Pewamo Westphalia Advances to Division 3 State Championship with Dominant Win Over Flint Elite.
- Brady Triemstra
- Mar 12
- 3 min read
Pewamo Westphalia came into the semifinals feeling confident after a dominant 70–47 win over Schoolcraft, and they carried that momentum into their matchup with Flint Elite.
Flint Elite entered the game after an overtime thriller against Onsteqd, escaping with a 55–53 victory. The Pirates had only two losses on the season, both against larger schools in GRCC and Grandville. Logan Farmer got things started for Pewamo Westphalia with a strong drive down the middle of the lane. On the very next defensive possession, he drew a charge to quickly swing momentum in the Pirates’ favor. Early in the game, Pewamo Westphalia pushed the tempo, looking to play at a faster pace. Razach Spillers opened the scoring for Flint Elite, but Pewamo Westphalia continued attacking the basket. Trent Piggott drew a defensive foul that sent Jeffery Turner to the line for three free throws, where he converted two. After those shots, the Warriors tightened up their defense, but Piggott proved to be a force protecting the paint. Grady Elkins provided a highlight with a tough scoop-and-one finish to give Pewamo Westphalia a 6–4 lead. He followed that up with another aggressive drive from the elbow, though this time he didn’t get the call. Elkins had already scored six of the Pirates’ first eight points halfway through the opening quarter. Pewamo Westphalia consistently found ways to get to the rim, forcing the Warriors’ defense to collapse. Late in the first quarter, Piggott grabbed a put-back on a long three-point attempt from Caleb Blyth to push the Pirates’ lead to five. Flint Elite had a chance for a buzzer-beater layup but missed both attempts. At the end of the first quarter, Flint Elite was shooting just 23% from the field while Pewamo Westphalia shot 33%.
The second quarter started slowly, but Pewamo Westphalia soon went on a 5–0 run that forced Flint Elite to call a timeout. Throughout the half, the Pirates had success using off-ball screens and cuts to generate easy layups. The Warriors struggled with miscommunication defensively and couldn’t find their rhythm offensively. Flint Elite went 0% from three-point range in the first half, and Jeffery Turner didn’t score their next basket until nearly seven minutes into the second quarter. Pewamo Westphalia attempted a half-court shot at the buzzer, but it bounced off the backboard. The Pirates took a 26–14 lead into halftime after closing the half on an 11–4 run. Flint Elite came out aggressively in the third quarter, forcing a turnover before Pewamo Westphalia even crossed half court and going on a quick 6–0 run. Piggott halted the momentum with an and-one finish. From there, the Pirates maintained control, keeping their lead around 10 points for much of the quarter. Logan Farmer knocked down a three-pointer to extend the lead to 16, forcing Flint Elite to call another timeout with 2:12 remaining in the third. The Warriors attempted to spark a comeback, and just before the buzzer, Digion Perkins hit a half-court shot to bring the score to 44–31 heading into the final quarter. Flint Elite applied full-court pressure in the fourth quarter in hopes of forcing mistakes, but Pewamo Westphalia responded with big shots. Farmer and Grady Eklund caught fire from deep, each knocking down multiple three-pointers to extend the lead.
With 4:25 remaining, Flint Elite senior forward Razach Spillers fouled out, sending Eklund to the free-throw line. Despite the deficit, Artie Smith Jr. continued battling and scored several strong baskets late for Flint Elite. In the end, Pewamo Westphalia’s defense and balanced scoring proved too much. The Pirates secured a convincing 63–37 victory and will now face ATAP on Saturday for the Division 3 State Championship. Leading Scorers Pewamo Westphalia Grady Eklund: 27 Logan Farmer: 19 Trent Piggott: 10 Flint Elite Artie Smith Jr: 17 Jeffery Turner: 8
Comments