Zeeland West basketball bounces back to stun defending state champ Cass Tech

KENTWOOD - David Klyn didn’t shy away from playing a tough schedule this season.

The Zeeland West boys basketball coach knew what he was getting into when the Dux had to play Muskegon and Cass Tech on back-to-back nights. And it has paid off.

The Dux stunned Cass Tech 61-42 on Saturday in the GottaGetIt Classic at East Kentwood High School on Saturday. It is the first loss of the season for the defending Division 1 state champions and it snaps their 16-game winning streak.

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“To go from playing a Top 5 team last night (in Muskegon) and then another one today … we knew it was going to be a tough challenge,” Klyn said. “The guys came in this morning and we watched some film and that helped us get ready for today. We wanted to play with more of an attacking mindset. Last night we were on our heels a little bit against Muskegon. But today we proved we belong here.”

Zeeland West (8-3) lost to Muskegon 52-37 on Friday night. It was a one-point game at halftime.

“It feels great after coming off a loss last night,” senior Luke Bakker said. “To play two Top 5 teams in the state in back-to-back games is tough. To lose last night and then bounce back is really gratifying.”

Bakker and Myles Steffen each had 13 points, Orion Yant scored 12, Khi Anderson had and Merritt Alderink totaled seven points and nine rebounds.

Yant, who also had six rebounds, got the MVP trophy.

“It feels good,” Yant said. “It does give us a confidence boost. But you can’t let that confidence turn into cockiness.”

Zeeland West led 27-16 at halftime against Cass Tech.

Derrick Miller led Cass Tech (9-1) with 15 points.

Dux bench prepares the starters

Klyn said his bench is a big reason the Dux won on Saturday.

“Khi (Anderson) and Trey (Sloothaak) did an awesome job coming off the bench and gave us some big minutes,” Klyn said. “Khi hit some big shots and Trey got some offense rebounds and handled the pressure. But a ton of credit goes to our scout team. We call them the Impact Squad because they have such a big impact. Those guys, that typically don’t get into the games, work us so hard.”

It’s the guys who also play football that make things competitive in practice.

“We have a few guys like Brody Maas, he’s like a bull in a China shop,” Klyn said. “He’s so physically strong that whenever he gets put on them defensively, they just roll their eyes. We tell guys like Keaton Hendricks, Jacob McLaren and Will Skaggs, bring your football mentality because you aren’t going to get any fouls called on you. So whatever you do for football coach (John) Shillito, bring it to practice today.”

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Zeeland West basketball stuns defending state champ Cass Tech