Freeland Pulls Away Late to Claim Division 2 State Championship Beating Unity Christian in all out defensive slug fest!
- Travis Long
- 15 hours ago
- 5 min read
These two teams met earlier in the season, with Freeland escaping with a 65–60 win. Now they met again with everything on the line in the Division 2 state championship at the packed Breslin Center. Both programs had spent the entire season proving they belonged among the state’s elite, knocking off top competition along the way. It felt only fitting that the Falcons and Crusaders would meet again on the biggest stage with a championship at stake. Unity Christian won the opening tip, but the game started exactly how you’d expect from two defensive powerhouses. The first minute flew off the clock with nothing but turnovers and missed opportunities. At the 6:55 mark of the first quarter, the score was still 0–0 as both teams brought relentless physical defense. Nearly six minutes passed before the first points finally arrived when Kyler Berghuis knocked down a jumper to put Unity Christian ahead 2–0. Even after that, offense remained hard to come by. With 4:47 left in the quarter it was still just 2–0, and moments later Unity added another basket to make it 4–0. Freeland finally broke through when Tristan Comer scored with 3:14 remaining to cut the deficit to 4–2. The defensive battle continued as both teams traded stops, eventually tying the game at 4–4 with 2:16 to go. Berghuis struck again with another smooth jumper, putting Unity ahead 6–4 with two minutes left. That score would hold as the Crusaders ran nearly the final 50 seconds off the clock before the buzzer. Freeland held firm defensively, and the first quarter ended with Unity Christian leading 6–4 in what was easily the lowest-scoring start of the entire tournament. The second quarter didn’t immediately change the pace. After about a minute, Luke Tubergen scored to push Unity’s lead to 8–4. Shortly after, Tucker Hileman went to the line for Freeland following a shooting foul. He missed the first but knocked down the second, making it 8–5 with 6:44 to go. Turnovers continued to dominate the flow of the game. Cooper Wagner eventually gave the Falcons life when he came away with a steal and finished at the rim, cutting the deficit to 8–7 with 5:08 remaining in the half.
Unity answered later with a basket to go up 10–7, but Freeland responded with the biggest shot of the night to that point. Connor Lasceski buried a three-pointer to tie the game at 10–10. The Crusaders quickly answered when Jack Kamminga converted a three-point play, finishing a layup and converting the free throw to give Unity a 13–10 lead with just over three minutes remaining. Freeland refused to go away. Wilson Huckeby hit a heavily contested jumper through a double team, bringing the Falcons within one at 13–12 with 2:42 left in the half. With 1:30 remaining, Unity capitalized on a Freeland turnover. Brogan Sherd went to the line and calmly knocked down both free throws, pushing the Crusaders ahead 17–12. Freeland responded almost immediately as Wagner found Huckeby for a three that cut the lead to 17–15 with 50 seconds remaining. Unity slowed the pace once again to close the half, running the clock down before initiating their final set with 16 seconds left. The ball eventually swung to Kamminga for an open look, but the shot wouldn’t fall. The buzzer sounded with Unity Christian heading to halftime ahead 17–15, the lowest halftime score of the entire championship weekend. It had truly become a defensive slugfest. Freeland opened the third quarter with possession but immediately lost the ball on a jump ball, giving it right back to Unity. That would set the tone for the opening minutes of the half. Turnovers, steals, travels, and missed shots dominated the first minute as the score remained 17–15 with 6:30 left in the quarter.
Then Freeland finally found its spark.
Wilson Huckeby drilled a three-pointer to give the Falcons their first lead of the game, 18–17, with 6:16 remaining in the third. Moments later, Freeland forced another turnover and earned free throws after a foul by Brogan Sherd. Sherd was injured on the play and had to be helped off the floor. The Falcons converted from the line to extend the lead to 20–17 with just over six minutes remaining. Unity responded quickly when Owen VanderWall scored to cut it to 20–19. The pace of the game had clearly picked up, and by the 4:36 mark the score was tied again at 21–21. After a Freeland miss, Unity pushed the ball down the floor and drew another foul. Jack Kamminga went to the line and made both free throws to give the Crusaders a 23–21 lead with 4:21 left. On the other end, the Falcons matched it as Tucker Hileman converted two free throws of his own after a foul by Luke Tubergen, tying the game again at 23–23 with 3:48 to play. Late in the quarter Freeland began to build momentum. Crisp ball movement and patient offense helped the Falcons pull ahead 29–25 with 1:52 remaining. With the final possession of the quarter, Freeland controlled the clock and forced Unity to defend under pressure. With seven seconds left, Wilson Huckeby drove to the basket and drew a foul. He calmly made both free throws, giving Freeland a 31–25 lead heading into the fourth.
Entering the final quarter, the physical nature of the game was clear: the teams had combined for 19 turnovers and 23 fouls. Unity started the fourth knowing it needed a spark, and it got one immediately. Kyler Berghuis found Jack Kamminga on the wing, and Kamminga drilled a three to cut the deficit to 31–28 with 7:40 left. Freeland answered quickly. Cooper Wagner found Tristan Comer down low, and the big man stepped out to knock down a three, extending the lead to 34–28 with 6:18 remaining. The Falcons kept their foot on the gas. Connor Lasceski hit another three from the corner to push the lead to 37–28, celebrating with a Spider-Man web-shooting motion toward the student section. Moments later, Freeland forced another turnover and Wagner again found Comer inside for an easy bucket, stretching the lead to 39–28. Unity called timeout with 4:49 remaining, but the Falcons had taken complete control. Freeland continued to dominate the final minutes. Wagner again connected with Comer for a layup to make it 41–28 with 2:40 left. Unity struggled to generate offense, and the Falcons’ defense held strong. With just over a minute left, Wagner stepped to the free-throw line and knocked down one of two to make it 42–30. Unity managed one last basket late, but the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Freeland pulled its starters in the final moments as the crowd rose to its feet. When the final buzzer sounded, the Freeland Falcons were crowned Division 2 state champions, defeating Hudsonville Unity Christian 42–32 in a gritty defensive battle at the Breslin Center.
Leading Scorers Freeland: Tristian Comer: 12 Wilson Huckeby: 12 Hudsonville Unity Christian: Jack Kamminga: 14 Kyler Berghuis: 6