GRAND RAPIDS — In a heavyweight fight, it’s not about who throws the first or second punch, but who throws the last one.
In Wednesday’s battle for first place in the O-K Silver conference boys basketball standings, it was Fruitport that landed the decisive final blow.
The Trojans built a big early lead, saw it evaporate and trailed in the fourth quarter, but showed enough poise to bounce back and beat NorthPointe Christian 67-60 in the Mustangs’ home gym.
“It’s been a while, probably since our losses early in the season, that we’ve been in a moment where we’re down in the fourth quarter and it feels like it could go either way,” said Fruitport Coach Steve Erny.
“For our guys to respond after they responded, and for us to have the final word – while I would have loved to keep that lead the whole way, I think it was something that might benefit us going forward.
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“I’m proud of our guys to be able to answer the call and step up and put the game away when it mattered.”
Heading into Wednesday’s game, Fruitport and NorthPointe Christian were both unbeaten in O-K Silver play. Now Fruitport stands alone with no losses at 5-0, while NorthPointe is 6-1 and Calvin Christian is 5-1.
Fruitport has won nine consecutive games and is now 11-2 overall.
“This was big,” Coach Erny said. “It was at their place. It kind of puts us in the driver’s seat, but there’s a long way to go. There’s going to be some games down the stretch where we’ll still be fighting for the championship in that last week.
“There’s a lot of work ahead, but to leave tonight with them having a loss and we still don’t, it gives us a huge advantage.”
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Senior DayDay Williams, a four-year varsity player and longtime standout athlete, stepped up for the Trojans in a lot of ways on Wednesday.
He tied for the team lead with 21 points, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals – plus four quarters of great leadership.
By playing hard defense, working for rebounds and diving for loose balls, Williams led by example and kept the Trojans locked in.
“DayDay stepped up in every way tonight,” Erny said. “DayDay had a look in his eye. Every time out, he was talking in the huddle. He felt the moment.
“Just from the jump, he was locked in. You could almost tell, there was a little bit of a different mentality for him. He’s locked in, this is his senior year. He’s a leader for us in every way and I’m glad he stepped up tonight like he did.”
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Williams said all the Trojans went into the game ready to fight hard for a big win.
“We were all hyped up for this game,” he said. “We were all in that locked-in mindset. I know as a leader I have to lead by example. Even though my shots were falling and I had a good offensive game, I knew I had to step up and hustle for boards and play defense, because that’s what’s going to get our team going.”
Fruitport raced out to an 11-0 lead in the opening minutes – fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Dexter Lillmars – prompting an early NorthPoingte time out. The Trojans led 20-9 after the first quarter, with Williams totaling seven points and Lillmars adding six.
A 14-11 edge in the second quarter gave Fruitport a 14-point lead, 34-20, heading into halftime.
The Mustangs flipped the script in a big way after halftime, however. NorthPointe nailed five triples in the third quarter, including one on each of its first four possessions, and outscored Fruitport 21-7.
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The Mustangs took a brief lead before a basket from Williams tied the score at 41-41 heading to the fourth quarter.
Williams said the Trojans knew they had to ratchet up the intensity down the stretch.
“We just had to have our highest intensity we had all game,” he said. “All the stuff that happened before, it doesn’t matter. This had to be our best quarter.”
The teams traded baskets throughout the opening minutes of the fourth before Fruitport took the lead back for good with 4:15 to play.
Williams made a free throw to tie the score at 50-50, then Hudson Hazekamp snagged an offensive rebound on the second free throw attempt and made a layup for a 52-50 lead.
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Those points, along with a basket and two free throws from Lillmars, a Williams bucket and a big-time triple from Hazekamp, added up to a 12-4 run that gave Fruitport a 61-54 lead with 1:30 to play.
The Trojans sealed up win by making four of six free throws and playing strong defense as the clock ran down.
Lillmars had 21 points, including four threes, and eight rebounds. Hazekamp scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Brady Hanson chipped in five points, Wyatt Fielstra had three and Rodney Robinson scored two for the Trojans.
Fruitport will return to action on Friday for its third game in five days. The Trojans will travel to play Kelloggsville, a team they beat 50-41 on Dec. 16.
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