Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
After not winning a regional title since 1998, the Pewamo-Westphalia boys basketball team put an end to that drought in a big way.
The Pirates dominated the Class C regional at Bronson, posting a pair of 20-point victories enroute to winning the title. In the regional title game against Albion, the Pirates jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back. They went up 16-8 at the end of the first quarter, led 24-13 at halftime, and then cruised to a 55-35 victory.
Nick Spitzley led the Pirates with 18 points, Justin Thelen added 14 points, and Ty Simon scored 12 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.
The regional victory improved Pewamo-Westphalia’s record to 25-0 for the season. After posting an undefeated regular-season record and going undefeated in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference, the Pirates won three straight enroute to the district title.
Coach Luke Pohl credited the rugged conference slate as a key to preparing the team for the playoffs.
“It’s a tough conference,” Pohl said. “People get after each other, and I think we helped each other with the games we had.”
The Pirates were paced this season by sophomore guard Spitzley, who led the team in scoring with 17 points per game. Thelen added 11 points per game.
Pewamo-Westphalia’s season came to an end in the Class C state quarterfinals against Schoolcraft, last year’s Class C state champion. Schoolcraft beat Pewamo-Westphalia 55-52 to end the Pirates’ season at 25-1.
Thelen paced Pewamo-Westphalia with 13 points, while Spitzley added 11 points.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team,” Pohl said. “To go 25 straight games of winning. To win the league, and district, and regional, these kids never quit.”