Big men Ouwinga, Regnerus ‘canceled each other out’ in non-conference matchup

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Its rare when two of the best big men in West Michigan face off in the regular season.

Grand Rapids Christian’s Jaylan Ouwinga and Grandville’s Cam Regnerus faced off in a non-conference game on Tuesday. 

But neither player really stood out. In fact, they kind of cancelled each other out.

“They competed,” Christian coach Eric Taylor said. “You’re seeing two of the best bigs in the state. I think Cam is awesome. He’s got great footwork and a great shot blocker. He protects the paint. Same with Jaylan. They both bring a lot of the same dimensions.”

Ouwinga had 11 points and 9 rebounds and Regnerus had 9 points and 10 rebounds. Christian won 48-42 to improve to 12-1. Grandville falls to 11-5. 

“He’s a good player,” Regnerus said of Ouwinga, who he has faced in scrimmages. “I knew it was going to be a good battle going into the game. So it’s always exciting.”

The 6-foot-8 Ouwinga will be playing at the University of Toledo next fall and 6-foot-7 Regnerus will play at Grand Valley State.

“Jay missed a couple (field goals) early and he kind of shied away in the second half from being aggressive,” Taylor said. “We did try to get the ball down there (into Ouwinga), but they made it hard on each other. For me, they both battled and both rebounded, which you need to win. At the end of the day, though, we were able to make a play or two down the stretch.”

“But I think they canceled each other out,” Taylor said.

Regnerus saw it the same way.

“I agree,” said Regnerus, who also had five blocked shots. “I could have been more aggressive and shot more. I’m kinda mad at myself for that.”