Rockford hammers Ottawa Hills, 80-46

Thursday, December 27, 2001

By Steve Vedder
The Grand Rapids Press

Rockford basketball coach Steve Majerle thinks of his team's biggest strength as a double-edged sword.

Opponents simply call it a sword.

If the Rams have a strength that's helped them to a perfect start following Wednesday's 80-46 thumping of Ottawa Hills in The Grand Rapids Press Red Division Holiday tournament, it's depth.

Majerle said there's two ways to look at the depth that produced 31 points off the bench in addition to three starters in double figures against the winless Indians.

One is that the Rams can utilize virtually their entire team. But Majerle also thinks that players worry their playing time is never etched in stone.

The people worrying, however, should be opponents.

The win was Rockford's fifth straight with the margin of victory nearly two dozen points per game. There's little doubt that depth has played a major role in the impressive start, Majerle said.

"We push each other and force people to get better," said Majerle, who considers this the deepest of his five Ram clubs. "It's a tough-minded group; not a lot of things bother them other than losing."

The Rams have averaged 16 wins in four years under Majerle. Against Ottawa Hills, Rockford led 10-6 with three minutes left in the opening quarter before a 31-12 run in the next nine minutes increased its lead to 41-18.

The Rams led 47-23 at the half and 58-34 after three quarters.

Rockford had four players in double figures led by 15 from Derek Douglas. Kyle Trewhella, Alex Briggs and R.C. Douglas all had 10 points. The Rams shot 61 percent (32 of 52) from the floor while forcing seven first-quarter turnovers that led to the 21-7 lead after one quarter. Derrick Pearson scored 11 points to lead Ottawa Hills.

Ottawa Hills coach Jim Eaddy, whose team has lost five straight to open the season, was disappointed with the Indians' intensity.

"All the flaws came out tonight, but I still hope we can turn things around," Eaddy said. "This was embarrassing."

What impressed Eaddy was Rockford's quickness on offense. More than a third of the Rams' 32 field goals were layups, many off the fast break.

"They were a lot quicker than I thought," Eaddy said. "They ran up and down and that's usually our game. That was the difference."

Majerle thinks the running game is made even better by the depth.

"We played good defense and when we rebounded, we've got kids who can get up and down the court," he said. "That's where we're dangerous and it makes us fun to watch."

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