LocalSportsJournal.com
NORTH MUSKEGON – WMC-Rivers’ champion North Muskegon closed out the regular season with a 41-31 win over Ravenna in boys’ basketball action on Friday evening.
“This game was intense from the get-go,” North Muskegon coach Charles Rypstra said. “We had a real good crowd and it was loud.”
The Norse edged the Bulldogs 6-4 in the first quarter and held a slight 18-15 lead after the first two quarters of play.
The competition remained tight in the third quarter as the Norse narrowly outscored the Bulldogs 7-6 and led 25-21.
The Norse managed to fight off the tough Bulldogs’ defense in the fourth quarter to pull away for good.
“Ravenna played some tough man-to-man defense and frustrated us with how they played with lots of help, which forced us to rush some stuff,” Rypstra said. “But our defense was good and we made just enough to get the victory.”
Adam Dugener led the Norse with 15 points, three steals and three assists. Braylen Burrell added 13 points and five rebounds, while TJ Byard had six points and five rebounds.
The Bulldogs’ Dylan May led all scorers with 17 points and Brady Karchinski scored six points.
North Muskegon (20-1. overall, 12-0 WMC-Rivers) will be at NorthPointe Christian on Wednesday to face the winner of Western Michigan Christian and Potter’s House in Division 3 district play.
Ravenna (9-13 overall, 6-6 WMC-Rivers) travels to Lakeview for its Division 3 district opener on Monday.
