By Randy Gregory, Michigan Sports Radio
Photo courtesy of Miles Postema
Rockford came into the season looking to challenge themselves with a demanding nonconference schedule to go along with their always tough OK Red slate. That challenge has been exacerbated thus far with a slew of nagging injuries to a team looking to show they belong among the elite teams in the state. Sophomore standout Josh Bascom has missed the last three contests, while fellow sophomore phenom Eli Wolfe and freshman Jace Opoku-Agyeman have also been hindered by an assortment of ailments that have left them at less than 100%. Toss in the illnesses senior sharpshooter Dylan Gross has battled and it is easy to see why the team has been a touch more sluggish than anticipated thus far.
But in a testament to the defensive prowess of the team along with the game after game heroics of senior Jake Bascom the Rams continue to roll along to the tune of a 4-0 record against a few top ten teams. The Rams opened the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday by hosting Caledonia on Tuesday, December 9. The Rams cruised to an 84-59 win over the Fighting Scots on a night where the offense was clicking but they allowed a few more points than is normally the case. That was followed up by a Thursday, December 11 home affair with the number four ranked team in Division 2 in Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Rockford claimed a 48-42 win over the Cougars in a game where they trailed for the entire contest until the final quarter. And finally, Rockford squared up with the top ranked team in the state in Division 2 in Hudsonville Unity Christian on Saturday, December 13 at Calvin University. The game ended with Rockford claiming a 55-45 win with a solid final ten minutes.
“The pace of these games has not been what people are accustomed to seeing when we take the floor,” said Rockford Coach Kyle Clough. “But we have shown tremendous resiliency and a toughness that has enabled us to persevere even when we are at less than 100%. I think Jake (Bascom) has been playing at an all-state level for us and has really led the way on a game-by-game basis. He has really grown as a player to go from just a great athlete who can dominate on the interior to a well-rounded player who has shown he has the skills to play at any level on the court. And Eli (Wolfe) has just kept fighting through his injury and has shown a great amount of leadership as just a sophomore. He is one of the quickest players in the state and is absolutely fearless driving the lane, taking the three-pointer and now even mixing it up with the big fellas underneath. He had nine rebounds in the Unity game going against a huge Crusader front line.”
Rockford led from the start against Caledonia as they showed some of what they are capable of on the offensive end. Jake Bascom was a force all night long and led the Rams in scoring on the night with 18 points. Wolfe added 14 while Opoku-Agyeman and Gross each tossed in ten. Junior Drew Ferwerda also had a nice night with nine points.
The Catholic Central game was a study in futility for Rockford from the outset. Nothing was falling from the start and the first quarter ended with Catholic Central holding a 16-5 edge. The Rams would spend the rest of the game whittling away at the lead. They finally got it to a 35-34 contest at the end of three quarters behind some outstanding defense of their own. The final eight minutes belonged to the Rams as they outscored GRCC 14-7 to claim a hard fought 48-42 victory. Jake Bascom was again the leading scorer for Rockford with 16 points while Wolfe added eight on a night where points were at a premium.
The game against Unity Christian saw Rockford jump out to a 33-26 lead at the half on the back of some strong play from Wolfe. Wolfe scored 12 of his game high 18 points in the first half and showed his willingness to get tough down low with a talented Crusader team. After scoring the first two points of the third quarter. Rockford went through an abysmal stretch with multiple turnovers and eventually saw the lead shrink to 35-34 late in the quarter. But Gross, Wolfe and Bascom refused to let the team relinquish the lead as they went on a ten-point run of their own to take a 45-34 lead and cruise to the win. Wolfe led the Rams while Jake Bascom added 16 and Gross finished with ten.
“We are going to see some of our injured players get a chance to regain some of their health this week,” said Clough. We are practicing four days this week and we will need every bit of that as we have no games scheduled this week. But the week after that we face Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice on the 22nd and Ferndale on the 27th. Both of those teams are extremely athletic and really look to dictate the pace. I think that as all of our players work themselves back to 100% you will see a team that takes a back seat to nobody playing at whatever pace is necessary. We are really looking forward to the challenge.”
