Gabby Reynolds returns to lead West Ottawa past Jenison
JENISON - West Ottawa junior guard Gabby Reynolds missed her team's previous game against Hudsonville due to attending a funeral in Chicago.
She made sure to make her presence known on Friday, as she teamed up with fellow junior guard Chelsea Overbeek to score 38 of the Panthers' 50 points in West Ottawa's 50-34 win over Jenison on Pink Out Night.
"That was one of the biggest things I was thinking about going into the season was getting my team more involved in order for us to succeed," said Reynolds. "I know I have high expectations for myself, but things like making the extra pass or waiting up top (outside the 3-point line) to get everyone moving will help us get points on the board. Chelsea is one of the main scorers for us and she moves really well without the ball, so it's nice to have her to rely on. Even if they're not really scoring (a lot), Magaly (Lemus) and Brooke (Pedersen) really do a great job on the boards.
"Coach (Paul) Chapman was a little upset with our shot selection in the first half, so we felt like we hadn't even played up to our best yet on offense. He told us we had to move the ball and do the simple things in order for us to succeed."
West Ottawa (13-5, 5-5 OK Red) fell behind 10-8 before scoring the final seven points of the first quarter. Reynolds found Overbeek on the right wing for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 15-10 lead going into the second quarter.
Subscribe:Get full coverage of Hope College and local sports
West Ottawa extended its edge out to 20-12 before Jenison (6-12, 3-7) went on an 8-0 run to tie the score at 20-20 going into halftime.
The Panthers put some breathing room between themselves and the Wildcats in the third quarter, outscoring Jenison 15-2 in the frame. Reynolds scored seven of her game-high 21 points on a 17-footer and two difficult drives to the basket, while Overbeek and Lemus each added four to give West Ottawa a 35-22 cushion heading into the final quarter. An Overbeek steal, pass to Sami O'Connor and return pass to Overbeek for a layup highlighted the offensive outburst for the Panthers.
A backdoor layup from O'Connor to Overbeek just over a minute into the fourth quarter gave West Ottawa its largest lead of the game at 41-22 and Jenison was never able to get closer than an 11-point deficit the rest of the way.
"We were out of sync on offense in the first half," Chapman said. "We really rushed things, weren't very patient, and took some bad shots. Our guards got us settled down in the second half, we got some good shots, and we went zone (on defense) to help protect Gabby (who picked up her third foul late in the first half). Our zone was really good, so we just stayed with it.
"I thought we were more patient after scoring the first two buckets of the half and then our defense kind of got us into some things as well. Gabby and Chelsea were both really good in the second half."
Reynolds acknowledged that she was a little more cautious offensively while playing with three fouls in the second half.
"I had foul trouble against a couple of teams earlier in the season because I kept getting charges called on me," Reynolds said. "I do like to drive (to the basket), but I knew I had to settle more for jump shots tonight. I knew if I did take it, I gotta make sure I see where they're at (on defense) and where the helpside (defense) is. (Coach Chapman) has adapted to the way I've been playing, so it's been really nice that he's been trusting me more. I put in a lot of work in the offseason and even during the season, so he sees that and it helps with both his and my teammates' trust in me."
Reynolds added seven steals and four assists to go with her 21 points for West Ottawa. Overbeek scored 11 of her 17 points in the second half, while also contributing six rebounds and three steals. Lemus had five points and 15 rebounds, while Pederson chipped in five points and eight rebounds for the Panthers.
Hope College commit Terin Maynard scored 11 points to lead Jenison.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Gabby Reynolds returns to lead West Ottawa past Jenison
