Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball team opened the second half of conference play strong, cruising to a 23-point victory against Kellogg Community College 83-60.
After a tight 13-15 first quarter that featured seven ties and lead changes, the Raiders went on a run and never were down again at any point in the game. In the second quarter, the Raiders went on a 7-0 run to take a 32-24 lead heading into halftime.
Head coach Dave Glazier wasn’t fazed by the lackluster shooting performance in the first quarter, reinstilling the confidence in his players helped spark the huge second half.
“We needed to clean some stuff up and just shoot with confidence because they were going to fall. I mean, I’ve watched them shoot enough to know that we’ll hit those shots most times,” Glazier said.
GRCC’s offense erupted after the break, outscoring Kellogg CC 51-36 in the second half. The Raiders’ defensive intensity ramped up, forcing a whopping 43 turnovers. This is the 19th game this season where they forced 20 or more turnovers.
Sophomore Forward Averi Peot led the way for the Raiders, scoring 22 points on an efficient 9-13 shooting from the field and nine rebounds. Freshman Guard Alison Rockburn posted career highs across the board with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Sophomore Guard Harmonie Belton chipped in with 13 points, a career high nine rebounds, and tied her career high with eight steals.
Coming off of her second straight 22-point game, Peot is feeling good as conference play rolls on. “I feel good, confident in myself and my team that we’re going to make the right play, you know, and just being able to on offense, get the buckets that we need and on defense get the stops that we need,” Peot said.
With the Raiders currently locked in the second spot in conference play, Peot looks to rely on her leadership to keep the hopes for that first place spot alive.
“I’m very vocal, if you watch one of our games, you can hear me from anywhere,” Peot said. “I like to direct, I like to encourage positive reconstruction for every one of my teammates. You know, hey, I see this, but great job on this. So yeah, just being a vocal leader for sure.”
The Raiders look to keep the momentum going at home this Friday at the GRCC Ford Fieldhouse against conference opponent Lake Michigan College at 5:30 p.m.
Collegiate Reporter Gabe Amy contributed to this report.
