MUSKEGON TWP. - Irelyn Niklasch has finally got her game the way she wants it, just in time for districts.
The Reeths-Puffer senior has been a rebounding machine all year, averaging around 9.5 boards per game, with a lot coming on both ends of the floor.
That’s an important contribution, in and of itself, but Niklasch also wanted to play a bigger role in the Rockets’ scoring attack.
These days she’s doing both pretty well, and that should work in the Rockets’ favor when they open Division 1 district play on Monday night against Muskegon at Rockford High School. The winner will advance to Wednesday’s semifinal round while the loser will be done for the season.
One thing is for sure – with Niklasch on the court, the Rockets will get their share of rebounds against the Big Reds.
R-P's Irelyn Niklasch
She is not an oversized post player by any means. She is 5-foot-10 and shorter than many girls she goes up against in the paint, but always seems to come down with the ball.
As a junior Niklasch was voted O-K Green All-Conference honorable mention, even though she was not a starter, due to her rebounding proficiency.
Her secret weapons on the boards are strength and attitude. She spends quite a bit of time in the weight room and welcomes the rough stuff under the hoop when everyone is battling for the ball.
“I have always been able to rebound, and in my junior year that just kind of became my thing,” Niklasch said. “I just kind of became stronger and stronger. I always found it easy. If I was having a rough game, I would just go get a rebound to keep myself on track.
“I do it just by being physical. I enjoy weightlifting a lot, and the more I train, the more successful I am at getting rebounds.”
Niklasch admits it can get pretty rough and physical under the basket, but says she doesn’t mind that part at all.
“That’s the fun of it!” she said about the rough stuff, while admitting that she is not completely innocent in that respect. “I have thrown an occasional elbow – I will say that!"
Of course a lot of successful post players also get their share of points, but until recently that was not always the case for Niklasch.
It wasn’t because she lacked skills. R-P head coach Rodney Walker says she has a nice outside shot, and she’s more than capable of getting offensive rebounds and putting them back up for points.
But earlier in the season her job was to get offensive rebounds and kick the ball back to the Rockets’ outside shooters.
“Most opponents were doing a good job of collapsing defensively, so it was to our advantage to have Irelyn getting rebounds and kicking it back out to our shooters,” Coach Walker said. “She was sacrificing part of her game and doing what we needed her to do.”
More recently, however, Niklasch has started to show her ability to get on the stat sheet with points, as well.
In the Rockets’ most recent game against Muskegon, for instance, she scored 12 points while pulling down an impressive 15 rebounds, and there have been several other games like that, as well.
“I think that I just started focusing on being more offensive and going for the basket, instead of always passing and kicking it out,” Niklasch said. “That was my goal this year.”
Niklasch admits she likes to score as much as anyone else, but there was also a practical reason for her desire to produce more points.
The Rockets lost two very powerful scorers to graduation last spring – Sophia Hekkema and Ariel Walker - and this year’s team had become overly dependent on standout guard Brooklynn Tornes, a prolific scorer who recently reached 1,000 career points.
There were a lot of games, particularly earlier in the season, when Tornes was the only Rocket scoring in double figures, and R-P frequently lost.
More recently, however, the offense has been more balanced, with Niklasch scoring more points from close range and fellow senior Megan Barmes heating up from three-point range.
The has the Rockets trending in the right direction, with four wins in their last seven games.
“Brooklynn can’t do it all by herself,” Niklasch said. “It was not something I wanted as much as it was for the good of the team.”
This week’s Division 1 district tournament will be a big chance for the Rockets to get a fresh start and play the way they believe they can.
After winning the O-K Green title last year, the Rockets finished the regular season 9-12 overall and 8-5 in conference play, which was good for a tie for fourth place.
Niklasch and her teammates are convinced they can do better in the postseason, but it won’t be easy. Their first challenge is coming against a Muskegon team that won the O-K Green conference title in the regular season and beat Reeths-Puffer twice.
While that’s a tough assignment, Niklasch says her team is capable of beating the Big Reds and keeping its season alive.
“We trust each other and believe we are better than most people think we are,” she said. “We feel confident in each other and in our coaching staff. It’s going to come down to who wants it more. This is a rivalry game, and if we go out there with confidence, anything could happen.”
The harsh reality for Niklasch is that the next loss will bring an end to her basketball career, because she won’t be playing sports in college.
She wants to become a psychologist and is currently waiting to see if she has been accepted at the University of Michigan,
“This will be it for me,” Niklasch said. “I left the gym after practice tonight and it felt kind of bittersweet. But I will forever be grateful for Reeths-Puffer basketball. It has definitely helped me become a better human being, and I am definitely going to miss it.”
