To kick off the much-anticipated Rangerball season, the boys headed down to Thornapple-Kellogg on Friday, December 9. The first matches and games of any sports season are undoubtedly nerve-racking for both players and families, but the boys showed no sign of struggle starting off the game.

With a stellar starter lineup that consisted of seniors Levi McKenzie, Sam Sneider, Nate Delaney, Jake Koning, and junior Jonas VanderWoude, the team attained an impressive lead early on. Only after the first quarter, the boys led 20-3, much assisted by Levi, one of the top scorers for the game.

Rangerball is famed for excellent defense, and it was evident in the first half. Thornapple-Kellogg seemed unable to score, making for a consistent lead by the Rangers for the entirety of the game. To wrap up the first half, the boys led 29-14–at this point, momentum was surely on the Rangers’ side.

After halftime, both teams brought their all. Thornapple-Kellogg managed to shake off their bad luck and upped their prominence on the scoreboard, and the Rangers followed suit. The third quarter was an intense, high-scoring period of minutes for both teams, and the boys’ performance remained unshaken. Just as McKenzie contributed greatly to the lead in the first quarter, Jonas made his mark then–he scored 16 points that consisted of four three-pointers overall, much of which were in the third quarter. The team never relented in their efforts, making for a continuous lead over Thornapple-Kellogg 51-28.

Now, Thornapple-Kellogg was behind by about 23 points. It would take a lot for them to gain momentum and possibly make a comeback–but whatever hopes they had of doing so were crushed by Rangerball. The boys simply continued to make shots and advance their immense lead in the fourth quarter, making for the final score of 67-37. This stellar performance from the Rangers was an amazing way to open the season.

Junior Owen Godley, a first-time varsity player, stated the following. “Winning by thirty on the first game of the season is always something to be excited about and I think we really stood out defensively. Scoring for the first time on varsity was an awesome feeling and I’m excited for what other opportunities come my way.”

Friday’s game also doubled as a good way to prepare for the boys’ next matchup against Kenowa Hills. The very next day, the team traveled to Calvin University for “The Invite,” a tournament hosted by Grand Rapids Storm. There, they were set up to play a local powerhouse with many intimidating assets, such as a solid offense and a few all-star players.

The Rangers started off strong, keeping neck and neck with Kenowa Hills. About twenty minutes in, the score sat at 11-10 FHC, then became 22-15 following the first half of the game. Kenowa Hills’s effective offense, supported by Javion Otten and Sutton Tutas kept the boys on their toes, but Rangerball’s defense managed to keep their opponent’s scoring rates at a minimum, at least for the first half.

Following halftime, the Knights began to switch up strategy, forcing the Rangers to alter plays as well. This didn’t benefit the boys at all–due to FHC football delaying basketball tryouts and cuts, they have had a limited amount of practices, making for a lack of well-rehearsed plays in their arsenal. Oftentimes when a team or athlete is down in a game, they will play harder to gain momentum back, and that’s exactly what the Knights did.

“In the second half, we just did not match the same intensity as Kenowa and they played harder than we did. We should have come out playing the same way we did in the first half. Also, we did not execute well on either side,” Jonas noted.

Regardless, the Rangers put up a fight and never let Kenowa Hills gain much of a lead on them. The final score was 42-52, but there is much to be learned from the losses.

Jonas continues, “This game was a good learning experience. We have a long season ahead, so we can’t dwell on losing. We’ll learn from our mistakes, grow, and try not to make the same ones again. Most importantly, we are going to go out and play against [Forest Hills] Eastern next week like we never lost.”

As stated, Rangerball aims to collect their second win of the season and rebound from Saturday’s loss on Tuesday, December 13, against the Hawks of Forest Hills Eastern.