A 17-3 run at the end of the first half would help propel the girls varsity basketball team to a 53-29 win over Northview on senior night. This big run was propelled by the hard work the team put in practice. 

“The girls have been going hard each and every day,” head coach Kristina Prins said. “And the struggle we’ve had as of late is being as competitive in games as they are against one another in practices. We were getting a ton of streaks and converting on them.”

The first quarter started a little slow for the Rangers, as the team struggled to get good shots against a solid Wildcat defense. However, Theryn was able to dominate through driving through the paint and getting some buckets to go. Shots started to fall as the first quarter progressed, and the team went on a 7-0 run thanks to big shots from juniors Katy Majick and Zoe Lipke. 

FHC dominated in the second quarter, only allowing Northview to score 5 points the entire quarter. Great passing to open shooters helped stifle the Wildcat defense and help the Rangers extend the lead even further. Timely three-point shots from Zoe and Katy along with some mid-range shots from senior Ally Ringler. Along with some beneficial offensive production, FHC was also phenomenal on defense. 

The Rangers were able to turn over the Wildcats a lot in the second quarter due to taking away their passes to the wings and not letting Northview run their offense. This led to the team going on a massive 17-3 run at the end of the second quarter to end a very solid first half. For the team, the defense was a major focus in practice this entire week. 

“We didn’t play that well against Northview the first time and we knew our offense and defense needed to be switched up, ” Theryn said. “We pushed the ball up the floor a lot better along with communicating [better] on defense. We just wanted to come out way stronger and play well for our seniors since it was their last home game.“

Northview came out hot offensively in the third quarter, but the phenomenal defense of FHC continued to help the team in this game as it has all season. The Rangers’ aggressive play out on the wings led to the Wildcats taking bad shots inside the paint. FHC got many deflections on the night as well, leading to fast break layups points on the other end. 

In the fourth quarter, the Rangers were able to get some fresh legs into the game. Freshmen Delaney Smith and Thea Sloat were very efficient for FHC, doing a great job of defending on the ball and getting production offensively. The Rangers held their ground against a feisty Northview team and won the game 53-29. 

For the seniors, this last game at home was a signature win they will hope gives them momentum into the postseason. 

“It was really big to win on our senior night because it was my last ever home game and I wanted it to be happy and fun, which it was,” Ally said.

This win puts the Rangers at a final 14-6 on the season and 10-2 in the OK White, finishing in second place behind Forest Hills Northern. The girls now travel to Lowell to take on the Red Arrows in the first round of districts. Lowell is coming off of a loss to Jenison, so they will be hungry for a win to keep their season alive.  FHC has defeated the Red Arrows twice this season, but this third match will be a bit different than the past meetings. 

“I always tell the girls it’s hard to beat a team three times, so we’re hoping to mix it up against them,” Prins said. “We have a few new sets to incorporate and hopefully get new mixes of defenses going. All in all, the girls need to be there mentally and win the 50/50 balls. If we outwork them, we could be successful this third time.”