Saugatuck basketball tops rival Fennville behind Russell Vande Poel's scoring
SAUGATUCK - Russell Vande Poel didn’t have his best game and the Saugatuck senior still ended up as the best player on the floor.
“Russell was good and consistent,” Saugatuck coach Brian Ward said. “He didn’t have his best game, honestly. There were times when he forced things. And he still finished the game as our top scorer. That’s the type of calibre player that he is. He can have an off game and still be our top guy.”
Vande Poel had a game-high 17 points as Saugatuck beat rival Fennville 58-23 on Tuesday night in a Southwest Athletic Conference game.
“It means a lot to us,” Vande Poel said. “We only get to play them twice a year and one of them is the (Wes Leonard) Never Forgotten game. We won by a lot, but we still need to bring the energy every night.”
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Jack McCoy scored 12 points and Carter Miller had 11 for the Trailblazers, who snap a two-game losing streak to improve to 11-5.
“Always a good feeling,” Ward said of beating Fennville. “Before last year, it had been almost six years since we had beaten ‘em. So last year, was kinda the getting the monkey off our back. And this year, we didn’t want to stop doing that. We want to keep winning. And for the seniors, beating Fennville on their home court is a big deal.”
The highlight of the game was a buzzer-beater to end the third quarter by Carter Miller. He chucked the ball from the other 3-point line and it went in. His teammates mobbed him as they made their way back to the bench.
“That was a good way to finish the third quarter,” Ward said. “That was our best stretch at the end of the third quarter. I thought that’s when our energy was the best. But we need to be more consistent with that.”
Vande Poel, who also had seven rebounds and five steals, said Miller is a spark the team needs.
“He played really well and had some big shots for us,” Vande Poel said. “I’m sure he’ll continue to play well for us.”
Miller missed a practice so he had to come off the bench. When he did, he had an immediate impact. The junior finished with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists.
“He missed practice, but he came in and got some steals and that’s a big help for our team,” Ward said.
It was a struggle from the start for Fennville (2-14). Although they kept it close early in the first quarter, they would trail 23-10 at halftime. Juan Porrez and Aidan Swingle each had seven points for the Blackhawks.
Saugatuck happy to have a full team back
The Trailblazers were missing four players - including three starters - for two games. The players were on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. It had originally been scheduled during winter break. But the snow storm delayed it by a few weeks.
They lost one against Wellspring Prep and last week and they lost to Galesburg-Augusta, too.
“Last Friday at Galesburg,” Ward said. “Our Dominican kids only had one practice in before that game. We still had some rust and we didn’t play a great game.”
Vande Poel said he’s happy to have his teammates back: Cass Stanberry, Landon Miller, Carter Miller and Brighton VanHorn.
“We were missing three starters from the Dominican Republic trip,” Vande Poel said. “Having everyone back will help give us momentum for the end of the season and districts.”
Saugatuck 58, Fennville 23
FENNVILLE (2-14)
Devohn Calhoun 0 0-0 0, Aidan Swingle 3 0-4 7, Quinn Rosema 1 0-0 2, Juan Porrez 2 1-2 7, Nick Beach 0 1-2 1, Jesus Cordova 1 0-0 3, Preuk Komjumpohl 0 0-0 0, Mason Long 1 1-2 3. Totals 8 3-10 23.
SAUGATUCK (11-5)
Russell Vande Poel 4 8-11 17, Brad Moorer 1 0-2 2, Cass Stanberry 1 0-0 2, Matt Hartgerink 3 0-0 6, Jack McCoy 5 2-2 12, Norm Bos 0 0-0 0, Will Doucette 0 1-2 1, Eli Janowiak 2 0-0 5, Landon Miller 1 0-3 2, Chris Foley 0 0-0 0, Carter Miller 3 3-4 11, Brighton VanHorn 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 14-24 58.
Fennville 5 - 5 - 6 - 7 = 23
Saugatuck 11 - 12 - 22 - 13 = 58
3-pointers - Fennville 4 (Porrez 2, Swingle, Cordova), Saugatuck 3 (C. Miller 2, Vande Poel, Janowiak). Rebounds - Fennville 30 (Porrez 6), Saugatuck 38 (Vande Poel 7, C. Miller 7). Assists - Fennville 5 (Beach 2), Saugatuck 10 (Stanbury 3). Total fouls - Fennville 21, Saugatuck 13. Fouled out - Cordova.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck basketball tops rival Fennville behind Russell Vande Poel
