The Reeths-Puffer boys basketball team got off to a bit of a slow start on Monday night, which proved costly in the end.
The Rockets were outscored 14-8 in the first quarter, then went on to lose a 59-57 nail-biter to Godwin Heights in the first night of the Cornerstone University Holiday Tournament in Grand Rapids.
R-P had a better second quarter, outscoring Godwin Heights 18-14 and trailing 28-26 at halftime.
Godwin Heights led 46-42 after three quarters, then the Rockets took their first lead with about two minutes to go in the fourth.
R-P's Travis Ambrose, who scored 20 points in Monday's loss
Godwin Heights’ Jakhary Towns quickly hit a three-pointer to put his team back on top, and had three triples in the final eight minutes to help seal the victory.
R-P trailed by three points with 20 seconds left, but an attempted triple missed the mark. Godwin Heights added a few free throws before the Rockets converted a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the final margin two points.
Travis Ambrose, who recently returned to the R-P lineup following an injury, led the Rockets with 20 points, including eight in both the second and fourth quarters.
Jaxson Whitaker added 16 points for Reeths-Puffer while Kyle Schlaff finished with nine.
Towns scored a game-high 30 points.
The Rockets, now 1-2 on the season, will play East Grand Rapids on Wednesday night in the final game of the tournament.