Britton Angell has gotten his junior basketball season off to a fabulous start. But he’s hoping the fortunes for his Big Rapids Crossroads Charter Academy boys basketball team will follow right along very soon.
Angell opened the season with 34 points in a win over McBain Northern Michigan Christian. Next up was Walkerville and Angell had a game for the record books. He scored a school-record 53 points and added 17 rebounds. But it wasn’t enough and his team, which struggled against Walkerville’s perimeter attack, lost the game 93-84.
The Cougars are 1-4 after reaching the five-game mark.
His 53-point game was obviously a memorable one.
“We got into transition very well,” Angell recalled. “We were able to move the ball quickly down the floor. That’s where I tend to thrive, in transition.”
“I can shoot it from three. But I’m primarily a dribble-drive kind of guy who tries to get to the boards, be fouled and hit free throws.”
He sank 14 free throws in the 53-point game.
After five games, he’s averaging 32.4 points per outing. It was 16.9 points per game for all of last season. He also scored 38 points and had 18 rebounds in a loss to Brethren. His two lowest point totals have been 25 and 22 points.
“This year, our team is faster, from last year,” Angell said. “My teammates give me open looks. We’re good at moving without the ball. They can find me wherever I am.”
Offense is nice, but Angell admits the defense needs some work.
“If we improve our defense, I think we can win a lot of games,” he said. “Right now, that’s a struggle. Once we work together as a unit on defense, we’ll be a lot better.”