MUSKEGON TWP. – Maybe the Reeths-Puffer girls basketball team just needed the holiday break to regroup, but whatever the reason, the Rockets have been focused and winning this week.
On Friday, they defeated rival Mona Shores 38-33 in overtime at home in their O-K Green conference opener.
The victory was the second straight for Reeths-Puffer, which started the season with five straight losses.
“We’ve been really prepared,” said R-P head coach Rodney Walker about the back-to-back wins after defeating Jenison on Tuesday and Mona Shores on Friday. “After our win against Jenison, we’ve had some really good practices coming up to this game.
R-P's Megan Barmes (2) and Ashlyn David (33) double-team a Sailor. Photo/Joe Lane
"The girls seemed to really want it bad, and I thought we did a great job of playing with a lot of intensity.”
Part of what helped the Rockets take down the Sailors was a stiff defense that forced 21 turnovers and allowed under a point per minute of play.
“We tried to switch it up,” said Walker about the defensive effort. “We threw some junk defenses at them, and they started picking it up before halftime. But we just had to adjust after halftime.”
The Rockets are hopeful that the winning streak will continue and that the good vibes will roll over to Tuesday when they will host Holland in another conference clash.
“It means a lot,” senior guard Brooklyn Tornes said about the sudden victories. “We had a losing streak, then the new year came, and we said new year, new us. We got that win Tuesday and we want to keep pushing. We wanted to take it home tonight because that’s our rival and this is our court.”
Megan Barmes, left, launches a three-point attempt. Photo/Joe Lane
R-P’s positive energy was evident from the opening tip, and the Rockets held an 11-9 lead after one quarter behind five forced turnovers.
Tornes had seven opening quarter points while Ashlyn David chipped in four.
Reeths-Puffer struggled to score in the second quarter, managing just two points, which helped Mona Shores grab an 18-13 halftime lead.
The Rockets got things rolling again in the third quarter when Tornes scored five points, Irelyn Niklasch added four and Megan Barmes knocked down a three-pointer, helping R-P take a 25-23 lead into the fourth.
R-P's Brooklynn Tornes tosses a cross-court pass. Photo/Joe Lane
With 3:24 remaining in regulation, the Rockets held a 31-25 advantage and looked to be on their way to victory. But a 6-0 run by Mona Shores tied the game at 31-31 and left the two teams headed for overtime.
The Rocket defense stiffened up again in OT, limiting the Sailors to just two points while Reeths-Puffer knocked in seven free throws to pick up the victory.
Barmes had four points in the extra four minutes while Niklasch had two and Tornes added one.
Tornes led all scorers with 17 points on the night while Niklasch finished with 10.
