MUSKEGON — Reeths-Puffer left its 0-5 start to the season in 2023 Tuesday night, playing its best game of the year to open 2024 with an impressive 51-38 win over Jenison.
The Wildcats entered the game with a 3-1 record, so R-P’s win wasn’t merely a case of lesser competition on the other side of the court, either.
The Rockets started strong behind two early three-pointers from Megan Barmes, who scored 10 first-half points, and finished strong with a dominant fourth quarter by Brooklynn Tornes, who scored eight of her team’s last 10 points to stave off a late Jenison run. Tornes had a game-high 22 points in all.
R-P’s best success came from turning its attacking defense into easy scoring chances in transition. For a young team not accustomed to making its own offense - Tornes is the only veteran scorer - getting out on the run made scoring points a much simpler proposition.
“That’s basically what we’re trying to do, is just create as many turnovers as possible and try to finish our layups,” Rockets’ coach Rodney Walker said. “I feel like defensively, we’re just as quick as any team. Defensively, as far as rebounding the ball, Ashlyn (David) and Irelyn (Niklasch) are doing a great job down there. Chloe (Brainard), she’s kind of undersized a little bit, but she’s just tough as nails. I think we’re doing a good job limiting teams to one shot. That’s really our goal, is to try to limit teams to one shot and try to disrupt their offenses.”
That goal was clearly met in the first half as the Rockets raced out to a dominant 31-8 lead at halftime, including not allowing a single field goal in the first quarter. They played as confidently and freely as they have all season for those 16 minutes.
Walker said the Rockets show off their shooting prowess in practice and have needed time to translate that ability to game speed.
“If you notice us in warmups, everybody’s hitting a shot,” Walker said. “It looks good, and then when the game starts, everybody is just kind of uncomfortable. I think we’re starting to get a little more comfortable just making plays and making shots right now. That was the biggest difference; people are starting to feel more confident.”
The Rockets’ shutdown defense tailed off somewhat in the second half, as the visitors were able to get to the basket more easily, but R-P enjoyed enough offensive success that victory was never seriously threatened. Savannah Lockwood knocked down a three late in the third quarter that helped keep Jenison at bay, and Tornes took over late, repeatedly slicing to the basket.
However, Walker did see some teachable moments late when his team struggled with turnovers as Jenison tried to stay in the game with a press.
“We drill every day about ball handling skills and layups and things like that,” Walker said. “I just want them to get more comfortable with attacking the basket versus just deferring to someone else. I want you to become that player within the play. Eighty percent of the time, a play might not work, so now, what’s next?”
As O-K Green Conference play begins this Friday against Mona Shores, Walker thinks his team will prove capable of playing with its league foes. While Muskegon appears to be a heavy conference favorite, Walker views the rest of the upcoming opponents as being evenly matched.
That belief informed the Rockets’ aggressive early scheduling, too. While R-P didn’t enjoy any early wins, the team learned a lot from the experience.
“That’s the whole purpose of having a lot of heavy hitters at the start of the season, so that you can get used to what that pressure looks like when our conference play starts,” Walker said. “I feel like we’re prepared to go into the conference. Our conference is always tough and competitive every night. You just never know who’s going to win.”
