PENTWATER – Just days after suffering a loss to Marion that ended their perfect season, Pentwater’s boys basketball team did the same to Bear Lake in a 79-66 win, Friday, Dec. 20.
Entering Friday’s contest, Pentwater had fallen from the top of the conference pecking order, to third place behind the Lakers and Mason County Eastern (MCE). In need of a big win over conference-leading Bear Lake, the Falcons found plenty of motivation after a crushing loss to Marion in the final seconds of that game.
“It started after losing in Marion,” Pentwater Head Coach Ashley Lubera said. “We lost right at the buzzer and I think game prep yesterday… they were locked in. Today it was all about defensive stops. We just went on runs.”
A hard-fought first quarter of play saw Pentwater gain momentum quickly with an opening string of eight unanswered points. Bear Lake woke up offensively after digging an early hole, going on a run of their own, out-scoring the Falcons 11-4 as time started to diminish. Pentwater found enough offense to maintain a 19-15 lead heading into the second frame.
The Falcons distanced themselves in that second quarter, scoring 14 points of their own with eight sprinkled in from Bear Lake. Another major sequence of points allowed Pentwater to walk into halftime with a comfortable 42-26 advantage.
A stalemate of scoring in the third quarter did nothing to hurt Pentwater’s chances of coming out on top. Each team notched 17 points in the third, but it was the Falcons who impressed with their ability to get second chance opportunities on rebounds. Senior Kaleb Brown was particularly active, converting on multiple put-back opportunities despite being one of the shortest guys on the floor.
“Our goal is 40 (rebounds per night) and tonight we got 40 plus,” Lubera said. “We know if we win the rebound battle, we will probably win the game. I’ve got a lot of posts and height and offensive rebounds are my favorite. Kaleb just had some outstanding offensive putbacks down there. That’s just extra effort.
“Mikey, Trey and Jonny are a triple threat, but Kaleb is that hidden gem.”
As had been the case in nearly every quarter before, Pentwater continued to play fast which allowed them to extend their 59-43 lead in the fourth. Eventually, Bear Lake had to resort to fouling and hoped the Falcons would go cold from the free throw line. Pentwater did enough to keep the Lakers behind, shooting 70 percent from the charity stripe in the final quarter of play.
The victory for Pentwater looms large in the West Michigan D League (WMD). Knocking off one of the top teams in the conference could prove to be important when the season winds down in February. Even more impressive than the win for the Falcons was the fact that they did it despite dealing with some injuries. Will Werkema-Grondsma has been sidelined recently and Wyatt Roberts went down during the win. That’s two out of 10 players on the varsity roster that have been shelved.
“We’re dealing with injuries like everybody else,” Lubera said. “We’re just working through it and we’re having fun.”
Pentwater was led in scoring by senior Mikey Carlson who put up 23 along with seven rebounds. Trey Johnson followed up with 16 points, six rebounds and two steals while Jonny Arnouts and Brown each had 14 points. Arnouts also had seven assists, six rebounds and three steals, while Brown had seven rebounds.
The Falcons improved to 7-1 overall with the win and are 3-1 in the WMD which has them situated in second place behind MCE (3-0 WMD).
Pentwater will head into the holiday break with plenty to celebrate. The Falcons will not be back in action until Friday, Jan. 3 when they host Big Rapids Crossroads Academy.
