By Jack Walker
Saturday marked the last home game of the season and sophomore night for the Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team, as the team took on North Central Michigan College at the Ford Fieldhouse. The two teams faced off three weeks ago, with GRCC coming out victorious by 20. This game went a lot different, as NCMC led by as many as 25 at one point, taking down GRCC, 87-70.
The Raiders opened the game with a slow start on the offensive side of the ball, scoring only 11 points in the first 10 minutes. Freshman guard Jack Agema was able to provide a spark off the bench, knocking down his first four 3’s and propelling GRCC to a 22-21 lead. Unfortunately for the Raiders, that was the last lead the team would have in the first half, as the Timberwolves started to gain life offensively. NCMC would cruise for the rest of the half, taking a 10-point lead into the locker room, 43-33.
GRCC struggled with efficiency in the first half, shooting 14-37 (37.8%) from the field and going 5-14 (35.7%) from beyond the arc, all while attempting zero first-half free throws. NCMC on the other hand was able to score effectively, going 19-34 (55.9%) from the field and 3-8 (37.5%) from beyond the arc.
Agema led the way for the Raiders in the first half, scoring 12 points off of his four 3-pointers and sophomore guard Joe Francis was able to put together a string of points to close the first half, bringing his total to 10. No other Raider scored more than four points in the first half, which would need to change in order to secure a win on sophomore night.
The response the team was looking for was not there to open the second half, getting off to a flat start as NCMC opened the half on a 16-2 run, scoring 12 of those points in the paint. NCMC was able to expand the lead as large as 25 points before GRCC could slowly start to cut away at the deficit.
The Raiders were able to put together a few small runs, but never enough to threaten taking over the lead. The smallest deficit for the Raiders was 14 points. The team would go on to lose by 17, 87-70. A disappointing loss considering the circumstances. GRCC would have been able to move into a fourth-place tie in the Northern Conference with a win over NCMC, a team in which they beat by 20 on the road only three weeks ago.
“We played about as good as we could play as a group when we played them at their place, and today I thought we looked out of sorts,” said head coach Joe Fox. “It was frustrating from start to finish. It felt like we were running uphill the whole game.”
In the second half, GRCC shot 15-39 (38.5%) from the field, just a slight improvement from the first half, but not efficient enough for a second-half comeback. Meanwhile, NCMC shot 17-31 (54.8%) from the field, a slight decrease, but once again, too efficient for GRCC to overcome.
Francis and Agema finished as the leading scorers, with Agema scoring 22 points, knocking down six 3-pointers. Agema has now scored at least 15 points in four of the team’s last five games, with 22 being a new career high. Coach Fox has taken notice of the freshman’s breakout,
“He’s been great, the second half of conference play specifically, he’s doing everything we ask from a point guard,” said Fox. “He’s played really well off others and shoots the ball really well.”
With the loss GRCC can no longer finish above .500 on the season, as the team sits at 13-15 with one game remaining. The remaining game will be played in Grayling, as the team takes on Kirtland Community College. GRCC faced Kirtland back on Jan. 27, in a game that featured the Raider’s largest win of the season, 116-59.
Fox spoke on the season finale, “Every game is an opportunity, you want to see your sophomore lead and play the right…Every chance to play this game at the college level is a blessing, so I’m looking forward to the last game and seeing if we can end the regular season on a win.”
The game against Kirtland will take place on Tuesday. Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Grayling.
