PARK TWP. – The nets were on fire on Tuesday night.
Zeeland East and West Ottawa girls basketball teams combined for 17 3-pointers in a back-and-forth game. But the Chix pulled away late for a 59-52 win.
“I thought both teams shot pretty darn well,” Zeeland East coach Troy Hammond said. “I think there were 17 combined 3-pointers. So there was a lot more offensive punch than either team had produced last week.”
For Zeeland East, Mirra Fenlon had five 3-pointers and 18 points and Lizzie Risdon had four 3-pointers for 17 points. Post player Emily Wierenga had 12 of her 18 points in the first half.
“We have some balance where we’ve got a handful of players who can score on any given night, which is a luxury to have in high school basketball,” said Hammond, who is in his first season with the Chix.
Zeeland East led 31-24 at halftime. But West Ottawa kept clawing back to tie it at 45-45 going into the fourth quarter.
West Ottawa’s Jana Honeycutt scored with 2:20 to go in the game to tie it at 52-52. But eventually, four-straight free throws by Mirra Fenlon and Emme Meyering clinched it in the final 15 seconds.
Starting the season 3-0 has been fun for Fenlon, a four-year starter.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “Honestly, I never thought that was going to happen after my freshman year. Now we have a new coach this year and he came in with so much positivity and confidence in us.”
Fenlon was hot in the first half, hitting four of her 3-pointers. That’s when the West Ottawa players started to focus on her defensively.
“I know the pressure is on me and I’m used to getting face guarded,” she said. “I know it’s gonna come at some point if I’m hot. So mentally, I have to just fight through it.”
But having Risdon as another shooting guard is huge.
“That’s great to have another player there,” Fenlon said. “Our post is really good and can shoot, too. But having another (shooter) out on the key when I’m getting doubled is nice.”
Honeycutt led West Ottawa (0-3) with 18 points and Taylor Catton had three 3-pointers for 17 points.
