JENISON – After going without a win for two weeks, the Reeths-Puffer boys basketball team was hungry for a get-it-right game.
On Friday night, the Rockets got just that with a decisive 54-36 road victory over Jenison in an O-K Green conference matchup.
“It was a complete game,” said R-P head coach JR Wallace, whose team broke a four-game losing streak. “The guys answered the bell and took the scouting report to the floor, so that was great. Everybody was just engaged fully all the way through, and it was just a great team win.”
R-P's Drew Brooks dribbles around a defender. Photo/Tyler Lirones
The significance of the win wasn’t lost on junior Marvin Moore.
“It was disappointing to have all the losses, but we learned from it," he said. "We put it all together tonight, and it was very important. We have to know what it feels like to win and not be too down on ourselves.”
The Rockets' determination was obvious from the get-go on Friday, when they jumped out to a 16-5 lead after the opening quarter.
R-P's Marvin Moore, who scored a game-high 21 points. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Moore led the Rockets with seven points in the quarter while Drew Brooks totaled five and Brayden Mitchelson added four.
The second quarter was a lot more even, with Reeths-Puffer outscoring Jenison 11-10 to take a 27-15 halftime lead.
Moore had five additional points in the second quarter while junior Kristian Brown added four.
The Rockets opened up the game in the third quarter, forcing six turnovers and converting them into easy layups. R-P outscored the Wildcats 23-9 in the third and led 50-24 heading into the fourth.
Moore tries to shake a defender. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Moore totaled nine points in the third while Mitchelson scored seven and Brooks had four.
“The challenge was to try and play our first 32-minute game,” Coach Wallace said about the third quarter explosion. “We wanted to compete from start to finish. So we got into halftime and said, okay, that was 16 minutes. Are you guys full and satisfied? But they answered the bell and turned it up, so it was a good deal.”
The Rockets were able to go deep in their bench in the final quarter while cruising to victory, despite being outscored 12-4.
R-P's Brayden Mitchelson launches a jump shot. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Moore led all scorers with 21 points while Mitchelson totaled 13 and Brooks finished with 11.
The Rockets are now 6-14 overall, and in fourth place of the O-K Green with a 4-5 mark.
Reeths-Puffer will return to action on Tuesday at Forest Hills Eastern to begin the last week of regular season games.