Lady Stars reach 20-victory milestone

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

The LCC women’s basketball team reached its 20-win milestone for the first time since 2013 in a convincing 62-37 win against Kalamazoo Valley Community College on Saturday, Feb. 10.

The Stars came out strong in the first quarter, taking a 21-4 lead, and never looked back.

“I was very proud of our team effort,” LCC Head Coach Megan Hudson said. “We came out and executed our game plan. We wanted to put more pressure on ball handlers and push the pace of the game, which we did.”

Leading the charge for LCC was freshman center Kara Bartels, who scored 13 points and pull down seven rebounds.

Freshman forward Alexandria Charles, freshman guard Peyton Anderson and sophomore guard Alivia Densmore all contributed to the LCC scoring load with nine points each.

On the defensive end, Anderson had three steals and freshman guard Ivana McCollum recorded two steals.

LCC freshman Anasia Peterson (0) looks to pass the ball to teammate Kara Bartels (3) during a home game against Kalamazoo Valley Community College on Saturday, Feb. 10.  Photo by Kaitlyn Delaney

Hudson said she was able to get everyone solid minutes and keep everyone fresh for most of the game.

“We have a very unselfish team and versatile players that allow us to make multiple rotations at each position,” Hudson said. “We tried keeping the rotations flowing so everyone stayed as fresh as possible, allowing us to keep the defensive pressure on for most of the game.”

Hudson added: “We played aggressive fast-paced unselfish basketball. We’ve been working on attacking in transition more effectively and making good reads all season. It’s fun to see these lessons click for the team as a whole.”

Anderson said as the Stars continue to win, they can keep using games to improve.

“We can build on this win by focusing on the details, working hard in each practice and game as we keep moving forward,” Anderson said.

The expectations for the Stars’ last four games are high, with a goal of winning the conference, Hudson said.

“We need to win the remaining four games to accomplish that goal,” Hudson said. “Each game brings different challenges and we will not take any opponent lightly.”

LCC’s next game will be against Marian University Ancilla on the road, Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Stars previously beat Ancilla 61-55 at home.

Anderson agreed with Hudson on not taking any opponent lightly.

“I feel like whether we won the first game or not, we shouldn’t treat a team any different than one we haven’t seen before,” Anderson said.