MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP - The season has been a roller-coaster ride for the talented but inconsistent Reeths-Puffer boys basketball squad.
After a four-point loss to Grand Rapids Union back on Jan. 10, the Rockets were rolling pretty good, winning four out of five games and looking like the team they know they can be.
Now suddenly they are in the midst of a three-game losing streak following a disappointing 62-49 loss to Union on Tuesday on their home court.
The Rockets were hoping to get even with the Red Hawks after losing by four points last month, and were hoping a victory would help them forget last Friday’s 25-point loss to powerful Muskegon.
But Reeths-Puffer fell behind early and was never able to recover, largely due to a lot of missed layups and 14 turnovers.
R-P's Travis Ambrose pulls down a rebound. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Union’s sharpshooting was a problem as well. The Red Hawks hit nine three-pointers in the game – including five by Marquan Ross - and every time R-P fought back to make the score close, it seemed like Union would hit another triple to retain its lead.
Reeths-Puffer fell to 7-8 overall and 4-5 in O-K Green conference play. Union improved to 11-5 and 7-2.
The Rockets will return to the court again on Friday when they host Wyoming in another conference matchup.
“It’s frustrating for the kids, it’s frustrating for all of us,” said R-P Coach Nate Aardema. “What we’re showing is not indicative of what I’m seeing day-to-day (in practice). We’ve got to figure out how to get that into the games.
“We didn’t shoot layups like we typically do. We were in a position to succeed several times tonight, but the ball just didn’t go in.”
R-P's Jaxson Whitaker, who led the Rockets with 19 points. Photo/Jeremy Clark
The game started out promising for the Rockets, with Travis Ambrose hitting two layups within the first 1:30 to give the hosts a 4-0 lead.
But Union answered with an 17-5 run over the rest of the first quarter to take a 17-9 lead heading into the second. Ross led the charge with three triples in the first eight minutes.
The close-range shooting problems crept up early in the game for R-P. At one point, late in the first quarter, the Rockets missed a layup, got the rebound, missed another layup, got the rebound again, and missed yet another layup, all within a few seconds.
Union opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run to build a 23-9 lead. R-P answered with an 8-2 run to narrow its deficit to 25-17, then the teams traded buckets and the Red Hawks led 29-20 at halftime.
The Rockets’ turnover problem surfaced early in the second quarter when three straight possessions ended with a bad pass and two straight traveling calls.
Reeths-Puffer's Kyle Schlaff drives toward the rim. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Reeths-Puffer opened the third quarter with a 10-2 run to pull within one point, 31-30, with three minutes left. Whitaker started things off with a triple and a free throw, Ambrose and Antrel Jones nailed layups and Ambrose added two free throws.
But Union responded with back-to-back triples from Yoel Abramam and Ross and a bucket by Kyale Lockridge to regain a 39-30 lead one minute later.
The Rockets hurt themselves by giving up steals on their possessions following each of the Union three-pointers.
The Red Hawks led 43-35 headed into the fourth quarter.
R-P kicked up its heels again at the start of the final quarter, going on an 8-2 run to narrow their deficit to 45-43. Ambrose started the uprising with an offensive rebound and a layup, then Jaxson Whitaker and Brayden Mitchelson followed with three-pointers.
R-P's Ernest Jones tries to work around a defender. Photo/Jeremy Clark
Union answered again, however, finishing the game with a 17-6 run to seal the victory. The Red Hawks nailed things down by hitting 10 of 11 free throws in the final quarter.
“We can’t wait until we’re down 10 points or whatever,” said Aardema, when asked about his team’s comeback attempts. “We did fight, but you can’t just give away points, you can’t just give the ball away.”
Whitaker led the Rockets with 19 points, including four triples. Ambrose added 14 points and Kyle Schlaff scored five.
Ross led Union with 21 points.
The Rockets now have seven games left in the regular season, including five conference matchups, and Aardema said his team will keep working to string together some wins before districts.
“It’s there, it’s in our locker room,” the coach said. “You should see us practice. It’s a talented group. It’s the most talented group I’ve ever coached. We just have to play up to our potential."
