By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

Timely defense and a balanced offense proved key for Godwin Heights as the Wolverines outlasted visiting Tri-unity Christian 76-62 in a non-league game Tuesday.

Godwin Heights came out playing pressure defense from the opening tip. That defensive pressure not only took its toll on the Tri-unity offense, but it led to layups on the other end of the floor enabling the Wolverines to eventually take control of the game.

Junior guard Jace Reid-Anderson was one of the leaders of the defense as he came up with some key steals to go along with applying solid pressure on the Tri-unity guard.

“I’ve been working on my defense a lot more,” Reid-Anderson said. “What we do on the defensive side of the floor helps us get our offense going.”

Along with his efforts on defense, Reid-Anderson contributed on the offensive side of the floor with 10 points, including a breakaway dunk in the final minutes of the game. The Wolverines, who led 66-58 with 3:27 remaining in the game, ended the game with a flurry as they outscored Tri-unity 10-4 to close it out.

Wolverines playing with ‘high intensity’

“I thought our intensity was very high early in the game,” Godwin Heights Coach Tyler Whittemore said. “Our best offense comes off our defense and I thought at times we did a nice job. I thought we also passed the ball well at times and got some high percentage shots.”

The game was a back and forth contest in the early going with Tri-unity leading 13-12 at the end of the first quarter. The Defenders were up 23-21 midway through the second quarter when Godwin went on a run to take the upper hand. The Wolverines strung together eight straight points to go up 29-23 and never surrendered the lead.

Godwin led 36-31 at halftime and upped the lead to 40-31 early in the second half.

‘Difficult to defend’

“I was disappointed with the way we played defense,” Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler said. “They are a very nice team. They are very quick. We tried to prepare for their quickness, but they were just difficult to defend. They also played some good defense against us.”

Godwin Heights led 54-46 at the end of the third quarter. The two teams traded buckets for most of the final quarter before the Wolverines went on the final run to put the game away in the final minutes.

Four players hit double figures for Godwin

Godwin, which had four players score in double figures, was led on offense by senior guard Jakhary Towns, who finished with 17 points, all in the first half.

“I thought we played with some good intensity on defense,” Towns said. “I also thought we did a nice job of moving the ball on offense. This was a big win for us, especially with us getting back into conference play on Friday.”

Senior Damarie Thompson also turned in a strong game for the Wolverines. Along with a strong defensive effort, Thompson scored 15 points.

“Every win is a big win,” Thompson said. “They were state champs last year so this was a big win for us. I thought we played ok, but we could’ve played a little better on the defensive end.”

Godwin also received 14 points from Marcos Rodriguez, eight from Jamarion Collins, six from Rashaad Dorsey and three apiece from Tre’Vonte Buckley and Jaylen Martin.

“I thought our guys off the bench did a really good job,” Whittemore said. “They brought a lot of energy into the game. They also did a good job of playing defense.” 

With the win, Godwin Heights improved to 9-3 overall and 6-1 in the OK Blue conference, a half game in back of Calvin Christian. The Wolverines return to action Friday at Comstock Park and then host NorthPointe Christian next Tuesday.

Tri-unity fell to 9-4 overall and are 2-1 in the Alliance League. The Defenders host Grand River Prep on Friday and then host Ravenna next Tuesday.

Roy Fogg led Tri-Unity with 18 points, while Jordan VanKlompenberg had 16. Akais Giplaye also reached double figures with 12 points, followed by Keaton Blanker, six.

Fogg led Tri-unity in rebounding with 10 boards, while Giplaye added eight.