Rockford Rams 84, Grandville 57

HOT SHOT Redell drains 10 3-pointers in Rockford win
By Jeff Chaney / The Grand Rapids Press

Coach Dan Remenap and the Grandville boys basketball team hope they saw the last of Rockford's Michael Redell.

At least for this year.

The 6-foot junior guard helped the Rams beat the visiting Bulldogs 84-57 by torching Grandville for 34 points. With the win, undefeated Rockford gained at least a share of the O-K Red Conference championship.

It was an impressive long-distance shooting display by Redell that led to his 34 points, as he hit 10 3-pointers. That total just missed making the Michigan High School Athletic Association record book for 3-pointers in a game. The minimum number to make the book was 11. Mayville's Matt Kitchen holds the record with 15.

"I like playing against Grandville," said Redell, who scored 20 points in the Rams' first win over Grandville earlier this year. "I have always played well against them. I know some of their players from playing in AAU, and I like playing against them.

"I just had confidence that each shot was going in," he added. "I didn't think about anything out there, I just put (the shots) up and they went in."

Remenap was as impressed as anybody in Rockford's gymnasium that saw Redell get a white hot shooting touch.

"He killed us," Remenap said. "He has killed us since he was a freshman at West Ottawa. I can't wait until he graduates. In fact I want to go to his graduation party to make it sure it is official that he will finally be gone."

But Redell's great game wasn't the only offensive outburst the Rams enjoyed. Alex Briggs, the 6-7 senior center for Rockford, scored 19 points.

And it was an important 19 points, because the Rams were without starting forward R.C. Douglas, who is nursing an ankle sprain.

"I think the key tonight was the way Alex played," Rockford coach Steve Majerle said. "He gave us a presence down low, and that was important."

Majerle was just as happy with how his team played defense also.

"Offensively we played wonderfully," he added. "But on defense I was happy with the way we played defense in the third quarter."

That third quarter is when the Rams finally put some distance between them and Grandville

Thanks to a strong defense, Rockford turned a 35-26 halftime lead into a 58-34 advantage heading into the final quarter. And it was a 12-0 run midway through the quarter sparked by the Rams defense that helped extend the lead.

"We played with a ton of passion Friday night, but tonight we didn't have any," said Remenap, whose team had a big win over West Ottawa Friday.

"Tonight we played scared."

Cameron Dampier and Andy Clausen each scored 14 points to lead Grandville.