GROSSE ILE — The first game back from the holiday break for basketball teams effectively jump-starts the stretch run towards the state tournament come late February.
For both Flat Rock and Grosse Ile, their head-to-head matchup on Monday was the first game for each in over a week’s time. The Huron League rivalry affair was also the beginning of what Grosse Ile head coach Derrick Jackson referred to as the “month of separation.”Jackson says it is a welcomed time as teams get back into a regular routine of things.
“I love practice,” Jackson said. “It’s always nice when we can have two or three practices in between games. It’s a good time right now. This is the time where teams start to separate from each other.
“I think now is when you’re going to learn who your team really is.”
Jackson perhaps learned something new with his Grosse Ile team on Monday. When in a back-and-forth battle, they can make the necessary adjustments at the most important time of the game.
That came to fruition when the Red Devils used a strong fourth quarter to rally back and pull away for a 50-43 win. It gave them their first win over Flat Rock since 2021 and snapping what had been nine straight losses vs the Rams.
The difference for Jackson and company? A stingy defensive effort to gain total control of a game that was otherwise a seesaw battle through the first three frames.
“We really emphasized turning up the defense,” Jackson said. “In those first three quarters, (Flat Rock) was able to drive on us and we were not stopping their penetration. So we took the initiative to stop the ball and put some pressure on them.”
To Jackson’s point about season-long separation, it was difficult for Flat Rock and Grosse Ile to really separate from each other in Monday’s conference bout. That was by and large thanks to a slow start as the first points weren’t scored until the 3:40 mark of the first quarter.
The early offensive woes, at least on the side of the islanders, came after coming up empty on some looks from three-point land. That warranted a timeout and subsequent adjustment from Jackson.
“When a player sees the ball go through the basket, you get a little bit more confident,” Jackson said. “The basket gets bigger. That’s what I was trying to emphasize to them. Now those three-pointers, they were open looks, but you still have to understand when it’s a good shot versus a bad shot.
“As a player, you have to understand that.”
Both teams eventually did find some consistency offensively, however neither could again really distance themselves from the other. In fact, the seven-point margin of victory was the largest lead for either side on Monday.
Seven points was also the largest stretch of unanswered points put up at any point, with both the Rams and Devils having one such instance. There were also six instances of the score being tied and another half dozen lead changes.
It was Flat Rock who held a slim 38-36 lead going into the fourth and led by that same margin with just over six minutes to go in regulation. But a key 6-0 run flipped things in favor of Grosse Ile, who finished the game on an 11-2 run.
“We played at a high level tonight for about three quarters and two minutes,” Rams head coach Rick Smith said. “Then it kind of fell apart. That fourth quarter, I guess we just ran out of steam.”
“Grosse Ile is well-coached,” Smith added. “It’s our first loss to them in five years. Sooner or later, it’s going to happen. But if we continue to play like we did tonight in spurts, against teams like Grosse Ile who will do well in our league, we’ll be right there in every game.”
Grosse Ile saw a trio of players finish in double-figures on Monday. Senior Jack Moco turned in a game-high 12 points, including both of the Devils’ two made triples, while a pair of freshmen in Max Westerdale and Drake Duey each chipped in with 10 points.
The islanders also largely handled their business at the free throw line, converting on 14 of their 19 such tries.
Flat Rock meanwhile got a team-best 11 points from senior Evan Szalay. The Rams also got another spark off the bench from sophomore Christian Garcia, who knocked down two of the team’s six threes as part of his nine points.
Monday’s final result and their overall record aside, Smith says he continues to be encouraged with the overall improvement his team has made since the start of the season. He says limiting turnovers, better shot selection, and younger players getting acclimated to the pace have been the biggest positive changes.
UP NEXT
Both teams will continue Huron League play later this week on Friday, Jan 9. Grosse Ile (5-2, 1-2 Huron League) will make the trip out to Milan, while Flat Rock (2-7, 1-2 Huron League) will return home and host Carleton Airport.
Like his counterpart on Monday, Smith welcomes being back into a more traditional scheduling pattern for the stretch run.
“I think it is great to be in more of a routine,” Smith said. “The guys get back into that rhythm with classes, practices, games, things like that. The holiday is nice because it forces you to adjust your schedule. But I think getting back into a routine will be big for us.”
Photo gallery of Flat Rock vs Grosse Ile in a Huron League boys basketball matchup
