By Randy Gregory, Michigan Sports Radio
Photo courtesy of Miles Postema
Rockford punched their collective tickets for the Breslin Center in East Lansing for the fourth consecutive season with a gritty 55-49 win over Grand Haven at Mona Shores High School in Muskegon on Tuesday, March 18. The Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 quarterfinal featured the top-ranked Rams and the fourth ranked Buccaneers before a packed house that was treated to a contest that was tightly contested for the most part. The biggest lead of the evening for the Rams was 11 points at 36-25 after an Anna Wypych triple and the largest lead for Grand Haven was 9-5 early in the opening quarter.
The old adage that it is difficult to beat a good team three times certainly came into focus as Grand Haven continuously fought back every time the Rams appeared poised to take firm control of the contest. But once the Rams took a 20-17 edge in the second quarter on a Jordan Mateer triple, they held the lead for the balance of the game. The defensive prowess of both squads was readily apparent all night long as good looks were at a premium for both teams. Grand Haven used their height to disrupt the Ram offense and Rockford used a trapping half-court defense that forced numerous turnovers and deflected passes. The win moved Rockford’s record to 26-1 on the season and Grand Haven finished the campaign at 22-4 with three of the losses to the Rams.
Next up for Rockford is a semifinal contest against Wayne Memorial at 2:00 P.M. on Friday, March 21 at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University. Rockford and Wayne Memorial met earlier this season in the hoop summit at Aquinas College on December 7, 2024. The Rams won 62-45 although it was only the second game of the year for the Rams and the first contest for Wayne Memorial. The Zebras are 21-6 on the season but the three of the losses are to the top two teams in the state (Rockford and Belleville) and Detroit Edison (still alive in Division 2). The other three losses are to schools from Indiana and Ohio.
“Well, Grand Haven is a great team, you don’t just get to the quarterfinals,” said Rockford Head Coach Brad Wilson. “You know they (Grand Haven) earned their trip all the way along. I mean, what a great OK Red battle. They did a lot of things to generate points against a really good defense but you have to credit our players as well. We answered every one of their runs and I think different players stepped up for us in different ways. Anna Wypych came up big at the end with a lot of free throws and I am just so happy to get back to the Breslin.”
The Bucs shot the three-ball with great effect early and led most of the opening quarter on the strength of three triples in the opening stanza. But the Rams answered with one each from Wypych and Sienna Wolfe to grab a 14-13 lead after the opening quarter. The second quarter saw Rockford grab the lead for good as four different players hit three-pointers for the Rams (Wypych, Wolfe, Addison Wypych and Mateer). The Rams took a 30-21 lead into the break and appeared on the precipice of taking total control of the game. Wilson switched up the starting lineup by starting Wolfe and bringing Mateer off the bench. It has been a gradual transition for Wolfe as she has seen her minutes increase gradually after coming back from a serious knee injury last season.
“We knew that Grand Haven was going to run a 1-3-1 defense and we thought Sienna gave us a great shot to stretch that defense and hit some threes,” said Wilson. “She got some great looks early and hit several threes that were vital for us. Jordan Mateer had a great a great game for sure on both ends but everyone contributed today in different areas that helped us win the game.”
The Bucs made a bit of a run in the third quarter and reduced the Ram lead to 37-31 before Wolfe hit a triple and 40-33 before Audrey Muterspaugh closed out the third quarter with a desperation 35-foot heave that gave the Rams a 43-33 lead heading into the final eight minutes. Grand Haven made their final push in the first few minutes of the final quarter as they got to within 43-38 and 45-40. But in each instance Kate Higgins muscled her way inside for hoops to push the Ram lead to seven on both occasions. Addison Wypych then nailed a triple of her own and made it 50-40 before Anna Wypych hit five late free throws to cement the win for the Rams.
Anna Wypych led the Rams with 22 points while no other player hit double digits. But Wolfe ended with nine and Mateer finished with seven. Addison Wypych and Higgins both had six and Muterspaugh finished with five to complete the scoring for Rockford.
“When you get into coaching you just want to build relationships,” said Wilson. “You want to try to build a program and the fact that we have gotten to the Breslin four straight years and get another chance at a state championship and it is hard not to get emotional. There is also a reason why Grand Haven was here tonight too. They are a very good team and we knew it would take our best effort to win. And that is exactly what it took.”
