Boys non-league hoops 12/16: Oakridge soars past Covenant; Reeths-Puffer captures first victory

James Cooper III scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Oakridge boys basketball team downed Grand Rapids Covenant Christian 53-47 Tuesday in non-league action.

The Eagles, who ran their record to 3-0 on the season, took control of the contest by limiting Covenant Christian to 11 points in the second and third quarters.

Covenant Christian rallied in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t close the gap.

Ten players scored for Oakridge, including Jordan Fairchild, who hit a pair of important 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles seal the victory.

Nate Wahr and Hunter Benson pulled down six and five rebounds, respectively, for Oakridge.

Reeths-Puffer 55, Greenville 42 – Deandre Oakes-Owens had a solid game in leading the Rockets to their first victory of the season. Oakes-Owens poured in 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists and had  four steals to lead Reeths-Puffer. The Rockets outscored Greenville 16-11 in the third quarter to take a 39-29 lead. Jalen Cooley added 14 points for the Rockets.

Orchard View 60, Belding 50 – The Cardinals (1-2) picked up their first win of the season and matched last year’s win total. Matias Keyes led the Cardinals with 25 points while Bobby Clanton had 13 points and seven rebounds.

Coopersville 71 Fremont 44 – The Packers struggled to beat the Coopersville pressure, which caused 28 turnovers and helped Coopersville control the game. The Packers were led by Cam Siersema with 11 points and seven rebounds while Cam Crosby added 11 points. The Packers fall to 1-2 overall.

Ravenna 42, Fruitport Calvary Christian 37 – Ravenna’s defense stepped up and sparked the Bulldogs to a victory over Fruitport Calvary Christian. The Bulldogs limited Calvary to just 12 second-half points, four in the fourth quarter. Connor Beahan led Ravenna with 14 points, six in the fourth off offensive rebounds. Trevor Hazen also stepped up with 12 points. Brendan Hamilton led Fruitport Calvary Christian with 18 points, seven in the second quarter.

Kent City 65, Sparta 43 – The host Eagles used a fast start to gain a double-digit lead at the half against the Spartans. The lead grew to 21 points in the early going of the third quarter and the Eagles cruised from there. Nick Alt led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds while Dustin Herringa had another solid night with 15 points. Randy Thompson added 14 points and nine rebounds in the Eagles’ balanced attack.