By Kevin Lopez
That’s four straight wins for the Raiders as they went on the road to face North Central Michigan College on Saturday, Feb. 25 and completely embarrassed them once again, this time on their home floor, 72-24.
This victory puts the Raiders record at 15-7 with a conference record of 9-3, while also improving their road record to 7-5.
In the first quarter, the Raiders once again jumped out to a quick lead as they went on a 11-0 run to start the game. They were on fire in the quarter, shooting 64% from the field and holding the Timberwolves scoreless till the 4:23 mark when they knocked down a pair of free throws.
Once again, the Raiders showcased their defense forcing six turnovers in the quarter and forcing the Timberwolves to shoot a cold 8% from the field. They continuously controlled the pace and momentum with Grace Lodes, a sophomore forward, dominating in the paint, deterring opposing players and getting baskets as she had 12 points on 6/6 shooting in the quarter leading the Raiders to a 20-4 start.
Moving into the second quarter, the Timberwolves put up a bit of a fight with 12 points and seemed to slow the Raiders down a bit with their defense, forcing us to shoot 42% from the field.
The Timberwolves couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, shooting 23% from the field themselves and still committed errors on the offensive end with five turnovers.
Lodes had five points in the quarter and was still perfect from the field, while Marlene Bussler, a sophomore guard, had four points in the quarter as well, while also shooting 100% from the field. Allison Kellogg, a sophomore forward, also chipped in four points that helped the Raiders to continue their lead going into the half 37-16.
The Raiders kept the punishment going into the third as they once again held the Timberwolves to just four points in the quarter, holding them to 11% from the field and forced four turnovers in the quarter.
Meanwhile, the Raiders shot 50% from the field and scored 17 points in the quarter led by Sally Merrill, a sophomore forward, who had six points in the quarter, along with Bussler who scored five points of her own. Lodes proved to be human as she finally missed some shots in the quarter, but still contributed with four points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Finally, moving into the fourth quarter, the Raiders continued the onslaught as they made more shots than the Timberwolves even attempted and shot 57% from the field. With the Raiders leading by almost 50 at one point in the quarter, it allowed players on the bench to have more playing time.
This resulted in Avery Jirous, a freshman guard, scoring seven points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer, to finally put the Timberwolves out of their misery and secured the victory for the Raiders 72-24.
Lodes had her 11th double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds, This was the team’s sixth victory in whichLodes had a double-double.
“It’s important for me to come out and set the tone for how myself and my team will play the rest of the game,” Lodes said. “When I have a double-double it motivates me to keep playing hard during the game and keep that energy.”
The Raiders were assessed a technical foul when head coach Dave Glazier disagreed with an official over a foul that was called on the Raiders.
The Raiders make their way back home to Grand Rapids as they look to make it five straight wins as they play Kirtland Community College at 5:30 p.m on Tuesday, Feb 28 at the Ford Fieldhouse.
