Tanis shakes off foul trouble, propels Jenison
By Jeff Chaney / The Grand Rapids Press

JENISON -- Ty Tanis does not like to sit and watch. So when the Jenison junior guard got into foul trouble and had to sit on the bench for most of the first half of the Wildcats' game with visiting Rockford on Friday, it was painful for him and his team. But Tanis came back strong during the final 16 minutes, scoring a game-high 12 points to lead the Wildcats past the Rams 43-40.

"I couldn't take (sitting on the bench) after a while," Tanis said. "But I picked up some not-so-smart fouls so I had to sit and watch." When Tanis went to the bench in the first quarter after picking up his second foul, Jenison was up 8-7. Rockford then went on a roll and outscored Jenison 11-1 to finish out the quarter for an 18-9 lead. Unfortunately for the Rams, that was their only offensive outburst of the night. " We were up by nine there, but we got stagnant," Rockford coach Steve Majerle said. "We just started standing around and not moving the ball."

Rockford maintained a 22-20 halftime lead, but a Tanis 3-pointer midway through the third quarter started a 9-3 run that gave the Wildcats a lead they wouldn't surrender. " We knew we had to keep our heads up and pick up the intensity the rest of the way," said Tanis, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. "We never quit." Especially on the defensive end, where Jenison forced 23 turnovers. The Wildcats also limited Rockford to 40-percent shooting from the field.

" We won this game with our defense," Jenison coach Brett Dyke said. "We take pride in our defense." Dyke said he was concerned when Rockford had a nine-point lead and seemingly was scoring at will. " I think we just needed to settle down a bit," Dyke said. "It is always big when Rockford comes in because they are one of the best teams in the league each year." The Rams made a late charge and had three chances to tie the game, but three 3-point attempts in the final 10 seconds bounced off the rim.

Jenison also got 11 points from Wes Trammell. Kyle Karasiewicz and Nick Wendling led Rockford in scoring with eight points apiece.