PENTWATER – A daunting trek through the West Michigan D League's (WMD) finest continued for Pentwaters’ boys basketball team Friday, Jan. 31. After downing Baldwin just days prior, the Falcons found themselves in another battle to maintain first place in the conference, downing Marion in a close 53-50 matchup on Homecoming.
When the Falcons took on Baldwin Saturday, Jan. 25, they were defending their lead in the conference. Celebrating that win didn’t last long however, as Marion was due for a visit – once again forcing Pentwater to defend themselves from a team hot on their heels in the conference. The difference in the latter matchup was a distinct advantage for the Eagles. Marion had already beaten the Falcons once, earlier in the year.
“We thrive on good competition,” Pentwater Head Coach Ashley Lubera said. “Whether I have my best team or a mediocre team, we thrive on preparing and then showing up and trying to give our best. Both teams did that tonight.”
Marion quickly took control of the game in the first quarter, taking a 9-2 lead on the strength of their ability to drive the lane. Pentwater seniors Jonny Arnouts and Mikey Carlson, along with Brody Austin, sparked the Falcons near the end of that period. Still, the Eagles owned a narrow 9-7 lead on the road.
Trey Johnson took it upon himself to get Pentwater going in the second quarter. Johnson nailed a three pointer to start the frame, adding a layup on the next possession – quickly putting the Falcons on top. Marion answered back with five points of their own, jumping back in front by two.
Arnouts, Carlson and Johnson combined for 10 points to close that quarter out, leaving Pentwater with a 22-18 lead. That’s where emotions started running high. Johnson got into a scuffle with a Marion player on his way to the locker room, leaving both players with a technical foul before the break.
“There was a little situation obviously, but we talked about it at halftime,” Lubera said. “We had to be bigger than the moment, and I think we did that. We kept our composure and when (Marion) got those five fouls right away (to start the second half), we knew we could attack a little bit more off the dribble and try to draw more fouls.”
As Lubera alluded to, fouls became a real problem for Marion in the final two periods of the game. The third quarter pushed several Eagle starters into foul trouble, but that didn’t stop them from gaining a 34-33 lead, thanks to four consecutive makes from beyond the arc.
In the fourth quarter, it became clear that – though they held the lead – Marion’s tempers were beginning to get the better of them. Pentwater shot 24 free throws in that final period, sending multiple Eagles to the bench after fouling out.
The biggest shift in momentum toward the Falcons came midway through that final quarter. After putting Pentwater into the bonus, Marion fouled Kaleb Brown. That would have assured two free throws at minimum, but another technical foul was assessed to Marion after the play, giving Brown and Arnouts two shots at the line in succession. The Falcons went 3-for-4 on those attempts.
Then, moments later, Johnson was fouled and yet another technical foul was called on Marion. Johnson stepped up to the line and calmly knocked down four-straight free throws to help put the game on ice.
Pentwater went to the line four more times in the closing minutes, going 1-for-8 on those shots. While Lubera wasn’t exactly pleased with that performance, the win was all that mattered to her.
“17 out of 33 is what we made (on free throws). We were just living in the moment,” Lubera said. “I’m happy with the ones we made down the stretch and I can’t be disappointed with the ones we didn’t make, because we won the game. I’d love for 51 percent to be 80, but we’ll keep working on it.
“The technical fouls helped us out a little bit… that over aggression, but ultimately it was just our effort. We were attacking the right things at the right time and then when (Marion’s point guard) fouled out, that opened up a lane.”
Johnson led the way for Pentwater, scoring a team-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Arnouts and Carlson each notched 13 points, while Arnouts had six rebounds and four steals and Carlson added nine rebounds.
The Falcons improved to 13-2 overall with the win, pushing their record in the WMD to 8-1.
“First place has not been easy. We are fighting every night for that spot and we’re just gonna keep on working towards the final ending.”
Pentwater (14-2, 9-1 WMD) also survived another battle Tuesday, Feb. 4, completing a season sweep of second place Bear Lake with a 63-60 win on the road.
With just three conference games remaining – all against teams below .500 – the Falcons appear primed for their first conference title in five years.
