The Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team played three road games this past week, including two games in the North Central Michigan College Tournament, dropping their total record to 3-3 on the season.
In their first game against Lake Michigan College, the defense was a concern as they allowed the Red Hawks to shoot over 40% in each half. The Raiders gave up a 9-2 run midway through the first half which had them scrambling for the rest of the half.
Sophomore Darrell Belcher was a spark for the Raiders as he nailed multiple 3-pointers that kept the Raiders within striking distance. However, GRCC struggled to make shots toward the end of the half resulting in the Red Hawks taking a 43-34 lead.
It was more of the same story in the second half for the Raiders as they continued to struggle making shots, only shooting 36% from the field and 29% from behind the arc. GRCC kept their deficit within single digits for a part of the second half, but with 13 minutes left, LMC went on a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 16 points.
The Raiders continued to miss shots down the stretch and were unable to claw their way back into the game. The Red Hawks maintained their lead to win by a score of 90-71.
Belcher had his first double-double of the season with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore’s Joe Francis and Seth Schuitema also had some bright spots as Francis scored 12 points and three steals while Schuitema scored seven points.
After the loss to the Red Hawks, GRCC traveled to Petosky for the NCMC Tournament and faced the No.1 ranked Division II National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) team, the Milwaukee Area Technical College.
In their biggest test yet, the Raiders offense improved from their last game but their defense had a tough time slowing down the Stormers. The Stormers stormed off to a 16-4 run in the first four minutes of the game, putting the Raiders on their heels. Schuitema provided some offense for GRCC, as he nailed a few free throws while making a few shots as well.
The Raiders fought back and tried keeping the deficit within single digits as they made a few 3-pointers, but every time the Raiders looked like they were going to make the game close, the Stormers went on a run of their own.
A 15-2 run put the Raiders down 20 points and the only way the Raiders could cut the lead was by keeping up with the Stormers’ high-powered offense. Sophomore guard Tristan McRoberts started to heat up toward the end of the half with a few free throws while making some layups.
However, the Raiders gave up the most first-half points all season as they trailed 56-36 at halftime.
In the second half, the Raiders did a better job at keeping up with the high-leveled Stormer offense as sophomore guard Spencer Willman and McRoberts nailed a few shots for the Raiders.
Unfortunately, the Raiders were unable to string together stops when they needed them the most which allowed the Stormers to maintain their 20-point lead. Schuitema made a few 3-pointers but it wouldn’t matter as the Raiders gave up the most points all season, losing 113-80.
Francis led the team with 15 points but turned the ball over eight times. Schuitema scored 12 points while McRoberts had 11 points and three assists. Lastly, Willman added 10 points and a team-high four steals.
Following the loss to the Stormers, GRCC faced Cuyahoga Community College in the final game of the NCMC Tournament. The Raiders got out to a fast start as McRoberts, Francis and freshman guard Mason Wilcox all scored on an 11-4 run.
However, the Triceratops clawed back into the game and made the remainder of the first half a back-and-forth battle. GRCC shot 56 % from the field in the first half and still trailed 46-41.
After a Schuitema 3-pointer to start the half, Cuyahoga went on a 8-0 run to stretch the lead to double digits. Schuitema kept the Raiders in the game with his shot-making ability while the Raiders went on a short run to cut their deficit to three points.
Sophomore guard Jovante Jones and McRoberts were the only players to score in a six-minute run that saw the Raiders go down as much as 17 points. The Raiders tried getting back into the game but there was not enough time as the Triceratops would win by a score of 95-82.
Francis led the team in scoring with 19 points, McRoberts ended with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Jones scored 12 points.
After dropping three straight, the Raiders look to bounce back as they travel to Jackson College to play on Wednesday, Nov.15 at 7:30 p.m.
