LocalSportsJournal.com
COOPERSVILLE — Nothing like a little overtime to spice up an already great high school tournament basketball game.
On Wednesday night, the Reeths-Puffer Rockets and the Coopersville Broncos needed 4 extra minutes before the Rockets escaped with a 59-55 victory on the Broncos’ home court.
The outcome sets up another meeting between Reeths-Puffer and the Muskegon Big Reds, which defeated Grand Rapids Union in the other semifinal game. Friday’s title game is set for 7 p.m. at Coopersville.
“It was a great high school basketball game,” Reeths-Puffer coach Nate Aardema said. “Coopersville plays incredibly hard and they are very well coached. I feel fortunate to advance to the district final.”
Both teams started a bit slowly in a first quarter that saw the Rockets leading 9-8. By halftime, Aardema’s team had a 23-18 advantage. By the end of the third quarter, Reeths-Puffer led, 34-30.
But, an 18-14 scoring advantage pulled Coopersville into a tie and forced overtime to decide a winner. The Broncos hit a 3-pointer with less than 15 seconds remaining regulation to that tied the score.