MUSKEGON — Over the years, basketball teams coached by Keith Guy winning district titles has been a common occurrence, a steady force among the frequent madness of March hoops.
But after a COVID-19 cancellation in 2020 and a loss to Grand Haven in the 2021 district finals, it had been a while, at least by his standards, since Guy hoisted a trophy at center court.
That changed Friday night when Guy’s Muskegon Big Reds dominated Coopersville to the tune of 69-43 in a packed Redmond Potter Gymnasium to claim a Division 1 District championship.
[1]“This is the longest I’ve ever had to wait for a district trophy,” Guy said after the game. “I was telling the guys how much I appreciate this. I never take it for granted. Our guys locked in, carried out the scouting report and we came out on top.
“We’re happy to get this trophy on our home floor for our fans. This trophy is for our fans and school community.”
The Big Reds led for nearly the entire game, using a suffocating defense and a balanced scoring attack, led by Ethan Hill’s 15 points.
“It feels good. Especially with it being my senior year and knowing I’m leaving my home court with a W, it feels good,” Hill, who also grabbed a dozen rebounds, said.
[2]Muskegon is now 20-2 on the season and will advance to face Grand Rapids Northview (22-1) at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Grand Haven High School. Coopersville finishes the season 15-8.
Muskegon led 19-7 after the opening quarter on the strength of seven points from Hill. Coopersville’s Isaiah Currie scored five in the opening quarter.
The Big Reds stretched the lead to 34-20 at halftime with a 15-13 second quarter advantage. David Day III was huge for Muskegon in the second, scoring 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
“He caught fire,” Guy said of Day III. “He was all over the place. We’re a deep team, that’s our strength. We’ve got a lot of different guys that can do a lot of different things. David was one of them tonight. “
[3]Muskegon erased any thoughts of a comeback with an 11-0 run to open the second half, capped off by two powerful slam dunks by Terrance Davis. Muskegon led 51-34 after three quarters.
“I told the guys, (Coopersville) is not going to just lay down,” Guy said of starting the second half strong. “They’re fighters and you have to put them away, they’re not going to go away. We had to come out and create even more separation because they’re a dangerous team.”
The Big Reds then scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter, including a dunk by Hill, to further pull away.
Day III and Jordan Briggs both scored 14 points for Muskegon. Davis totaled seven, while Anthony Sydnor III, Maurice Sain Jr. and Stanley Cunningham had four each.
Currie led Coopersville with 13 points, followed by Travis Rosel with 12 and Ty Anthony with eight.
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