The Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team lost to #18 Lansing Community College Wednesday, by a score of 106-118.
The Raiders played Lansing CC before, at home, on Jan. 6 and lost a close game of 78-82.
Since then, Lansing CC has added a guard, #1, Don Quall Jackson, who put up 29 points in the game. Head Coach Luke Bronkema said he was “one of the reasons we lost the game.”
“They (Lansing) didn’t have him last time which added to their scoring,” Bronkema said.
Another reason why the Raiders lost the game was because they didn’t have disciplined defense.
“We didn’t have great on ball defense, off ball defense, or transition defense,” Bronkema said. All those areas we need to improve on.”
The Raiders did play with energy and positivity, both of which are areas Bronkema has pushed his team to develop and improve on.
“The positive energy was good,” Bronkema said. “The bench’s energy was good, the energy on the court was good and guys were hustling out there.”
The energy level and positivity will be what the Raiders are going to “keep focusing on,” according to Bronkema.
Statistically, the Raiders played well, with Sophomore Guard Jeff Drake-Todd leading the team in scoring with a season high of 48 points (15-32 from the field, 10-17 from 3-point and 8-9 from free throw), followed by Sophomore Guard Arthur Pearson who finished with 19 points (8-20 from the field, 1-5 from 3-point and 2-3 from three throw).
In assists, Pearson and Drake-Todd both had five, followed by three players with two: Sophomore Guard Zach Pangborn and Freshman Forwards Darron Ewing Jr. and Corey Jones. In rebounds, Sophomore Center Max Prendergast grabbed 12, with Sophomore Forward A.J. Whitaker grabbing seven.
For the team’s next matchup, they’ll play at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 against Glen Oaks Community College at the GRCC Ford Fieldhouse. Admission is free and there are concessions for spectators of the game.
