FREMONT – The Fruitport boys basketball team got a glimpse of a brave new world on Tuesday, at a level of the state tournament they had never experienced before.

The outcome wasn’t what they were hoping for. They fell 65-44 to a good Grand Rapids Catholic Central squad in the Division 2 regional semifinals at Fremont High School.

But as one parent mentioned as the game got away, there’s a pretty good chance the Trojans could make a return trip to regionals next year, and maybe advance farther, with 10 players – including four starters – returning to the team.

For DayDay Williams, however, Tuesday’s loss was the end of a huge and impressive chapter in his life.

The senior standout’s high school career was hanging by a thread, anyway, because one loss at any point in the state tournament would have ended it.

But after four great years of playing basketball with the Trojans – not to mention four seasons with the Fruitport football team – he was hoping to avoid the end for at least one more game.

Williams definitely looked sad as he left the locker room for the last time, with graduation just a few months away. He ended his career as only the third Fruitport player in history to reach the 1,000-point career mark.

“I’m just thankful God let me and my team get this far, and I’m thankful that I was able to get through football and basketball with no major injuries,” said Williams, who scored a team-high 17 points in the game. “I’m just happy I got to be around these guys, a great group of guys, and I just want to see them succeed.

“I know they will. I know how they practice. I know how they push each other.

“Yeah, I’m going to miss it a lot. You know, this is where I grew up, where I played since I was young. I’ve been part of the community since I was young, so it’s gonna be hard to go away, but it’s supposed to happen.

“I most definitely grew a lot, but like everyone says, it goes by fast.”

Williams can someday tell his grandchildren that he was part of a truly historic Fruitport basketball team.

The Trojans set a new single-season record with 21 wins (with only four losses), won their second straight O-K Silver conference title, and the program’s first district championship since way back in 1938.

Unfortunately Grand Rapids Catholic proved to be a bit too much for Fruitport on Tuesday.

The Cougars led wire-to-to wire, grabbing a 9-0 lead in the first few minutes and taking a commanding 14-3 lead after one quarter.

The Trojans got past their early jitters and played a bit better after that. They were outscored 15-12 in the second quarter and trailed 29-15 at halftime, then were outscored 19-11 in the third and trailed 48-26.

Fruitport had an 18-17 edge in the fourth quarter, after the issue had been settled.

The Trojans had a rough time with GRCC’s physical zone defense, which kept them from getting much offensive penetration and forced them to miss a lot of shots.

Meanwhile the Cougars easily cut through the Fruitport defense and scored whenever they needed to.

Fruitport head coach Steve Erny acknowledged that the game was a first experience for his still young team, and that the future looks very bright for the Trojans.

But he said the team really believed it could win the game, and was disappointed that the season had to end.

“I’m so proud of our team this year for making history,” Erny said. “There were so many moments this year that I’m gonna remember fondly. But right now, it hurts because we really had the belief and the feeling that on any given night, we could beat anybody. And tonight, obviously, wasn’t that night.”

Erny said it will be hard to say goodbye to the Trojans’ four seniors after all of the contributions they’ve made over the years, but more than anything, he’s said he’s proud of the legacy that the 2025-26 Trojans will leave behind.

“We had four seniors this year – DayDay Williams, David Johnson-Jimenez, Wyatt Fielstra and Trevor Rosnick – and all four of those guys made impacts on our team,” the coach said. “Obviously, DayDay is the most heralded of them all, and he’s gonna be a guy that any team would miss when he’s not there anymore.

“One of the main things we talked about in that locker room just now was, there’s a generation of like 6-to-12 year-olds, my sons included, who just love this team. Kids were crying after the game tonight. I remember being a kid like that, and how that inspired me to want to be a good athlete

“So, I think I can look back and be super thankful for the season, but also for the impact that these guys have made, probably on things that we don’t even know about yet.”

Dexter Lillmars scored 14 points for the Trojans while Hudson Hazekamp added nine.