Men's hoop drops conference opener

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

Conference play is underway in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association, and the LCC men’s basketball team lost its first conference game of the season at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, 117-94, on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

The loss dropped the Stars’ overall record to 9-6 for the season.

LCC Head Coach Mike Ingram said the Stars started the game playing the way they did in their last win, but quickly got off track.

“It looked like their defense bothered us a little bit,” Ingram said. “From my angle, we just were unorganized on the offensive end, and then it carried over on the defensive end.”

Despite the loss, the Stars put up good numbers on offense. Sophomore guard Jay Wallace finished with 27 points, shooting 56 percent from the field.

LCC freshman forward Jamison Eklund ended with 20 points and freshman guard Terrell White scored 16.

During halftime, Ingram had a message for his players that helped them get back on track, but it still was not enough to fully comeback.

“I like what we do, but they needed a message about what it takes to win these games,” Ingram said. “You know, you give up 115 points (and) you're not going to win many games. But on the other end, we scored 94 points.”

The Stars still are shorthanded, but did add another mainstay back to the lineup. Freshman forward Zavier Thomason returned and scored 12 points off the bench.

Ingram said the team expects to get a couple more players back over the next few games.

After the loss, the team was still in good spirits, and Ingram said he knows the men will bounce back.

“We're going to be better with more numbers,” Ingram said. “Our strategy was off a little bit but we're going to bounce back.”

In their next game, the Stars will look to defend their home court against Marian University Ancilla on Saturday, Jan. 20.