Ethan Erickson leads Forest Hills Northern to a 64-61 win over East Kentwood

<p><em>GRAND RAPIDS, MI</em> - Forest Hills Northern topped East Kentwood in Tuesday night’s opening game, 64-61. Junior <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ethan-erickson/"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Ethan Erickson</strong></span></a> led all scorers with 32 points, while junior <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trinidad-chambliss/"><strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">Trinidad Chambliss</span></strong></a> added 17 points. East Kentwood went on several runs in the second half to draw within striking range and had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, however, the Huskies defense held strong and <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoopsTate/status/1204576291535630337">didn’t allow the Falcons to get a shot off in time</a>.</p> <p><strong>Five Takeaways:</strong></p> <h6><em><strong>Ethan Erickson Could Not Be Stopped.</strong></em></h6> <p>Erickson had his way in the first half, scoring at will from beyond the arch. In a four-minute stretch at the end of the first quarter and into the second, Erickson hit a pull-up three, got fouled and converted all three free throws in the next possession, then hit a heat-check three to put the Huskies up by 10.</p> <p>“After the first three went down, I knew it was going to be a good day,” said Erickson. My teammates kept finding me and I just had the confidence to keep hitting them.”</p> <p>East Kentwood countered in the second half by face-guarding Erickson, however, that only limited the damage as Erickson went on to score 9 more points in the second half, including several tough mid-range shots.</p> <h6><em><strong>Trinidad Chambliss’ poise was the difference-maker.</strong></em></h6> <p>Multiple times throughout the game, East Kentwood would dial-up it’s pressure and create turnovers for fast-break points. In every instance of this, Chambliss would slow the game down and either find an open teammate for a good look, or he would create an efficient shot for himself. Chambliss never played too fast and constantly controlled the pace of play.</p> <h6><em><strong>Forest Hills Northern’s Zone Looks stymied the Falcons</strong></em></h6> <p>Throughout the first half, Northern went into a 2-3 zone, forcing East Kentwood into awkward possessions that often ended in bad shots. This theme continued in the second half as the Huskies mixed in a 1-3-1 zone and 1-2-2 zone, all of which impacted the Falcon’s offensive flow.</p> <h6><em><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jordan-jackson/">Jordan Jackson</a> and Jy’Air Harris Fueled East Kentwood’s Near Comeback</strong></em></h6> <p>East Kentwood’s dynamic backcourt of <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tj-barnes/"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>TJ Barnes</strong></span></a> and <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">Ja’moni Jones</span></strong> were as advertised, scoring 15 and 16 points, however, it was the defensive and rebounding efforts of Jackson and Harris which led to second-chance opportunities for the Falcons. Multiple times in the second half, it was either Jackson or Harris that would find a loose ball or offensive rebound to extend the possession.</p> <h6><em><strong>Jake Peterson’s Defensive Efforts Created Distance for the Huskies</strong></em></h6> <p>The sophomore guard was tasked with defending the point in Northern’s 1-3-1 zone. Peterson was up for the task, creating multiple turnovers and causing havoc in East Kentwood’s backcourt throughout the game. If he continues to play this level of defense, Northern can rest easy when Trinidad Chambliss is out of the game.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>