Jimmy Miller. Photos by Stephanie Blentlinger, Lingering Memories Photography.
Schoolcraft basketball teams had a SAC Valley match-up at Parchment December 19.
The visiting Eagles girls came in with a 2-0 record while the Panthers were 0-3. The Eagles led 16-0 at the end of the 1st period. A strong Eagle defense kept plenty of pressure on the home team Panthers. With 4 minutes to play in the 2nd period, Parchment finally got on the board with a long 3-point shot by Amiyah Jackson and quickly added 2 more 3-pointers. At the half, the visiting Eagles were up 24-9. Lexi Mulder started the Eagles after the half with a corner 3. The Eagles’ defense was too tough for the Panthers, holding Parchment scoreless for the rest of the game. The Eagles started the 4th quarter 44-9 and added 6 more points, ending the game 50-9. For Parchment, Amiyah Jackson was the lone scorer, making all 9 points from 3 shots beyond the arc. Schoolcraft’s Alexis Walther had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 6 steals while Val DeVries had 13 points and 9 rebounds.
The boys’ side was a battle. Schoolcraft’s Ty Goddard started the Eagles scoring with a long 3-point shot. Both teams were defending very well and with .01 on the clock in the 1st period, 6’ 9” Eagle Jimmy Miller dunked the ball to tie the score at 15. Parchment held the lead at the half with a score of 35-26. In the first half, Jimmy Miller was the top scorer for the Eagles with 15 points while Parchment’s Donjae’ Gilmore-Slater topped the Panthers at 19. The Panthers went on quite a run in the 3rd period, adding 15 points to the Eagles 9. But in the final 8 minutes in the SAC showdown, the visiting Eagles had some magic left. The home team Panthers were up 50-35. The 4th period also brought a lot of excitement in the game and in the courthouse both teams’ fans were cheering their teams on. The Eagles defense stepped up when they needed to and kept the Panthers to only 2 points for the first 5 minutes while the Eagles kept scoring, chipping away at the 15-point deficit. With 2 minutes left, Goddard hit a corner 3, bringing the Eagles closer, 51-54. Goddard hit another 3 to tie the game 54-54 with 1 minute left, and another Goddard 3 put the Eagles up 57-54 with 21 seconds left to play. The Panthers inbounded the ball and a 3-point shot fell short, giving the visiting Eagles the win. The Eagles outscored the Panthers 22-4 in the 4th period to win 57-54. Jimmy Miller was the Eagles’ top scorer with 29, followed by Ty Goddard at 20. Parchment’s Donjae’ Gilmore-Slater had 29.
