Grand Haven in rare position on top of O-K Red
ROCKFORD -- Try putting this into perspective.
When Grand Haven rallied to earn a 50-42 victory at Rockford on Tuesday, the Buccaneers took over sole possession of first place in the O-K Red Conference.
The last time Grand Haven won a conference title? 1995.
With the Red race just halfway finished, the Bucs' third-year coach Steve Hewitt is not clearing space for any trophies yet with records of 6-1 in the conference and 9-3 overall. But beating defending co-champ Rockford (8-4), which is one step behind at 5-2, is a good start.
"We are in a good position right now, and we have worked hard to get in that position," Hewitt said. "Tonight, we got better defensively. Now we need to work on the offense."
Grand Haven did just about everything right during a 9 1/2-minute stretch that spanned the third and fourth quarters.
Trailing 30-23 with 5:28 left in the third, the Bucs went on a 17-2 run. And midway through the fourth quarter, just before Rockford broke its scoreless stretch, Grand Haven led 40-32.
Austin Harper, a talented 6-foot-2 junior guard, led the Bucs with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. Senior Kent Viening scored 14 points.
Luke Poquette and Noah Veach, who came in off the bench, both scored eight points, including four apiece during the critical scoring spree.
"That (17-2) run was outstanding, and it all started with our defense" Hewitt said. "We were struggling with Rockford's defense, with their pressure, and I was surprised by how we didn't handle it. Once we finally got some stops, that was a big deal."
After four turnovers led to their falling behind 30-23, the Bucs turned it around. They started scoring layups and causing the Rams to turn the ball over.
Still, Grand Haven could not stop the Rams and senior Mitchell Briggs.
"We had our chances, we missed some easy baskets," said Rockford coach Steve Majerle, whose team led 25-23 at halftime. "The more we missed, the more that the basket shrunk. It got to be pea-sized after awhile. We played well enough defensively, we just had too many turnovers and missed too many layups and shots."
The Rams made 26-of-47 shots, compared to Grand Haven's 21-for-38 showing.
"We were doing OK, we had a lead, we had them rattled," Majerle said. "We showed our lack of experience. We rushed some shots and made turnovers. Give them credit. They have strong kids, and Harper is a good player."