It just wasn’t a great night for the girls varsity basketball team on Friday.

In the 67-47 loss against Grand Rapids Christian, the leading scorers for the Rangers were senior Theryn Hallock–who had 17–and sophomore Maggie Sneider with 13 points. On defense, the Rangers could not find an answer to the shooting-based offense of the Eagles, costing them plenty of time on the offensive end.

“Honestly, Friday was tough,” head coach Kristina Prins said. “We came out flat and looked unprepared from the start. We just lost motivation as the game went on and couldn’t get into a groove.”

A great win on Tuesday over Northview gave the girls a lot of momentum going into this big matchup against Grand Rapids Christian, a team they split the season series with last year.

In the first, the Eagles came out on fire. They scored seven unanswered to start the game while the Rangers just could not get going. Eventually, Maggie went on a scoring streak of six in a row to start off the night. On the defensive end, GRC was just clicking, making great passes for wide-open looks, and torching the Rangers’ defense with great perimeter shooting. Right out of the gate, it was clear what the Eagles’ strategy on defense was: press Theryn, and when she gets the ball, double-team her. It seemed to work and the Rangers were down 18-9 at the end of the first.

The second quarter saw a little bit more scoring from the Rangers, but the Eagles just kept their foot on the gas pedal. Theryn finally got going in this quarter with 12 points, including a three-pointer and a good amount of free throws. Maggie scored three in this quarter while junior Delaney Smith went two for four from the line. Senior Madison Wilkins also added a layup, but the Eagles just kept it going and extended their lead to 45-28 at halftime. 

The second half saw more of the Eagles shooting very well from deep and the Rangers struggling to find some offensive rhythm. Junior Maya Holser had 7 points in the half while Maggie had 4 and Theryn had 5. Freshman Jordan Koning added 3 points of her own as well, but GRC just continued to pile it on. With great shooting from the three-point line in the second and continuing their defensive pressure, the Eagles were able to get a nice lead and pull away, sending the Rangers home with a 67-47 loss. 

“We need to be able to put four quarters together as well as two games a week,” coach Prins said. “Consistency needs to be our new motto.”

Next week, the Rangers will travel to Greenville for a game on Tuesday, January 25, at 7:00 pm. Then, they travel to face Byron Center later in the week on Friday.