By Randy Gregory, Michigan Sports Radio
Photo courtesy of Lou Murray. Check out the gallery here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/45681226@N02/albums/72177720331853423/with/55078400510
The boys’ basketball team for Rockford lost a heart-breaking game against East Kentwood on a buzzer beating lay up a few weeks back. Fast Forward to February 3 at East Kentwood and you would think anything similar was probably unlikely in round two. But this game was every bit as thrilling as the first contest, and this time it was the Rams who fired the final volley.
With the game tied at 55-55, sophomore Josh Bascom drove hard to the hole in an attempt to give the Rams the lead with just over ten seconds remaining in the game. But a Falcon defender got a fingertip on the shot and sent it just wide as the Falcons gathered in the rebound and sped back the other way. EK tried a floater in the lane with about five seconds remaining but Bascom soared above the crowd and blocked the attempt. The ball caromed to fellow sophomore Eli Wolfe who raced back the other way before dishing the ball at the last second to freshman Jace Opoku-Agyeman on the right wing. Opoku-Agyeman twisted and turned his way to the hoop and laid up a shot just before the final horn that found nothing but net off the window and the Rams had the thrilling 57-55 win in another clash between two of the top three teams in the state of Michigan.
Instead of the Falcons and their contingent of fans yelling for joy and racing around the Rockford gym, this time it was the Rams who replicated the revelry shown by East Kentwood a few weeks prior in their stunning win. The Rams, Coach Kyle Clough and the students who made their way to East Kentwood were vociferous in their elation that the result was the polar opposite of the previous meeting.
“Man, I mean there are just so many of these guys on our team who have been in those kinds of situations and I think we just put ourselves in a good position at the end,” said Clough. “And we have obviously been in so many close games that we were almost laughing as a staff. You think how many timeouts do we have, do you foul or not foul and it was just great execution by the kids and it was great to see us finish. Eli (Wolfe) had a tremendous game all night long and yet he had the audacity to give up the ball to a freshman and let him make the play to win the game. Our big guys did not have the typical impact they normally have on a game tonight and they never wavered in giving their all and just wanted to come out with the win. Josh (Bascom) just made a tremendous defensive play on that block and it is hard to say enough good things about Jace (Opoku-Agyeman) and the way he has played over the last several games. To be fourteen years old and play with that level of poise is unbelievable. It was just a great game between two great teams and it would be awesome to match up with them again down the road in the playoffs.”
Wolfe had a special night for the Rams as he poured in a game high 28 points bolstered by five triples from seemingly farther out on every make. Opoku-Agyeman had nine points and Jake and Josh Bascom had an uncharacteristic six points apiece for Rockford.
The Rams had the unfortunate situation of having to follow up that game by squaring off with another excellent team when they hosted Hudsonville on Friday, February 6. Despite holding a 12-11 lead at the end of the opening quarter, the rest of the game saw the Rams trying to play catch up after a 20-8 Hudsonville advantage in quarter number two. Rockford got within four points in the third quarter and three points in the final quarter but could never get over the hump. The game ended with a disappointing 62-55 Hudsonville win.
Wolfe again led Rockford with 23 points while Jake Bascom finished with ten. Dylan Gross ended with eight and Josh Bascom added seven. The loss left Rockford at 14-3 on the season and 4-2 in Ok Red play. This week will be a busy one for Rockford as they will travel to West Ottawa on Monday, February 9 and Grandville on Tuesday. They will finish the week by hosting that same West Ottawa squad on Friday, February 13. All three games are slated for a 5:30 P.M. tipoff.
