https://localsportsjournal.com/2021/02/ov-boys-take-massive-step-toward-conference-title-goal-with-79-61-victory-over-wmc/

February 24, 2021

Ke’Ontae Barnes led the Cardinals with 23 points along with 12 steals defensively in a non-league win on Wednesday over Fruitport Calvary Christian.

JJ Tinstall added 15 points for OV, while teammates Dains Williams had 12 and Donovan Daniels chipped in with 10.

The Cardinals led 46-32 entering halftime and didn’t look back on their way to victory.

The Eagles were led by Braden Cohea with 14 points while Jacob May added 12 on the night.

Orchard View is now 7-0 overall while the Eagles have a 3-3 overall record.

By Mitchell Boatman
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON TWP. — This year’s players on the Orchard View boys basketball team have been developing their skills together for years.

They’ve had some success over the past two years, going a combined 28-12, but appear headed for bigger things this season.

OV’s Ke’Ontae Barnes drives to the bucket. Photo/MSD Photography|Mitchel Dixon

The Cardinals held off a second half rally from Ludington Friday night to top the Orioles 58-51, maintaining their perfect record and earning a two-game regular-season sweep over their Lakes 8 rival. 

“They have a lot of belief in one another,” said OV coach Nick Bronsema about his team. “Truthfully, we’ve been working hard for a long time with this same group. Even with quarantine and everything, we were out at Mona Lake Park all summer long working on our skills. We believe because of all the hard work we’ve put in.”

Orchard View improved to 5-0 on the season and 4-0 in Lakes 8 play, while Ludington fell to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the conference, with both losses coming against OV.

It’s the first time in at least a dozen years — MHSAA year-by-year reports are only available since the 2009-10 season — that OV has topped Ludington twice in the same year.

“They’re as athletic as an OV team that I remember, and they play pretty well together,” said Ludington coach Thad Shank. “We came out and were a little passive on the offensive end. Give OV credit for that. When teams are as athletic as they are and play defense like they do, it’s easier said than done (to be aggressive offensively).”

Ke’Ontae Barnes once again led the Cardinal attack, registering 23 points, six rebounds and five steals. 

“He has that ‘it’ factor,” Bronsema said about Barnes. “You just know, in every game, you’re going to get the best out of him. If he’s struggling in one area, he’s going to make something happen in another area.”

Brayden Porter dribbles past OV’s No. 4 JJ Tunstull. Photo/MSD Photography|Mitchel Dixon

Freshman guard David Schillinger stood out for Ludington with a team-high 19 points, including three makes from deep. 

“The kid’s got a ton of fight,” Bronsema said. “He’s an ultimate gamer. He reminds me of some of the guards (Ludington) has had in the past. He’s already fearless out there and he’s going to be a really great player.”

Orchard View never trailed in Friday’s game, starting the contest with an 8-2 run to gain an early advantage. The Cardinals led 10-6 after one quarter and 29-18 at halftime.

Orchard View led by as many as 17 points at 44-27 late in the third quarter, but hot three-point shooting sparked an Oriole comeback. Back-to-back triples for Ludington closed the gap to 44-33 heading into the fourth. 

Another three, a layup and a pair of free throws brought the run to 13-0 and closed the gap to 44-40 with 5:24 remaining. 

Orchard View scored the next four points, however, and the Orioles weren’t able to get closer than six points the rest of the way. 

“Those are moments we live for,” Barnes said of closing out the game. “It’s either going to make you, or it’s going to break you. I told my team when we were out there, this is the time. We live for these moments.”

The Cardinals scored nine of their 14 fourth-quarter points at the free throw line, and were 16-for-27 at the line overall. Ludington attempted just four foul shots for the game, making them all.

JJ Tunstull scored 13 points for Orchard View. Darius Williams added eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Larry Brewer tossed in nine points. 

Peyton LaCombe added 14 points for Ludington before fouling out with 3:33 to play. Brad Mesyar added nine on a trio of three-pointers.https://localsportsjournal.com/2021/02/orchard-view-boys-improve-to-5-0-complete-two-game-sweep-of-ludington-with-a-58-51-lakes-8-conference-victory/

By Scott DeCamp | sdecamp1@mlive.com

MUSKEGON – When Nick Bronsema organized summertime workouts during coronavirus quarantine on the cement basketball courts at Mona Lake Park, he was looking ahead.

