Big second half propels Lady Hawks

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

The LCC women’s basketball team held Kalamazoo Valley Community College to just 11 points in the second half in a convincing 55-32 win on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

This win improves the Stars’ record to 14-3 on the season, and starts their conference record at 1-0.

In the first half, it was a close game and the Stars were only up 24-21 at halftime. LCC Head Coach Megan Hudson said her team started the game slower than anticipated.

“We let them go on a run and we tried to make some adjustments that weren’t working that well,” Hudson said. “At halftime we had a great talk and the girls got really fired up, so we came out in shutdown mode.”

LCC freshman center Kara Bartels had a monster game on offense and defense, scoring 25 points on 56 percent shooting from the field and recording six blocks.

Freshman guard Peyton Anderson recorded three steals for LCC and was the second highest scorer for the Stars with seven points.

Hudson said the Stars always try to focus on defense first. If the offense is not clicking then they can win the game with tough defense.

Hudson said she was proud with the way the team turned up its defensive intensity in the second half to grab a big lead.

“Our energy was refreshed, our ball movement on offense was refreshed and our aggressiveness on defense (was great),” Hudson said. “They really showed up the second half and played really inspired, and more like how I know they can play every minute of the game. It was really great to see them get motivated and push themselves.”

The Stars’ next game will be on Saturday, Jan. 20 against Marian University Ancilla, as they look to build on a three-game win streak.