MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - The good news is that the Reeths-Puffer boys basketball team can play great defense, which really comes in handy when the offense is not clicking.
The Rockets used that defense to fight their way back into a key O-K Green conference matchup at home against a very good Zeeland West squad on Friday night.
R-P overcame a 12-point deficit after three quarters to force overtime, then nearly overcame a five-point deficit in the extra period.
But in the end it wasn’t quite enough and Reeths-Puffer dropped a 47-44 thriller to the Dux.
The Rockets fell to 5-5 overall on the season and 2-3 in conference play. Zeeland West improved to 9-2 and 4-1.
R-P's Jaxson Whitaker lets a shot fly from three-point range. Photo/Joe Lane
“We’ve been kind of scuffling on that end the last few games,” said R-P Coach Nate Aardema about his team’s offense. “It’s been a while since we have hit the 60-point mark. We are looking for the first opportunity to score rather than the best opportunity. It’s hard to be patient. I find myself getting antsy, and I know they are as well.
“We just have to practice (patience) and emphasize it and we’ll get better.”
The Rockets came out cold on offense from the start, hitting only 3 of 11 shots in the first quarter. Zeeland West was not much better, and the Dux only had an 8-6 lead headed into the second.
Zeeland West had a 14-10 advantage in the second quarter and led 22-18 at halftime, after Trenten Bolhouse nailed a triple at the buzzer.
The Rockets had a very tough third quarter, making only 2 of 9 shots from the floor, and Zeeland West took advantage, outscoring R-P 13-5 to take a 35-23 lead into the fourth.
R-P's Travis Ambrose grabs a loose ball. Photo/Joe Lane
The Dux again got a buzzer-beating triple from Bolhouse to put a cap on their big third quarter.
Reeths-Puffer battled its way back into the game in the fourth quarter with a tough pressure defense that threw the Dux out of their game and forced seven Zeeland West turnovers.
The Rockets started the fourth with a 14-2 run to tie the score 37-37 with 1:17 left in regulation.
R-P got a big boost down the stretch from Kyle Schlaff, who hit two buckets and three free throws within about 3 ½ minutes, including an amazing single-handed shot that tied the game up.
The Rockets gained a hopeful edge when Jaxson Whitaker nailed a triple with 55 seconds remaining to give his team a 40-37 lead, but Bolhouse answered with yet another three-pointer with 31 seconds left, sending the game to overtime.
Ambrose and a Zeeland West player battle for the ball. Photo/Joe Lane
Zeeland West opened the extra quarter with a layup by Myles Steffen and a triple from Deklen Klamt to take a 45-40 lead.
Then the Rockets clamped down on defense again, forced a pair of turnovers and got two layups from Whitaker to pull within one point.
The game got away from the Rockets when they missed two shots down the stretch, then fouled a Zeeland West player with three seconds left on the clock.
The Dux made a long pass on their final inbound to a streaking Klamt, who put in a layup at the buzzer for the final points.
“Two more baskets and we’re celebrating like crazy,” Aardema said. “It’s never as good as it seems, and never as bad as it seems. I feel terrible right now but there’s a lot we should be proud of in terms of our effort.”
Whitaker finished with 15 points for R-P, Travis Ambrose added 14 and Schlaff kicked in nine points.
Bolhouse had 11 points and Steffen added 10 for Zeeland West.
