Sophomore plays big role in offense for GR Catholic Central

Catholic Central sophomore Zay Larthridge competes against South Christian on Friday, Jan. 5, 2023. He drained four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Zay Larthridge doesn’t hesitate to shoot when he’s got the ball behind the 3-point arc. The Grand Rapids Catholic Central sophomore is becoming one of the better shooters in the area.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder drained four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points in a 57-54 win over South Christian on Jan. 5. 

“It was great. It was a big crowd,” Larthridge said. “There was like 2,000 people here. You feel like the man if you hit a shot because it’s so hype in here.”

Just about every bucket was off a pass from teammate Durral Brooks, who finished with 21 points and nine assists.  

“He’s the best point guard in the state,” Larthridge said. “So he’ll find you if you’re open. He knows I’m a shooter and I’ll hit it. That’s how we win games.”

Brooks loves how Larthridge is coming up clutch.

“I think he was MVP of this game, to be honest,” Brooks said on Friday. “He kept us in big moments. When (South) would hit a three, we’d come down and he’d hit a clutch one for us. I think he did really good, especially since he’s a sophomore and playing in big environments.”

Catholic Central (2-3) has had a rough start to the season record-wise. But that’s because it plays such a difficult schedule. The Cougars lost to Northview at the buzzer, lost to Davison by one point and then lost to top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian 69-50.

“It feels good, especially coming off a three-game losing streak,” Brooks said of beating South Christian. “Other than the Grand Rapids Christian game, we lost the other games by one or two possessions. So we know we are capable of beating good teams.”

Brooks, who has signed to play at the University of Michigan, is averaging 26 points per game for the Cougars, Larthridge 14 and Carter Meerman 10. 

Catholic Central’s Durral Brooks scored 21 points against South Christian on Friday, Jan. 5, 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).