Big Rapids, MI - The Parkside Rangers had their season come to an end after a Quarterfinal loss to No. 3 Ferris State on Wednesday night. Despite a valiant effort from Josiah Palmer, who netted a career-high in points, Parkside fell short in the final seconds of regulation. Ferris State erupted for a 51-point second half and won the game 84-82.
Inside the box score:
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Josiah Palmer scored a career-high 31 points. He finished 11-13 from the field and an outstanding 6-7 from beyond the arc. Palmer padded his career-game with four rebounds and six assists.
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Colin O'Rourke provided Parkside with his eighth 20-point performance of the season, dropping 22 points and seven rebounds.
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Parkside was brilliant in the shooting category, shooting 51% from the floor and 50% from three-point range.
How it happened:
The theme of this game was relentless scoring. The battle between No. 6 Parkside and No. 3 Ferris State was a shoot-out that came down to the wire. For Parkside, Jack Rose got the scoring going. Rose, who played a season-high 35 minutes in the contest, initiated the scoring for Parkside. Rose, who knocked down three triples in the opening 20-minutes, ripped a three-pointer to get Parkside on the board.
Ferris State was the best scoring team in the conference all season long, and they displayed their ability to put the ball in the basket. They jumped out to a quick 11-5 lead over Parkside. Nick Brown played a really tough 37-minutes in the game. Brown, in his final game with Parkside, left it all out on the court. He displayed his resiliency in the first half, fighting through three defenders for a bucket after an offensive board.
From the get-go, Josiah Palmer had the hot hand. Palmer got his first bucket from deep seven-minutes into the game. Palmer ripped a catch-and-shoot triple to give Parkside the two-point advantage.
As the first half progressed, Parkside gained some serious momentum. Big three-point makes from Palmer and Rose propelled Parkside to an 11-point lead in the first half with four-minutes to play.
Parkside shot 52% from the field and were 8-15 as a team from three-point range at the half. They brought a 41-33 advantage into the halftime break. Palmer had 17 first half points and was a perfect 4-4 from three.
Palmer continued to make his tough shots in the second half and O'Rourke got the ball rolling as well. O'Rourke and Palmer both notched 14-point second half performances. Parkside led by eight-points five-minutes into the second half.
As Ferris State began to pick up the missing pieces, Parkside continued to make the road back tough. O'Rourke fought through traffic for a tough basket, keeping Parkside ahead with 11-minutes to play.
Midway through the second half, Ferris State put their foot on the gas. Their monster second half was just getting started. Ferris State shot an unbelievable 67% from the field in the final 20-minutes, jumping out to a lead that would take them home. O'Rourke and Palmer, who have been Parkside's best scorers all season long, didn't stop as well. Both made crucial shots in order to keep Parkside in the game.
With three-minutes to go, it felt like Ferris State was ready to put the game away with a six-point lead. However, Palmer hit the biggest shot of his night. He nailed a deep triple from the top of the arc to bring Parkside within three.
After a series of free throws by both sides, the game came down to the final possession. Parkside had the ball with 13-seconds to play and they trailed by two-points. Palmer took a deep three-pointer with six-seconds to go but could not connect on it. The ball rattled off a few different players and Parkside was unable to get another shot off. Despite numerous conversions all night long, Ferris State held on with one last defensive stop to seal the deal.
Next:
Parkside's season comes to an end. They finished the 2023-24 campaign 13-16 overall. Keep up with the team this off-season at
ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
