Local Sports Journal
Riley Foster’s driving layup as the clock expired allowed Grant to complete a stunning fourth quarter comeback and claim a 52-50 victory over Fruitport Friday in Lakes 8 Conference action.
The Tigers faced a big task after three quarters, trailing Fruitport 48-37. But they outscored the Trojans 15-2 in the final quarter.
“Our defensive intensity just picked up,” said Grant coach Josh Deklamater. “We had been taking too many risks on defense, not denying the post, and we basically turned it up. We went to full court pressure and we rattled them.”
Grant was down by five points with a just over a minute to go and finished the come back after a pair of Foster free throws cut the deficit to three. An Andy Echavarria steal off of the Fruitport inbound pass set up a Tyler Manlick three-pointer to tie the score with less than a minute left.
Fruiport’s final possession ended in a turnover with an errant pass from out of bounds.
Foster’s bucket, following a time out, completed the comeback for Grant (3-2, 2-0).
Nick Brown paced Grant with 20 points, four rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Manlick contributed 12 points, all on triples, and added two rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Antonio Flores led Fruitport with 13 points.
