Hudsonville has been a good defensive team all season and that was on display Wednesday in the division one state semifinal as the Eagles handed Midland Down its first loss of the season, 49-37.
Hudsonville held the Chargers to just 26% shooting for the game.
"These kids are just so resilient to play back-to-back-to-back you are just playing all these games and the pressure that is on you," head coach Casey Glass said. "I thought that (defense) was a key for us tonight and we knew that going in. They handled pressure well but we I thought stepped up in our game and turned up our defensive pressure."
Sophomore Maddie Petroelje led the Eagles with 15 points, Alaina Diaz added 8.
"We have played some tough non-conference games and tested ourselves against good teams," junior Jaci Tubergen, who scored 7 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, said. "I feel like we deserve to be here and we have worked our butts off this season."
Hudsonville advances to play Detroit Renaissance in the division one state championship on Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the Breslin Center.
"We are real excited," Petroejle said. "It is the first trip to the state championship in program history so I think we are all looking forward to it and we have earned the opportunity to be able to go and play on Friday."
