Men's hoop team falls to Kellogg CC

By Jayden Hewitt
Sports Editor

The LCC men’s basketball team was defeated at home on Sophomore Day vs. Kellogg Community College on Saturday, Feb. 25, 86-81.

The game came after two postponements earlier in the week due to snowy conditions.

LCC Head Coach Mike Ingram spoke about the team’s preparation and execution.

“I thought we were really ready to play this week; I thought we were really ready to play Wednesday,” Ingram said. “We got the guys prepared, then that snow came and we didn’t play Wednesday, then we didn’t play Thursday.

“We didn’t get to practice either one of those days. Then Friday it looked like we were kind of down, (it) looked like we weren’t there, we had lost our thing.”

Ingram also mentioned that Kellogg was able to play on Thursday.

“I was a little worried that might help them and hurt us,” Ingram said. “Our decision making wasn’t very good today down the stretch, but yet we were still there.

“The thing I like to tell the guys all the time is, ‘I think that I’m going to have you in every game, but there is going to come a time where you’re going to have make a play, you’re going to have to get a defensive stop, you’re going to have to get the rebound, and then you’re going to have to come down and execute a play.’ And in those situations we didn’t, we didn’t do it.”

Those who participated in LCC’s Sophomore Day festivities included guard/forward Cole Krause, guard Freddy Johnson, guard/forward Kylor Mills, guard/forward Connor Bush, guard forward Tyshan Kelley, guard forward Zach Berry, guard/forward Hunter Woolston and forward/center Dawson Lott.

The Stars had four players score in double digits in the loss. Krause led the way with 20 points. Bush and Johnson both added 18 points while Johnson piled up seven rebounds and five assists. Guard/forward Thomas Dodd was the fourth player in double digits with 11 points.

Ingram said the long layoff definitely was a factor in the loss.

“No doubt about it,” Ingram said. “I think as coaches, as players, that we were as ready as we’ve been all year to play. Those two days, they really hurt us. They hurt as both as a staff, and as (players). We couldn’t get that fire back, even in practice.”

The loss brought LCC’s record to 11-16 overall and 3-8 in conference play, with the final game scheduled at home vs. Southwestern Michigan on Thursday, March. 2.