Chris Carpenter

East Lansing Poses for a team photo after their regional final win Thursday night. Photo by Chris Carpenter | Team TBM I arrived at the gym nearly an hour before tipoff and was immediately greeted by signs announcing the game was sold out. Even that early, the gym was already close to full, and the energy inside made it clear this was going to be a special night. The anticipation for this matchup had been building all week, and fans from both sides packed the building to witness it. During...

Damari Lawler goes up for a shot on tuesday night Photo by Chris Carpenter | Team TBM These two teams met just a few weeks ago in East Lansing, where the Trojans came away with the win. This time, however, the matchup shifted to Loy Norrix’s home floor. The Knights fed off their home crowd early. The atmosphere was electric in the opening quarter, and Loy Norrix responded with hot shooting and strong work on the boards. Their rebounding efforts limited second chances for East Lansing while...

Isaiah Theodile goes up for the slam on Tuesday night. Photo by Chris Carpenter | Team TBM Kalamazoo Central played to its strengths on offense and deployed a fast-paced, high-trapping zone defense that kept Jackson from ever finding an offensive rhythm. That defensive pressure helped the Giants jump out to a 19–10 lead at the end of the first quarter. Jackson was able to generate a bit more offense in the second quarter, but Kalamazoo Central continued to control the tempo throughout the...