One backboard-shattering dunk, two sites add up to regional title
for Grand Haven boys basketball team
Jane Bos | The Grand Rapids Press, March 18, 2010 1:10 a.m.
GRANDVILLE
-- The moment before Nate VanArendonk shattered the backboard and
shocked everyone gathered to watch the Class A regional final at
Grandville, the Grand Haven senior, as always, closed his eyes.
It was a high-stepping, two-handed mammoth slam, and he felt the
rim give, as always, as he pulled down. When it gave a little more,
his eyes popped open.
"I thought, 'Oh no!' when I realized what had happened," VanArendonk
said. "I was even sort of scared for a second, I wanted to make
sure I didn't get cut. Then, I looked back and thought, 'Did I really
do that?' "
He did.
While the crowd gathered was silent for a moment, as the shock of
seeing glass strewn about the court sank in, the 6-foot-9, Central
Michigan-bound VanArendonk screamed, chest bumped two of his teammates
and raised his arms to the crowd.
With 2:37 remaining in the third quarter and Grand Haven leading
the Rams 20-15, action was halted.
What to do now?
Slowly, fans filtered onto the court, snapping pictures with cell
phones of what was left of the backboard. The remaining glass was
a spider web of shatters, and right under a huge hole, the rim, which
still was supported by safety supports, hung.
During the next 30 minutes, while the glass was being swept up,
the possibility of replacing the backboard or moving the game ensued.
After much debate, game officials, school personnel and tournament
managers decided to move the game to Jenison High School, five miles
away.
Fans hustled to the new location. Both teams climbed back on buses
for another trip to compete in the regional finals.
The administrators at Jenison -- along with those from Grandville,
Grand Haven and Rockford -- scrambled to get the gym ready to re-start
the game two hours after it first tipped off.
Reporters, too, hustled to tell the rest of this stunning story.
Here goes:
JENISON -- Did we mention that VanArendonk got fouled on his game-shattering
slam dunk?
He did. And about 80 minutes after being fouled, he stepped to the
line to successfully complete a 3-point play. Grand Haven, which
had grabbed the adrenaline rush after VanArendonk's dunk at Grandville,
kept the momentum at Jenison.
Rockford just could not regain it. And the Buccaneers kept it going,
posting a 39-36 victory to win their first regional crown since 1992.
Grand Haven (21-4), which had split with Rockford (17-7) during
the regular season and tied the Rams for the OK Red Conference crown,
advances to Tuesday's 7 p.m. quarterfinal against Kalamazoo Central
at Lansing Eastern.
Third-ranked Kalamazoo Central (23-2), last year's state runner-up,
beat Holt 69-46.
"They have a really good team with a bunch of good players," said
Isiah Law, a 6-4 senior guard for Grand Haven. "With our defense,
it gives us a chance."
Why not?
Wednesday, the Bucs' defense gave them the win. Behind Law guarding
the Rams' talented junior guard Ryan Majerle and limiting him to
four points, Grand Haven earned the regional trophy.
The Bucs did enough on offense, too, most notably by VanArendonk
and his dunk. He led Grand Haven with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Noah Veach, a 6-3 senior guard, scored 12, and Law added 10.
"Well, once we got over the shock of (the dunk), we really
tried to settle down," Grand Haven coach Steve Hewitt said. "We
had never seen anything like that, but we did not want that dunk
to be the highlight of the night. We said, 'Let's have another highlight.
Let's be ready to come out and play.' "
The Bucs kept that focus, extending the lead to 25-19 at the end
of the third quarter and to 32-21 with 4:53 remaining.
Rockford, forced to shoot from outside to stay in the game -- and
because going inside just did not work against the much larger Bucs
-- could not connect. The Rams made 3-of-17 3-pointers in the second
half.
"The time we beat them, we were shooting our 3s well," Rockford
coach Steve Majerle said. "We just could not hit an outside
shot tonight, and it's not like we had any other choice but to shoot
them.
"We thought it was a good thing for us, moving the game. We
came down here thinking we would be back in it. They are just so
darn big, and their guards are so long, and they play such good defense."
Connor McCane led the Rams with 13 points, and Stephen May added
six.
Click
here for video of the dunk
