NORTON SHORES – The Reeths-Puffer girls basketball team knew the O-K Green Conference was going to be a battle every night this season, with so many teams pretty evenly matched.
That was true again on Friday when the Rockets traveled to Mona Shores to try to gain a regular season sweep over the rival Sailors.
It turned out to be a very tough assignment, and the Rockets trailed for most of the game.
They battled back from a double-digit deficit to make the game close in the final minutes, but fell 42-40.
The loss was the third in a row and fourth in five games for the Rockets, who are now 5-9 overall and 4-4 in conference play after starting out 4-1.
R-P's Irelyn Niklasch goes for a layup. Photo/Joe Lane
Reeths-Puffer will try to get back on track on Tuesday when they travel to play conference opponent Holland.
“I knew this was going to be tough,” said Reeths-Puffer head coach Rodney Walker about conference competition. “You got Zeeland West, Muskegon, Wyoming, us and Mona Shores. I feel like all of us are similar and nobody is standing out as the very best in the conference. Any night is going to be tough and we knew that coming in.
“Because of how hard they played tonight, the girls need to keep their heads up. Once you leave the locker room tonight, throw this in the trash. It’s in the past, and we just got to do the things we need to do to prepare for the next opponent.”
The game started out a bit slow on Friday with Mona Shores grabbing a 10-7 lead after one quarter behind 4-of-11 shooting.
Reeths-Puffer was led by Brooklynn Tornes with four points in the first quarter. The Rockets made only 3 of 11 shots from the field.
Brooklynn Tornes battles through two defenders. Photo/Joe Lane
Megan Barmes was the lone scorer for the Rockets in the second quarter, hitting two three-pointers, and Reeths-Puffer found itself down 20-13 at halftime.
The Rockets were cold again in the second, making only 2 of 14 shots, while Mona Shores was 4-for-8.
The teams each scored 10 points in the third quarter to make the score 30-23 in favor of Mona Shores. Tornes led the Rockets with eight points.
The Mona Shores lead grew to as many as 11 points on several occasions, including late in the third quarter, but the Rockets did not go quietly.
A Tornes three-pointer with 5:31 remaining in the game cut the deficit to 32-29 before Mona Shores responded with a quick bucket to make the score 34-29.
R-P's Grace Tindall launches a three-point attempt. Photo/Joe Lane
Later in the quarter, Barmes hit two clutch three-pointers within a minute to cut the Reeths-Puffer deficit to 38-35 with 2:54 remaining.
Following a Sailor free throw, Tornes hit a three-pointer from the right side with 52 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to just 39-38.
A Mona Shores basket with 34 seconds left made the score 41-38.
The Rockets missed a shot before forcing a Mona Shores turnover with 22.5 seconds remaining. An offensive foul on the ensuing Rocket inbound play sent the Sailors to the free throw line.
Mona Shores went 1-for-2 at the line to make the score 42-38 before a Tornes basket with six seconds remaining ended things.
R-P's Jenna Terpstra plays defense. Photo/Joe Lane
“I’m absolutely proud of them,” Coach Walker said about the fight his team showed. “We looked like one of the best defensive teams in the conference. We do a good job of stopping teams and mixing it up defensively. Our motto is to not look at the scoreboard and keep fighting till the clock hits zero.”
Tornes led the Rockets with 23 points, including four three-pointers, while Barmes had 15 points, all on triples. Irelyn Niklasch pulled down 11 rebounds for Reeths-Puffer.
Logan Clausen led Mona Shores with 13 points.
