Andrew Landis puts Rockford on his back as Rams upend GR Catholic Central
Rockford junior Andrew Landis drains a 3-pointer in the first half as the Rams beat GR Catholic Central on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. Landis had a career-high 32 points. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)
GRAND RAPIDS - Andrew Landis might not be the first player you look at and say “that kid is a Division I athlete.” But the Rockford junior showed what he’s made of on Saturday.
Landis scored a career-high 32 points as Rockford upset Grand Rapids Catholic Central 68-64 in “The Invite” event at Calvin University.
“Obviously beating Catholic Central is a big deal,” Landis said. “But we’ve won our conference (the OK Red) the past two years. That’s the first time we’ve beaten them, though. This is taking another step for our team. This shows who we are and ready to make a push come March.”
Landis drained six 3-pointers, including a huge shot with 1:40 left in the game. But Landis isn’t going to play Division I basketball, he’s going to play baseball. The junior pitcher has committed to play at Oakland University.
Rockford guard Michael DeKuiper, left, battles Catholic Central’s Michael App for a loose ball in the first half during a game at Calvin University on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).
“I told him last summer when he committed to Oakland for baseball, that he shouldn’t have committed so early,” Rockford coach Kyle Clough said. “Because he’s going to get some offers in basketball. He’s just a gamer. He’s a fearless competitor. He’s the kind of guy that wants to take the big shots.”
Rockford got 14 points from senior Caden Pokorzynski and 10 from senior Charlie Deutsch.
“Given the talent on the bench over there (Catholic Central), this is big,” Clough said. “We came into this telling the guys that a win or a loss isn’t going to define our season. We just wanted to show that we could play against one of the better teams in the state. They’ve been to the Breslin the past two years. It was an important win for us.”
Durral Brooks led Catholic Central with 25 points, Kaden Brown had 19 and Michael App had 10.
“ Obviously their guards are going to get their points,” Clough said. “They are impossible to stop. We just wanted to make it as tough as possible.”
Brown, a senior guard who has signed with Wright State, said he loves playing on a big stage.
“For sure,” he said. “I like the atmosphere. I feel like it brings out the best in us. Today, Rockford was the better team. But we’re going to get back in the lab and keep working.”
The Cougars are a small team this year and had a tough time with a bigger Rockford team.
“They’re a tough team,” Catholic Central junior Carter Meerman said. “They’re pretty deep. The’ve got some good bigs. They attack the offense glass pretty hard.”
Deutsch hit a huge 3-pointer with 1:10 left in the game to give Rockford a 68-62 lead.
But it was Landis who put the Rams on the back of his No. 14 jersey. His previous game high was 22 points.
Oddly enough, he said he felt terrible in warmups.
“In warmups, I wasn’t hitting shots,” Landis said. “We were supposed to be using the new college Wilson balls (for this tournament). But a minute before tip, we switched to the regular balls. I just didn’t warmup well with the new Wilson balls.”
Maybe Landis should pick the game ball at the Rams games from now on.
Rockford senior Charlie Deutsch drives past Catholic Central’s Jami Williams in the first half of a game at Calvin University on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022.
