By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
It wasn’t the start the East Kentwood basketball team had in mind when it traveled to Grand Haven Tuesday night, but the ending was exactly what the Falcons were looking for in the matchup of two of the four teams that entered the evening tied atop the OK Red standings.
After trailing 10-0, East Kentwood battled back to claim a 53-47 win on the road and end the night sharing the top spot in the conference with Hudsonville.
“Grand Haven jumped out on us pretty good,” said East Kentwood Coach Mike Thomas. “We came out flat and they took advantage of it.”
East Kentwood weathered the early storm of the Buccaneers and began to right the ship as the first quarter progressed. By the end of the first eight minutes the Falcons managed to whittle the deficit to 17-10.
Treys turn the game for East Kentwood
“We made a few substitutions and we started hitting some shots,” Thomas said. “Christian Humphrey came off the bench and hit 3 three-point shots and Landon Storms hit two more threes. We did a good job of getting back into the game.”
East Kentwood continued to wrestle away control of the game during the second quarter. With the offense beginning to cook and the Falcon defense turning up the pressure, East Kentwood tied the game at 21 at the end of the first half.
East Kentwood’s defense was led by senior Marshaun Flakes, who was given the defensive task of slowing down Grand Haven standout Harrison Sorrelle. Sorrelle came into the game with a string of 20-point plus scoring efforts to his credit.
“Marshaun did an unbelievable job of shutting down Sorrelle,” Thomas said. “He is one of the leading scorers in the league and Marshaun held him to eight points. That was a huge part of our success in the second half.”
East Kentwood took over the lead in the game during the third quarter, and heading into the final eight minutes of the game the Falcons were up 35-32.
Grand Haven battled back during the final quarter and cut the lead to two points before the Falcons pulled away at the end.
“Grand Haven is a very, very tough team,” Thomas said. “They are a tough team to put away and we have to tip our hats off to them. We had to hit some timely free throws at the end and come up with some timely defensive stops and steals.”
East Kentwood used a balanced effort on the offensive end of the floor to key the win. The Falcons were led in scoring by Darryl Thompkins Jr. and Flakes who both scored 12 points. Humphrey added 11 points followed by Storms with eight.
Christian Humphrey’s return big
The return to the lineup of Humphrey, a 6-foot-8 senior, provided the Falcons with a big boost in the conference road showdown. Humphrey had missed the previous three weeks with an ankle injury that he suffered against Caledonia.
With the win, East Kentwood improved to 8-3 in the OK Red and 13-5 overall. The win also was the fourth in a row by the Falcons who continue to build momentum as the state tournament draws closer.
Momentum good for state tourney
“It’s perfect timing,” Thomas said. “Our goal is to have everything going by the time we get to March. “We are trying to create momentum going into March. We have a four-game winning streak and we want to keep adding to it and building momentum.
“It’s all about getting ready for March and playing our best basketball in the tournament. The guys are buying in and they believe we can do something special in the tournament.”
Falcons knotted atop Red with Hudsonville
East Kentwood’s win at Grand Haven combined with Hudsonville’s win against Grandville Tuesday evening leaves the Falcons and Hudsonville tied for the top spot in the OK Red with 8-3 conference records. Both teams have two more conference games remaining before they close out the conference season playing each other at East Kentwood on Friday, Feb. 24.
“We play Hudsonville on that final Friday,” Thomas said, “and if we take care of business, it can all come down to that game.”
East Kentwood returns to action Friday when it travels to Caledonia. The Falcons then host West Ottawa next Tuesday with the showdown against Hudsonville scheduled three days later.
