The Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team hosted Lansing Community College and narrowly defeated the Stars 106-99 on Nov. 10.
“We came together as a staff in the summer and decided we needed to improve our depth if we wanted to compete with the best teams in the conference,” head coach Joe Fox said. “This season, we have been able to be adaptive and play with anybody due to our depth and this team is just hitting its groove.”
Throughout the first half, the Raiders went back-and-forth offensively with LCC. GRCC was able to get out to a 10-point lead early in the first half, but the Stars chipped away at the lead and got it down to 57-56 at halftime.
The Raiders maintained their lead in the second half due to huge performances by sophomore’s Herman Brown and MCCAA Northern Conference Player of the week, Danyel Bibbs. Their help along with the huge defensive stops at the end of the game led to GRCC beating LCC by seven points.
“The way we prepared before the game was great,” Fox said. “Scout session was great and we were ready from the jump.”
Brown and Bibbs were the main catalyst in the Raiders victory. Bibbs scored 22 points, with seven rebounds and seven assists. Brown also scored 22 points and recorded a team-high 14 rebounds.
“Herman is a very talented player who has overcome a lot of challenges,” Fox said. “The coaching staff has been waiting for Herman’s moment and he was a huge difference maker last night.”
Sophomore Brockton Kohler continued to be an offensive threat scoring 13 points off three 3’s. Freshmen JaJuan Walker and Bashir Neely added some much needed depth for the Raiders. Walker scored 14 points, with six rebounds and five assists. Neely did not miss a shot on his way to 14 points and one steal.
After the win against the Stars, the Raiders improve to 4-0 on the season and face Schoolcraft college on Wednesday, Nov. 16, in Livonia, Michigan.
