The Cardinals and Tigers squared off in Grant on Friday night in a battle of two of the best teams in West Michigan. While Big Rapids came in as winners of three-straight, Grant's high-powered scoring and defensive playmaking was too much for the Cardinals.

Grant came out firing in the first four minutes of the game, leading 11-2 behind some key triples and steals defensively. The Cardinals would cut into the Tiger lead, making it 17-13 at the end of the first, but Grant would extend their lead 29-21 at the half behind some crucial buckets from Sincere Hatch.

The Cardinal offense would get some key production from Liam McLaughlin in the second half, but struggles outside the arc and pestering defense from the Tigers on Cole Haist and Gabe Njenga would hold Big Rapids to their lowest scoring output since the Cedar Springs game on Dec. 17. Grant would follow their offensive memo, hitting many shots from 3-point range to secure a 61-47 home win. 

Unofficially, Cole Haist led Cardinal scores with 14 points, followed by Gielczyk with 11 and McLaughlin totaling 10. Njenga added four points and seven rebounds, while Haist and Gielczyk added four assists apiece. Grant was led in scoring by Hatch and Ethan DeLong with 13 each.

The Tigers move to 10-0 on the season with the win, while Big Rapids falls to 9-3. The Cardinals will travel to Morley Stanwood to face the Mohawks on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 7:00 P.M. Big Rapids will face Grant again in the regular season finale on Feb. 21 at home.

For full radio broadcast information, visit WBRN.com for the weekly game schedule and pre-game start times.