By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com
PENTWATER — Shooting nearly 50 percent from long range, and excellent execution on defense paved the way for the Pentwater girls’ basketball team to topple West Michigan D League heavyweight Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 46-39, Wednesday night in Pentwater.
It was just the kind of battle teams look for with the regular season drawing to a close and the districts looming in just a couple weeks.
The win was the Falcons third straight.
“We came in knowing we’d have to put together a solid effort to hang with the Cougars and my girls delivered,” said Falcons coach Joe Gorton. “Things were back and forth early. It was a fantastic team effort tonight. We knew we were the underdogs going in, but really executed well.”
Pentwater busted out to a six-point lead early on. But the Cougars countered with some strong transition play at the end of the quarter and snuck ahead, 14-10.
In the second quarter, the Falcons got the looks on offense they wanted, moved the ball and went to the free throw line 14 times in the quarter. But the Falcons couldn’t convert on the free chances, making only four, and went into the half with a three-point deficit, 24-21.
Aubrie Adams sparked the Falcons in the third period, scoring eight of their 16 points, including a shot that beat the buzzer for a 16-13 edge.
That burst sent the Falcons into the fourth quarter holding a 10-point lead, 37-27, and they finished with a 9-2 run in the final stanza.
“It was our goal to create one-and-done opportunities for them, and Sam (Schafer, 13 rebounds) was a huge reason we did,” Gorton added. “Charlie (Swanger) caused havoc up top all night long, grabbing a game-high eight steals, and really pushing the Cougar shooters off their spots.
“Our posts played with poise and really helped us stretch their zones. I’m extremely proud of this one. We had it circled on the calendar all year as a huge matchup.”
Adams shot 70 percent from the field, including six 3-pointers, and led all scorers in the game with 22 points for the Falcons. Schaefer contributed seven points and Swanger added six.
Jackie Cole and Alexis Carr scored 10 points apiece for the Cougars, who fell to 12-5 overall and 9-4 in the league.
Pentwater improved its record to 10-4 overall and 8-4 in the league. The Falcons travel to Manistee Catholic for anther WMD game Friday.
