In what has been a regular occurrence this season, Rockford found themselves squaring off with a trifecta of teams ranked within the top 20 teams in the state as the weather finally eased just enough for the Rams to finally resume action after a lengthy layoff. The Rams began the week with a thrilling 64 to 61 win at home over a previously undefeated Grandville team on Tuesday, January 27. They then journeyed to the lakeshore on Friday, January 30 to face off with a 12-3 Grand Haven team that had already sprung a few upsets along the way. The Rams triumphed 61-53 as they saw a big lead shrink to only two points late before dominating the final four minutes for the key conference win. The week concluded on Saturday, January 31 with a contest at Grand Rapids Community College against another top ten squad in Northview. The Wildcats built a double digit lead in the first half before Rockford put their nose to the grindstone and earned a grueling 48-45 victory.
Senior 6’7″ forward Jake Bascom has long been accustomed to being in the limelight as one of the top players in the state. His sophomore 6’4″ brother Josh is on a similar path but has battled a nagging foot injury for most of the season. The bad news for Ram opposition going forward is that Josh is starting to round into form and the Bascoms form a lethal duo inside for the Rams on a nightly basis. They were pivotal in the Northview comeback as they combined for 14 of the 15 Rockford points in the final quarter to power the Rams to the big non-conference win.
Rockford found themselves trailing 25 to 15 against Northview before a huge, partisan crowd that was looking for the upset. The Rams struggled to get hardly any decent looks at the basket and were routinely beaten to most loose balls and rebounds in an extremely physical contest. Rockford Coach Kyle Clough had a heart-to-heart talk to the team at the half and urged them to impose their own physicality in an effort to crawl back into the game. It took very little time for the Rams to adopt his exhortations and make it a thrilling finish for those in attendance.
“I thought at halftime that we were kind of being soft if that was how the game was going to be officiated,” said Clough. “We just did not look like ourselves and I take full blame for that. We looked poorly motivated and lacked energy and as a coach sometimes that is on you. But our captains and leaders took ownership of the issues and really got us to focus on getting back to the same type of effort we showed against East Lansing to get back into that game. We wanted to cut that lead in half in the third quarter and we did even better than that as we got back to within four. I think at that point our kids really believed they were going to win at that point. I thought Jake and Josh went from soft turnarounds to just lowering their chest and powering the ball to the hole in the second half. They both have that kind of ability every day and I think everyone saw their determination to gut out the win. I also want to give a big shoutout to Jace (Opoku-Agyeman) for his play tonight. People forget he is a 14-year-old freshman playing against some of the top talent in the state week in and week out. He had some key hoops for us tonight and this was his second consecutive solid effort. I think he played the entire second half and made multiple great plays to keep us in the game. Eli (Wolfe) had the ball in his hands against tremendous defensive pressure in crunch time and showed the heart and talent he always exhibits while not turning the ball over too. This was just a great comeback against a very good team and shows the determination and leadership we are blessed to have at Rockford.”
Rockford got back to within 31-29nlate in the third quarter before a late Northview rally gave them a 37-33 lead heading into the final quarter. The Wildcats got the first points in the final stanza to go up 40 to 33 before the Bascom brothers found another gear. First, it was Josh with three consecutive hoops to make it a 40-39 game. Then Jake gave Rockford their first lead since early in the opening quarter at 41-40 midway through the final quarter. The Rams pushed the lead to 45-40 and 47-42 as Jake and Josh rotated hoops. Despite missing three free throws in the final stages, Rockford held on for the 48-45 win. Jake and Josh Bascom both finished the game with 14 points to lead Rockford in scoring. Opoku-Agyeman finished with eight points and Dylan Gross and Wolfe both finished with five.
The Grandville contest saw the Rams outscore Grandville 21-8 in the second quarter and eventually build the lead to 38-22 early in the third quarter. But the Bulldogs refused to fold and spent the bulk of the contest battling back and made it a 62-61 game with 5.6 seconds to play. But Wolfe swished a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds to play and the Rams survived a desperation heave hang on for the 64-61 win.
“We just did not make winning plays for a long stretch there in the second half,” said Clough. “This league is very tough this year every single night and you have to give Grandville a lot of credit for how they competed to get back into the game. It was a good lesson for us and Eli (Wolfe) showed why he is the player we want at the line late in a tight contest. Nothing fazes him and he relishes being in those types of situations. It is hard to believe he is only a sophomore.”
Rockford had four players in double figures led by Josh Bascom with 14. Wolfe added 11 while Jake Bascom and Dylan Gross both finished with ten points. Drew Ferwerda also contributed seven points for the Rams.
The Grand Haven contest played out in a similar fashion as the East Kentwood and Grandville games immediately preceding that contest. Rockford built a 14-point lead in the third quarter before the Bucs made it a 49-47 game with four minutes remaining. But the Rams closed in dominating fashion to claim the 61-53 victory. Jake Bascom led Rockford with 15 points to lead Rockford in scoring. Josh Bascom and Wolfe finished with 12 and 11 points respectively to join him in double figures.
The 13-2 Rams will jump right back into the frying pan this week as they make the trip to East Kentwood on Tuesday, February 3 in an effort to make amends for a 69-68 last second loss to the Falcons at Rockford earlier this year. The battle between two of the top three teams in the state is hotly anticipated by both squads. Rockford will then host Hudsonville on Friday, February 6. Both games are scheduled for a 5:30 P.M. tip.
