By Dave Hart
Local Sports Journal

NORTON SHORES – It’s usually pretty tough to win a conference showdown game without scoring a basket in the fourth quarter.

But that’s exactly what the Reeths-Puffer girls basketball team did Monday, using five free throws down the stretch to beat Mona Shores 37-36.

Reeths-Puffer's Camaryia Williams slashes through the lane for two points. Photo/Jason Goorman

Reeths-Puffer’s Camaryia Williams slashes through the lane for two points. Photo/Jason Goorman

Delaney Bolles hit a free throw with 14 seconds remaining to give the Rockets their slim margin of victory.

Reeths-Puffer improved to 10-2 overall and took over first place in the O-K Black Conference with a 3-0 record. Mona Shores fell to 9-2 overall and 2-1 in the league.

“Well they say that an ugly win is a good win, it was ugly but it was good,” said Reeths-Puffer Coach Brandon Barry. “Nothing is comfortable when you are not putting the ball in the basket and we did not do that very well tonight.”

Brooke Larabee makes the pass to an open Brooke Larabee in the lane over Mona Shores' D'Avion Trotter and Kelsey Wolffis. Photo/Jason Goorman

Brooke Larabee makes the pass to an open Brooke Larabee in the lane over Mona Shores’ D’Avion Trotter and Kelsey Wolffis. Photo/Jason Goorman

Actually neither team shot very well in the contest.

Mona Shores had ample opportunities to steal the win, especially with the Rockets going without a field goal in the fourth quarter.

But the Sailors made only 4 of 15 shots in the final eight minutes and came up short.

“We missed a lot of easy shots,” said Mona Shores Coach Brad Kurth. “We missed layups after we made steals. At the end of the third quarter we made three or four steals in a row and had easy layup chances and missed them.”

The Sailors led 7-5 after a sluggish first quarter. Jordan Walker, who finished with a game-high 20 points, scored five of the seven first quarter points.

Jordan Walker hits the layup over Reeths-Puffer's Camaryia Williams. Photo/Jason Goorman

Jordan Walker hits the layup over Reeths-Puffer’s Camaryia Williams. Photo/Jason Goorman

The Rockets outscored the Sailors 13-11 in the second quarter, leaving the game tied 18-18 at halftime.

Camaryia Williams, who led the Rockets with 10 points, scored five in the second quarter.

Several Reeths-Puffer sophomores made a big difference in the second half.

Sophomore Elysia Mattos opened the third quarter with five quick points, including a triple, to give the Rockets a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Mattos, who had eight points in the game, filled in for injured junior standout Kalisa Williams, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Reeths-Puffer's Delaney Bolles goes for the opening jump ball against Mona Shores' Kelsey Wolffis. Photo/Jason Goorman

Reeths-Puffer’s Delaney Bolles goes for the opening jump ball against Mona Shores’ Kelsey Wolffis. Photo/Jason Goorman

Sophomores Bolles and Artrese Williams and combined for seven important points in the third quarter for the Rockets.

Reeths-Puffer led by as many as eight points in the third quarter and took a five point lead into the fourth.

“They are really good players,” Barry said about his sophomore crew. “They might be sophomores, but they play 20-plus games in the regular season and also play all summer in the AAU, so there is a lot of experience even though they are young.”

Reeths-Puffer went cold from the floor in the final eight minutes, but the Sailors couldn’t capitalize. Mona Shores had a 16-10 rebounding edge in the second half, including their share of offensive boards, but couldn’t get the ball in the hoop with second chances.

Bolles sank three free throws in the final quarter for the Rockets while Brooke Larabee – another sophomore – added two. Reeths-Puffer missed four free throws down the stretch but managed to get away with it.

The Sailors had a couple of chances to win the game in the final seconds, but turned the ball over with under ten seconds left, then couldn’t get a shot off in their final possession with about three seconds remaining.