Rockford Rams 75, Jenison 62

Rockford's discipline produces second straight unbeaten season
By Bob Becker / Grand Rapids Press Sports Editor

It just isn't enough to say that Rockford's 75-62 victory over Jenison Friday night wrapped up a second consecutive 20-0 regular season.

The Rams haven't lost a regular-season game since February of 2001, have now won 24 straight at home and 30 in a row in the O-K Red.

But those numbers pale in comparison to the ones that really identify this group of young basketball players. The numbers that count the most are a team grade point average of just under 3.7. Six of the youngsters on the 13-player roster have posted GPAs of 3.8 or higher, and only two are under 3.4. Nobody dips below 3.0.

"Discipline in the classroom will carry over to discipline in athletics," Rockford coach Steve Majerle said. "That's why this team is so special. They do it all, even getting involved with things in the community, like Alex Briggs coaching Special Olympics."

That discipline was evident in the second half Friday. Rockford opened the game with a 9-0 run, and by the 4:37 mark of the first quarter made it a 16-3 game on a putback from R.C. Douglas.

It was 22-9 at the first quarter, 46-23 at the half. Rockford already had knocked down seven 3-pointers by the midway point.

But then Jenison caught fire, scoring eight consecutive points to open the third period, to make it a 46-31 game, before Briggs came through with a baseline drive to put the Rams on the board again.

It was a 57-41 game at the end of three periods, but again Jenison came out hot, as Brad Lundvick hit on a jumper and Brett Dekkenga knocked down a three, to make it an 11-point margin.

But Drew Powell and Michael Reddell countered with 3-pointers of their own, and the Rams were in charge again.

Jenison kept battling Rockford, cutting the Rams' lead to 65-55 and then 71-62, but the Wildcats just ran out of clock.

"The one thing we didn't want to happen was to come out and be a little bit timid and miss our shots," Jenison coach Brett Dyke said. "We gave them that big lead, but I'm proud of how we kept coming back on them.

"I wish we had played the whole game the way we came out in the second half."

Powell finished with 21 points for Rockford, followed by 17 from Douglas, 15 from Redell (all on 3s) and 14 from Briggs. Pete Trammell had 19 points for Jenison, followed by 14 for Patrick Woolpert and 10 from Dekkenga.

Rockford, which was upset by Forest Hills Central in district play a year ago, opens district action Monday at home against Creston.

"Nobody can take the 20 wins away from us," Majerle said. "But we remember last year. Last year we started to get stale at the end. Yesterday we had the best practice of the year. So I think we're ready this time."