Holland High School boys fall to Forest Hills Northern
HOLLAND - Jacob Van Hekken was frustrated as he walked off the floor with his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter.
It was just that kind of game for the Holland boys basketball team on Tuesday.
The Dutch lost to Forest Hills Northern 57-35 in a non-league game.
“Our ball movement and our aggressiveness helped carry us for a little bit,” Van Hekken said. “But not getting back on the other end of the floor on defense killed us.”
Holland (2-4) trailed 20-15 at halftime.
Forest Hills Northern (2-2) had a full-court press most of the game and had nine steals in the second half alone.
“It affected us a lot,” Holland coach Mason Theile said of the trap. “I think it was the difference in the game. It’s been a sore spot for us this year with ball security. We’ve got to clean it up in the future.”
Cameron Ferguson led the Dutch with 11 points. Freshman Keegan Hulst had six points on two 3-pointers. Van Hekken was limited to four points.
“We had to be sharper defensively,” Theile said. “We were a little slow-footed to start the game. I thought we made a nice little run in the second quarter. But, unfortunately those things came back to bite us in the second half, which allowed them to go on a run and put the game out of reach.”
Theile said having Van Hekken foul out with 5:02 left in the game was a big hit.
“It affects us a ton,” he said. “He’s the vocal leader of our group. He sets the tone with his energy. So taking him off the floor really hurts us.”
Alex Joseph led the Huskies with 22 points.
“The program is in good hands,” FH Northern coach Joe Soules said. “I think they will be competitive. They battled tonight. They gave us some issues (in the first half). They’ve got some guys who can play and who can shoot it.”
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland High School boys fall to Forest Hills Northern
