MUSKEGON TWP. – The holiday season may be over, but Reeths-Puffer senior Travis Ambrose is obviously still in the mood to entertain.
The big guy put on quite a show on Friday, amassing 32 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Rockets to a 69-53 victory over Mona Shores in their O-K Green conference opener on their home court.
Reeths-Puffer, now 7-1 overall on the season, will travel to Holland for another conference game on Tuesday.
Travis Ambrose slams home two points for the Rockets/ Photo/Joe Lane
“He was pretty incredible,” said R-P head coach Nate Aardema after witnessing Ambrose’s performance. “He was the difference maker for sure. Just his energy, his focus and determination were phenomenal tonight.”
Ambrose, who reached his 1,000th career point last week, got going from the jump, scoring nine first quarter points, which helped the Rockets take a 17-16 lead after eight minutes.
He slowed down a bit in the second quarter, netting just three points, but the Rockets extended their lead to 32-24 at halftime.
R-P's Antrel Jones glides in for a basket between two Sailor defenders. Photo/Joe Lane
Ambrose was again dominant in the third quarter, netting 11 points, including two power dunks that fans won’t soon forget.
Reeths-Puffer held a 53-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Ambrose netted nine points down the stretch, and Mona Shores never got closer than six points in the final quarter.
R-P's Marvin Moore goes in for a layup. Photo/Joe Lane
“It was pretty fun,” said Ambrose about his big night, which was capped off with multiple blocks in the fourth quarter. “My teammates got me involved and I couldn’t have asked for a better night. I was having a blast and I enjoyed basketball tonight.”
While the Rockets were happy with their victory, they did commit 18 turnovers, something they hope to clean up as they get further into the challenging conference season.
“Nobody wants to turn the ball over,” Aardema said. “It’s something that we have to work on. We have guys who can handle the ball. It’s a huge benefit that we have someone like Antrel Jones, who is our four, and he’s as good of a passer as anyone we have.”
Senior Jaxson Whitaker finished the night with 17 points for the Rockets while sophomore Marvin Moore added eight.
Jonathan Pittman led the Sailors with 19 points.
