Jacob Osypczuk ,center, of Eaton Rapids is trapped in a double team by Jacob adorn ,left, and Ben Feldpausch ,right, of St.Johns during their season opening game Tuesday December 6, 2016 in Eaton Rapids.
EATON RAPIDS – Jacob Dorn didn’t get to do much of anything last year.
The junior two-sport athlete (basketball and football) was sidelined for both seasons after injuring his ACL early in his sophomore year. And after a strong comeback performance on the gridiron, Dorn made up for missed time on the hardwood in St. Johns’ season opener.
The 6-foot-2 forward scored a game-high 24 points as the Redwings topped Eaton Rapids, 74-58, to grab a season-opening victory Tuesday night.
“It was pretty tough last year, especially watching football and basketball,” Dorn said. “It was really exciting to get back. …I think I (can) be a good player for this team and help us out, help us get some more wins this season.”
St. Johns kicked off its 2016-17 campaign on the right foot thanks to the frontcourt duo of Dorn and 6-5 senior Caleb Paksi, who finished with 18 points. The two big men combined to score 12 of the Redwings’ 17 first-quarter points and helped their ball club take a 17-4 lead into the second quarter.
Senior guard Ben Feldpausch began feeding off the success of his bigs and scored eight of his 16 points in the second quarter.
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Feldpausch believes St. Johns is a different team with the combination of Dorn and Paksi up front.
“It’s definitely great to have these two for a high-low,” Feldpausch added. “If (other teams) are going to pinch it, then we have the shooters to kick it out.
“They’re physical down there, so they’re able to compete with guys that are even taller than them. It definitely helps with our offense.”
After taking a 34-16 lead into halftime, Dorn and Paksi helped extend the Redwings’ lead to 24 by scoring nine of the team’s first 13 third-quarter points. The Greyhounds, however, were able to string together their first threatening run when a bucket from Ben Gleeson ignited an 8-0 run.
Eaton Rapids, down 58-34 in the fourth quarter, put together another promising stretch when a basket from freshman guard RJ VanVliet, who scored 11 points, fueled a 19-6 run. St. Johns was able to close out the game in the final minutes with a combative 10-5 spurt of its own.
Hayden Dyer ,right, of St. Johns steals the ball from Nathan Dassance of Eaton Rapids during their season opening game Tuesday December 6, 2016 in Eaton Rapids.
First-year Eaton Rapids coach Tim Merrit was pleased with the fight he saw in his ball club down the stretch, but he’s hoping the season-opening defeat will give his team something to remember as it looks to improve off of last season’s 4-17 record.
“Obviously the first-game jitters were there – we only have two kids who have started a varsity game in their life,” Merrit said. “A new program, a new mentality, we still need to get the bench going … The kids have bought in, but it’s all been at different times.
“That was a good butt-kicking from a very good team. …It was a really good opener for us, I’m glad we scheduled them, but it’s nonconference and we’re still 0-0.”
Ross Feldpausch added 10 points for the Redwings.
Jacob Osypczuk and Drew Shafer each scored a team-high 13 points for the Greyhounds, and Zack Kemp added nine.
Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.
Drew Shafer,left, of Eaton Rapids blocks a shot attempt by Tommy Jury ,10, of St. Johns during their season opening game Tuesday December 6, 2016 in Eaton Rapids.