By Randy Gregory, Michigan Sports Radio
Photo courtesy of Rick Laven
It was a less than awe inspiring conclusion to the 2025-26 regular season for the Rockford boys’ basketball team, but on a positive note, the Rams prevailed over the Buccaneers of Grand Haven at home on Friday, February 20 by the score of 45-41. The win left Rockford with an overall record of 18-3 for the regular season and 8-2 in OK Red Conference play. That was good for second place in the league standings, a game behind East Kentwood. Those two teams played twice this year with each prevailing on a last second shot on the opponents’ floor.
Grand Haven jumped out to a 13-8 lead after the opening quarter as the Rams struggled to put together anything resembling continuity and cohesion for nearly the entire game on the offensive end. On a positive note, the defense played a stellar game holding a high-powered Buccaneer offensive attack to only 41 points. The Bucs managed only four points in the second quarter and five in the third before exploding for 19 points in the final quarter.
The game stood at Rockford 19 and Grand Haven 17 at the half as hoops were few and far between for both squads. Rockford threatened to run away on several occasions in the final two quarters, but the Bucs clawed their way back in every time to at least make it interesting. Rockford led 29-19 in the second quarter and 39-28 in the final eight minutes. It took two Eli Wolfe free throws with 17.2 seconds remaining to give Rockford a 45-41 lead that they managed to hold onto for the balance of the game.
“Not a lot of great things to say about our play tonight,” said Rockford Coach Kyle Clough. “We didn’t play very well and sometimes those things can happen when there are distractions like Senior Night. We did not finish well around the rim tonight and we struggled at the free throw line. But I really thought our defensive effort was very good for the entire game. We made it a point of emphasis to run them off the three-point line and we executed that well. I am confident this will be a learning lesson for everyone as we prepare for the state tournament next week.”
Senior Jake Bascom led Rockford with 13 points on the night, while sophomore Eli Wolfe finished with 11. When you only put up 45 points, scoring is at a premium. Senior Dylan Gross and Freshman Jace Opoku Agyeman both finished with six points on a pair of triples each.
The Rams will now wait until Wednesday, February 25 for their next contest. As the top seed in the district, the Rams drew a bye in the Muskegon District and will play the winner of the Muskegon Mona Shores and Muskegon Reeths-Puffer tilt that will be played on Monday, February 23. The game on Wednesday is slated to tip off at 5:30 P.M. Should Rockford prevail, they would play in the district final at 7:00 P.M. on Friday against the winner of the other bracket. The three teams in that bracket include Muskegon, Greenville and Cedar Springs.
