February 2020 ROAR

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NET GAIN!The RHS JV Girls Basketball Team (L-R): Front Row: Gavi Bultman, Kayla MacLaren, Aimee Zang, Natalie Barr, and Belen Aguilar. BackRow: Assistant coach Sydney Savage, Karsyn Broderick, Macey Palmer, Meredith Simmons, Emma Campbell, and head coach MarcWhitford. ~ Photo by Douglas PhotographyJV Team Works Togetherto Roll Out Impressive SeasonJEANNIE GREGORYROAR EditorThe Rams girls JV basketball team has rolled to an 11-1 season,always showing the same grit that their sisters do at theother two levels. Their sole loss came Thursday, Jan. 23 at thehands of the Hudsonville Eagles, whose entire program is givingfits to plenty of OK Red opponents.With plenty of speed and talent on the roster, the Rams areproving a formidable foe on the hardcourt. Through 10 games,the team had outscored its opponents 576 to 215, an average of58 to 21 per game.Head coach Marc Whitford is in his second season at thehelm for the Rams and has plenty of experience, bringing twodecades around the court as a coach.Through the first 10 games, the team’s biggest test washanded to them by Forest Hills Northern. The Rams were 0-of-20 from beyond the arc, an extremely odd occurrence for thishigh-scoring, potent offensive team. The Rams did a great jobof adjusting to their cold streak, still topping the Huskies by 13points, a 41-28 final.“We just couldn’t get our offense going like we normallydo,” explains Whitford. “We average about 60 points per gameand it just wasn’t there for us that night. Fortunately for us,our defense is always solid, and we held them under 30 pointsgiving us a great chance to win, which we did.”Whitford loves the makeup of his roster. He looks to returningsophomore starts Aimee Zang, Macey Palmer, and KarsynBroderick as his leaders.“Each one of these girls keeps the team accountable in theirown individual way,” he explains. “This team is also fueled byan unbelievably talented freshman class.”6 ROAR MAGAZINE FEBRUARY, 2020

He also looks to Meredith Simmons, Kayla Maclaren, andEmma Campbell to fill in the holes.“We also get great play off the bench from Natalie Barr andGavi Bultman,” adds Whitford.“Even though we only have eight players that can play forus, we are extremely blessed with very skilled and highly intelligentplayers. You normally do not see this combination ata JV level.”Whitford is assisted by Sydney Savage, who adds her ownbasketball expertise to JV team. Whitford likes the future ofthe Lady Rams’ program, and believes there are a number offactors to its success, with the coaches also being an integralpart of it.“The dedication of the players and the coaches is whatmakes the program successful. Most of these players have beenworking on their skill level since age 6 or 7. You combine thatwith the experience of the coaching staff and great things willhappen.”Whitford also knows how the players respond to the coaches’vision is a big piece of the program’s success now and intothe future.“This team has great leaders and competitors. I have threereturning starters from last year that lead the way and makesure everyone is giving their all. The team loves to competeand hates to lose.”NET GAIN!The Rams JV coaching staff talks to their players during a timeout. ~ Photo by “Papa” Razzi Sports PhotographyFEBRUARY, 2020 ROCKFORDROAR.COM 7