http://www.westmiallstar.com/?p=218
West Michigan All Star made its way to “Rockford University” for
an exciting rivalry game in the WBBL Game of the Week, sponsored
by the truck pros at Good GMC Isuzu, between the visiting Jenison
Wildcats (3-5), and the Rockford Rams (8-1).
In basketball, there’s defense, and then there’s de-fense
(stomp stomp). Rockford has overwhelmed their competition this season
through their determination to consistently play the latter brand,
and were expected to continue their dominance against Jenison. The
Wildcats fought valiantly, continuing the storied competitive tradition
between the schools (Jenison leads the all-time series 39-35), but
in the end Rockford’s suffocating defense claimed yet another
victim, as the Rams cruised to a 81-71 win.
“If you take teams out of what they want to do,” said
Rockford coach Ryan DeKuiper. “They’re going to have
a tough time getting the ball where they want to get it, and that’s
what we try to do. Disrupt, disrupt, disrupt.”
And disrupt they did. The Rams suffocating defense took the Wildcats
by surprise initially, resulting in two quick steals on successive
possessions to start the game. Cued by their defense, the Rams were
able to start out hot on the offensive end of the court as well,
getting out in transition and hitting on all four of their first
quarter threes. Rockford Sophomore forward Ryan Majerle was dialed
in from three point range, going 3/5 for the game on the way to a
season-high 21 points.
Jenison unwisely tried to keep up with Rockford’s frenetic
fast-breaking early on, digging themselves a double-digit deficit
via a combination of sloppy turnovers and missed shots. It took most
of the first half, but the Wildcats eventually gained their composure.
They looked to take advantage of their height by getting the ball
into the paint on offense, but unfortunately for the ‘Cats
they could not find their shooting touch throughout the first half,
which prevented them from doing any significant damage to Rockford’s
lead. Kyle Hoek and Kyle Krogh found some success on the offensive
glass, collectively accounting for much of Jenison’s offense
with put-back buckets. Hoek scored five and had five rebounds (all
on the offensive end), and Krogh led the ‘Cats with 16 points
on 5/6 shooting.
Jenison guard Mitch Hackley scoops and scores
Jenison guard Mitch Hackley scoops and scores
After their difficulties in the first half, the Wildcats entered
the second with an unexpected focus and intensity. They took over
the role of the aggressor from the Rams, penetrating the lane off
the dribble and getting to the free-throw line repeatedly. Senior
forward Tony Nelson asserted himself in the paint, scoring and finding
open cutters to key an 8-0 Jenison run, cutting Rockford’s
lead to five in the third quarter. Nelson played an excellent all-around
game, scoring 14 to go along with five assists and six rebounds,
and was at his most effective with his back to the basket, where
he could use his height and long arms to simply reach over Ram defenders.
Their once commanding lead dwindling before their eyes, Rockford’s
coaching staff rallied their squad. “You get up by double
digits and kids seem to get a little lax defensively,” said
Coach DeKuiper, ominously. “We tried to address that in that
timeout.”
The Rams recommitted their defense and immediately forced Jenison
into a slew of turnovers and errant shots in the fourth. Meanwhile,
standout guard Gabe Vanderjagt took over on offense, hitting bucket
after bucket to shoot Rockford’s lead to 20, effectively ending
the game with 3:00 left on the clock (apart from a brief run by Jenison’s
bench that cut the lead to seven, but was nullified the moment the
starters returned to the court). Vanderjagt was extremely impressive
against the Wildcats, playing a near perfect offensive game in scoring
29 points on 10/11 shooting.
Rockford’s defense was, in a word, dominant. Throw out the
lackadaisical third quarter as the anomaly it was, and the Rams were
able to dictate the pace and flow of the entire game (as evidenced
by the size of the final score), which was the key to their offensive
success. And offensively, they were absolutely blistering from everywhere
on the court - shooting 70% overall.
Jenison simply did not have the firepower to keep up Tuesday night.
GoodGMC.com - Professional Grade Alley-Oops:
* Different from some of the Rockford teams of old (at least the
ones against whom I played), the 2009 team is shorter than many of
their opponents. But it tends not to matter too much, as their impressive
record shows. They’re likely not going to shoot 70% again this
season, but even if they were to shoot 30% their defense will always
put themselves in a great position to win. They’ve also got
a great all-around scorer in Gabe Vanderjagt, who, considering his
size, is about as tough to guard as it gets at the high-school level.
* Jenison did not have one of their better games against the Rams’ pressure
defense. The Wildcats are at their most effective when the scores
are at or below 50, so it’s not difficult to glean what happened
upon looking at the box score. Junior guard Mitch Hackley had a bad
game, which happens, but he’s too good an athlete to let it
keep him down. He has tremendous explosiveness, and could dominate
offensively once he cleans up his game around the edges. Tony Nelson’s
natural position is on the wing, but he essentially plays the center
spot for the Wildcats. He is effective at either, but not when he
gets caught in the middle, as he did at times against Rockford. That
said, when Hackley and Nelson play well the Wildcats can compete
with anyone.
