WALKERVILLE – The 2024-25 boys basketball season hasn’t been too kind to Walkerville, but the Wildcats were able to score their first win of the year in a close 37-35 matchup with Big Rapids Crossroads Academy (BRCA) Wednesday, Jan. 8.
“It felt great today. (Our) kids played hard and so did Crossroads,” Walkerville Head Coach Lee Oomen said. “We’re both young, so that’s good competition for us.”
The Wildcats are an extremely young team, fielding a majority of freshman and eighth grade players. That includes an almost entirely new starting lineup, with the only returner being senior Jordan Oomen.
Jordan is a leader on the court for Walkerville, but Wednesday was a breakthrough night for his younger brother Jaxson Oomen (17 points).
As the score reflects, offense was a tough thing for both sides to get going consistently. After starting the game off with seven unanswered points, Walkerville cooled down completely. That allowed the Cougars to match them, turning the tide in their favor with eight points of their own.
Now trailing to start the second quarter, Walkerville once again got going on a streak of unanswered points. Logan Hill, Jordan Oomen, Anthony Shafer and Jaxson Oomen all got involved, pushing the Wildcats to a 17-9 lead with minutes left in the half. Unfortunately, a string of BRCA possessions saw Walkerville’s defense in poor positioning, leading to a couple of baskets at the rim and three trips to the free throw line.
At halftime, Walkerville maintained a slim lead at 17-15.
Walkerville fought off their own demons in the third quarter, allowing BRCA to get to the free throw line early and often. The Cougars attempted 13 free throws in that eight minute period alone, converting on just three of them.
That allowed the Wildcats enough time to find their own offense. Jaxson added a lone bucket in the third quarter, but it was Shafer that shined. Shafer added seven total points, including a buzzer beater at the end of the quarter to keep Walkerville ahead 26-22.
Fouling trouble caught up with the Wildcats again in the final quarter. Jordan Oomen reached five fouls and was forced to spectate for a majority of that frame, while BRCA shot another six free throws to bring their final total to 11-for-31 (35 percent) from the line.
“It was brutal… just rough out there today,” Lee Oomen said. “The kids grinded and played hard, but we were a little over aggressive. (BRCA) shot a lot of free throws, but that’s something we can correct and hopefully build on.”
In the end, it was a trio of trips to the free throw line for Jaxson Oomen that ended up being the difference for Walkerville. Jaxson scored the final six points for the Wildcats, allowing them to reclaim the lead after losing it late, and putting them in the win column for the first time.
Walkerville (1-6, 1-5 WMD) was led by Jaxson Oomen’s 17 points. Schafer added nine of his own while Hugh Tanner had four points and Jordan Oomen had three.
