HOLLAND —The Reeths-Puffer girls basketball team really needed a win on Tuesday.
Coming in with a three-game losing streak - including a tough two-point loss to Mona Shores on Friday - it was important for the Rockets to turn things around at Holland.
They did just that.
With another stout defensive performance and a barrage of three-point makes, the Rockets topped Holland 63-25 in an O-K Green Conference game.
R-P's Brooklynn Tornes goes in for a layup. Photo/Adam Vander Kooy
“It’s extremely important to try to get that feeling back,” said R-P Coach Rodney Walker. “I thought they did a great job tonight, just really sharing the ball, believing in each other, having the confidence that we should be having every game.
Standout senior Brooklynn Tornes again led the Rockets, scoring 22 points, but nine Rockets scored on Tuesday, which was a refreshing change of pace.
Reeths-Puffer sank nine three-pointers, including four from Megan Barmes and three from Jenna Terpstra.
R-P's Savannah Lockwood tries to dribble past a defender. Photo/Adam Vander Kooy
“It opened the game up a lot,” Tornes said of her teammates hitting threes. “To see my other teammates score just shows we’re more of a threat. It feels good. I tell my teammates all the time to keep shooting the ball.”
Coach Walker was pleased with the balanced scoring effort and said Tornes did a great job leading on both ends of the floor.
“We had eight or nine people score tonight, that was a big highlight,” he said. “(Tornes) has done a great job running the show, distributing the ball, just being a captain on both ends of the floor. She did a great job of leading tonight.”
Walker said the message to the team after the game was to bottle the energy from Tuesday’s big win and use it to build momentum for the rest of the season.
R-P's Mallorie Messer grabs a rebound. Photo/Adam Vander Kooy
The Rockets are now 6-9 on the season and above .500 at 5-4 in the O-K Green.
“It was a big win because we’ve been losing so much,” Tornes said. “To finally feel a win again, hopefully we can keep this up and continue throughout the season with only wins.”
Reeths-Puffer led 16-10 after one quarter, then dominated the second quarter to extend the lead to 32-12 at halftime.
A 14-6 edge in the third quarter extended R-P’s lead to 46-18. The Rockets used a 17-7 edge in the fourth to close out the game.
R-P's Irelyn Niklasch looks for a pass. Photo/Adam Vander Kooy
Tornes had eight steals and seven rebounds for the Rockets. Barmes scored 12 points on four three-pointers while Terpstra was also in double figures with 10 points, including three triples.
Chloe Brainard and Mallorie Messer added five pointa apiece for Reeths-Puffer. Ashlyn David snagged eight rebounds while Irelyn Niklasch had seven.
