Kenosha, Wis - The Parkside Rangers hosted their second straight home game on Saturday. Parkside welcomed Northern Michigan into town for the first time this season. In a game that came down to the last shot, Northern Michigan pulled away and defeated Parkside 61-58.
Inside the box score:
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Colin O'Rourke led Parkside with 19 points, shooting 7-13 from the field
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Josiah Palmer scored 12 second half points, finishing with 15 total points and five assists
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Northern Michigan recorded 13 offensive rebounds, compared to just three for Parkside. That led to 11 more second chance points
How it happened:
Parkside knew that they would have their hands full with the top scoring team in the conference on their hands. The team did a solid job of keeping the game close in a back-and-forth, heart-pounding battle. The contest consisted of 10 tied scores, and eight lead changes. O'Rourke got Parkside rolling with a big slam dunk in an open lane, firing up De Simone Arena.
Sam DeVault had his stroke working to an elite level in the first half. DeVault hit key shot after key shot as Parkside held a first half lead for 10:22. He finished with nine first half points, shooting 4-6 from the field.
Nick Brown added some cushion for Parkside with his first three-point make of the game. Parkside took a three point advantage into the halftime break.
The second half was no different, the game remained a tense and close battle. Ethan Ivan began the scoring with his second triple of the afternoon.
As the game went on, Josiah Palmer started to finally find his footing. After scoring just three points in the first half, Palmer came alive and sparked some energy into the team with a go-ahead triple.
Parkside trailed by as much as six with just two minutes to play. Two-point makes from Palmer and Brown kept Parkside within striking distance. Parkside then trailed by four with 10 seconds left, and Palmer hit a miraculous three-pointer to bring Parkside within a point.
After a foul, Northern Michigan hit both free throws to extend their lead to three points. Parkside put the ball in Rokas Castillo's hands for the final shot. Castillo came up just short and Parkside fell to Northern Michigan in the final seconds.
Up next:
Parkside falls to 8-9 overall, and 3-4 in GLIAC play. They will hit the road to take on Davenport on Thursday, and Grand Valley State on Saturday. For coverage of the events, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
