With two games remaining in their regular season, Ferris women’s and men’s basketball take on the Wayne State Warriors and the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals.
Both Bulldog teams have solidified their spots in the GLIAC tournament while both Cardinal teams are currently sitting in the final playoff spots of the contest.
Women’s basketball
The Bulldogs (18-8, 12-5 in GLIAC) come into the final games with a 4-3 record in February. Since standout senior guard Kadyn Blanchard went down with a torn ACL following the 83-61 loss to rival Grand Valley earlier this year, junior guard Mia Riley has stepped up and emerged as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer. Riley averages 14.9 points per game this season, which is third in the GLIAC. Meanwhile, senior guard Kenzie Bowers has been facilitating on offense, leading Ferris in assists per game with 4.3, which is second in the conference. Riley sits close behind her with 3.3 per game.
2024-2025 season. Lucas Gill | Demo 64
Head coach Kurt Westendorp highlighted the momentum from the past couple of wins Ferris is on.
“We have some momentum right now,” Westendorp said. “It’s nice to play these two games at home, in front of our fans, but now we got to go on the road for the next two, so we have to make sure we’re bringing that energy. Saginaw Valley is also having an excellent year. They’re above .500 and it was a great game the first time we played. So, we’ll enjoy these wins, but then we need to refocus ourselves, go on the road, and have that momentum into the postseason.”
Saginaw Valley (13-13, 7-11 in GLIAC) comes into the game with a 3-4 record in February and is 7-9 in the new year. The Cardinals have two players atop the leaderboards for points per game. Leading them is sophomore forward Megan McCalla with 16.7 points per game, first in the conference.
These two teams last played each other at the start of the new year on Jan. 2 at Jim Wink Arena, with Ferris winning 70-56.
Meanwhile, Wayne State is led by senior forward Shea Tripp, who averages 13.4 points per game. The Warriors sport a 16-10 record this season but fell to the Bulldogs 82-65 this January.
Northwest in his 16 minutes of play Photo by: Abe Kraus| Torch Photographer
Men’s basketball
Ferris (23-6, 13-5 in GLIAC) comes into the game with a 5-2 record in February. Senior guard Ethan Erickson leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 16.5 points per game, which is fifth in the GLIAC. Junior forward Nathan Claerbaut leads Ferris with 6.7 rebounds per game. Claerbaut also leads the GLIAC in blocks per game with 2.3.
Erickson credited the whole team for his scoring output.
“The points matter for us scoring-wise but it’s everyone,” Erickson said. “We’re averaging around 80 points a game. As long as we stick around there, whoever’s scoring can score. Our whole team can score so it’s just about getting as many shots as we need.”
Saginaw Valley (10-16, 6-12 in GLIAC) brings a four-game losing streak into the contest. The Cardinals are 2-5 in February and are 5-11 in the new year. Redshirt senior guard Toodles Seal leads his team with 17.4 points per game and sits third in the GLIAC. Senior guard Freddie McIntosh sits behind him and is 12th in the conference with 15.2 points per game. McIntosh is tied for first in the GLIAC with 2.9 three-pointers per game with Erickson.
Head coach Andy Bronkema stressed the importance of playing well near the end of the season.
“The games down the stretch are very important to continue to build your resume to try to get the highest seed that you can,” Bronkema said. “It’s the time of year where people are playing well and there’s not a lot of secrets so everybody knows everything about everybody which means the games are a grind.”
These two teams last played on Jan. 2 at Jim Wink Arena, and the Bulldogs came out victorious, 83-72.
The Bulldogs face Wayne State on Thursday, Feb. 27, before playing Saginaw Valley at O’Neill Arena on Saturday, March 1, at 1 p.m. for women and 3 p.m. for men. This is the last game before the GLIAC Tournament starts on Wednesday, March 5.