Women prevail on 'Sophomore Night'

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

The Lady Stars did not cease to impress with another convincing win on Sophomore Night.

The LCC women’s basketball team won its 22nd game of the season against the Lake Michigan College Red Hawks, 62-42, on Saturday, Feb. 17 at LCC.

Three sophomores were recognized before the game: forward Shalyn Dziewiatkowski, guard Alivia Densmore and forward Shelby Austin.

The game started off as a back-and-forth battle until the second quarter, when the Stars gained an eight-point lead.

In the third quarter, LCC outscored the Red Hawks by 18 with relentless defense, only allowing six points the whole quarter. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Red Hawks were down by 26 and it was too big of a deficit to overcome.

Freshman guard Ellie Humble led the Stars in scoring with 15 points, shooting 63 percent from the field.

On the defensive end, the Stars were amazing. Dziewiatkowski led the team in steals with seven, and three more LCC players finished with four or more. LCC finished the game with a total of 26 steals and freshman center Kara Bartels blocked three shots.

The Stars’ season has been nothing short of successful as they continue to exceed some of the goals they have set for themselves. The win improved LCC’s overall record to 22-4 and its MCCAA Western Conference record to 9-1.

Head Coach Megan Hudson said there’s still more to accomplish with two regular-season games left.

“This group of young ladies have been a blessing,” Hudson said. “We work hard and have a lot of fun together.”

LCC freshman Ellie Humble (2) looks for an open teammate against Lake Michigan College on Feb. 17 at LCC as sophomore teammate Shalyn Dziewiatkowski (5) sets a pick.

The game was bittersweet for the sophomores, as it was their last home game they would play for LCC.

“It was sad that it was my last game at home,” Densmore said. “But I’ve enjoyed getting close with my teammates and it felt good to celebrate with them.”

Austin agreed that her last home game was sad, but said she is excited for the next chapter of her life.

“I am going to miss seeing the girls every day,” Austin said. “I’ve made some pretty cool lifelong friends out of this experience and I’m going to miss being so close 24/7.”
Dziewiatkowski gave praise to the coaching staff for how far the team has come this season.

“It has been a very good experience to be coached by her (Hudson),” Dziewiatkowski said. “She brought in some very good assistant coaches and they have helped us so much. We wouldn’t be where we are without any of them.”

The Stars’ last two games of the season will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 21 against Southwestern Michigan and Saturday, Feb. 24 against Kellogg Community College.

Austin said she knows they can win the conference and make it to regionals. Dziewiatkowski said to do tha,t the team needs to continue to improve its communication.

“We need to talk more because it will help us so much in order for everyone to know what’s going on and there be no confusion,” Dziewiatkowski said.