By Caitlin Phelan
The Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team dominated Saturday’s game against North Central Michigan College from start to finish, leading the entire game. The Raiders beat NCMC112-80, bouncing back from Wednesday night’s tough overtime loss against Delta College.
The Raiders hosted NCMC at Ford Fieldhouse on Feb. 4 for another MCCAA conference matchup. After GRCC’s win, they now move to 15-5 overall on the season.
The Raiders had yet another outstanding offensive showing, scoring over 100 points for the seventh time this season. The Raiders finished the game shooting 52.6% from the floor and an impressive 48.6% from behind the 3-point line.
GRCC also shared the ball well, recording 24 assists on 41 made field goals. After the win, head coach Joe Fox said, “We made a lot of shots, but I was more impressed with the passes we made to get those open shots.”
Freshman forward/guard Seth Schuitema led GRCC in scoring coming off the bench, dropping a game high 26 points. Schuitema was on fire from behind the 3-point arc, going 7-9 in only 18 minutes played.
Talking about Schuitema’s performance, Fox said, “Seth has done a great job all year, so I was excited to see him get the ball with the opportunity to score and really show what he can do tonight. It was a very impressive performance from him.”
Redshirt sophomore guards Danyel Bibbs and Brockton Kohler also had great games respectively, and controlled the tempo of the game through their stellar guard play. Bibbs recorded 17 points, three rebounds, and five assists. Kohler added an additional 16 points and five rebounds to help the Raiders secure their 15th victory this season.
GRCC’s bench was a major key behind Saturday’s victory. Behind Schuitema’s 26-point performance, the Raider bench gave the team a great boost. The bench scored 65 total points, compared to NCMC’s 39 bench points. The Raiders also took great care of the ball, only committing nine turnovers throughout the course of the game.
After Wednesday’s tough loss at Delta College, Fox talked about how his team bounced back, saying, “We talked about getting back to the way we play, and focusing on what we could do to push ourselves. I was pleased with their response.”
The Raider men play next on Wednesday, Feb. 8, hosting Mid Michigan College. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. at Ford Fieldhouse. The last time the Raiders played their MCCAA rival, Jan. 18, they lost 102-70 in a tough game.
