Varsity Boys Basketball: Orioles win cross-county rivalry against Spartans

MCP Sports Coverage is presented by: Smith & Eddy Insurance, VanderHaag Car Sales & Rentals, Mission Graphics, Squires Chiropractic, Fresh Coast Foam and Baker Ford Ludington. 

SCOTTVILLE — The Ludington Orioles ruled the court Saturday evening, defeating cross-county rivals Mason County Central Spartans 64-43.

“I set some clear expectations for our guys tonight, and they met them,” MCC Coach Chris VanderHaag said. “I know the final score doesn’t fully reflect our progress, but we got better as a team, and that matters.

“We cut our turnovers by more than half, and we continue to be aggressive getting to the free-throw line, finishing with over 20 attempts again. Those are areas we’ve emphasized, and it’s encouraging to see that improvement carry over into a game. We also had some young players log meaningful minutes, which is important for our growth moving forward. As a group, we’re heading in the right direction.

‘The first half was a challenge for us offensively. We struggled to find rhythm and were outscored 36–13. To our credit, the group responded. We settled in, competed, and won the second half 30–28, showing better execution and toughness on both ends of the floor.”

MCC senior guard Cole VanderHaag led the way for the Spartans with his leadership and poise. He finished with a game-high 22 points, along with 3 steals and 4 rebounds.

“Cole did a great job breaking down their ball pressure and was perfect from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, going 9-for-9 when it mattered most,” Coach VanderHaag said.  “Michael Chye continues to take positive steps forward each game. He contributed 8 points, 3 steals, and 3 rebounds, showing growth on both ends of the floor. Freshman Gannon Hansen continues to impress with his defensive effort and hustle.  He finished with 7 points.

“While we still have work to do, tonight showed real progress. Our guys stayed together, competed, and took steps forward as a team.”

LHS Coach Thad Shank did not provide any comments about the game.

LHS scorers

• Cameron Gunsell, 13
• Taj Williams, 12
• Messiah Himes, 9
• Steele Stowe, 8
• Micah Spunar, 8
• Zac Graham, 3
• Kyle Himes Jr., 7
• J.T. Keith, 2
• Keldan Moser, 2

MCC scorers

• Cole VanderHaag, 22
• Michael Chye, 8
• Gannon Hansen, 7
• Pierce Bladzik, 1
• Trent Hawke, 3
• Tyler Norton, 2

Scores by the quarters

• LHS: 22, 14, 22, 6 = 64
• MCC: 6, 7, 13, 17 = 43\

Coaches: Please send your results to sports@mediagroup31.com. Fans are welcome to send us game photos.

_______________________________

MCP Sports Coverage is presented by:

Smith & Eddy Insurance, serving west Michigan since 1902, 231-757-4743, smith-eddy.com 

VanderHaag Car Sales & Rentals, 1680 W. US 10-31, Scottville, 231-757-2727,vanderhaagcarsales.com.

Mission Graphics, 113 S. Blaine St., Scottville, 231-845-7030, mymission.graphics;

Squires Chiropractic, 414 W. US 10, Scottville; 231-757-3356, squireschiropractic.com

Fresh Coast Foam, 7440 W. 5 Mile Rd., Irons; 231-510-9513, www.freshcoastfoam.com

Baker Ford Ludington, 3045 W. US 10-31, Ludington, 888-856-9116, bakerfordludington.com

___________________________________

___________________________________

Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage

Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news. 

To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.

We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).

Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.

We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.

_____

This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2025, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.