The Chix opened MHSAA District play at Holland West Ottawa High School on Wednesday evening by taking on the Grand Haven Buccaneers from the OK Red Conference.  In front of the large crowd, the Chix overcame a slow start to beat the Bucs 71-66 and advanced to the District Final on Friday evening.

The Chix came out cold in the first quarter, with Grand Haven starting the game on a 12-2 run.  But the Chix settled down late in the quarter and trailed 14-6 heading into the 2nd Quarter.  In the 2nd Quarter, the Chix started to heat up and outscored Grand Haven 17-9 and to tie the game at 23 at halftime. 

In the 2nd Half, the Bucs came out fast and scored the first couple buckets of the 2nd half to regain the lead.  But the Chix were not phased, as they caught fire from the field and the free throw line.  The Chix took their first lead of the game on a thunderous BJ Walker dunk to lead 31-29 midway through the 3rd quarter.  The Chix stingy defense forced multiple Grand Haven turnovers and the Chix extended their advantage to 10 points, 45-35 heading into the final quarter.  In the 4th quarter, Grand Haven would not back down.  The Bucs hit numerous contested 3-point shots, and pressured the Chix defensively in an attempt to trim the Chix lead.  The Chix made some timely buckets and knocked down many free throws, never giving up the lead to pull out the hard fought victory.

The Chix were led by the dynamic duo of Senior Layne Risdon and Junior BJ Walker in the victory.  Walker scored 24 points, going 14-16 from the free throw line, adding 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.  Risdon scored 23 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and had 5 steals in the victory.  Junior Jacob Vera scored 9 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 3 assists while Freshman Will Drnek scored 8 points, grabbed 7 boards and added 2 assists for the Chix.  Junior Will VerSteeg chipped in with 5 points and a steal for the Chix.

The Chix are back in action Friday night for the District championship at West Ottawa High School against Zeeland West.  Tickets can be purchased through the GoFan App as cash is not accepted to purchase tickets.  Come out and cheer on the Chix as they make the push to win the District title.