By Justin Stulpe
The Raiders’ men’s basketball team traveled to Benton Harbor for their second meeting of the season with the Lake Michigan College Red Hawks in hopes of picking up a win to close out their stretch of eight of nine games on the road. Despite an incredible comeback propelled by a dominant second-half, GRCC ran out of gas in overtime and fell to LMC 94-89.
Despite coming into the Feb. 8 contest with a below .500 record at 7-11 and 0-8 in conference play, the Red Hawks came out of the gates firing on all cylinders against the Raiders. LMC dominated the entire first half, controlling the pace of the game on both sides of the ball with blanketing defense paired with offensive competency. Despite only scoring just over 74 points per game, LMC scored 47 in the first 20 minutes, shooting above their season average percentages from the field, from 3-point land and from the free-throw line. Even with a hot start scoring the ball, the highlight was the stifling defense that they threw at GRCC, with the Raiders failing to get any momentum in the first frame.
GRCC struggled to get going in the first half only putting up 29 first-half points on inefficient shooting from the field. Shooting under 30 percent from the field and 2-17 from downtown buried the Raiders to be down by 18 at the end of the first half. With their backs against the wall in blowout territory, GRCC anchored down and came out in the second half looking like the team that has been so dominant throughout the year.
Head coach Joe Fox said that there were not too many strategic changes to the game plan, but rather just executing better on both sides of the ball.
“At halftime we talked about how everything has to be done well when you play on the road. There were no major adjustments, we just needed to get back to our style of play a bit,” Fox stated in a text to The Collegiate.
After the intermission, GRCC came out executing in all facets, getting stops on defense and turning those stops into points on offense that were hard to come by in the first half. The script completely flipped in the second half, as the Raiders outscored the Red Hawks 52-34, ultimately sending the game to overtime.
The miraculous play of the entire Raider squad saw them be able to inch their way back into a contest where they dug themselves a massive hole and managed to pick themselves up enough to only needing five more quality minutes in overtime in order to secure an improbable win. Although the Raiders were dominant the entire second half, the toll that the monumental putback took on the team proved to be just too much, as they ended up falling by five at the conclusion of overtime.
Despite coming up short in achieving a pivotal win in an unconventional fashion, Fox notes that this mad scramble to come back by such a large deficit was still enjoyable to be a part of, even after losing the game.
“It was a fun experience, a great comeback that fell just a little short,” Fox stated in a text to The Collegiate.
Raider freshman guard Marshaun Flakes led the team in scoring, pouring in 24 points in addition to eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action. Freshman guard Zeekeal Jackson put forth an all-around effort to help the Raiders come back down the stretch with 17-points and 10-rebounds for a double-double, along with four dimes and a pair of both blocks and steals. GRCC also received major contributions from their bench, most notably the efforts of freshman wing Gaden Muxlow and sophomore Javon Golson, with Muxlow scoring 13 and coming down with five boards and Golson posting 10 points and nine rebounds.
The defensive effort in the second half was critical to the Raiders’ comeback bid, only allowing 35 points in the second half to claw their way back into the game and force overtime after the sluggish first half. Combined with the input on the defensive end from the previously mentioned players, GRCC’s entire roster collectively bought into the focus on defense. Starters and players coming off of the bench put the clamps on the Red Hawks in the second half, with freshman forward Ethan Bennett tallying a game-high four blocks and freshman guard J.D. DeGroot swiping two steals and blocking a shot.
Fox highlighted the play from Muxlow and Golson specifically it “was good to see them step up in a big spot.”
LMC did not have a single player score 20 or more points while scoring 94 in the game, but their offense point distribution proved to be too much for the Raiders to overcome in overtime. All five Red Hawks starters scored in double figures, with freshman Jeremias Berchal scoring 18 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Right behind Berchal in scoring was a trio of starters that all scored 15, helping LMC secure the win in overtime. Freshman forward Kerry Fudge notched an imposing double-double by scoring 15 and corralling 13 rebounds, while sophomore guard Brystun Mayberry chipped in five rebounds plus 15 points on 6-11 shooting. Rounding out the trio of 15-point scorers was freshman guard Michael Thorton, who in addition to his 15 points, posted five rebounds and assists, while the final starter for LMC freshman guard/forward Jovon Dancy Jr. chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and two steals in the win.
After falling to 17-7 on the season, the Raiders will now have four out of five games to end their regular season at home, the first of which is a matchup against Southwestern Michigan College. GRCC will take aim at the Roadrunners on Feb. 12, with tip-off at 7 p.m. at Ford Fieldhouse, in the hopes of picking up their second win against SMC on the season. GRCC took home victory in their first meeting back on Jan. 18, 74-62 and will look to get back on track to close out the season strong.
Fox notes how formidable a squad the Roadrunners are and what it will take to notch a very big win at home when he said in a text to The Collegiate:
“Southwestern is a very good team. They are big and physical and defend well. We will need to execute offensively, rebound, and defend.”
