Rockford has accepted the challenge of squaring off with one powerhouse team after another so far in the 2025-26 basketball season. That slate continued this past week as the Rams first faced off with an 8-1 East Kentwood squad at Rockford on Tuesday, January 13. In heartbreaking fashion, Rockford fell to the Falcons 69-68 on a last second basket despite holding the lead for 95% of the contest. But in a display of grit and determination the Rams followed that devastating loss up three days later when they traveled to Hudsonville and dominated the second half on their way to an impressive 68-52 triumph.
The Rams now sit at 10-2 on the season and 1-1 in OK Red play.
Rockford and East Kentwood took the floor before a large turnout on a Tuesday evening where they were the early game. These two teams are as athletic as you will see and the game mirrored the competitive and frenetic pace everyone expected. East Kentwood came out in a tightly contested full court press that gave Rockford some problems early and as a result the Falcons found themselves in early foul trouble as multiple players racked up two quick fouls. Rockford led at the end of the first quarter 16-15 but East Kentwood rallied to take a 21-16 lead and sent their large contingent of fans into a full-throated roar. But the Rams were unfazed and came back to take a 30-26 lead at the break.
Rockford pushed the lead to 41-30 midway through the third quarter, but East Kentwood started hitting some triples and quickly got back into the game and found themselves trailing only 49-45 after three quarters. The fourth quarter saw Rockford out in front for the entire eight minutes save for the last second. Rockford held a 68-65 lead with 15.7 seconds to play. But the Falcons were in foul mode and were just hoping for a chance to draw even. The Rams returned the favor and fouled EK before they could get off a three-point shot and they made both free throws to make it a 68-67 game. East Kentwood again fouled the Rams with 6.9 seconds to play and hoped for the best. Lady Luck was on their side as the Rams missed both free throws and East Kentwood raced up the floor and hit the deciding layup just before the final buzzer. Jake Bascom led Rockford with 22 points while Eli Wolfe and Josh Bascom added 13 and 12 respectively. Jace Opoku-Agyeman and Drew Ferwerda both added seven points for the Rams.
“You really have to give East Kentwood a lot of credit, and they made some big plays down the stretch,” said Rockford Coach Kyle Clough. “You know, we missed a layup in the final minute and then missed those two free throws in the last ten seconds, and you just can’t do that in a game like this. So major credit to them for taking advantage. I thought it was a great game played before a great crowd that was really into the game. I think we wish there were a couple of things we may have done differently there at the end as a coaching staff but again, more credit to them than blaming our guys. When we got up by 11, I just knew they were going to make another run. That is what great teams do and we did the same thing against East Lansing.”
The Hudsonville contest followed a somewhat similar script except for the final quarter. Rockford led 17-16 after the first quarter and 32-26 at the half. For the first three quarters Hudsonville lived and died with the three-point shot and their ability to hit a large number of them over the first three quarters saw them trailing only 48-45 heading into the final eight minutes. But rather than fret about a “here we go again” scenario, the Rams dominated the final quarter. Eli Wolfe drew the assignment of shutting down the Eagles standout junior Alex Armstrong and he really rose to the occasion in the second half to help key the dominant final quarter for Rockford. Wolfe was a one-two punch in the second half with Jake Bascom. Bascom had 14 second half points (24 total) while Wolfe poured in eleven (18 total) in the final stanza. Rockford outscored Hudsonville 20-7 in the final quarter to claim the 68-52 victory. Opoku-Agyeman added nine points while Josh Bascom, Ferwerda and Dylan Gross all chipped in with five points.
“We had a pair of great practices after the game on Tuesday,” said Clough. “We are blessed with great senior leadership and kids who have tremendous character and we have the type of locker room that can handle that type of an outcome. We really talked about closing out the game after not closing out the game on Tuesday. I thought our guys had a different look in their eyes when we started to pull ahead and we got some big stops that we did not get a few days ago. That is what you want to see this time of year and you hope to just continue to get better because the OK Red is an absolute gauntlet this year and we could easily have another ten games just like these two. We have so many players who do not have an ego and look to the team first attitude. That was what you saw tonight, and we hope to continue to build on that.”
The Rams continue their imposing schedule this week as they welcome an undefeated and top-15 ranked Grandvile team to Rockford on Tuesday, January 20 at 5:30 P.M. They will then make the lengthy trek to Holland to take on West Ottawa on Friday, January 23 in a game also slated for a 5:30 tip.
