FRUITPORT – You know you are making good progress when your team matches its previous year’s victory total before the halfway mark of the season.

Last year the Fruitport boys basketball team struggled to a 7-18 record, and on Tuesday, in only their ninth game of the 2024-25 campaign, the Trojans won their seventh game.

They improved to 7-2, in fact, and won for the sixth time in their last seven games with a 48-39 victory over Hopkins at home.

“It might be one of the best starts we’ve had in a long time,” said Fruitport head coach Steve Erny, whose team is also 2-0 in O-K Silver conference play. “Obviously I think we are a lot better this year in a lot of different ways, not just in skill but in terms of chemistry and work ethic as well. We’re just moving on and 7-2 is a great start.”

As far as wins go, Tuesday’s was not a work of art.

Fruitport’s Dexter Lillmars launches a three-point attempt. Photo/Angela Rusnak

The Trojans struggled offensively, particularly in the first half, missing a lot of shots and turning the ball over too many times.

Fruitport coughed the ball up eight times in the first two quarters, to be exact.

But the Trojans made up for it with great defense and rebounding.

Fruitport had a 29-23 edge on the boards, turning numerous offensive rebounds into second-chance points, and denying the Vikings second chances on the other end.

As Erny put it, the “stat of the night” was Fruitport having a 21-1 edge in offensive rebounds.

The Trojans also had a lot of steals, forced Hopkins into many of its 19 turnovers, and kept the Vikings from getting off a lot of shots in general.

Fruitport’s DayDay Williams drives to the rim. Photo/Angela Rusnak

Hopkins also contributed to its own demise by missing a ton of shots. That was particularly true in the second half, when the Vikings converted only 6 of 21 tries from the floor, with many misses from very close range.

“Rebounding and defense are exactly what we talked about in the locker room,” Erny said. “On nights you are not necessarily shooting your best, you have to play hard, rebound and defend, and I thought we did that to a high level tonight.”

While the Fruitport offense was not at its peak, several players stepped up with key points at different times in the game.

Freshman Dexter Lillmars has 13 points in the first half, including three triples, helping the Trojans hold a tight 24-22 lead at halftime.

Junior DayDay Williams tossed in eight points in the fourth quarter, helping the Trojans create some space after only leading by four points after three.

Fruitport’s Hudson Hazekamp tries to get a shot off. Photo/Angela Rusnak

Sophomore Hudson Hazekamp contributed throughout the contest, and tied Lillmars with a game-high 17 points. Williams finished with 11 points.

Hazekamp also pulled down 13 rebounds, and Erny was particularly impressed with his performance.

“He was always in the mix, fighting for the boards, and he was 6-for-8 from the line,” the coach said about Hazekamp. “He found a way to impact the game through rebounding and hustle. He had the mindset of an aggressive player tonight, and that’s what we need from him.”

Both teams were sluggish in the first quarter, with Hopkins jumping out to a 10-5 lead before Hazekamp nailed a layup and Lillmars made his second three-pointer of the quarter, leaving the Vikings with a slight 12-11 edge at the first buzzer.

The lead changed hands six times in the second quarter before Lillmars nailed another triple as time expired to give Fruitport a 24-22 lead at halftime.

Hazekamp, who was 6-for-8 from the line, attempts a free throw. Photo/Angela Rusnak

The third quarter was very quiet for both teams, with the Trojans outscoring the Vikings 8-6 to take a 32-28 lead into the fourth.

Fruitport grabbed a pretty amazing nine offensive rebounds in the third, but missed a lot of second chances and made only 3 of 21 shots from the floor.

Williams got hot at the start of the fourth, however, making three layups within the first two minutes. Lillmars added a bucket with 5:26 remaining and Fruitport suddenly had a 40-28 advantage.

Hazekamp added a three-pointer down the stretch, Williams had another layup, then Hazekamp added two free throws with 40 seconds left to seal up the victory.

Williams and Trevor Rusnak each had seven rebounds, Lillmars snagged six and Keontay Thompson had five. Thompson and Lillmars each had two steals and Grade Anspach had five assists.

Fruitport will host NorthPointe Christian in another conference game on Friday.storageeddieminith brands