Almost two weeks after their loss to East Kentwood, the boys varsity basketball team traveled to Cornerstone University for the much-awaited annual Cornerstone Holiday Tournament. The tournament consists of many teams from across West Michigan and is a significant way to showcase skills and talents after a period of rest. Rangerball did just that, collecting their second win of the season against Covenant Christian 63-48.

With an impressive starting lineup of Jonas VanderWoude, Brady Miller, Nate Delaney, J Coe, and Levi McKenzie, the boys managed to grasp a strong lead early on that set the tone for the entirety of the game. A 6-0 lead only a couple minutes in allowed for a strong first quarter–Covenant Christian was unable to break through Rangerball’s defense, making for a 16-10 lead going into the second quarter.

Momentum was surely on FHC’s side as gameplay went on. The next bundle of minutes greatly echoed the first, and only acted as a chance to increase their lead. The boys stretched the gap on the scoreboard to 20-10, 27-13, then 31-15 as halftime commenced. This stellar first-half showing was substantially contributed to by juniors Jonas VanderWoude and Ty Hudkins, who collected 36 points between them.

After halftime, the intensity ramped up and both teams fought harder to make their mark then. As one team scored, the other would as well, making for the scoring percentage on both sides to be greatly heightened during the second half. Halfway through the third quarter, the score sat at a comfortable 40-27, then became 48-34 as the buzzer signaling the end of the third rang. Evidently, Rangerball’s efforts had managed to keep Covenant Christian at bay for the entirety of the game, and the fourth quarter was no different.

Even as Covenant Christian attempted to fight back nearing the end and managed to slim the lead down to around 10 points at times, it was to no avail. Throughout the game, the Rangers always kept a strong lead and managed to stay in control, aided by a well-performing defense and a talented junior preeminence on the team. The win acts as a positive turnaround from the boys’ past couple of losses and a morale boost as they advance to the next round of the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament.

“The win against Covenant Christian was great for our guys. We got excellent contributions from a variety of guys. We learned a lot as a group about how to close out games in the fourth quarter from the spot we put ourselves in. Our execution still needs to improve on both ends of the floor, but it was great to put ourselves in a position to play for a championship,” commented coach Carhart.

Rangerball’s record sits at 2-3, but they look to even it out to 3-3 on Friday, December 30 against Hudsonville.