Orchard View’s boys basketball coach was thinking about those wintertime months, when the weather is cold and snowy and the Cardinals are trying to make that hard work pay off.

He was thinking about nights like Friday when Orchard View built a 17-point third-quarter lead but had to show resilience in fending off Ludington’s comeback en route to the Cardinals’ 58-51 victory.

“I thought we had a lot of belief in one another,” Bronsema said. “Truthfully, we’ve been working hard for a long time with the same group. Even with quarantine and everything. We were out at Mona Lake Park all summer long working on our skills, and so we believe because of all the hard work that we put in.”

The win allowed Orchard View to improve to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Lakes 8 Activities Association.

It also marked the Cardinals’ second hard-fought victory over the Orioles (2-2, 1-2) in 11 days. OV won at Ludington, 54-46, in the Jan. 9 season opener.

“They’re a hard team to beat and for us to beat them twice in one year, it shows how much potential we have to go far,” said Orchard View senior leader Ke’Ontae Barnes, who scored a game-high 23 points.

Barnes, a 6-foot guard who paced the Muskegon area in scoring last season at nearly 28 points per game, continued to show all-around growth with six rebounds, five steals, two blocks and an assist.

Fellow Cardinals senior JJ Tunstull, a 6-3 forward, provided an important lift from the wing with 13 points. Senior Larry Brewer III, a 6-5 forward, added nine points, four rebounds and three steals for OV, while 5-7 junior point guard Darius Williams packed the stat sheet like normal with eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

“In the last two years, there’s nobody that’s worked harder than JJ Tunstull,” Bronsema said. “He’s only missed one day of workouts and we do four to five (per week) in the summer, spring, fall. We do four to five a week and he’s only missed one in the last two years and that kid has made a big jump. He deserves it.”

Orchard View led 44-27 before Ludington answered with three straight 3-pointers, a putback and two free throws to pull within four with just under 6 minutes remaining. The Orioles got no closer, although they did keep it interesting.

Freshman point guard David Shillinger impressed with his ability and compete level, as he led Ludington with 19 points, 12 in the second half. Junior Peyton LaCombe, a skilled 6-7 junior, added 14 points before he fouled out with 3:33 left.

Ludington coach Thad Shank was proud of the way his team continued to battle despite the large deficit early in the second half.

“When you get 17 or 18 down to a team like OV, the easiest thing is for it to snowball and people start playing individually because what you’re doing is not really working,” he said. “We didn’t do that, we just got better at what we planned on doing from the start. It gave us an opportunity down the stretch to be in that game.”

Shank was impressed with the way Shillinger held his won against a backcourt duo like one Orchard View presents with Barnes and Williams.

“Those guys, they’re pretty quick and athletic. We didn’t turn the ball over a heck of a lot when the ball was in his hands, and he’s getting into the paint and collapsing their defense and giving us the opportunity to make shots,” Shank said. “So, yeah, what he does is pretty special for a freshman, you know, in his fourth varsity game. He’s not a freshman basketball-wise.”

Ludington made 10 shots inside the 3-point arc and nine beyond it. Shillinger and senior Brad Mesyar (nine points) hit three 3s apiece for the Orioles.

Ludington will be headed back south on Saturday for a matinee on the road against a tough Coopersville squad (2-1). Later in the afternoon, Orchard View will be hosting neighboring rival Oakridge (2-2).

Aside from the tight games against Ludington, OV has posted blowout wins in its other three contests. Barnes is not afraid of a good test, however, such as the one posed by the Orioles Friday.

After all, that’s why the Cardinals put in all of that hard work last summer in the sun and wind, shooting on double-rims.

