The boys JV basketball team won 58-30 on Tuesday night against East Grand Rapids. Sophomore Chase Enbody led all scorers with 18 points. Enbody’s presence in the paint was no match for the Pioneers of East Grand Rapids. 

The Pioneers played a zone defense and forced the Rangers to move the ball around the arc. To defeat the zone, guards Mason McDonald and Tyler Hudkins penetrated off the dribble and kicked the ball back out to shooters such as Brady Miller. The Ranger bigs, J Coe and Chase Enbody, did a great job flashing to the free-throw line in order to break down the zone. The Rangers easily picked the zone defense by getting the ball to the middle. Head coach Ike Tilden credits the team’s preparation for the win. 

“Practice is like studying, and the game is the test on Friday when it all comes to fruition,” Tilden said. “Our bigs did a nice job attacking the zone from the middle, and the guards also did a good job of moving the ball into the middle.”

The Rangers did not get off to a great start to begin the game. This is the second consecutive game where the Rangers have come out cold. However, after the slow start in the first half, a fiery halftime speech from coach Tilden put the boys in check. 

“Coach gave a big halftime speech that got us riled up for the second half,” sophomore Brady Miller said. “We picked up the defensive intensity and started pushing the ball up the floor, which helped us increase our lead.”

The Rangers improve to 6-1 on the season and will face a talented Forest Hills Northern team on Friday. The class of 2024 has always played close games with the Huskies.

“We will play a tough and physical FHN team on Friday, and we need to be ready from the start,” Tilden said. “We’ve had slow starts the last two games and need to be ready in the first quarter.”