By Lindsey Soet
The Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball team headed up north this weekend to face off against Alpena Community College on Jan. 20. The Raiders coasted through the game and successfully earned their first conference win of the season, beating the Lumberjacks 57-35.
The first quarter was a tight, turnover-filled battle for both teams, as GRCC had five turnovers and ACC had six in the first quarter alone. Both teams also struggled making shots, as the Raiders went 7-23 from the field and ACC went 3-13. However, the Raiders were able to stop ACC’s offense enough to give themselves the lead of 16-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter continued to be a close battle, but GRCC began capitalizing on the Lumberjack’s weaknesses. ACC had seven turnovers and seven fouls in the quarter, helping GRCC cement their lead with an additional five points off free-throws. The Raiders led at the half 31-26.
GRCC continued to pull away from ACC in the third quarter, scoring an additional 20 points. The Raiders effectively shut down the Lumberjacks both offensively and defensively, as they did not allow any points in the third quarter. Freshman guard Tia Richard led the Raiders in the third quarter with seven points, three assists and one rebound. GRCC continued to lead 51-26 heading into the final quarter.
The final quarter of the game was a low-scoring, foul and turnover dominant 10 minutes. GRCC received six fouls in the fourth quarter, allowing ACC to score four of their nine points in the quarter. Despite this, the Lumberjacks struggled to get past GRCC’s defense, resulting in six turnovers, making a total of 27 turnovers in the game. The game ended with GRCC winning 57-35.
Freshman forward Ava Schultz achieved a double-double, scoring 13 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and four steals. Richard was the leading scorer for the Raiders with 17 points, and sophomore guard Avery Jirous scored 11 points.
Head coach Glazier believes that this win was made possible by his team playing together and not as individuals, stating, “The win stemmed from this group coming together and playing as a unit on defense and offense rather than five independent bodies.”
Glazier said he believes that this victory was a necessary reminder to the team that they are a skilled group. “I think each player simply needed to see success to remind them that they are a skilled and talented group,” Glazier stated via text.
Schultz also believed that this win was essential to remind the team of their abilities. “I think this win really showed us what can happen when we show up for each other and practice hard. We talked about having a different mentality going into the second half of the season and I think we really showed how important that is,” Schultz stated via text.
GRCC is now 4-9 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Raiders will be back in action at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22 against Bay College in Escanaba.
