BOYS BASKETBALL: Rochester Hills Christian blitzes Auburn Hills Christian to claim 74-56 victory
BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — Earlier this season, a parent walked up to Rochester Hills Christian boys basketball coach Jon Bronsing and said his team was like a swarm of bees.
It is a fitting analogy.
Rochester Hills Christian won for the second consecutive night, using its trademark — swarming defense — to force 31 turnovers Friday, which led to a 74-56 victory over Auburn Hills Christian in a Fundamental Baptist Athletic Conference crossover contest. It was the host’s homecoming game in front of an overflow crowd.
“It was just the other day I had a parent from the other team say that we play like a swarm of bees,” smiled Bronsing, in his 13th season with the high-flying Eagles. “That’s what we preach. Our offense comes from our defense, as we like to force the other team into turnovers and score in transition.”
Although Rochester Hills Christian shot just 44.5 percent from the floor (28-for-63), thanks to Auburn Hills Christian’s similar pressure defense, the Eagles trailed only once, 2-0, in the game’s opening minute.
RHC (13-2) forced 13 turnovers in the first quarter alone and the 2-0 deficit quickly turned into a 12-4 lead over the course of three minutes.
The Eagles led 19-13 after the first quarter, although the Cougars (4-1) used a 12-6 run to tie the score at 25-25 on a jumper from Dawson Carpenter with 1:49 left in the second period.
Rochester Hills responded with a 12-3 blitz to end the second quarter and take a 37-28 lead.
The Eagles outscored the Cougars 21-11 in the third quarter to blow the game open and take a 59-39 advantage into the final frame.
Auburn Hills Christian could get no closer than 16 points (59-43) in the fourth quarter.
“You have to give them credit. They play awfully well in this small gym,” said AHC coach Julian Thomas. “They play great defense, play with a lot of energy. They cause you a lot of problems because there is not a lot of room out (on the court) and they are very quick. But both teams played on the same court. Rochester is a very good team, a good program that does well each year with Jon (Bronsing) as their coach.”
Defensively, the Eagles held AHC to 31.5 percent shooting from the floor (23-for-73) and forced the Cougars to chuck up 27 three-point attempts. Auburn Hills Christian connected on only eight shots from downtown and attempted only six free throws, sinking only three of them.
The Eagles were also a crisp 16-for-22 from the foul line, which helped them pull away.
“I wished we would have not turned the ball over so much ourselves, but when you play an uptempo game, and the fact that we are still a very young team with a lot of sophomores and freshmen on our roster, you’re going to make mistakes,” said Bronsing. “But I love our work ethic and our depth. We can play a lot more guys this year than the last two seasons and that helps. I think we can wear other teams down.”
Freshman guard Kaloh Holmes led four Eagles in double figures with 18 points, six rebounds and four steals. Senior guard Jerem Byers followed with 14 points, six assists and four rebounds, sophomore center Alex Coury also scored 14 with six rebounds and five steals, while sophomore guard Adam Patton followed with 10 points, six rebounds and five steals for the Eagles.
RHC held a 42-29 edge on the boards.
Dawson twined a game-high 19 points with five assists for Auburn Hills Christian. Remani Jackson added 15 points and Ehsha Adams scored 11 with six rebounds for the Cougars. AJ Hawkins supplied six steals, five assists and four rebounds for AHC.
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