GRAND RAPIDS – The Reeths-Puffer boys basketball players gave themselves and their coach a very welcome Christmas gift on Friday:
Their first victory of the season, following four tough losses, and the first career win for new head coach JR Wallace.
The Rockets led for most of the game and built an eight-point lead after three quarters, then hung on down the stretch to post an exciting 60-59 victory over Sparta at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids.
R-P had been inching closer to victory over the past week – pushing Grand Haven to overtime last Friday, and overcoming a huge deficit to make Tuesday’s game against Traverse City Central close – but finally getting it done took a big team effort.
R-P Coach JR Wallace instructs Marvin Moore. Photo/John Willoughby
“It got heavier,” Wallace said about the pressure of getting the first win. “It gets heavier when you get close, but you don’t get it.”
The victory illustrated real growth for the Rockets, a team that has struggled to finish out games while starting the year 0-4.
“It wasn’t a foreign place for us, being in a close game, but it was really good for us tonight, whether it was free throws or just executing,” Wallace said. “All those things we’ve kind of fumbled, but today we knocked down some stuff. We crossed the finish line successfully, so it gives us a shot in the arm going forward.”
While Reeths-Puffer held on for the win, things got shaky to begin the fourth quarter against Sparta.
R-P's Brayden Mitchelson powers toward the basket. Photo/John Willoughby
The Rockets led 46-38 after three quarters, but that advantage shrunk to 46-45 just 1:27 into the fourth, prompting Wallace to call a time out to settle his team down.
With just 1:21 remaining, R-P had a 53-51 lead and Sparta had possession, looking to tie the game or take the lead.
But R-P’s Kristian Brown came up with a huge play, stealing the ball in the backcourt and knocking down a short floater to extend the lead to 55-51.
Brayden Mitchelson then went 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 39 seconds to secure the margin of victory.
R-P's Kristian Brown guards a Spartan. Photo/John Willoughby
Sparta still had a chance to tie the score with seven seconds left, but a three-point attempt fell well short. A putback after the rebound found the mark, but it left the Spartans one point shy as time ran out.
“I’ve shot free throws well this year,” Mitchelson said. “I just wanted to go out there and knock them down. It was huge for us to win.”
Junior Marvin Moore scored seven points in the first quarter, helping the Rockets take a 17-13 lead into the second.
Sparta outscored Reeths-Puffer 14-12 in the second quarter, cutting R-P’s advantage to 29-27 at halftime.
Moore dribbles past an opponent. Photo/John Willoughby
R-P ran into a worrisome situation in the third quarter, when Moore drew his third foul and had to sit for a while.
But the Rockets still managed to end the quarter with a strong 6-1 run to make the score 46-38 headed into the fourth.
“I’m so excited to watch that on film,” Wallace said about his team finishing the quarter strong without their standout point guard. “It’ll be huge for the guys to see that the stuff we’re working on and talking about is transferring over. It will be huge and hopefully good for Marvin to know his guys got his back.”
Sparta had a 21-14 advantage in the fourth quarter, but R-P stood firm in the end to claim the one-point win.
Coach Wallace signals instructions from the bench. Photo/John Willoughby
Mitchelson led the Rockets with 18 points while Moore finished with 14 and Elliot Schneider chipped in 10.
The Rockets, now 1-4, will next take the court on Jan. 3 when they host Caledonia. Wallace is hoping his team can maintain the momentum in the new year, despite the long layoff.
“We’ll cut up the film and share it with them,” the coach said. “We’ll send them cool reminders of where we’re growing and where we’re going. We’ll stay in their heads and ears to remind them of where we’re going.”