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Muskegon basketball hosts Rockford
MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Big Reds boys basketball program has been a well-oiled machine for the better part of a decade but even the most high-end sports car needs to idle before it reaches top gear.
The Big Reds stalled out a few times in the opening quarter of its non-conference clash with Rockford on Friday night but managed to accelerate past the Rams in the second and third quarters and eventually lap the competition down the stretch in an impressive 71-38 home win.
“Rockford is a heck of a team and for us to play that way against them in our first game of the season was pretty impressive,” said Muskegon head coach Keith Guy. “I thought we played well and I was proud of our guys for sticking it out. We had a few guys who didn’t even play because they were banged up and a few others who fought through some things and gutted it out.
“I thought we defended well. We really got after it on the defensive end and I also think we shared the ball well. No one was really pressing the issues on offense. Everyone played within the flow of the game and we mixed up some inside attacks, and some jump shots and had our bigs crash the boards too. Overall, I thought we played well for a season opener and I couldn’t be prouder of the guys for the effort they played with out there.”
MORE: Images from Friday night’s game between Muskegon and Rockford
Muskegon was scheduled to kick off its season on Wednesday against Traverse City Central but multiplying illnesses forced the Trojans to reschedule the game to Dec. 20. The canceled game forced the Big Reds to shuffle through their preparation and put them in an unfavorable position of starting the season against a quality opponent who had already competed in three contests.
“I was very concerned about that. The last thing you want to do is play your season opener against a Rockford team that has already played two or three games. They are such a good team and they’re well coached too. I have a lot of respect for (Rockford head coach) Kyle (Clough) and I’m sure you’re going to hear a lot about Rockford in the next few months.”
Senior guard Anthony Sydnor III finished with 26 points, including a thunderous fourth-quarter dunk, to pace Muskegon (1-0), while senior guard Jordan Briggs added 23 points. Junior forwards Stanley Cunningham and Terrence Davis each added five points and David Day III had four points.
“We played good defense, especially on-ball pressure, which started with David Day,” said Sydnor III after the game. “Then, we got out and ran and we just executed the game plan that coach put together for us. We were frustrated (with not playing Wednesday), so we took out all of our frustration on this game.”
Muskegon’s senior trio of Briggs, Sydnor and Day will be counted on heavily this season, as a younger frontcourt roster adapts to the speed and precision of the varsity game.
“Those are guys who have been in these positions before,” said Guy of his senior guards. “They are the elder statesmen of the team because they’ve spent pretty much their entire high school career at the varsity level. They’re showing why they are one of the best backcourts in the state and they proved that again tonight.
“David got in some foul trouble during the game that kind of took him out of his game but his on-ball pressure was great tonight and he’s really the catalyst of our defense. It might not show up on the stat sheet but you can see the difference when he’s out there with how well we play as a team defensively.
“I thought TJ (Terrance Davis) played really, really well and I thought Stanley (Cunningham) did a great job too as far as our bigs. Elija (Langston) was a little banged up so we had to move him and Montrel Oliver really stepped up, so I’m really proud of all of them. For some of those guys, that was their first varsity action against a really good team. I thought they more than held their own and really gave us a boost tonight.”
Charles Deutsch finished with 14 points to lead Rockford (3-1), while Andrew Landis added seven points and Drake Irwin had five points.
The Rams will look to bounce back with a game against Wyoming (0-3) on Dec. 23, while Muskegon will travel to Traverse City Central (1-1) on Dec. 20
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