MUSKEGON – If things go as planned, Monday night will just be a hiccup in what could become a very bright future for the Reeths-Puffer girls basketball team.
The Rockets kept the game close, but fell 52-45 to Mona Shores in the opening round of Division 1 district tournament play at Muskegon High School.
The Rockets' roster featured five seniors, no juniors, and 10 sophomores and freshmen, with the youngest girls getting a lot of playing time.
The youthfui Rockets finished the season with a 5-17 record.
R-P's Chloe Brainard drives toward the basket. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“We’ve talked about chemistry all season,” said R-P head coach Rodney Walker. “I felt like you could kind of see the chemistry coming together tonight. We just have to learn how to finish games and how to win. That was the one thing I saw tonight. We just have to learn how to win.”
One area of inexperience that showed up on Monday was the inability to capitalize and sustain a run.
On multiple occasions in the third quarter, Reeths-Puffer went on a 4-0 run and seemed ready to pull away from Mona Shores.
However, the Rockets gave up three-pointers to the Sailors each time, halting their momentum.
R-P's Raquel Walker goes high for a layup. Photo/Jeremy Clark
“It was a killer,” Walker said about the consistent Sailor response to Rocket runs. “I thought we’d dig in and control the tempo, actually. But just every time we got a little spread, they’d hit a three and close the gap. They were disciplined on offense and able to get those shots.”
It seemed obvious from the tip on Monday that the game was going to be competitive.
After one quarter of play, Mona Shores held a 15-13 lead despite Ashlyn David providing a strong nine-point burst for R-P.
A corner three-pointer from Grace Tindall as the halftime buzzer sounded sent the two teams to the locker room tied 27-27.
David totaled five points in the second quarter while Savannah Lockwood chipped in three for the Rockets.
R-P's Ashlyn David takes a shot in heavy traffic. Photo/Jeremy Clark
In the third quarter, Reeths-Puffer opened up leads of 31-27 and 35-30, but ended up trailing 42-41 heading into the fourth.
David had six third quarter points while Raquel Walker added five.
Mona Shores jumped out to a 46-41 lead with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter and never looked back. The Sailors now advance to play Cedar Springs on Wednesday in the district semifinals at Muskegon.
David led the Rockets with 21 points while Walker totaled 13. Mona Shores was led by Logan Clausen with 22 points.
R-P senior Savannah Lockwood, competing in her final game. Photo/Jeremy Clark
After the game, Walker expressed his gratitude for the five seniors who will move on from the program.
“They showed up every day and didn’t complain," the coach said. "They went hard and pushed through. They were a voice of leadership and did a really great job of leading. I learned a lot from them and what toughness looks like.”
Walker is hopeful to see buy-in from the rest of his squad in the offseason, so the young team will continue to work toward its potential.
“We’re going to put together a schedule, and if they buy into the schedule, I can see the makeup of the team being very special," Walker said. "That was one of the things we talked about in the locker room, and the seniors stepped up and used their voice to tell the girls they need to continue working.”