Rockford beats EK a third time; is Grand Haven next?
Jane Bos | The Grand Rapids Press
MUSKEGON -- Haven't they done this before?
A pair of O-K Red Conference boys basketball teams -- Grand Haven
and Rockford -- captured Class A regional semifinal victories Monday
night to earn the right to play each other for the third time this
season.
Grand Haven, which lost to Rockford twice during the regular season,
beat Benton Harbor 52-41 in the opener, while the state's ninth-ranked
Rockford outlasted East Kentwood (for the third time this season) 60-50
in the nightcap.
Back in 2000, the last time East Kentwood (15-8) won a district, the
Falcons lost to O-K Red champ Rockford (21-2) 69-47 in the semifinals.
The Rams last won a regional in 2003 when they went on to win the Class
A state title.
Grand Haven (17-7) last won back-to-back regional championships in
1991 and '92.
The regional final tips off at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Reeths-Puffer.
"It's not easy to play a team three times, and everyone talks
about how hard it is to beat a team three times, but I would rather
be the team winning the first two," Rockford coach Steve Majerle
said. "I would rather go into the third game 2-0 than 0-2."
That doesn't mean Round 3 was easy.
Rockford needed a big fourth-quarter effort to stop East Kentwood.
The Falcons began tough, leading by as much as 11-3 midway through
the first quarter. By the end of the first half, the Rams knotted the
score at 28-28, and by the end of the third quarter, they led 40-39.
Then, behind the inside play of Matt Karamol, who is returning to
full health after suffering a knee injury in the preseason, and the
outside shooting of Gabe VanderJagt, the Rams took over.
Rockford made 9-of-10 free-throw attempts in the final 3:18 of the
game to aid in the effort, while defensively, the Rams kept the Falcons
without a field goal for more than five minutes of the final quarter.
"I am very proud of how the guys played," Majerle said. "I
am not sure how they did it, they really had to gut it out. They
had a desire to win and they found a way."
VanderJagt and Karamol led the Rams with 16 points each. Ryan Majerle,
a sophomore, added five points and 10 rebounds, and senior Brogan Bibler
scored nine. Matt VanPelt totaled eight points and three assists.
East Kentwood was paced by Deonte Hurst with 12 points. Christian
Jessie, John Ford and Mykhal Guy scored 10 points each.
"The kids have done a great job this year, and I am proud of
them," East Kentwood coach Jeff Anama said. "They worked
hard, and they were one good quarter away from being in the regional
final. Rockford just contested every shot we took in the fourth quarter,
and we went on that scoring drought."
