MUSKEGON TWP. - Tis the season for giving, but the Reeths-Puffer boys basketball team got a little carried away with it on Friday night.
The Rockets, who came into their first home game of the season with a perfect 3-0 record, struggled to take care of the ball against a very good Hudsonville squad.
R-P committed 16 turnovers – some of them forced by a tough Hudsonville press, some of them sloppy and unforced – and suffered their first loss, 64-52.
Besides the turnover troubles, the Rockets had a sketchy shooting night, making 18 of 48 shots from the floor, including only three in the second quarter and two in the fourth.
While R-P was missing shots, just about everything Hudsonville threw up seemed to go in, particularly at key points of the game. The Eagles had seven three-pointers and collected their share of easy points following Rocket turnovers.
R-P's Travis Ambrose dunks home two points. Photo/Joe Lane
Hudsonville shot over 50 percent, making 29 of 53 from the floor.
Overall it seemed like a good early-season lesson for the very talented Rockets – there are a lot of good opponents on their schedule, and they won’t always be able to pull out tight wins.
The Rockets won each of their first three games by less than 10 points, then ran out of luck against a Hudsonville squad that takes advantage of its opportunities.
“They are really good,” R-P Coach Nate Aardema said about Hudsonville. “I don’t know how many threes they made, but it was a lot. It seemed like every time we made a mistake they capitalized, which is what good teams do. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap and say ‘Great game.’
“I thought we had a lot of positives. We were going bucket for bucket and stop for stop with them for quite a while, then there was that little stretch toward the end of the third when we turned it over a few times and they capitalized.”
RP's JT Fansler tries to find a pass while surrounded by opponents. Photo/Joe Lane
The Rockets got off to a good start, jumping out to an early 7-3 lead following a triple by Jaxson Whitaker.
But Hudsonville suddenly came to life, outscoring R-P 15-9 through the rest of the quarter to take an 18-16 lead at the first buzzer.
The second quarter was slow for both offenses, with the Eagles outscoring the Rockets 10-8 and going into halftime with a 28-24 edge.
R-P was strong in the first five minutes of the second half with a 13-7 run to take their first lead since the first quarter, 36-35 with 3:08 remaining.
Hudsonville answered with a triple to take a 38-36 lead, then R-P hit a free throw to tie the score at 38-38.
R-P's Jaxson Whitaker drives toward the basket. Photo/Joe Lane
But the game started getting away in the final two minutes of the third when the Eagles went on a 9-3 run and took a 48-41 lead in the fourth.
R-P lost the momentum right after tying the game. Hudsonville hit a three-pointer, then had two straight steals and layups, to pull ahead for good.
Hudsonville threw a very effective full court press at R-P in the third quarter, and it made all the difference.
“We just kind of lost our composure,” Aardema said. “Ninety seconds can really swing a game, and that’s what it was. I think we turned it over three or four times (in the final minutes of the third)."
R-P's Brayden Mitchelson (24) takes a jump shot. Photo/Joe Lane
The Eagles closed out the win with a 14-11 edge in the final quarter. They hit all six of their shots from the floor in the final eight minutes, while the Rockets went 2 for 12.
Travis Ambrose led R-P with 20 points and seven rebounds while Jaxson Whitaker totaled 19 points, including four three-pointers.
Brayden Szamrej led Hudsonville with 19 points and Breylan McPhaul added 17.
Reeths-Puffer will return to action on Dec. 23 against Grand Rapids Covenant Christan at Cornerstone University.
