Men's basketball opens '23 with win

By Jayden Hewitt
Sports Editor

The LCC Men’s basketball team won in convincing fashion, 93-81, vs. Grand Rapids Community College at home on Wednesday, Jan. 11.

The first game after winter break for the Stars meant victory, after dropping two games in a row before the break. It was also the Stars’ first game back in their home gym in the Gannon Building on LCC’s main campus following renovations during fall semester.

Head Coach Mike Ingram spoke to snapping the losing streak after the break.

“We’ve been playing really well, and one thing that we realized was, I told my guys ‘I think we’re the best team in the country in the first half.’ We’ve been up on almost every team,” Ingram said.

“So we tried to really work on that, and during the break in-between our scrimmages, I started noticing that a couple of my guys that I’m counting on to finish my games were getting tired at the five-minute mark. (I) took a gamble today; got them out. Kylor (Mills) and Dawson (Lott) went in, held it down for a couple of minutes and were able to finish the game.”

The Stars had a sizeable lead in the first half, 51-29, but were outscored 52-42 in the second half.

There were four stars in double digits, including guard/forward Connor Bush, who led the way with 23 points and seven rebounds. Guard/forward Cole Krause added 22 points and nine rebounds, while guard Freddy Johnson scored 17 points. Kylor Mills was the fourth double-digit scorer for LCC, adding 11 points and seven rebounds.

It was the Stars’ second face-off with Grand Rapids Community College. The Stars were defeated 106-99 at GRCC in November.

Ingram said the Stars played well.

“I thought we played pretty good, especially against a team that beat us the first time,” Ingram said. “And we did some things that we hadn’t been doing. We outrebounded them (GRCC) by 20, we shot the three-point (shot) better, so a lot of things that we’ve been working on really worked for us today.”

The Stars outrebounded GRCC 58-38 and shot 31.8 percent from beyond the arch in Wednesday’s game.

The win brings LCC’s record above .500 to 7-6 on the year. With conference play coming up, Coach Ingram said he sees positives going into conference games.

“You know what, the real positive is, that we’re one of the few teams that have played almost all their games on the road,” Ingram said. “And so when we go on the road, I think that we’ll be ready to go.”

LCC plays at Glen Oaks Community College on Saturday, Jan. 14 for the first conference game of the season. For more schedule and location information, go to www.lcc.edu/athletics.