MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP – The Reeths-Puffer boys basketball team can probably stay in just about any game with only one of its top scorers fully engaged.
When both of their big point producers are hitting their shots, the Rockets can be downright dangerous.
But putting away opponents when they have them on the ropes is something the Rockets have to work on, and their inability to do that until the final seconds on Tuesday night made their fans a little nervous.
Reeths-Puffer escaped with a 58-55 victory over Holland West Ottawa in the second game of a tripleheader on Tuesday in the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Holiday Basketball Classic in the Rockets’ home gym.
[1]The Rockets improved to 3-1 on the season, which pleases first-year head coach Nate Aardema, whose team has its share underclassmen in its rotation.
“We are 3-1 and our schedule has been pretty tough,” Aardema said. “We are far from a finished product, but we’re playing good basketball in stretches.”
Two of those underclassmen contributed the majority of the points, which has been the case all season.
Sophomore Travis Ambrose led the way with 17 points, while fellow sophomore Jaxson Whitaker, the team’s leading scorer, added 15.
Coby Mitchelson contributed 12 points to the winning effort, nailing four 3-pointers. Logan Brooks scored nine points with three triples.
[2]Ambrose’ performance really came in handy, because Whitaker, who came into the game averaging 18 points, was held to just six in the first half.
Amborse picked up the slack, scoring nine points in the first half and buying the Rockets time until Whitaker started hitting the mark in the second half.
“It’s good to have a 6-foot-7 kid who has a good motor,” Aardema said about Ambrose. ‘He wants to be great. He’s just tireless.”
The Rockets probably could have won by a more comfortable margin, if they had been able to put away the Panthers after taking sizable leads.
R-P hit three early triples and built a 14-6 lead in the first quarter, but then cooled off from the floor and only led 16-14 at the first buzzer and 27-25 at halftime.
The Rockets seemed to be in control again in the second half, after building a 44-37 lead after three quarters, and a 51-41 lead just over two minutes into the fourth.
[3]But the Panthers fought back again, cutting their deficit to 57-55 with 1:52 remaining. The Rockets missed four of five free throws as the clock ran down, but managed to hold on for the win.
Mitchelson helped R-P hold on by hitting a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Ambrose also had two buckets and a free throw in the fourth, when the Rockets struggled against an aggressive West Ottawa press.
“There were like three or four possessions when I thought, if we can get a stop we can break this open,” Aardema said. “Credit to West Ottawa, they hit a bunch of big shots. We also had a couple of guys who are normally good free throw shooters who missed, which kind of made it nerve-wracking.”
Kobe Haglund led West Ottawa with 18 points while Brady Bosma added 16.
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