2014-15 Competitive Cheer January 7 @ Gold/Green Jamboree

The Maroons traveled to Hastings High School on Wednesday for the Gold/Green Jamboree. They scored 204 points in round one. The girls scored a relatively low 165.08 in the second round, reportedly due to an unfair penalty. They were docked ten points because they failed to meet the expectation of having at least 10 girls on the mat, a problem that they couldn't fix with only six members of the team. The girls made up for that deficit in round three by scoring a season high 288.7. The Maroons finished with a final score of 657.78. The penalty, however, pushed them back from second place to third place out of the eight teams in the competition. Thornapple Kellogg won the competition and Catholic Central finished in second place. Holland Christian will cheer in the West Ottawa Invitational on Saturday, January 10.  

2014-15 Boys Basketball January 6 @ East Grand Rapids

Holland Christian traveled to East Grand Rapids on Tuesday in search of their first road win of the season. Jared Stygstra pocketed three of his four three-point attempts in the first quarter. The Maroons took a 16-10 lead into the second quarter--a lead that they would never give up for the remainder of the game.

Five different scorers accounted for a total of 14 points in the second quarter, extending the Maroons' lead to 30-21 at halftime.

Matt Maas highlighted the third quarter with a two-handed slam on a breakaway for the first dunk of the season for Holland Christian. The Maroons built up a 46-36 lead after three quarters.

Sam VanderSluis registered 13 points in the second half, five of which came from the free-throw line. Matt Maas threw down his second dunk of the game in the final minutes to cap the Maroons' 58-47 victory over the pioneers.

VanderSluis finished with 20 points, followed by Stygstra with 12, and Maas with nine points and two dunks. The team collectively shot 8 for 22 from beyond the arc--much better than the 3 for 17 that they put up against Detroit Country Day last Friday.

Holland Christian will participate in the Two Hearts for One Cause event on Friday at Hamilton. The guys will play at an earlier time of 6:00, followed by the girls at 7:30.

2014-15 Competitive Cheer January 3 @ Grandville Invitational

Holland Christian participated in the Grandville Invitational on Saturday after three weeks of vacation. The girls earned a 213.1 in the first round—the same score as last meet. They used their skills in the second round to earn a 184.14, giving them a subtotal of 397.24. They finished off the day with a solid 284.9 third round—55.6 points more than last meet's. The Maroons' final score of 682.14 put them in fifth place out of the five teams. DeWitt finished first, followed by Thornapple Kellogg, St. Joseph, and Mt. Pleasant. Holland Christian's third round, however, was significantly better than both third place St. Joseph and fourth place Mt. Pleasant. The Maroons will be back in action on Wednesday, January 7, in the OK Gold/Green Conference Jamboree at Hastings.  

2014-15 Boys Basketball January 2 vs. Detroit Country Day

The Maroons tipped off the new year on Friday night against a very athletic Detroit Country Day squad. Jared Stygstra boosted the Maroons to an 11-10 lead by drilling two identical three-pointers in the first quarter. Sam VanderSluis put up nine in the second quarter and accounted for more than half of the team's first half points. Holland Christian led 24-19 at halftime.

With both Maas and Hyma, two leading scorers, in early foul trouble, Sam VanderSluis was the main target in the second half. Another key to the second half was free throws. Holland Christian hit 10 of 11 from the charity stripe, all of which proved to be crucial. The Maroons were outscored 17-14 in the third quarter, but still maintained a 38-36 lead. The Yellowjackets led the game a few times in the final minutes, including a 52-51 lead with under a minute to go. Matt Maas rolled in the go ahead basket with just a few seconds remaining in the game. Maas was shooting 1/10 from the field before hitting the shot that mattered most. Country Day put up two shots in the last eight seconds but neither found the bottom of the net.

Sam VanderSluis finished with 21 points, Jared Stygstra had 11, and Matt Maas had eight points with one highlight reel block. The Maroons improve to 1-3 on the season with this victory. They will play at East Grand Rapids on Tuesday and will open up conference play on Friday at Hamilton.

2014-15 Boys Basketball December 19 @ Grand Rapids Christian

The Maroons tipped off against Grand Rapids Christian in the final game of the calendar year on Friday night. Sam VanderSluis' six points tied the game at 9-9 after the first quarter. Both teams struggled to score in the second quarter; Holland Christian only scored three points while shooting 1 for 11 from the floor. Grand Rapids Christian also put up single digits as the teams went into halftime with the score 17-12 in favor of the Eagles. 

Matt Maas put up seven points in the third quarter as the Maroons took a 30-29 lead and the momentum into final quarter. 

Sam VanderSluis tallied six points again in the fourth quarter. Holland Christian seemed to have control of the game when they led 37-31 with four minutes remaining. After a few missed shots, a couple turnovers and some unlucky calls, the Eagles tied the game at 43-43 with less than 30 seconds remaining. Adding to the Maroons' misfortune was a turnover after the tying basket. That possession led to a long two-point shot from Grand Rapids Christian to make the score 45-43 at the buzzer. 

VanderSluis finished with 16 points and nine rebounds while Matt Maas put up 11 points and grabbed six rebounds. 

With this loss, Holland Christian's record becomes 0-3. This is partially due to the toughness of the non-conference schedule this season and partially due to the lack of health of the team. Mike Mokma and Christian Faber are both nursing leg injuries and a few players have been ill over the past few weeks. Either way, Holland Christian still has at least seventeen games to play. 

The Maroons will be back in action two weeks from tonight when they host Detroit Country Day at the Civic Center. 

2014-15 Competitive Cheer December 13 @ CCCAM Invite

The cheer team opened its season on Saturday in a meet at Comstock Park. Eleven teams participated in the meet. Holland Christian jumped out to a great start in the first two rounds. The Maroons put up a 213 in the first round, which consists of mainly motions and jumps. The second round—the skills round—earned the girls a 192.8. The last round resulted in a low 229.3 due to some minor slip-ups in the stunting round. Holland Christian will be back in action after Christmas break when they compete at Grandville on Saturday, January 3 of the new year.