TEN BEST: Hudsonville vs. Rockford
HUDSONVILLE 45 ROCKFORD 39 This was a battle of two teams that lead the OK Red Conference. The Hudsonville Eagles won Wednesday’s home conference game against the Rockford Rams by a score of 45-39. The Eagles improved their record to 10-2…
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Continue ReadingHUDSONVILLE 45 ROCKFORD 39
This was a battle of two teams that lead the OK Red Conference. The Hudsonville Eagles won Wednesday’s home conference game against the Rockford Rams by a score of 45-39. The Eagles improved their record to 10-2 while taking sole possesion of first place as the Rams fell to 9-3.
This was a defensive battle from start to finish. The pesky Hudsonville squad held Rockford to only 4 points in the first quarter while the Rams 1-3-1 zone only allowed the Eagles to score 11 in the first quarter. The half ended with the Eagles leading 19-11. Both teams were held to season lows in the first half.
The offense picked up for Rockford in the third after they fell behind by 14. Andrew Carlson knocked down a couple of much needed 3’s for Rockford but Payton Carney from Hudsonville responded by controlling the boards and scoring 6 or his 13 in the 3rd quarter. Rockford started to close the gap in the begining of the 4th quarter behind some sharp shooting of Ashton Pokorzynski who scored 8 pts in the fourth but it was too little too late as Hudsonville hit some timely shots and got big rebounds.
TEN BEST:
MVP: Payton Carney (Hudsonville)
The senior forward was a workhorse for the Eagles. He scored, rebounded and blocked shots. He finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. When he wasn’t scoring he was kicking it out to shooters.
Play of the game: Stone Smeenge (Hudsonville)
With just over a minute to play and Rockford breathing down their necks Smeenge took a pass and drove the lane for an And One. This was a huge momentum buster for the Rams.
Best offensive performance: Nate Bareno (Rockford)
While this was a tough game for anyone to get going offensively, the 6’6 senior managed to scrape together 15 points, scoring 7 points in the fourth when the Rams were making a run.
Best defensive performance: Max Perez ( Hudsonville)
The ball hawking Perez was all over the Rams perimeter players forcing turnovers and cutting off passing lanes.
Best guy off the bench: Ryan Chandler and Mason Slattery (Hudsonville)
The Eagles best asset is how deep their bench runs. Chandler came in and knocked down a 3 and had a couple nice assists and played tremendous defense while Slattery knocked down a couple of threes and finished with 10 points.
Best intangibles: Payton Carney ( Hudsonville)
Carney has the frame of a linebacker and plays the game the way it should be played. Tough and aggressive. He has quick feet and his ability to rebound at 6’2 is terrific. He is the team leader and it shows.
Best under-the-radar performance: Ashton Pokorzynski (Rockford)
This 6’6 senior forward presented a difficult challenge for the Eagle defenders with his size and shooting ability. With his work ethic running the floor Pokorzynski can take over games on the glass and outside. Keep an eye out for him as the Rams make a run during the state playoff time.
Best underclassmen: Bendan Schueller (Rockford)
The box score may not reflect how valuable he is to this team but he is the motor behind the Ram engine. As he gets older he will develop more into a scorer but right now his job is to facilitate the offense. This Sophomore PG has a bright future
Best Coaching strategy: Kyle Clough (Rockford)
With Rockford playing zone all game, Coach Clough switched to man in the fourth and this disrupted Hudsonville’s offensive flow and allowed Rockford to claw back into the game.
Best part of the game: Ball movement by both teams
While the score may not reflect much offensive output by both teams they both were impressive in the way the swung the ball around and were patient with their shots. You can tell both of these teams are well coached and know how to play the game. I expect these two teams to go far in the state playoffs.