GRANDVILLE — Something about fourth quarters against Kent City agrees with Hart junior star Reese Smith, and because of it the Pirates are still dancing in March.
Smith completely took over the end of Wednesday’s regional final game against the Eagles, scoring 17 fourth-quarter points and hitting the game-winning shot in a 51-49 triumph that brought another mitten-shaped trophy to Hart.
With the win, the Pirates advanced to face No. 2-ranked Niles Brandywine in the quarterfinal game next Tuesday at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix.
When the Pirates entered the fourth quarter Wednesday down 36-31, they already knew what to do - get the ball to Smith. It was a strategy that nearly paid off when the teams played in January; Smith scored 14 points in the fourth quarter that day, nearly bringing Hart all the way back for a win. On Wednesday night, she finished the job.
With Kent City focusing much defensive attention on Rilynn Porter, the Pirates were confident they’d have a mismatch with anyone the Eagles tried to throw at Smith, just as they did in the first meeting.
“After the (first) half, I (thought), ‘I just need to calm down. We’re still in this game,’” Smith said. “I knew somebody needed to step up, and I felt like they just couldn’t really guard me, not to sound cocky or anything like that. (I have) a quick step, so just getting in the post, drawing the foul or just a kick out pass or shooting the ball, I’m confident with it. After I (saw) one fall, I was relieved, and I just kept shooting the ball.”
“We knew if they did that (again), she’s stronger than anyone they can put on her, and it worked out for us,” Hart coach Ron Williamson added.
Smith quickly delivered, hitting two quick three-pointers to pull Hart to a 40-37 deficit. Moments later, Natalie Rosema hit a trey too, and Smith drove in and scored. Even though the Eagles were scoring too, they couldn’t pull away, and it was 46-42.
Smith kept attacking and got to the line twice in a row, coolly knocking down all four attempts to tie the score. Kent City retook the lead, but Porter fed Smith for two more points, and a couple possessions later, Smith got the ball again and went to the post for a bucket that proved to be the difference.
The talent of Hart’s team is clear, but in the final seconds, the Pirates also got to show off their basketball smarts. With 12 seconds to play, Hart had committed only one team foul, and the Pirates called timeout and installed a strategy: Foul the Eagles. The bonus doesn’t kick in until a team’s fifth foul of a quarter, so Hart could run time off the clock by trapping Kent City ballhandlers and reaching in, preventing any shot attempt while not needing to worry about free throws.
“Get the ball in, and once it’s in, get a quick trap and (try to) get a steal and after a couple of dribbles, foul them and make sure it’s not on the shot,” Williamson said of the move. “They did us a favor and ran off more time than I thought they would have. We were trying to foul and they were trying to get away from us, so that worked out to our advantage.”
Hart employed the strategy perfectly, and by the time Kent City was in the bonus, only one second remained. The Eagles couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.
The Pirates had a chance to come back late because of their impressive first quarter defensively. Hart came at Kent City in the press and forced a slew of turnovers, not allowing a point for nearly 5:30 of the quarter and taking a 10-0 lead.
Kent City quickly rallied to take the lead early in the second quarter behind excellent play by Kensington Freeland, who scored 11 in the quarter and 20 in the game overall. That lead held until Smith put Hart on her back late. She finished the night with 24 points.
“I felt the momentum shift,” Smith said of her fourth-quarter surge. “Our student section showed up tonight, and we were feeding off the energy there. Once we (saw) the tie game, it was go time from there.”
Williamson credited his players and the time they’ve spent playing together for having the confidence and composure to never back down from a deficit. Wednesday marked the second time in three games the Pirates have made the winning plays down the stretch of a trophy game.
“It’s more the kids’ doing,” Williamson said. “We talked about (how) this time of year, there are 16 teams that would die to be where we’re at. Go out and have fun and play the way you can play. And they played extremely loose for as competitive as the game was.
“I think playing the schedule we play has given them confidence against a tough team that they’re never out of it. It’s just a matter of executing.”
It may not get much tougher than Hart’s next foe, the Brandywine Bobcats, who are 25-1 after dispatching Kalamazoo Christian in their own regional. But then, Hart has some experience upsetting highly-ranked opponents; the 2022-23 Pirates’ road to the Breslin Center included a stunning win over top-ranked Buchanan. Hart thinks it can do it again.
“We’ve always said it’s our goal to get back to that Breslin Center, and I think this is the year we can step up and do that,” Smith said.
