By: Dilan Yuecel, CHS
Feb 25, 2025
Friday Night’s game was filled with highlight-worthy moments, it was Jeren who delivered the most electrifying play of the night, lifting Hamilton to a thrilling 65-63 victory over the No. 1 team in the state, Unity Christian.
The atmosphere in the gym was electric as the student section was packed, eager to witness what many believed would be an impossible defeat. From the very beginning, it was evident that Hamilton was ready to battle.
“Before the game, I was very confident that we were going to beat ‘em. Them being the No. 1 seat didn’t really have an effect on my mentality going into it.”, stated senior Londin Cooper. “After the game…it was just like a surreal experience in a way, because something like that doesn’t usually happen at Hamilton.”, Cooper added.
Jeren Bronkhorst leading the game
The game opened with both teams trading baskets, each possession filled with tension and excitement. The crowd erupted as Bronkhorst made his presence known early, driving through defenders and scoring key points. Jeren was everywhere. He played almost the entire game, barely getting a second to breathe, but you wouldn’t have known it by the way he kept attacking.
“He played 30-something minutes, I bet. Didn’t come out the whole 2nd half, kept playing even though he was dead, and threw up in the locker room after the game, because he left everything out on the court. Oh and obviously he made the buzzer beater”, mentioned senior Gabe Schrotenboer.
Every time the other team tried to pull away, he had an answer- whether it was driving through traffic, hitting a clutch jumper, or finding an open teammate. You could just tell he wasn’t going to let Hamilton lose.
Thanks to Coach Kronemeyer, the team was prepared for this match-up.
“We worked in practice about playing against their type of defense, heavy ball pressure, stuff like that. And also against their type of offense.”, explained seniors Gabe Schrotenboer and Will Hickok.
“Biggest challenge was them being bigger and stronger than us, so we had to find ways to get around that, get rebounds, and play good defense.”, Gabe noted.
OVER-TIME
Last seconds of the fourth quarter, Hamilton leads Unity Christian 58/55.
With just one second left, Unity Christian threw up a desperate three-pointer, and somehow, it went in. The buzzer sounded as the ball dropped through the net.
What should have been a victory was now an overtime battle.
4+ minutes added. Hamilton eager to win this game. No one lost hope, they know they can win this game!
“We really focused on getting stops on defense, over like scoring and offense, and taking care of the time. Making sure we get a great shot over a good shot, so any slightly open shot we were trying to pass up for something we were confident in making.”, declared Gabe.
“We all had to buy in and really believe that we still had a chance to beat them. We played them close the whole game, so just being tied- it was right there.”, confirmed Londin Cooper.
With the game on the line, Jeren hit a two-point layup, the student section going crazy.
Hamilton crashed the boards, preventing Unity Christian from securing the rebound.
From there, Hamilton completely took over, locking down Unity Christian.
UC couldn’t find an open shot, their defense completely shut down in the final moments.
As the buzzer sounded, sealing Hamilton’s hard-fought victory, the student section stormed the court in celebration, mobbing the players in a wave of school spirit and excitement.