Keeler, who earned his 693rd career victory in 37 seasons, said. “They stayed with their man-to-man, so we were in a good rhythm and we got to run a lot of offensive sets we hadn’t run in a lot of games. It was fun to execute and see some of them work.”
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Of course, it helped Tri-Unity when its players were adept at scoring in several ways. While Sacred Heart (26-3) was still relatively in the game at the start of the third quarter, 39-25, VanKlompenberg keyed another run with a jumper from the top of the key, a 3-pointer from the corner, a layup while lurking behind the defense, and two free throws on consecutive possessions.
And when he clanked a 3-point attempt on the next trip, Keaton Blanker was there for the put-back, setting Tri-Unity’s lead at 50-35.
To close the quarter, the Defenders in-bounded the ball with 1.8 seconds remaining, delivered a cross-court pass to Wesley Kaman, who drained a 3-pointer from deep in the corner to beat the buzzer and end the period ahead 64-43 lead.
“We were just all playing together, sharing the ball, we were scoring, we shot pretty well — that really helped a lot — and our defense; just talking, communicating,” Akais Giplaye, who provided an inside game for Tri-Unity, said.
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Tri-Unity outshot Sacred Heart 61% to 31% from the floor overall, and 41% to 25% from beyond the arc. Both teams were solid at the free throw line, making more than 80% of their attempts.
Each of the Tri-Unity starting five scored in double figures: Besides VanKlompenberg’s 19, Owen Rosendall had 14, Blanker and Giplaye each scored 11 and Kaman had 10.
“In a lot of games most of us are in double digits,” VanKlompenberg said. "We share the ball a lot because we’re unselfish."
Each of the five had played in at least two prior state finals contests, with Rosendall appearing in four — a program first.
“It’s having the experience, coming back here four times in a row,” Giplaye said. “And then playing a team we’ve already beat, having that urge and desire to just win the game, it was awesome.”
Game-high honors went to Sacred Heart’s Grady Piertt, who scored 21, powered by three 3s. Noah Zeien scored 14.
“We fought. We did the best we could,” Sacred Heart coach Justin Sherlock said. “But when Tri-Unity shot 60% from the field, that was going to be hard to overcome, and we knew that. We can’t score against their size at that level. They play hard and they’ve been here a number of years, but I love my guys, I’m proud of the effort they gave today.”
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MHSAA boys basketball finals: Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian wins Div. 4
