Rockford holds off Forest Hills Northern to reach district final
Thursday, March 07, 2002
By Jane Bos
The Grand Rapids Press

Rockford coach Steve Majerle lamented missed free throws down the stretch, his team's sub-par defensive effort and its inability to go inside in the second half.

He's not complaining about the outcome.

The Rams, ranked third in the state in Class A, held off a scrappy Forest Hills Northern team, 66-62, in a district semifinal matchup at Greenville on Wednesday to advance to Saturday's championship and stay perfect on the season.

"I wasn't happy, but a lot of it had to do with Forest Hills Northern," Majerle said. "Bottom line, we still won. No one said winning this district would be easy. Whoever wins this one earns that trophy."

Rockford (22-0), which outlasted host Greenville 65-53 in Monday's opener, will face the winner of tonight's game pitting Forest Hills Central (18-2) and Ionia (20-1) in the finals.

Both teams are ranked honorable mention in the final Class A state poll. And in their first meeting on Dec. 14, the Rangers handed the Bulldogs their one loss, 47-45.

"I don't know who I want to win," Majerle said. "Flip a coin. Both have strengths and both have weaknesses."

Wednesday, Forest Hills Northern (15-6) gave the Rams fits. The Huskies led 29-27 late in the second quarter, and although they never led again, they were within one shot of tying the game in the final second.

With his team trailing 65-62, Forest Hills Northern senior Mark Streekstra fired an on-line 3-pointer which bounced off the front of the rim.

Rockford junior R.C. Douglas made one free throw with .03 seconds remaining to post the final margin of victory.

"It was a great look at the basket," said Forest Hills Northern coach Steve Harvey. "We make that shot, it's a different game. When you come into a game like this against a great team like that, to have a shot at the end is all you can ask for.

"We came here to win, not to give them a scare and play hard. I'm proud of my guys, they were very resilient. Rockford did what they had to do to win."

In the first half, Rockford senior Derek Douglas ruled inside. He made 13 of his game-high 22 points during the first two quarters, which saw the Rams gain a 36-32 lead.

The Huskies kept it close in the second half, and pulled to within 63-62 with 16 seconds left after Tyler Worst made a basket.

But three seconds later, Rockford junior Drew Powell sank two free throws to put his team back on top, 65-62. Powell totaled 17 points, including seven in a key fourth-quarter effort.

"At the end, we didn't execute," said Majerle, whose team was 3-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute and 5-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter. "That was the first time all year we did that.

"I wasn't happy with our defense, either, but some of it had to do with Forest Hills Northern. They play really well. We didn't stop them. My hats off to Harvey and his team."

Streekstra and Worst led the Huskies with 11 points each. David Ellis scored 10 points, and Bojan Lozic came off the bench to add nine points for Forest Hills Northern.

"Rockford is a good team, and they are having a great season," Harvey said. "These kids hung tough with them. I can't fault their effort. They had a chance to beat them at the end."

Rockford led 20-16 after the first quarter and 51-46 entering the fourth quarter.

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