Majerle hits three in final seconds to give Rams road win
Mark Dykstra | Advance Newspapers
GRANDVILLE – The Rockford boys basketball coach had a play
in mind for the final minute on Friday in the O-K Red game at Grandville.
His players had another suggestion, to which Steve Majerle would
defer.
The Rams (6-2, 9-5) were in favor of clearing time and space for
6-4 forward Ryan Majerle, who atoned for two rare misses from the
free-throw line with 1:43 remaining by delivering a deep 3-pointer
at 3.2 seconds that sent Rockford home a 52-49 winner.
Rockford, standing in a three-way tie for first place, had called
a timeout with 36 seconds remaining after guard Chad Carlson forced
a tie ball that gave the Rams possession. Majerle, who found some
needed offensive mojo late after being well-guarded, dribbled between
the rings before making his move, resulting in a step-back deep three
that hit all net while climaxing his 20-point night.
"I listened to the kids. That’s what they wanted," said
Steve Majerle of going with a clearout instead of a play designed
for Majerle or Justin Klein (13 points) in the post. "One of
the last things we said was, ‘Don’t shoot too early.’ That’s
his signature move."
For most of the first half it was difficult for Ryan Majerle to
make any moves, as 6-4 Caleb Cook tried to blanket the versatile
senior while getting help defense on the low block. Majerle missed
five shots in a scoreless first quarter and shot 2-for-8 during a
five-point opening half.
"They defended real well, and I didn’t play my best game," said
Ryan, who did make 3-of-5 shots while scoring seven points in the
third period. "I adjusted to the defense and got more comfortable
and in the flow of the offense. We kept scrapping."
He netted a 3-pointer with 6:46 to play to tie it at 42 that started
a 9-0 scoring run to give Rockford its biggest lead since 12-5. Grandville,
which lost by 37 points at Rockford on December 17, responded with
a 7-1 scoring spurt that was capped by a pair of baskets by Lanning
at 2:22 and 1:32 that tied the game at 49-49.
Grandville was able to use its big men to best use with a half-court
game, as the Bulldogs started 6-9 Ben Lanning and Cook at forward
along with 6-4 Steve Haan at center. Its most effective inside offensive
weapon was 6-3 Austin Timmer, who came off the bench to tally 12
points with a deft touch down low in the first half, making 6-of-7
shots to lead Grandville to a 25-24 halftime lead.
"The pace was exactly what we wanted," said Grandville
coach Kyle VanderWall. "Our strength is our size and length.
When we force teams to play a slower half-court game, we’re
difficult to defend."
VanderWall also gave credit to Travis Cole, Scott McDougall and
Austin Reminga for their practice play last week in a 45-minute segment
in giving their teammates an idea of what the Rockford offense would
run.
While Grandville (2-6, 5-8) limited the Rams to .426 shooting (20-of-47),
it also recovered well from an early 12-3 deficit and 3-of-14 shooting
in the first quarter. The Bulldogs converted 8-of-12 shots in the
second and were 5-of-8 from the floor in the third.
Grandville registered its largest lead at 34-29 at the 4:05 mark
of the third quarter on a 3-pointer by 5-9 Devon Wade, who scored
nine of his 15 points in the period and nailed a another trey with
two seconds remaining to send the game to the fourth quarter tied
at 39-39.
"He’s done a phenomenal job all year logging heavy minutes," said
VanderWall of Wade, who made 4-of-5 shots from the floor and 5-of-6
free throws.
He would have a been a good bet to take a last shot for the Bulldogs,
but the alternate possession arrow gave that opportunity to Ryan
Majerle.
"Cook made him work for every last point. That’s a tall
order," said VanderWall. "There’s a reason Ryan Majerle
is going to play Division 1 basketball."
