Tigers Claw Back for Overtime Win

Story and photos by Mike Gesler

Grant 39  Reed City 31 OT
Tonight marked the start of the second half of regular season play. With eight to nine games remaining, and teams knowing their District assignments, the thought of play offs is beginning to creep into the picture. When teams play and who they will face is now based on some MHSAA voodoo mathematics called the MPR. The trick is to earn the bye, and not have to play on Monday. “The way the playoffs are now, it’s based on your winning against the teams so we’re really shooting to not play Monday in Districts,” stated Grant’s Coach, Josh Delamater. “So we’ve got Comstock Park, Fremont, Newaygo, Sparta, and us, and we would love to not have to play that Monday night game. Play Wednesday. So that’s what we’re looking for right now.”

​But in order to earn the first round bye, the Tigers need to continue to take care of business. That business is not going to be easy since everyone in the CSAA has now seen the fury that is this year’s Tiger team. The last time Reed City saw Grant was early in December when the Tigers stunned the Coyotes 46-23 in Reed City. Now Reed City was looking for revenge, and a chance to take down Grant on Grant’s court.

The Tiger’s haven’t played in a week, and if you’re a Grant faithful, you know the rust develops quickly on this Tiger team. The first quarter of play was not the Tiger’s finest. They were slow. They were sloppy. They missed easy shoots. They simply looked lost and confused as Reed City took an early lead and dominated the Tigers eleven to four.

The second quarter started out well for the Tigers. Rider hit two threes as well as a three from Plume to lift Grant to a two point lead. It looked like the rust was finally shaken off, but Reed City adjusted and caught the Tigers flat again. With the remaining four and a half minutes in the half, the Coyotes managed to put up twelve and extend their lead by two going into the locker room up twenty-three to fourteen.

“I don’t know where to start, honestly,” stated Delamater. “We were flat, obviously. We came out shooting poorly. It reminded me a lot of the Tri County game. We do not like to have games off, and that game off on Tuesday, we just, you know, came out flat. We just couldn’t get into a rhythm. You know Reed City did a really good job. I was impressed. They came out with some good stuff against our press. Those girls hustled their butts off. They got up and down on the floor very well. Played great defense.”

Another fact about this year’s Grant team is they will commit to all four quarters. The Tigers came out of the locker room determined not to drop one on their home court. And much like the second, Rider answered the call with two more threes as well as one from Chase. The difference between the second quarter and the third was Grant came up big defensively, and held Reed City to only two points bringing the game within one point.

The Tigers took the lead in the fourth with another three from Rider, and then decided to burn out the clock. As Reed City stood motionless in their 2-3 zone defense, the Tigers simply held onto the ball. For approximately two minutes no one moved. I can honestly say I have never held a conversation with a player and an official together during play until tonight. With time eroding away, Reed City realized they needed to force Grant’s hand. With the remaining time, the two teams battled a tie that neither was willing to concede thus sending the game into overtime thirty-one all.

Grant drew first blood as Chase was fouled giving her two at the line. Making both, Grant again went to burning up the time. Reed City was quicker to respond this time with an intentional foul on Ashbaugh who hit both. Now down by four, and with Grant defensively not giving up anything, this forced Reed City into committing a series of intentional fouls. Fortunately for the Tigers, the rust and sluggishness that encompassed the first half of play was a distant memory as they went eight for ten at the line in overtime to battle back to a thirty-nine to thirty-one victory.

“We got some better movement in the second half off of [Reed City’s 2-3 zone]. Got some better shots,” shared Delamater. “Jaycee Rider hit some pretty key stuff for us, and big defensive quarter in the third … which was phenomenal. And really, we played a great defensive game, we just couldn’t put the ball in the basket. We’ve been talking a lot about grit. We lost some games early, you know the Cedar Springs game that we just didn’t battle through stuff. We lost the Tri County game where we really didn’t battle through stuff well. So we’ve had Big Rapids which was the same kind of game. Central Montcalm to start with two points in the first eleven minutes and thirty seconds, and to be patient, and to come back from that was phenomenal. And then tonight was another great game. These are the games you need down the stretch when you’re trying to battle for stuff. Obviously, we would need a miracle for Newaygo to drop a couple games, but it would be fantastic to be that close, you know what I mean? Make that game against them at the end mean something. I just told the girls we’ve got to battle every night. We’ve got to go out and still prove to everybody what we are and who we are. So they did a great job with that tonight. The grit, and the determination.”

It was Jaycee Rider who led the Tigers in tonight’s overtime win with twenty-one points. Chloee Chase hit for seven. Jocee Pleune put up five. Julie Ashbaugh had four, and Sara Arends scored two. The Tigers now sit at 6-2 in the conference, and 8-4 overall. They have a two game road trip starting at Montague on the first before returning home on the eighth to face Morley Stanwood.