Rockford Rams 70, Muskegon Big Reds 77 overtime

Muskegon pulls away from Rockford in overtime
By Kelly Hill / The Grand Rapids Press

ROCKFORD -- Muskegon was given a second chance Thursday night and the Big Reds took full advantage of it.

That second chance came with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when a missed free throw cost Rockford a chance at the lead. Instead of losing by a point, the Big Reds were granted overtime and they took advantage of the momentum shift. Muskegon scored the first seven points in the extra period and rolled to a 77-70 O-K Red victory.

The Big Reds (12-2 overall, 7-2 in the Red) scored 21 points in the four-minute overtime, which was five points more than they scored in any of the 8-minute quarters. They also shot 81 percent (13 of 16) from the free-throw line in overtime.

"We were fortunate to get a second chance," Muskegon coach Bernard Loudermill said. "They gave us second life and we took advantage of it in overtime. We didn't play that well in the first half; we were lethargic and complacent. Rockford played a heck of a game and they handled our pressure well. I think our guys were taking (the Rams) for granted since we beat them by a large margin the first time we played them."

Muskegon beat Rockford by 30 points, 63-33, on Dec. 21.

"We are feeling excited about this win," Loudermill said Thursday night. "We beat a disciplined, well-coached ball club and we showed resiliency. The O-K Red is a tough conference."

Muskegon was led offensively by Tye Wade and Takarri Churchwell, who scored 20 and 19 points, respectively. Tovales Allaway and Christopher Crawford had 11 and 10, respectively.

Rockford (8-6 overall, 5-4 in the Red) led most of the fourth quarter and held a three-point advantage with 1:25 left to play. Muskegon took a one-point lead with one minute remaining in the quarter. The Rams and Big Reds traded the lead twice more in the final seconds before that missed free throw left the game tied with two seconds left in regulation.

"I am very proud of our kids. They played tough against a very talented team," Rockford coach Steve Majerle said. "We missed some timely free throws but we gave ourselves a chance to win and that's all you can ask these guys for. They came ready to play.

"There was obviously a momentum shift at the end of the fourth quarter," Majerle said. "In tight games little things matter. We had a lead and we weren't able to protect it."

Rockford's chances in overtime also were hampered by the absence of starting guard Brogan Bibler and starting forward Sam Bogard, who had fouled out in the fourth quarter. Rams point guard Matt VanPelt fouled out in overtime.

"We started to get thin but I thought we held right in there," Majerle said. "Having those guys out obviously hurt us, though. We are not happy about the loss, but we played a very good ball game."

Junior Gabe VanderJagt led Rockford with 22 points and senior Mitch Briggs scored 20. Muskegon is scheduled to play at Jenison on Tuesday and Rockford is scheduled to travel to East Kentwood.