Rockford rolls behind Russell's 20
By Greg Johnson / The Grand Rapids Press

Rockford will get a lift Monday for the state tournament when star guard Michael Redell returns from a foot injury, but the Rams got a kick out of winning without him Friday. The Rams used physical play and Mark Russell's career-high 20 points to stop a two-game losing streak, and topple West Ottawa 58-47 in a O-K Conference cross-over game Friday night at Rockford. The Rams, 12-8 and champions of the O-K Red Metro, meet Forest Hills Central Monday in the Class A district tournament they host.

" This win was a huge lift for us because we've been struggling some, and we wanted to feel better about the way we were playing going into the tournament," Rockford coach Steve Majerle said. "We get Mike back on Monday, and hopefully he will mix back in and we can have it be a very good mix for us." The mix of Russell's big night, balanced scoring otherwise and defensive pressure was the right mix Friday.

" They came out physical, and I didn't think we responded well to it," West Ottawa coach Von Washington said. "They are a very good pressure team, and we didn't handle that pressure."
A half-court heave by Seth Powell at the halftime buzzer for a 3-point shot gave Rockford a 26-20 lead. It was the third quarter when the Rams pulled away, sparked in part by reserve Nicholas Wendling chipping in a basket, three assists and a steal over the final four minutes.

" The key was we hit the open shots, and then the guys played their butts off on defense," Majerle said. "That was the best we've played in three games. That was the way we want to play defense." West Ottawa's top two scorers, seniors Zach Osburn and Leonard Houston, who both score over 18 points per game, were limited to eight and five points respectively by the Rams. " We went after them, especially Houston," Majerle said. "We wanted to take him out of the game, and I thought we did that." Washington agreed.

" They took away the guys who have been putting up big numbers for us," he said.
Kevin Ludwig, a junior guard, scored 17 points, to lead the Panthers, who were champions of the O-K Red Lakeshore and go into the Class A district at Hudsonville Wednesday with a 15-5 record. While Russell, a junior guard, was the only Ram to score in double figures, Michael Steinebach, Kyle Mahoney and Zach Vansetters each scored seven points.

" They beat us up when we lost to them at their place earlier in the season, and I thought we rose up to the challenge this time," Majerle said. Foul trouble didn't help the Panthers. John Tiemeyer, a 6-10 senior center, spent a lot of time on the bench because of fouls. " It was physical, but I believe opportunities are created by you as a team, and they did a better job of creating opportunities," Washington said.