NORTON SHORES – It was expected to be a celebratory night for the Muskegon boys basketball team, but it didn’t feel like that at the end.
The Big Reds won, beating Mona Shores 60-44 and clinching the O-K Green conference championship after missing out last season and snapping a nine-year title streak.
“You set out to win championships,” said Muskegon coach Keith Guy. “Last year hurt, but of course Zeeland East deserved it. It wasn’t our time. It makes this one much sweeter, and I don’t feel it right now, but I will.”
While Guy was excited for his players, he was also noticeably emotional due to controversy surrounding the game.
[1]It started in the opening moments when the Big Reds were called for a technical foul for dunking during pregame warmups.
Following the technical free throws, the Muskegon defense slapped the court as Mona Shores inbounded the ball.
While the entire Big Red team slapped the court, the official signaled out an individual player and gave him a technical for what he called taunting.
“I don’t want to pinpoint anything,” said Guy about the call, which gave Mona Shores a 3-0 lead before the second dribble of the basketball. “But you saw what you saw. Your eyes didn’t fool you. I feel bad. My heart hurts.”
After the second technical was called, Guy said he was told by a ref that he was to sit on the bench for the rest of the game and not stand up.
“It’s tough,” Guy said about having to sit for the entirety of the title-clinching win. “Especially when I don’t know what I did to have to sit. It’s tough. It would be different if I had earned the tech. I would know what I did.”
[2]While the controversy was rampant from the start, the Big Reds overcame it and jumped out to a 22-12 lead after the first quarter.
Nine Big Reds scored in the first quarter, while Mona Shores scored seven of its 12 points at the free throw line.
In the second quarter, Muskegon once again showed its scoring depth with six different players finding the bucket to stretch the lead to 36-20 at halftime.
The Sailors trimmed the Big Red lead a bit in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 48-35 behind 11 third quarter points from Parker Swartz.
With 5:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, Swartz hit a three-pointer while teammate Jeremiah Foster-Thomas was fouled underneath the basket.
Foster-Thomas converted one of two free throws and cut the Sailor deficit to 50-44.
“Last time we played them we were down 40 at halftime,” said Mona Shores coach Brad Kurth about the effort his team displayed in the second half. “I’m proud of the fight of my guys. Muskegon is very, very good. They’re fantastic and Keith is a great coach.”
[3]The Big Reds didn’t surrender another point after that, ultimately ending the game on a 10-0 run to win 60-44.
The Big Reds had seven players score five points or more. Jordan Briggs led with 12 points.
“It’s very fun,” said Briggs about his team’s balanced scoring depth. “Everyone can do anything on this team, and we can do anything. It’s good to know you can score different ways.”
Mona Shores was paced by Swartz with 23 points.
Muskegon improved to 15-1 overall and 12-0 in conference play while Mona Shores fell to 8-10 and 5-7.
Muskegon will play Grand Blanc on Saturday while Mona Shores will travel to Holland on Tuesday.
While the Big Reds will be ready for the next game, they’ll still be enjoying a conference championship that may rank higher than the others for Guy.
“Absolutely,” he said. “When I calm down and think about what just happened, plus not be so emotional, I think this will for sure be one of the best ones.”
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