“For some reason, this group likes to play from behind”

That’s what Muskegon coach Keith Guy had to say following the Big Reds close call against Reeths-Puffer Friday night.

Nobody had expectations of the Rockets winning, as usual, but once again, they fought to the bitter end. RP jumped out quickly on a 19-9 lead at the start of the first quarter, but in the second, Muskegon narrowed the gap and eventually took a 29-25 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was quite strange, as Muskegon didn’t score for the first 4 minutes of the stanza and RP was able to cut the lead to just one, but then a flip switched on for both teams, as they both got the offense on fire. The score was tied at 39 at the end of the third.

In the final quarter though, the Rockets lost their fire as the Big Reds stormed back and won 60-43.

Guy said on the slow start, “We’ve lost the first quarter in 4 out of 5 games and we have to fix that or it’s not going to end well for us.”

A group of power five football coaches was also in attendance tonight, including Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and assistants from Notre Dame and Northwestern.

When asked what it meant to see those guys take in a Muskegon basketball game, Guy said “It’s good…it’s always a blessing when our kids can get exposure.”

The win brings Muskegon to 4-1 on the season and drops Reeths-Puffer to 5-4. Jarvis Walker led the Big Reds with 34 points and Emcee Williams led the Rockets with 18 points.