GH boys let one slip away at EK

Wed, Jan 6, 2010    to del.icio.us

East Kentwood's high-intensity defense did a number on Grand Haven's boys basketball team on Tuesday, helping the host Falcons close the game on a 20-8 run to hand the Buccaneers their first O-K Red Conference loss of the season.

The Bucs were in command for much of the game, but fell apart down the stretch in a 47-41 Falcons' win.

"We just let their pressure get to us," said Grand Haven coach Steve Hewitt, whose team falls to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in league play. "We were trying to do stuff we're not good at. Credit to them, they got us out of our offense and we panicked. We didn't respond with poise."

The Buccaneers were up 29-20 at one point in the game, but a flurry of 3-pointers to close out the third quarter and again early in the fourth got the Falcons back into the game.

"We did some good things to get the lead, and we were in control of the game for three quarters, but we fell apart in the fourth," Hewitt said.

The Buccaneers' starting post players, Nate VanArendonk and Noah Veach, each scored in double figures, finishing with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Isiah Law added seven points, but the rest of the team combined for just 10.

VanArendonk was 9-of-10 from the free throw line and also led the Bucs with 13 rebounds.

Jeremiah Williams, a 5-foot, 11-inch guard, paced the Falcons with 15 points, including a 3-pointer. Ty McKinney, a 6-3 senior forward, added 12 points, while Deonte Hurst and Christian Craft each scored seven.

McKinney and Williams scored a lot of their points down the stretch," Hewitt said. "They hit some big shots when they needed them, and we had 21 turnovers. We're not going to beat a lot of teams when we turn the ball over 21 times."

As a team, Grand Haven had just four assists.

Grand Haven hosts another up-tempo team on Friday when the Muskegon Big Reds invade Grand Haven Fieldhouse.

"We have to get a lot better over the next couple days because we're going to see the same kind of game against Muskegon on Friday," Hewitt said.

The Bucs played without junior forward Adam Poel, who had his appendix removed the same night Grand Haven defeated Spring Lake on Dec. 22.

Hewitt said Poel will miss the next 2-3 weeks as he recovers from surgery.

Junior Varsity: Grand Haven played an even second half with East Kentwood on Tuesday, but it was all Falcons in the first half, as they won, 59-37. Jeremy Lattig paced the Bucs with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Ryan Schoonover added four points and five rebounds.

Freshmen: Grand Haven fell to East Kentwood on Tuesday, 52-45. Ryan Peterson had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Bucs. Ty VanWieren added 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Hector Chavez provided 11 points and three steals.