Star Marvin Moore explodes for 37 points, makes winning basket in Reeths-Puffer win over Caledonia

MUSKEGON — Reeths-Puffer's Marvin Moore remembers what it was like to be a sophomore and learning from star seniors.

Moore is now that star senior helming a team of talented sophomores, and he's never looked so comfortable in the role as he did late in his team's remarkable 65-62 win over O-K Green Conference foe Caledonia. Moore almost single-handedly erased a 10-point deficit in the final two-plus minutes and scored the winning basket in the final seconds to cap a spectacular 37-point performance.

During that time, Moore scored two old-fashioned three-point plays, was fouled on an inbound play and knocked down two free throws, and drove to the rack for the winning layup. Sophomore teammate Rodney Walker blocked a Caledonia three-point shot as time was running down, and the win coach JR Wallace called the best of his R-P career was secured.

Wallace said he didn't mince words when he called timeout during the fourth quarter. Caledonia entered the fourth leading by eight, 51-43, and was getting to the rim seemingly at will during the quarter as it maintained the lead.

"I had some choice words for the guys, and I tried to make sure that they understood how important the game was," Wallace said. "'Hey, you're not representing yourself. You're not representing the student body. You're not representing what you can do.' They turned the corner. To their credit, they took those words, and then went out there and performed.

"I'm so excited about this win. This is the biggest win for me as a coach because of the turbulence of the game and them being able to feel me and go out there and get it done."

Moore, who was a sophomore when current Central Michigan University athletes Travis Ambrose and Jaxson Whitaker were seniors, now finds himself in the role of leading a talented group of sophomores, including Walker, and said he relishes being the one his teammates look to.

"I remember when I was a sophomore, having Jaxson and Travis be those role models for me," Moore said. "I want to be like that for (these sophomores), so they can learn the work ethic and what they have to do, the extra hours, and what they have to think every game, and even outside of games, what they have to do."

It was the Rockets' third game of the week after a make-up game Monday and another contest Tuesday, but Moore showed no signs of low energy at any point in the game, particularly early on. He was red-hot from the opening tip, scoring his team's first 10 points to keep the Rockets in the game.

Caledonia ended the first quarter on an 8-1 run to move ahead 17-11, then continued to play well in the second. Moore, who scored 20 points in the half, was aided by a pair of three-pointers by another of those sophomores, Hank Mitchelson, to keep things from getting away from the Rockets (4-14, 2-5 O-K Green). However, Caledonia continued to lead, scoring a second-chance layup at the halftime buzzer to make it 36-30.

The Scots got another big-time play to end the third quarter, when R-P missed a breakaway layup and they responded with a trey at the buzzer to make it 51-43.

For most of the fourth it appeared that sequence would doom the Rockets, but Wallace was pleased with his team's mental toughness and adherence to his "Next Best Action" credo.

"It's the NBA: Next Best Action," Wallace said. "What's the next best action? Okay, he knocked down his three at the end of the quarter. What are we going to do now? What's the next best action?"

The Rockets' defense, which had been permitting layups earlier in the quarter, locked down and kept getting stops. Caledonia being whistled for a foul as it was attempting to inbound the ball - sending Moore to the line with 53 seconds to go - was a huge help as well.

Moore was 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter and appeared to embrace the pressure, a likely byproduct of his vast experience, as he is in his third full varsity season.

"It helped me calm and be comfortable with the pressure," Moore said. "Of course, when I was younger it was a lot different, a lot of nerves being there. But I think that experience helped me."

Walker's final blocked shot was a great moment for the Rockets, too, as Wallace and Walker have worked together to harness the sophomore's prodigious talent - especially on defense. Wallace joked that Walker so far has been a "no, no, no...OK, OK" player so far due to his fearlessness and ability to occasionally get out of tough spots, but is clearly a fan of what he brings to the team.

"That's what you take with the young guys," Wallace said. "You've got to go with those growing pains. He'll be a really good player one day, and we've just got to make sure that he's seeing the whole game and not just from his lens."

That's where Moore, no doubt, can help. His heroics Friday were an example of what those younger players can achieve with time.

"It felt so fulfilling," Moore said. "Our whole team (was) pushing together doing all the right things, always believing in ourselves. It's all amazing, especially when it turned in our favor."