Carrollton Dedicating Basketball Court to Longtime Coach Vondette

December 19, 2023

Retired Carrollton High School boys basketball coach Ron Vondette spent 30 years on the sidelines leading the boys basketball program – and after tonight will forever be a visible part of Cavaliers hoops, even as his days on the sideline ended three decades ago.

Vondette directs the Cavaliers from the sideline.The school’s playing surface will be dedicated as the Coach Ron Vondette Basketball Court at Carrollton High School prior to tip-off of tonight’s varsity home game against Frankenmuth.

Vondette led the Cavaliers from 1965-94, building a record of 425-164 with 20 league championships, seven District and four Regional titles, and a Class B runner-up finish in 1970.

Tonight’s varsity game is scheduled for 7 p.m., after the conclusion of the junior varsity contest and dedication ceremony.

(Photos courtesy of Jack Tany.)

Warren Lincoln Closes Boys Basketball Season with All-Time Accomplishment

By Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com

March 16, 2024

EAST LANSING – You can't say Warren Lincoln is wary of rematches. Not even when the opponent is ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the season.

The Abes proved winning a midseason meeting was no fluke by outlasting top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian 53-39 in Saturday's Division 2 Final at the Breslin Center.

Lincoln had defeated the Eagles 49-47 in Grand Rapids on Jan. 20, but Abes players say that win had limited influence on the outcome of the championship game two months later – and that they had no problem facing Grand Rapids Christian a second time.

"Honestly, I thought it would be different," junior guard Da'Marion Bozeman said. "We beat them the first time, so we knew they'd be ready. But we wanted to win so bad, so there was that motivation."

Ouwinga gets a hand up as Lincoln’s Markus Blackwell looks for an opening. The Abes used a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter to pull away for their first Finals title.

The Eagles (26-3) were within 34-33 during the waning seconds of the third quarter, but Lincoln junior guard Markus Blackwell went to work. He hit a pair of 3-pointers, a layup and two free throws over a four-minute stretch to up his team’s lead to 47-39 with three minutes to go.

Blackwell has his own theory on playing Grand Rapids Christian a second time. If the teams' first meeting showed anything, it's that Warren Lincoln (24-4) – which then won 13 of 15 games after downing the Eagles the first time – had to play well inside.

"We knew what they can do and that was stopping their big man, but what we do best is play defense," he said.

"I was locked in offensively because you have to score to win. My teammates put me in a position to score, I just had to make the shots."

Blackwell finished with 24 points, including hitting 4-of-5 3-point attempts. Moses Blackwell added 12 points.

Jaylan Ouwinga had 16 points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals for Grand Rapids Christian. Malachi Hooser had 14 points for the Eagles.

Grand Rapids Christian shot just 34.9 percent (15 of 43) from the floor this time, missing 13 of 15 3-point tries. Warren Lincoln also held a 53-39 rebounding edge.

Abes players raise their championship trophy."We knew they had the one-two punch with the (Blackwell) brothers, and they have others who can shoot," Eagles coach Eric Taylor said. "We cut the lead and had to weather the storm. I thought at the end of the third quarter and going into the fourth we were in good position. They went to a zone, and we went a little stagnant."

Lincoln coach Wydell Henry said going to a zone was risky but paid off.

"We don't typically go to zone, we want to press teams,” he said. “We want to turn you over and speed up the game."

The championship game appareance was Lincoln's first. The Eagles were playing in their first Final since 2017.

"They're a big team. We knew that," Henry said. "We beat them in Grand Rapids, which was big. We weren't scared. We just told the kids to stick it out."

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Warren Lincoln’s Moses Blackwell (0) soars into the lane as Grand Rapids Christian’s Jaylan Ouwinga (32) attempts to block his path Saturday night at Breslin Center. (Middle) Ouwinga gets a hand up as Lincoln’s Markus Blackwell looks for an opening. (Below) Abes players raise their championship trophy. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)