Rockford Rams 57, Muskegon Big Red 41

Rockford clicks on offense in decisive 57-41 victory over Muskegon boys
Mark Dykstra | Advance Newspapers, February 18, 2012

ROCKFORD -- Bernard Loudermill told his Muskegon basketball team that Rockford will be in the regional championship game next month.

He wants to know if his Big Reds are up to the challenge to see if they can make the other line on the tournament bracket.

Not much to digest from a 57-41 drubbing at the hands of the O-K Red leaders Friday would suggest that Muskegon may get a third opportunity against the Rams.

Rockford (13-4, 10-2), which had to rally from a seven-point deficit after three quarters to nip the Big Reds by two on Jan. 20, front-loaded its latest victory with good movement, spread-the-defense passing, and adept shooting to run away.

While Muskegon was making 1-of-10 field goal attempts in the opening quarter, the Rams scored 12 consecutive points to end the first eight minutes and had three 3-pointers among its 5-for-7 shooting that put them on a 15-2 roll.

"I don't know if we've ever had a start that well," said Rockford first-year coach Nick Allen. "They look for each other and when it works it looks great. Being at home on senior night, it all worked together."

One of those seniors in a four-guard starting lineup, Alex Durkin, scored seven straight points in leading the charge to a 10-2 advantage by the 2:36 mark of the first quarter. He would finish with team-highs of seven rebounds and 12 points on 4-of-5 floor shooting while Chase Fairchild came off the bench to make 4-of-4 shots for 11 points.

Nine of Fairchild's total came in the first half on shots from beyond the arc, one making it 22-9 at 4:11 to start the decisive 12-0 run and another corner trey ending the spurt 23 seconds before halftime to give Rockford a 31-12 lead.

Seventeen of those points came from the Ram non-starters, who combined to convert 6-of-7 shots in the first half.

"Whether guys start or come off the bench, their value and contributions are important," said Allen. "Our bench had significant production."
That unit included senior center Ivy Johnson, who had seven points and four rebounds, and senior guard Mark Pearson, who totaled six points and five rebounds.

Whether they were reversing the ball or working inside-out to get open shots, the Rams kept knocking them in. They connected on 11-of-16 in the first half and 10-of-16 in the second half.

By the time Durkin completed his scoring with a 3-pointer at 2:28 of the third, it was 38-16 and after consecutive baskets inside by the nimble Johnson, Rockford had its biggest lead at 42-19.

Muskegon (8-10, 4-8) made just nine-of-38 shots through the first three quarters and trailed by 21 before 8-of-14 accuracy in the final period gave them 18 points. The Big Reds benefited from 10 Ram turnovers in the fourth and ended up with at least one statistical victory in that its seven turnovers were 14 fewer than Rockford.

"Patience and discipline," said Loudermill of what his team was lacking. "How many times did we shoot without making one or two passes. When we ran (the offense) we got it into the paint. We've got to play the system."