Male hoopsters enjoy trip to Maryland

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

The LCC men’s basketball team went 1-1 last weekend at the CCBC Dundalk Invitational in Baltimore, Md.

The Stars played against the host Community College of Baltimore County on Saturday, Nov. 4 and lost 87-82. They played their second game against Chesapeake College on Sunday, Nov. 5 and won 64-55.

LCC sophomore Jay Wallace had a great game offensively against Baltimore County, accumulating a double-double with 35 points on 12-for-19 shooting from the field, and 14 rebounds.

Freshman forward Jamison Eklund also finished with a double-double for the Stars, scoring 20 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.

During the second game, Wallace led the team in scoring again with 22 points and Eklund added 16. They both finished with double-doubles again; Wallace with 14 rebounds and Eklund with 16.

LCC Head Coach Mike Ingram said he was happy with how the Stars played at the invitational.

“We have a good team and the makeup of our team made the guys realize how good they were,” Ingram said. “I thought that we would win Sunday because the same thing happened in the preseason. Teams outhustled us, and we improved as the games went on.”

The trip to Maryland was not only a good trip for basketball, but Wallace said it was also a good bonding trip for the team.

Wallace agreed with Ingram that the team progressively gets better.

“We played solid, but I feel like we are one of those teams that gets better each game, so the second game we definitely played better,” Wallace said. “We're coming along as a team offensively and defensively and, as the team gets close, the season will get better.”

Although Wallace scored a lot of points, he gave props to those around him.

“Really it comes down to my coaches and teammates putting me in a position to score,” Wallace said. “They push me in practice too and trust me, so I feel like it translates to the game well.”

The Stars’ game that was scheduled for Nov. 9 against Olivet JV was rescheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 14. It will be the Stars’ first home game of the season. Ingram said the Stars are focusing on shooting the ball going into this game.

“We came into practice after the tournament and just shot the ball,” Ingram said. “We have the capability of being a great three-point shooting team and we only hit four in our games in Maryland.”