Rockford limits Lowell's 3s to advance

By Jeff Chaney

The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- The Rockford boys basketball team took in its scouting report and executed the game plan Wednesday night.

The Rams were facing a Lowell team known to be a solid 3-point shooting team in one Class A district semifinal at Northview High School.

Rockford held the Red Arrows to two made 3-pointers, which helped the Rams beat Lowell 58-48 and advance to Friday night's championship game. There, Rockford will face Greenville, which was able to overcome a stagnant first half and beat Creston 59-45 in Wednesday's nightcap.

"(Assistant coach Ryan DeKuiper) scouted them well, and the kids listened," Rockford coach Steve Majerle said. "We didn't want to get beat by the 3-pointer tonight. We wanted to make them beat us from in the inside."

Lowell shot the ball well from inside the 3-point arch, making 50 percent of its field goals. But the Red Arrows were just 2-of-9 from the behind the arch.

On the other side of the court, Rockford connected on 7-of-15 3-pointers, including four from freshman guard Ryan Majerle, the coach's son, who scored a game-high 20 points.

"They were determined to take (senior center Mitch) Briggs away, so we had to hit some shots," coach Majerle said. "We did miss some shots in the beginning of the game, but in the second half we made shots."

Trailing 19-18 at halftime, the Rams shot 46 percent from the field in the second half, including 62 percent from the 3-point line, to outscore the Red Arrows 40-29 during the game's final 16 minutes.

The second game Wednesday night had a similar tone, as Creston played a strong first half and went to the break with a 33-26 lead.

The Yellow Jackets regrouped at halftime, played a more inspired second half and walked away with the win and a chance to play for a district title.

"We came out in a zone and that made us stagnant in the first half," Greenville coach Mark Haist said. "Then we went back to man-to-man and our intensity rose and that's what we needed. They were beating us to every loose ball in the first half, but we played harder in the second half."

Junior guard Mitch Barker scored 15 of his team-high 18 points in the second half to lead his team to the win.

"They just have to believe in themselves," Haist said of his team. "That's been an issue for this team all year. We are starting to make plays down the stretch now, and that's helping our confidence, and it's a good time to get that."