On Friday, January 13, boys varsity basketball took on the Northview Wildcats in what was a highly anticipated rivalry match. Coming off of a stellar performance against Byron Center, another local powerhouse, confidence reigned high as the boys traveled to Northview territory. Unfortunately, their three-win streak was broken that night, marking two years in a row of falling to the Wildcats.

Northview and Forest Hills Central are both known to have skilled basketball teams, making for what was expected to be a back-and-forth game. However, Northview proved its talents against the Rangers, obtaining a lead in the first quarter that allowed them to stay ahead for the majority of the game. Northview’s offense early on was quite effective, causing the Ranger boys’ typically exceptional defense to falter slightly. But positives can also be taken away from the first quarter–junior Jonas VanderWoude ended with a couple of three-pointers, and Rangerball was only down by six points, 12-18 as the second quarter began.

The second quarter ended up greatly echoing the first. Northview’s performance on all parts rose, especially the defense–making it difficult for the Rangers to gain a lead and up their prominence on the scoreboard. At this point, the boys were struggling slightly to gain traction to combat their opponent’s physicality. It was a low-scoring period for the team, and Northview’s luck allowed them to stretch their lead to 28-17.

After halftime, the Rangers started to switch up defense strategies to adjust to Northview more, proving slightly effective as they procured more stops and turnovers. This slight momentum change allowed them to gain a higher scoring percentage in the third quarter, but as the Rangers scored, Northview’s effective offense would score as well. Overall, the third quarter was a considerably higher-scoring period for both teams, but the boys still trailed 31-42 as the last quarter started.

The fourth quarter fell on senior Jake Koning’s shoulders as he worked to fill junior Brady Miller’s role since he was out with a potential injury. Jake’s efforts shortened Northview’s lead by a bit from his charges, several back-to-back finishes, and successful shots on offense. Unfortunately, Northview’s established lead and control of the game allowed them to cinch the win over the Rangers, 55-41.

This loss does not take away from the well-deserved success Rangerball has had of late but sets their record at 5-5. The boys’ next matchup is on Friday, January 20, against Greenville where the boys will undoubtedly rebound from this heart-wrenching loss.