“Well, those moments we live for – they’re either going to make you or it’s going to break you,” he said. “I told my team when we were out there, I said, ‘This is the time. We live for these moments. We’ve got to go out here, make play after play, and we’re going to take this game home. We’re going to get this dub.’”https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2021/02/orchard-views-outdoor-basketball-workouts-in-june-pay-off-in-february.html

February 16, 2021

Manistee, MI

ORCHARD VIEW 73, MANISTEE 25 – Ke’Ontae Barnes put up a triple-double for the Cardinals with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists on the night. Larry Brewer III scored an additional 20 points against the Cardinals.

Orchard View led 20-5 after one quarter, 40-15 going into halftime, and 64-23 at the end of the third.

The Cardinals are now 4-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

LocalSportsJournal.com

Orchard View senior Ke’Ontae Barnes might possibly be the hardest working basketball player in the state of Michigan.

The 6-0 guard displayed his skills on Saturday, dropping in 40 points at home against Fremont. Barnes tallied 17 layups, almost all on fast breaks and hustle plays, and drained a pair of 3-pointers to get to 40 points. 

Barnes is featured on the cover of LocalSportsJournal.com’s high school basketball preview section hitting news stands later this week. The 36-page preview features 42 Muskegon area girls and boys varsity basketball teams.

Check out video from Barnes’ big Saturday.

https://youtu.be/dsToueypOvU

February 13, 2021

Ke’Ontae Barnes poured in 40 points to ignite Orchard View to a 92-63 victory over visiting Fremont on Saturday. The 6-foot senior all-state guard made 19 of 30 shots from the floor, including 17 of 20 inside the 3-point arc, plus he had five assists, three steals and two rebounds as the Cardinals improved to 3-0.

Meanwhile, OV junior point guard Darius Williams posted a triple-double with 14 points, 11 assists, 11 steals and seven rebounds to form an explosive 1-2 punch with Barnes.

Orchard View led 25-12 after the first quarter and 50-29 at halftime. The Cardinals made 10 3-pointers in the game.

“Our goal was to keep Ke’Ontae Barnes out of the paint, but he got in at will on drives and also in transition,” Fremont coach Peter Zerfas said. " … Bottom line is, they were able to run out in transition much better than us and also shot better from range.”

Orchard View’s JJ Tunstull finished with 15 points, five assists and four steals. Stephon Oakes had 10 points and three rebounds for the Cardinals, while Owen Swanson added six rebounds.

Braiden McDonald had his second-straight big game with 29 points and eight rebounds for Fremont (1-2), while Joshua Zerfas had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

The Cardinals, are 3-0 on the young season and will be back in action as they travel to Manistee for a Lakes 8 Conference tilt.

By Scott DeCamp | sdecamp1@mlive.com

February 11, 2021

Ke’ontae Barnes scored 25 points to lead the Cardinals to a Lakes 8 win over MCC. 

Donovan Daniels registered a double-double for OV with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while JJ Tunstull scored 12 points and Darius Williams contributed eight points and 10 assists. 

The Cardinals improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Crusaders fall to 0-2. 

February 9, 2021

ORCHARD VIEW 54, LUDINGTON 46 – Ke’ontae Barnes scored 17 points to lead the Cardinals to a Lakes 8 win on Tuesday.

The Cardinals outscored Ludington 13-7 in the first quarter and 19-16 in the second quarter to take a 32-23 lead at halftime.

OV extended the lead in the third quarter to 44-32 heading into the fourth. 

Larry Brewer III added 14 points for the Cardinals, while Jay Jay Tunstell scored nine. Darius Williams grabbed 10 rebounds. 

12/13/19

WESTERN MICHIGAN CHRISTIAN 71, ORCHARD VIEW 49- The Warrior defense was stellar in the first half, allowing just 17 Cardinal points and leading 39-17 at the break.

WMC outscored the Cardinals 22-16 during the third quarter to take 61-33 advantage heading into the final stanza.

Kellen Mitchell led the Warriors with 28 points, while Micah Terhaar and Owen Vernado added 15 and 10 points, respectively.

The Warriors improved to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in Lakes 8 play.

