Plymouth saving best for last? ‘Cats pummel Rockets, 64-39

Energy + Execution = Exclamation-point (!) victory for Plymouth’s boys basketball team Monday night.

Playing Westland John Glenn in a first-round Division 1 district game at Canton High School, the four-win Wildcats delayed equipment turn-in day for at least three days (and maybe longer considering the high level they performed Monday) by defusing the Rockets, 64-39.

Now 5-16, Plymouth advances to play the host Chiefs Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Canton’s Phase III gymnasium.

Utilizing talented post player Idrys Cotton as a multi-faceted scorer/distributor — some of his passes to cutting teammates when double-teamed were Nikola Jokic-esque — the Wildcats outscored a long and athletic John Glenn squad 19-2 in the pivotal second quarter to put the clamps on what many onlookers considered an upset of at least mild proportions.

To check out video highlights from Monday’s game, click here.

32-minutes of effort

“Our guys played hard and together for four quarters,” said second-year Plymouth Head Coach Andrew Meeuwsen. “We knew for a while we were going to be playing John Glenn, so we had a chance to watch them in person. The guys followed their defensive assignments like we drew it up.

“We’ve been in pretty much a season-long scoring drought, but we got out of the box quick tonight and never let up. I’m happy for the team.”

Cotton was his usual high-contributing self, scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, but it was a pair of complementary players who turned in energy-raising efforts.

Senior Kymani Smith took advantage of just his second start of the season to pour in a team-high 15 points and handle his point-guard responsibilities with near-flawless results.

Along with knocking down three triples, Smith was the recipient of two slick passes from Cotton to finish off cut-to-the-basket drives.

“Kymani is one of those players who comes to work every day,” Meeuwsen said. “He’s been patiently waiting his turn and he’s taken advantage of his opportunity. He made really good choices tonight and he really focused in on what we asked him to do.”

Kraft is the defensive pest every winning team needs. Displaying more get-after-it hustle than the Energizer Bunny, the senior not only defended well Monday, he scored nine big points.

“We rely a lot on Ross for his defense and quickness,” Meeuwsen said. “Getting nine points out of him tonight was a bonus as he’s usually a three- or four-point guy.

“Ross took advantage of some back-door opportunities tonight and Idrys had great vision and delivered great passes to him.”

Plymouth senior Zack Jones was a consistent weapon for the Wildcats, accounting for 11 points (nine coming on a trio of three-point makes).

Wildcat junior Cameron Short provided eight points, tough defense and relentless rebounding for the winners.

Jalen Clark was the lone bright spot for the Rockets, netting a game-high 18 points.

Wednesday’s 7 p.m. district semifinal is compelling for more reason than one. Not only are the Chiefs and Wildcats Plymouth-Canton Educational Park and KLAA West Division rivals, both head coaches — Meeuwsen and Canton’s Jimmy Reddy — teach physical education at the same South Lyon middle school.

Meeuwsen was also a member of Reddy’s coaching staff before accepting the Plymouth head coach position prior to the 2022-23 season.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.

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