ALLENDALE – When MacKenzie Bisballe gets going in the paint, the Grand Valley State women’s basketball team is tough to stop.
When the No. 2 Lakers start draining 3-pointers, nobody can stop them.
Both elements were dominant for the Lakers from the opening tip of the GLIAC Tournament championship game as GVSU defeated No. 16 Ferris State 83-62 on Sunday, March 8, at the Grand Valley Field House.
“We were all ready. We were ready and worked well together and that is how we started,” Bisballe said. “It feels good to have a game like this. It has been a long season and it is amazing to have the success that we have had. It is amazing we get to host again. It is a big thing.”
The Lakers (30-1) earned the GLIAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and will host the first three rounds March 13-15.
“It is expected of us here. This is what we do at Grand Valley. We win championships. It is nice, but we have bigger things ahead of us,” GVSU senior Molly Anderson said. “Hosting is a huge aspect of this and we play really well at home, so that is a huge confidence booster. We just have to keep our composure because teams are coming for us.”
Bisballe was unstoppable. She totaled 25 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, three steals and six fouls drawn. She was named tournament MVP.
“It shows that she is the focal point where teams are going to double-team ore even triple-team her. We know that is the challenge,” GVSU coach Mike Williams said. “Hosting is a great reward.”
The Lakers nailed 10 3-pointers with six players hitting at least one.
“The start was huge. They zoned us and coach told us to be confident in our shots and let them fly,” Anderson said. “It is awesome because we all believe in each other. Whoever has the ball in their hands, we know they are capable of making the shot.”
Bisballe started from the opening tip. She hit back-to-back 3-pointers early and Lexi Plitzuweit followed with another and the Lakers led 13-2. Bisballe scored 11 of the first 16 points for GVSU.
Bisballe made her impact on the defensive side of the ball, too, with three early blocks.
Avery Zeinstra got into the 3-point party and put the Lakers up 23-5. A Molly Anderson 3-pointer – the fifth of the opening quarter for GVSU – pushed it to 28-11 after one quarter.
“We have been talking about coming with big energy and we have really been doing that the past couple games,” Zeinstra said. “This is the time last year when we felt things really clicking and it is happening again. We are all just playing for each other and you can obviously tell that it is going well.”
In the second, Anderson drove to the basket with a nice pump-fake and scored, the nailed another 3-poitner. Nicole Kamin followed with a three-point play and the Lakers led 49-28 at halftime.
Plitzuweit started the second half with a 3-pointer and the Bulldogs could get no closer.
Mya Hiram had 18 points for the Bulldogs (26-6) and GLIAC MVP Kadyn Blanchard added 15. Both were named to the all-tournament team.
Plitzuweit finished with 12 points and five assists, while Anderson and Zeinstra each had 10 points. Paige VanStee had nine points and seven rebounds. Kamin had six points, five assists and 10 rebounds and Ava Scanlan had six points. Kamin was named to the all-tournament team.
“We talked about (winning GLIACs) a lot of times but remembering that it is awesome every time we do it,” Zeinstra said. “As seniors, we have been doing this a long time.”
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GVSU women top Ferris State to win GLIAC tourney: ‘This is what we do here, win championships’
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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