MUSKEGON TWP. - With the majority of his roster comprised of ninth- and tenth-graders, Reeths-Puffer girls basketball coach Rodney Walker wasn’t sure what to expect when the Rockets opened their season on Tuesday night.
What he discovered wasn’t altogether bad, even though R-P fell to Zeeland East 41-29 in a game that was close until the fourth quarter.
He learned that a lot of the youngest players on the team can keep up in a varsity game, and even perform well at times.
R-P’s two leading scorers were freshman Raquel Walker with nine points and sophomore Grace Tindall with eight.
R-P's Raquel Walker goes in for a layup. Photo/Joe Lane
Sophomore Ashlyn David was the leading rebounder with nine while Walker had six.
The coach learned his team could play tough defense and force a lot of turnovers. Zeeland East finished with 13 on the night, many of them due to the Rockets’ aggressiveness.
Walker also learned that the girls can rebound, particularly on the defensive boards, keeping opponents from getting more than one shot.
The biggest problem was on the offensive end, particularly after the first quarter. The Rockets led 14-10 heading into the second, but started turning the ball over themselves and missing a lot of shots throughout the rest of the contest.
R-P's Savannah Lockwood looks for a pass. Photo/Joe Lane
R-P only scored three points in the second quarter, seven in the third and five in the fourth.
“The first two quarters we looked really good and poised, then in the third quarter we got away from that a little bit, just rushing a lot, not being comfortable and not taking the right shots,” Coach Walker said.
All-in-all, however, Walker was not displeased with his team's performance.
“I think we’re going to be all right,” he said. “I was just telling them, you don’t lose, you learn. We don’t necessarily have team chemistry yet. By midseason we will have a lot of chemistry. We’re still trying to figure that out. Once we do that we will be able to take off.”
R-P's Trinity Moore works her way toward the basket. Photo/Joe Lane
Reeths-Puffer almost looked like a seasoned team in the first quarter.
After falling behind 8-3, the Rockets went on an 11-0 run to take a 14-8 lead and had a 14-10 edge at the first buzzer.
Tindall had five points in the quarter, including a triple; Savannah Lockwood hit a 3-pointer and Walker scored four points.
Both offenses were quiet in the second quarter, with Zeeland East outscoring the Rockets 7-3, leaving the score tied 14-14 at halftime.
Walker gets a shot off over a defender. Photo/Joe Lane
Zeeland East had an 11-7 edge in the third quarter and led 28-24 heading into the fourth, then sealed the victory with a 13-5 advantage in the final quarter.
Senior Mirra Fenlon helped the Chix seal the win with eight points in the fourth, including two triples. She finished with a game-high 17 points.
“I think it was about the nervousness, the unknown, but now they know,” Walker said. “Like I just told the girls, welcome to Division 1 basketball. It’s not going to get easier, it’s going to get tougher.
“But again, once that confidence comes, and this group learns how to be disciplined with our offensive sets and confident in what we want to do defensively, that’s when we will be able to come together.”