Catholic Central headed to The Breslin thanks to Larthridge’s hot shooting
Grand Rapids Catholic Central junior Zay Larthridge dunks on the first play of the game. The Cougars beat Marshall 59-43 in a state quarterfinal game at Hamilton on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
HAMILTON, Mich. - A year ago in the state quarterfinals, Zay Larthridge sat on the bench in his warmups, unable to play because he was sick.
But this year, he made up for it.
Larthridge, a junior, finished with 19 points as Grand Rapids Catholic Central beat Marshall 59-43 on Tuesday night in a Division 2 state quarterfinal game at Hamilton.
“Last year, I think I could have made a difference,” Larthridge said. “It was hard watching my boys play well without me. This year, I wanted to get back. I had to go out there and ball.”
Now the Cougars (21-7) are headed to The Breslin Center to take on Warren Lincoln in the state semifinals on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lincoln (21-4) is the reigning Division 2 state champions.
“It’s crazy,” Larthridge said. “Before the season, I didn’t think It was going to happen. I was thinking ‘my senior year is when we’re gonna go.’ But now I’m planning on going back-to-back.”
On the very first play of Tuesday’s game, the junior dunked to get his team off on the right foot.
“That felt good,” Larthridge said. “We actually ran that play three times in the playoffs and it worked every time. So we went back to it. It helps us get started.”
Catholic Central led 36-20 at halftime. Marshall would rally to get as close as eight points.
Larthridge drained four 3-pointers - all in the first half.
“It felt good because my shot had been off a little bit during conference,” he said. “In the playoffs, I’ve been shooting good.”
Jack Bowen, a 6-foot-6 senior center, was all over the boards. He finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Cougars.
“He’s one of my favorite teammates that I’ve ever had,” Larthridge said. “He’s a good player. He can pretty much do it all.”
Brieland Watkins was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and finished with 13 points and Jordan McCoy had 11. For Marshall (20-7), Austin Miller drained six 3-pointers for 22 points and Austin Burns had 12.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central senior Jack Bowen is guarded by Marshall’s Lincoln Fuller. The Cougars beat Marshall 59-43 in a state quarterfinal game at Hamilton on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
Grand Rapids Catholic Central junior Brieland Watkins drives to the basket in the first quarter. The Cougars beat Marshall 59-43 in a state quarterfinal game at Hamilton on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
