By Randy Gregory, Michigan Sports Radio
Rockford advances to quarters with 58-39 win over Marquette
After blazing through their first three MHSAA tournament games in impressive fashion, Rockford was matched up with Marquette in the regional finals at Lake City on Thursday, March 5. But unlike the three previous games, the Rams were faced with the loss of sophomore sharpshooter Eli Wolfe as they entered this fray. Wolfe was in a walking boot and the great unknown was how the team would respond in his absence.
The answer was with resounding success as the Rams topped the Sentinels 58-39 to move on to the Division 1 quarterfinals next Tuesday, March 10 at 7:00 P.M. at Hudsonville against Grand Rapids Northview. The Wildcats earned their berth with a last second triple that gave them a 52-50 upset of East Kentwood. The Rams and Wildcats met earlier this year at Grand Rapids Community College with Rockford earning a physical 48-45 win. Rockford will enter the game with a record of 22-3 while Northview comes in at 22-4.
As has been the case for the entire postseason, senior forward Jake Bascom was the main catalyst for Rockford as he poured in 20 of his game high 24 points in the first half to help the Rams to a 30-22 lead at the break. Time and again, Bascom utilized his dizzying array of post moves to score almost at will as the Rams built a 28-12 lead midway through the second quarter. But to Marquette’s credit they changed their defense to a 2-3 matchup zone that confused the Rams for a while as they went on a 10-2 run to close the first half and sent the teams to the locker room with Rockford holding a 30-22 lead.
“I thought we really had a chance to put some distance between us in the second quarter, but Marquette showed why they have been a very successful program over the last several years and made a run at us,” said Rockford Coach Kyle Clough. “Jake just continued his string of outstanding games and they were kind of forced to try something different and it worked for them for a while. But I felt we played with great poise over the rest of the game and never let them get much closer than ten points. Jace (Opoku-Agyeman) is only 14-years old and he was kind of forced to be our primary ball handler with Eli being out. He has really come on over the last seven or eight games and has emphasized his assist to turnover ratio with great effect. I also felt as a team we did a great job defensively all night long. When you can hold a team like that to scoring only in the 30s, it was a soldi effort across the board.”
Rockford managed to push the lead to as much as 14 points in the third quarter but still found themselves leading only by 43 to 32 after three quarters. But the Rams outscored Marquette 15-7 in the final quarter to claim the 58-39 win. Rockford went five for five from the line in the final quarter led by Opoku-Agyeman going a perfect four for four,
Jake Bascom again led Rockford with 24 points and was joined in double figures by his sophomore brother Josh with 12 and Opoku-Agyeman with ten.
Rams cruise past Saginaw United as Bascom reaches milestone
Rockford got the proverbial monkey off of their back in the regional semifinal at Alma High School on Tuesday, March 3. After suffering a heartbreaking defeat in overtime at the same point last year, the Rams were determined the result would be different this time around. The results bore out that determination as Rockford pounded Saginaw United 66-45 to advance to the regional finals on Thursday against Marquette.
The game also had special significance for senior power forward Jake Bascom, as the 6’6″ CMU commit passed the 1,000 point mark for his storied career. Bascom came into the contest needing 15 points to reach quadruple digits and blew past that in the first half on his way to a game high 24 points.
“I feel as a senior leader on this team that I really needed to have more of an impact on the team as we moved forward in the tournament,” said Bascom. “My teammates trust me enough to give me the ball and make those plays and I am thankful for that. You have to approach the playoffs respecting everybody because anybody can beat anyone on any given night. We came in and gave them their respect and did what we needed to do to advance. We came into the playoffs in a little bit of a lull and that can happen when you play the same teams multiple times in a short time frame. But we have really picked up the pace and played great team basketball over the last two weeks.”
The game started out with both squads exchanging baskets and stood at 13-13 when star sophomore guard Eli Wolfe suffered an ankle injury when he soared for a putback rebound and was left rolling in pain on the floor. What could have been a turning point in a negative way for the Rams instead saw them kick things into high gear. After the injury, the Rams outscored United 11-4 over the balance of the quarter to take a 24-17 lead into the second quarter.
After United drew to within 29-26 late in the second stanza, the Rams closed out the half on an 11-0 run to take a 40-26 lead into the locker room. Wolfe came back into the game and knocked down a pair of shots to spur the outburst but the major catalyst was Bascom with 16 first half points. Bascom continued his elite play in the third quarter with eight more points and was ably assisted by fellow senior Dylan Gross who added a pair of triples to the cause. The 18-8 Ram edge in the third quarter made it a 24-point game at the end of three and the Rams substituted liberally over the balance of the contest.
Wolfe added 13 points for the game for Rockford and was joined in double figures by Gross with 11. Josh Bascom and Drew Ferwerda both tossed in seven along with multiple rebounds and blocked shots as the Rams dominated the paint all night long.
“Like last Friday, I thought our guys were very energized,’ said Rockford Coach Kyle Clough. “We were focused and I thought we really made some big plays and finishes at the rim early and just kind of slowly separated. We have four guys who played in the same round last year and ended up going home. And I think tonight they were very inspired to make sure we got another step further. I think that Jake is only the third or fourth player in our school’s history to reach that 1,000 point milestone. And this is a school with a very proud tradition in basketball. He (Bascom) has really elevated his game and is showing everyone in the state what he is capable of.”
With the win the Rams will advance to the regional final at Lake City on Thursday to take on Marquette for the right to advance to the quarterfinals next Tuesday, March 10 against the winner of the Caledonia Regional. The game is slated to be contested at Hudsonville at 7:00 P.M.
