MUSKEGON TWP – The players on the Reeths-Puffer girls basketball team could have licked their wounds and accepted another ugly loss on Wednesday night.
Last Friday, after all, they lost 57-15 to Holland West Ottawa, the type of defeat that can knock the fight right out of a team.
Instead, the Rockets responded by playing hard against an undefeated East Kentwood squad and made a game out of it.
They lost 60-49, but it was a huge step in the right direction for an inexperienced team trying to find its footing.
R-P's Megan Barmes attempts a three-pointer. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“I’m really proud of where we’re at right now,” said R-P head coach Rodney Walker. “As far as our last game versus this game, I was pretty pleased with our competitiveness.”
While a loss is never ideal, Walker admitted the night provided a moral victory when it was needed.
“The girls showed me a lot tonight,” the coach said. “I’m big on our bench cheering and I like what I saw with it. The girls on the court never quit either.
R-P''s Irelyn Niklasch shoots over an opponent. Photo/Tyler Lirones
“For the most part, I’m really happy with how we’re progressing, and I feel by midseason we’ll be in good shape. I’m not big on moral victories, but considering who EK is, and the fact that we competed with them, I thought we did well.”
R-P, now 0-4 on the season, will next take the court on Saturday at Aquinas College against Holt.
“I think a big part is finding our identity,” Walker said about his squad, which only has three seniors. “We’ve got to find who we are and what we want to be as a team.”
The inexperience showed in the first quarter on Wednesday when the Rockets turned the ball over 11 times and found themselves trailing 16-10 at the first break.
Reeths-Puffer took care of the ball slightly better in the second quarter, turning it over nine times, but that was helpful enough to cut the deficit to 30-26 at halftime.
R-P's Brooklynn Tornes goes in for a layup. Photo/Tyler Lirones
R-P’s BrooklynnTornes had nine points in the second quarter and 13 in the first half.
East Kentwood took command in the third quarter, taking a 52-39 lead into the final eight minutes.
Megan Barmes and Ashlyn David each had three points to lead R-P in the third.
After falling behind 58-41, Reeths-Puffer closed the game on an 8-2 run to ultimately make the final score 60-49.
Reeths-Puffer finished with 35 turnovers on the night, but forced many of East Kentwood’s 25 turnovers.
Tornes finished with 21 points on the night while Irelyn Niklasch added 11 for the Rockets.
Tornes tries to get a shot off over an opponent. Photo/Tyler Lirones
