MUSKEGON TWP. - Reeths-Puffer boys basketball coach JR Wallace likes to refer to games that are not victories as "lessons" instead of "losses."
So what lessons did the Rockets learn on Saturday afternoon?
That they have to keep playing hard and smart, even when they have a seemingly comfortable lead at halftime.
The rapidly-improving Rockets, coming off a big Friday night conference win over Caledonia, had a big second quarter and led a very good Traverse City West team by 11 points at the break.
But TC West, which came into the contest with a 6-1 record, battled back hard in the final two quarters, lit up the scoreboard with successful free throws, and rallied to hand Reeths-Puffer a 68-63 loss in a non-conference matchup at Dan Beckeman Arena.
R-P's Zayden Schneider takes a shot. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The Titans sealed the victory by driving to the hoop a lot in the second half, drawing a bunch of fouls, and converting 17 of 19 free throws.
The loss ended R-P's two-game winning streak.
The Rockets, now 2-5 on the season, will host Whitehall on Tuesday night in a non-conference game.
"The lesson is making sure we are tuned in for when we have a lead," Coach Wallace said. "We haven't had that very much this year. We have to learn how to play with the lead.
"We've had some two or three point leads, but we haven't had a double-digit lead going into halftime. We may have been thinking, we're up and we have a little bit of a cushion, but there are no cushions in basketball."
R-P's Brayden Mitchelson (24), who scored 27 points. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Overall Saturday's game has to be considered another step forward for Reeths-Puffer, which started the season with an 0-4 record, with 12- and 28-point losses in its first two games.
After falling behind 7-0 in the first 90 seconds, the Rockets started playing some pretty great basketball for the rest of the first half.
Senior Brayden Mitchelson scored 11 first-quarter points, including two triples, and R-P only trailed 15-14 at the first buzzer.
Reeths-Puffer exploded in the second quarter, outscoring the Titans 24-12 and taking an impressive 38-27 halftime lead.
The Rockets opened the quarter with a 16-4 run in the first five minutes, with several different players contributing points.
R-P's Marvin Moore (2), who scored 21 points. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Mitchelson and Marvin Moore each scored eight points in the second, Drew Brooks added five and Kristian Brown nailed a three.
R-P did a great job on the offensive boards in the first half, scoring eight points on putbacks.
The trouble came in the third quarter, when the Titans opened with a 9-3 run, outscored the Rockets 15-10 and cut R-P's lead to 48-42 heading into the fourth.
TC West really turned it on in the fourth quarter, outscoring R-P 26-15 to steal the win.
The Titans made 14 of 15 free throws in the fourth, which basically made the difference in the game. Senior guard Caden Stoops had two triples and was 8-for-8 from the line in the final quarter for 14 points. He finished with a team high 21 points.
The Rockets still led 58-56 with two minutes left in the game, following a driving layup by Moore, but TC had a 12-5 advantage the rest of the way.
R-P's Drew Brooks tries to keep his balance while chasing the ball. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Stoops had a triple and six free throws down the stretch, while Winslow Robinson and Lincoln Lockhart each added a pair of free throws.
"In the second half they became the aggressor, getting the 50/50 balls, getting those loose possessions and getting to the line, and we let a few opportunities slip away," Wallace said.
Mitchelson finished with 27 points for the Rockets, Moore added 21 and Brooks scored eight points.
Mitchelson totaled seven rebounds while Brooks and Elliot Scheider each snagged six.
Brooks have five assists while Moore added four. 