2/25/20

https://localsportsjournal.com/2020/02/surging-north-muskegon-beats-orchard-view-for-eighth-win-in-nine-games/

2/13/20

ORCHARD VIEW 58, MUSKEGON CATHOLIC 43 – The Cardinals led from the jump, holding a 13-9 advantage after one quarter and leading 33-22 at the half.

Orchard View outscored the Crusaders 15-8 in the third quarter. 

Ke’Ontae Barnes led Cardinal scorers with 30 points. Edmari Mitchell chipped in 11 points while Larry Brewer III added nine.

Jared Dugener paced the Crusaders with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Orchard View improved to 11-4 on the season and 6-2 in league play. The Crusaders fell to 6-8 overall and 3-5 in conference play. 

2/10/20

The Orchard View boys basketball team defeated Shelby 73-32 on Monday night behind 43 points from Ke’ontae Barnes.

Barnes shot 18-of-30 from the field including 15-of-22 from two-points range while also grabbing seven rebounds.

Darius Williams finished with 10 rebounds and 10 steals for the Cardinals.

2/5/2020

https://localsportsjournal.com/2020/02/orchard-views-keontae-barnes-shocks-fremont-with-35-foot-buzzer-beater-in-ot-thriller-2/

1/31/20

The Western Michigan Christian boys basketball team earned a Lakes 8 win, defeating Orchard View 59-53 on Friday.

The Warriors led 18-10 after the first quarter and 34-24 at halftime.

Orchard View went on a 23-13 third quarter run to tie the game 47-47 heading the final quarter, but WMC closed out the game strong with a 12-6 tear during the last stanza.

Kellen Mitchell had a team-high 27 points for the Warriors, while Owen Varnado added 16 points and six rebounds. Brandon Fles chipped in with eight points and 10 rebounds.

1-25/20

https://localsportsjournal.com/2020/01/orchard-view-boys-rally-past-ludington-52-49-move-into-a-tie-for-conference-lead/

1/18/20

ORCHARD VIEW 79, MANISTEE 34 – The Cardinals jumped out to a 14-10 lead after the first quarter and carried a 27-16 advantage into halftime. Orchard View then had an offensive surge in the third quarter, outscoring Manistee 29-11.

Ke’ontae Barnes led the Cardinals with 31 points. Larry Brewer III and Edmari Mitchell recorded 14 points each, and Darius Williams added 11. Brewer snagged 10 rebounds while Williams contributed 11 assists.

The Cardinals improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

1/10/20

https://localsportsjournal.com/2020/01/orchard-view-outlasts-muskegon-catholic-in-lakes-8-boys-basketball-contest/

1/7/20

https://localsportsjournal.com/2020/01/gavin-fisher-scores-34-points-leading-fruitport-boys-to-a-stunning-77-33-win-over-ov/

12/20/19

https://localsportsjournal.com/2019/12/keontae-barnes-has-a-big-night-in-orchard-views-62-48-victory-over-muskegon-heights/

2/28/20

LUDINGTON 49, ORCHARD VIEW 39 – The Orioles earned a big conference win over fellow conference-competitor Orchard View.

Ludington held a 26-16 lead at halftime and extended that advantage early in the third with back-to-back three-pointers.

The Cardinals made a run at Ludington in the fourth but couldn’t bring the deficit within five points.
Brayden Porter led Ludington with 16 points, followed by Peyton LaCombe with 10.

Orchard View was led by Keontae Barnes with a game-high 20 points.

Ludington is now 13-6 overall and 8-2 in conference play, while the Cardinals are 12-6 on the season and 7-3 in league action.

Congratulations to Ke'Ontae for being named Division 2 All State First Team.

Ke’Ontae Barnes, a 5-foot-11 guard, averaged 27.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2.8 steals per game for 13-8 Muskegon Orchard View. The Orchard View junior scored a school-record 49 points against Belding, adding two more 40-point games against Shelby (43 points) and Newaygo (40).

https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2020/03/meet-all-lakes-8-girls-and-boys-basketball-teams-for-2019-20.html

https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2020/03/meet-mlives-2019-20-boys-basketball-dream-team-from-muskegon.html

https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2020/04/prolific-orchard-view-scorer-joins-states-elite-on-ap-division-2-honor-squad.html