Ryan Majerle (4) looks for room against Nate VanArendonk | Louis Murray, Murray Sports Photography
Trailing by three points with under five seconds remaining, an entire court length between them and the basket, Grand Haven looked as though rival Rockford had them on the ropes. And then something crazy happened.
After a deep inbounds pass that got the ball to half court with 2.7 seconds remaining, a tipped inbounds pass gave Grand Haven the ball with 2.4 seconds remaining underneath their basket, right in front of their crazed student section. Junior guard Adam Poel inbounded the ball to sophomore Alex Eidson, who drifted into the corner and knocked down the game tying three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, sending the game into overtime.
Grand Haven's Jake Carter drives the ball | Louis Murray, Murray Sports Photography
“Alex got me the ball with a nice pass, and it went in,” Eidson said. “I was supposed to go into the block, but the defense left me so I drifted into the corner, and I was open.”
Instead of trying to draw something up during his final time out, Grand Haven Head coach Steve Hewitt instead called a play already in the playbook, and it worked to perfection.
“We had a couple of different options there,” Hewitt said. “Everyone went toward the person coming off of the screen, and Alex (Eidson) was the screener and that left him wide open.”
In overtime, it was all Buccaneers. Grand Haven went on an 11-0 run before Rockford hit a late three-pointer, but the damage was done — Grand Haven won, 67-59. Senior forward Nate VanArendonk provided the exclamation point, throwing down a two handed breakaway dunk and bringing the Buccaneer crowd to its feet. Towering over Rockford defenders, VanArendonk had a solid game totaling 20-points and 7-boards. Although he was only credited with two blocked shots, he altered many more as Rockford often looked reluctant to drive the ball inside.
Game play was characterized by a distinct contrast in styles. Grand Haven pounded the ball inside with VanArendonk and senior forward Noah Veach, the duo displaying quick feet and toughness as they took the ball to the rack. Veach regularly battled amongst multiple defenders and still often came out of the fray with a foul call or a bucket.
Rockford, on the other hand, blazed the nets from the outside the entire contest, shooting a stunning 12-of-23, or 52.2%, from behind the arc. Rockford shooters were aggressive, yet they remained patient enough to get good shots from behind the arc, regularly swinging the ball around the floor to find lapses in the defense.
Rockford was paced by Junior guard Ryan Majerle who totaled 15-points, 3-assists, and 2-steals. Senior forward Matthew Karamol also played a solid game on both ends of the floor, displaying toughness and emotion banging inside against the taller Buccaneers on both ends of the floor.
Similar to previous contests, the Bucs had issues with Rockford’s full court pressure, although they seemed to improve as the game progressed. Senior guards Ryan Darby and Stephen May led a tenacious Rockford defense that caused many near 10-second calls or turnovers.
Keep up with the latest action and analysis by becoming a WMA fan on Facebook, or join the conversation by following WMA on Twitter. Heck, even start your own topic over at Allstars Among Us.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] Haven — Hung in there and lost to Muskegon Heights, but OT win over Rockford keeps them in the [...]
[...] this is for the O-K Red Championship. Considering the level of contest that took place the last time these teams met during the relative beginning of the season, with this much riding on the line it is safe to say [...]
[...] the entire year, the two teams have been battling among Class-A’s elite teams, including each other. Twice. With one win each, this regional championship is a rubber match. It simply doesn’t [...]