Rockford Rams 53, Muskegon 52

CLOSE CALL Rockford rallies to beat Muskegon, 53-52, and save its perfect record
By Jane Bos / The Grand Rapids Press

Just when you thought the streak would end, it didn't. Just when you knew there was no way the Rockford basketball team could recover, it did.

Trailing by 14 points with time running out in the third quarter, the Rams mounted an improbable comeback during the next five minutes to regain the lead against host Muskegon Tuesday night.

With key players injured and others in foul trouble, with the offense sputtering and the defense giving up uncharacteristic points, it looked like there was no way that could last. And with seven seconds left and the Rams behind by a point, it didn't look good.

But they did it, thanks to a hot-handed Drew Powell.

Powell, a senior guard, got the ball near midcourt, checked out the opposition, dribbled toward the hoop and scored on a layup as time was running out.

The officials ruled there was 1.6 seconds left on the clock, giving the Big Reds one last shot at victory. They never got one off as Rockford center R.C. Douglas intercepted the inbound pass, sealing the Rams thrilling 53-52 non-league victory.

Just when you thought the regular-season winning streak would end at 39 games, it miraculously didn't, right? Not for Powell, who pumped in a game-high 24 points, including four 3-pointers.

"I knew we were going to pull it out," he said. "We want to keep the drive going, we want to go 20-0 again. We knew we needed to step it up in the last 12 minutes. I expected to win."

The last time Rockford, ranked third in the state in Class A, lost a regular-season game was at Muskegon late in the 2000-01 season. The Rams won their last two games that year, went 20-0 last season and are 18-0 right this season.

Why stop now?

"This is the first time we've been behind in the second half like this," said Rockford coach Steve Majerle. "We've been down one or two maybe, but not down, down, down like this. This is great for us. We needed a game like this. We need that sense of urgency from the get-go."

Muskegon (15-3) clearly ruled the third quarter. Leading 25-22 at halftime, the Big Reds made their first eight field-goal attempts to take a commanding 44-30 lead with 1:58 left.

"I really thought we were going to put the game away at that point," said Muskegon coach Art Duren. "We came out at halftime really focused. But we missed free throws down the stretch. Good teams find a way to win."

After falling behind by 14 points, Rockford went on a 16-0 run during a five-minute stretch that spanned the third and fourth quarters to regain its first lead, 46-44, since early in the second quarter.

The game stayed close until the end when Powell laid in the game-winner.

In the fourth quarter, the Big Reds made 4 of 8 free-throw attempts, and Rockford went 2-for-4 from the line.

While Powell, who is headed to Hillsdale next season, led the Rams, he got help scoring from R.C. Douglas in the second half. After being benched with foul trouble for most of the first half and playing on an injured ankle, Douglas scored all 10 of his points in a critical second-half effort. He also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

Teammate Kevin Wurn, a usual starter playing on a severely sprained ankle, came off the bench to add 10 points.

Two other Rockford starters, Michael Redell and Alex Briggs, fouled out in the final two minutes of the game.

"The great thing about this team, someone steps up all the time," Majerle said. "Drew was just awesome. He had a wonderful game. He took the game over."

Muskegon was led by Callistus Eziukwu with 16 points and five rebounds. George Sharp added 15 points.

Game pics will be uploaded late Wednesday night

Game Winner