Men's basketball tops Jackson College

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

The LCC men’s basketball team improved its record to 5-1 with a win against Jackson College on Saturday, Nov. 18.

The Stars won the game 91-84 after an explosive scoring night for sophomore guard Jay Wallace, who finished the game with 31 points.

In the first half the Stars jumped out to a 16-point lead, but as fatigue kicked in Jackson College was able to cut the lead down to five points.

“Tired, we were tired,” LCC Head Coach Mike Ingram said. “This was our third game in six days and were really only playing six guys. Our sixth man wasn’t playing well so we couldn’t really play him.”

All of the starters for the Stars played 38 minutes or more. Freshman forward Jamison Eklund played all 40 minutes of the game.

Eklund was able to contribute to the scoring load, finishing with 18 points along with 13 rebounds. Freshmen Devan Wilson and Zavier Thomason had 15 points each.

Ingram said Jackson College was big and athletic, but the Stars still pounded the ball inside and kept Jackson in foul trouble for the majority of the game.

“In the first half we were shooting two free throws with 13 minutes left to go,” Ingram said. “I think they came in thinking they had the advantage inside and didn’t really expect us to go inside like we did.”

Defense was a huge factor in this game. Ingram said he adjusted the defense multiple times in the game to keep Jackson off balance.

LCC freshman guard Lamont Green-Torbert said he takes pride in his defense.

“The more effort I put in on defense, it will take over and help out our offense,” Green-Torbert said.

Team bonding has been important for the Stars this season, and Wilson said he has been focusing on that along with playing as a team.

“My individual workouts kind of take care of themselves, but the one thing I’ve been focusing on is just bonding with the team,” Wilson said. “I think that’s the big part of a winning team people might not see … the bond you create with the guys off the court will translate directly onto the court.”

The Stars have a 10-day break following their three games last week. They will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 29 against Mott Community College.