MUSKEGON TWP. - In recent weeks, when the Reeths-Puffer boys basketball team was the topic of discussion, some people probably asked “OK, so they've got Marvin Moore, but what else?”
Well, it turns out the Rockets can play some pretty tough team defense, and on Tuesday night, Moore plus the stingy D was enough to equal victory.
Moore poured in a game-high 23 points, newcomer Justin Chan hit a pair of huge free throws with 26 seconds remaining, and the Rockets claimed an exciting 48-44 victory over Zeeland East at home in their first game of the season.
It’s true that the visiting Chix never really got their offense untracked, particularly in the first half. Zeeland East was 5-for-20 from the floor in the first two quarters, and coughed the ball up 10 times.
Marvin Moore goes airborne for a layup. Photo/Tyler Lirones
But a lot of that had to do with the Rockets, who made things very difficult for the visitors every time they touched the ball.
R-P totaled eight steals and 14 deflections in the game, keeping the Chix out of sync.
“I’m excited about that,” R-P head coach JR Wallace said about the defensive effort. “That’s what we harp on. Offense is a reward for great defense, not the other way around. Tonight they were getting the deflections and tipping the ball. The guys were engaged and active and showing some energy, which I appreciate.”
The Rockets were also scrappy on the boards, even though they were outrebounded by the much taller Chix 28-21. They snagged some rebounds on the offensive end and created a few putback buckets, and were also tough on the defensive end, keeping Zeeland East from getting many second chances.
Justin Chan, left, tries to dribble past a defender. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Wallace credited junior Anthony Neuman, a transfer student from Mona Shores, for sparking the rebounding effort.
“Neuman is a really great rebounder,” the coach said. “He’s just all about the boards, and he brings that for us. It’s something that everybody connects with.”
Moore, a senior and one of the better offensive players in the area, took care of the rest. Neither team was able to get a lot going in the first quarter, then he started dicing through defenders in the lane and pouring in layups in the second.
He scored 18 of his 23 points in the second and third quarters, helping the Rockets build an 11-point halftime lead, and maintain a five-point edge after three quarters.
Anthony Neuman dribbles up the court. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Moore is in a bit of a different situation this season. He’s always been a talented scorer, but he’s always had other big point producers as teammates, as well, so the pressure was never directly on him.
On Tuesday it was, and he admits he knew it was time to take charge and hit some buckets.
“We were up, but we weren't happy with ourselves,” Moore said. “We knew we had to bring up the intensity, and as the leader of the team I wanted to help do that.”
Chan had the hot hand for the Rockets in the early minutes, scoring five points in the first quarter. Hank Mitchelson added a triple while Moore and Neuman each had a bucket, giving R-P a 12-8 lead at the first break.
Zayden Schneider takes a jump shot. Photo/Tyler Lirones
The Rockets extended their advantage in the second quarter, outscoring the Chix 12-5 and taking a 24-13 halftime lead.
Moore scored nine of R-P’s 12 points in the second quarter. Zeeland East made only 2 of 8 shots from the floor and missed a pair of free throws.
The Chix were at their best in the third quarter, outscoring the Rockets 19-13 and cutting R-P’s lead to 37-32 heading into the fourth. Moore scored nine points in the third, allowing his team to stay on top.
The fourth quarter got pretty tense, with the visitors pushing to steal the lead, but the Rockets answered every time.
Chan nailed a three-pointer, then Moore followed with a layup, giving R-P a 42-34 lead with 6:11 remaining.
Chan breaks in for a layup. Photo/Tyler Lirones
Zeeland East scored the next three points to make the score 42-37, then R-P sophomore Artis Williams hit a triple to make the score 45-37 with 2:45 remaining.
The Chix scored the next five points and cut the Rocket lead to 45-42 with 1:40 left. Moore made one of two free throws with 1:04 remaining, then Zeeland East hit a layup with 30 seconds left, narrowing the score to 46-44.
Chan went to the line with 26 seconds left and hit two free throws, giving the Rockets their final margin of victory.
Chan, a transfer student from Godwin Heights, finished with 10 points.
Will Drnek led Zeeland East with 16 points.
The Rockets will hit the court again on Friday when they visit West Ottawa for another non-conference game.