Rockford’s Bascom brothers get to play for state title together; ‘It means the world to me’

Rockford’s Jake Bascom, left, a senior, and brother Josh Bascom, a sophomore, pose after the postgame news conference at The Breslin Center after beating Auburn Hills Avondale 38-35 in a Division 1 state semifinal game. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

EAST LANSING, Mich. - When Josh Bascom woke up on Friday morning, he had a good feeling about how his day would play out. 

“When I woke up this morning, my mom gave me a big hug and said ‘go get one more with your brother on Saturday.’ I told her I would,” he said with a big smile.

The Rockford High School sophomore came up clutch on Friday in a Division 1 boys basketball state semifinal game at The Breslin Center.

Bascom drained two free throws with one second left as Rockford beat Auburn Hills Avondale 38-35. They advance to Saturday’s state title game to play East Lansing High School at noon.

Rockford brothers Jake Bascom, left, and Josh Bascom chat after a timeout in the second half of a Division 1 state semifinal game at The Breslin on Friday, March 13, 2026. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

“It’s as good as we’ve played all year,” Rockford coach Kyle Clough said. “We battled. I told them they are the Cardiac Kids. They take a lot of years off this bald guy’s life. I’m super proud of ‘em.”

Bascom gets to play one more game with his big brother Jake Bascom, a 6-foot-7 forward, who will play at Central Michigan University next year.

“It’s awesome,” Jake said. “To have it happen my senior year, to go to the state championship with him, it means the world to me. It will give me memories forever. I’ll never forget this. I’m very grateful.”

Jake had 13 points and 8 rebounds for the Rams (24-3). Josh had 6 points and 9 rebounds. 

“It’s awesome,” Josh said of playing with his brother. “I have one more game with him and I’m trying to make the most of it.”

Rockford sophomore Josh Bascom puts up a shot in the first half of a Division 1 state semifinal game at The Breslin on Friday, March 13, 2026. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

The Bascom boys - the sons of Justin and Jen Bascom - have played with each other for the past two season. Jake is averaging 17.8 points and Josh 8.9. 

Jake is excited to see how his little brother does in the future. He’s already got an offer from CMU.

“There’s no ceiling for him,” Jake said. “He’s got so many skills and he’s only going to get better. I’m really excited to see where he goes these next couple of years.”

They got to have one huge play together on Friday.

With the Rams holding a slim 34-33 lead with 50 seconds left, Josh threw a 3/4 court in-bounds pass to Jake who was streaking up the court for a thunderous break-away dunk. That basically put the game away.

“It’s something we’ve done, obviously, before and won games off of it,” Jake said. “I saw my guy was overplaying me a lot.” 

Senior Dylan Gross had a huge game on Friday, too.

The sharp-shooter drained four huge 3-pointers and finished with 12 points. He will play at Kalamazoo College next season. 

Rockford senior Dylan Gross celebrates after winning a Division 1 state semifinal game at The Breslin on Friday, March 13, 2026. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).