Kenosha Wis - The Parkside Rangers took on the Grand Valley State Lakers at De Simone Arena on Thursday night. After trailing as much as 19-points, Parkside rumbled all the way back. However, Grand Valley State pulled away in the final minutes and won the game 72-63.
Inside the box score:
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Colin O'Rourke scored in double figures for the ninth time in a row, dropping 16 points, eight rebounds, and season-high five assists
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Parkside had four scorers in double figures, Colin O'Rourke (16), Nick Brown (15), Josiah Palmer (12), and Ethan Ivan (10)
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After shooting 36% in the first half, Parkside shot 48% and scored 38 points in the second half
How it happened:
From the tip-off, Grand Valley State jumped out to the lead and held onto it for the long run. Just several minutes into the contest, the Lakers had a seven-point lead. Parkside was forced into distress and went cold from the field throughout the first half. Nick Brown continued his offensive rampage and hit crucial shots all night long. Brown kept Parkside relevant in the first half with some tough makes.
Parkside was unable to get into a rhythm the entirety of the first 20-minutes. They trailed as much as 19-points in the first half, and went into the break down 41-25. Parkside had no players in double figures at this point of the game and Grand Valley State led for 100% of the game.
In the second half, Parkside finally got into their mojo. After combining for just six-points in the first half, Josiah Palmer and Colin O'Rourke started to find their stroke. O'Rourke began to make his presence felt in the interior.
As Parkside began to crawl back, Nick Brown came through with the shot of the night. Brown stepped into a triple, knocked it down from deep, and was fouled. He converted the four-point play and brought Parkside within ten points.
Jack Rose and Ethan Ivan made critical shots as Parkside inched closer to cutting their deficit. O'Rourke put the finishing touches on a completed comeback, as he converted a huge hoop-and-harm that tied the game up at 55 with five minutes to play.
Parkside took their first lead of the game with 3:14 left when O'Rourke knocked down a pair of free throws. Unfortunately for Parkside, they coughed the lead right back up and Grand Valley State pulled away thanks to some big shots down the stretch. Parkside held a lead for just 20 seconds in the game, compared to 35:35 minutes for Grand Valley State. In the win, Grand Valley State was able to score 23 points off Parkside turnovers and outscored them in the paint, 32-24.
With the loss, Parkside dropped to 11-13 overall and 6-8 in GLIAC play.
Up next:
Parkside returns to action on Saturday to take on Davenport University at 3:00pm. Parkside will look to snap a three-game losing skid and get back into the win column. For coverage of the event, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
