Feenstra Focused On Fun In All-Star Event
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Former NorthWood teammates Maddy Payne (at left) and Savannah Feenstra are all smiles following the McDonald’s Michiana All-Star Basketball Game at Bethel College Tuesday night.
MISHAWAKA – Savannah Feenstra, over the course of her collegiate career the next four years, hopes to win a lot of basketball games in the Wiekamp Athletic Center.
The focus though was a little different for the former NorthWood High School hoops standout Tuesday night.
Girls just want to have fun.
That was exactly the case for the soft-spoken Feenstra as she suited up one final time in her prep career to take part in the McDonald’s Michiana High School All-Star Basketball Games at Bethel College.
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Savannah Feenstra eyes a free throw attempt.
Feenstra, who was a four-year stalwart for coach Adam Yoder’s Panther program, will play her college ball at Bethel starting next season.
“I was just really excited to come out here and relax and just play,” said Feenstra after her Gray team lost 114-98 to the Red team Tuesday night.
“I just wanted to have fun playing one last time with Maddy (former NorthWood teammate Maddy Payne) and playing for my future coach (Eric Gingerich).”
Feenstra finished with four points in the All-Star contest. The versatile 6-1 forward led NorthWood in scoring and rebounding this past season at nearly 11 points and just over seven caroms per contest. She finished sixth in program history in rebounding and 16th all-time in scoring with over 600 rebounds and 813 points. She played in 101 varsity games for the Black Swish.
“It was something really special to play at NorthWood,” noted Feenstra, who was a first-team pick to the IFN All-Area team following her senior season. “To be able to play the game that I love with the people that I love was special to me.”
Feenstra was the lone senior for the Panthers during a 16-9 season.
NorthWood sophomore standout Maddy Payne had five points and six rebounds for the Gray team. Payne, a smooth six-footer and also a volleyball standout, averaged nine points and six rebounds for the Panthers this past season. She was a second-team pick to the IFN All-Area hoops team.
The Gray team led 24-21 after the opening period before the Red squad used a big second quarter to take command. The Red outscored the Gray 34-19 in the second frame to lead 55-43 at halftime.
The game was close in the third period for a while as the Gray cut the deficit to 68-61. The Red, sparked by the 3-point shooting of former Elkhart Central standout Krisen Hunt, closed the period with a 16-4 run though to put the game away. Hunt scored 11 of her game-high 26 points in the key third quarter to spark the winners. She hit three straight triples in the key run and finished with seven treys.
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Maddy Payne looks to make a pass.
Tippecanoe Valley star Sophie Bussard had seven points for the winners. The junior guard, who was the IFN Player of the Year, also had seven rebounds. Bussard led the Vikings to a 20-4 record this past season as she did it all, averaging almost 17 points-per-game to go with six rebounds, three assists and three steals per contest for coach Chris Kindig’s squad.
Meghan Urbanski (Mishawaka Marian) netted 20 points and Tia Chambers (Penn) had 14 for the Red team. Northridge standout Morgan Litwiller had 12 points for the winners.
Feenstra said there is a variety of reasons why she plans to play for the Pilots next season.
“I like the nursing program here at Bethel and I just like the team in general here,” noted Feenstra. “I like the coach and what he is trying to build here.”
Riley Ott of LaPorte led the Gray team with 24 points as she hit 10-13 shots from the field. Asia Strong (South Bend Riley) had 18 points and Keegan Sullivan (South Bend St. Joseph) 15 for the Gray.
Tippecanoe Valley standout Emily Peterson was picked for the game, but was unable to play due to a knee injury suffered in the sectional in February. The junior was a second-team selection to the IFN All-Area team after averaging over nine points per game during the 2017-18 campaign.
The Red team hit on 45-101 shot attempts, including 14-45 from distance. The Gray team went 33-71 from the field, including 9-21 from 3-point range.
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Tippecanoe Valley standout Sophie Bussard helped her Red team to a win.
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Sophie Bussard gets ready to rebound. The Valley star had seven points and seven rebounds.