By Jack Walker
The Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team traveled to Alpena to take on Alpena Community College in a game they would lose 70-94. The Raiders once again struggled in the first half resulting in a large deficit that would be too much to overcome, moving the team to 8-9 and 0-2 in conference play.
The first half for the Raiders had a similar feel to their most recent outing, what started as a close game, quickly got out of hand. Eight minutes into the half, the score was tied at 15-15, but that would be as good as it would get for the Raiders in the first half, as Alpena went on a 29-5 run to make the score 44-20.
“I thought our initial energy was okay, but our energy fell off about midway through the half,” said head coach Joe Fox.
GRCC was able to score a quick nine points in the last three minutes of the half to get the deficit under 20, but for the third time in the team’s last five games, the Raiders went into halftime down 19 or more points, this time down 48-29.
It was a struggle just about everywhere for GRCC in the first half, as the team shot an inefficient 11-33 from the field, and 2-12 from three. On the defensive side, it wasn’t much better, as Alpena was able to shoot 19-36 from the field, good for 52.8%. Turnovers have been a common theme for GRCC all season, and it was yet another struggle for GRCC in the first half. Eleven first-half turnovers resulted in 29 points for Alpena CC.
For the second straight game, the Raiders looked a lot different coming out of halftime, but it was still not enough to get the job done. The Raiders allowed 46 second-half points, just two less than in the first half. But, the team was able to score 41 second-half points, 12 more points than in the first half. GRCC was also able to shoot 17-34 from the floor in the second half, but still a poor 2-10 from beyond the arc.
Fox touched on the difference between the first and second halves, “We are a well-conditioned team, so the second half is our strong point.” Fox continued with, “We need to match that energy in the first half.”
One player that stood out for GRCC against Alpena was sophomore guard Javonte Jones, who led all Raiders in points with 18, a new season high, in just 19 minutes of play. Jones was able to add three rebounds, two assists, and two steals, making a big impact in his time on the floor.
Saturday’s matchup against Alpena was the beginning of a packed schedule for the Raiders. The team will travel to Escanaba for a Monday night game against Bay College, which was originally scheduled for Jan. 13 but was postponed due to poor weather. GRCC will have another quick turnaround after Monday, coming back home for a game against Muskegon Community College on Wednesday.
Fox’s thoughts on the tough schedule coming up, “We played a busy schedule to prep us for stretches like this. If you can’t get up to play good teams, basketball isn’t for you.” Fox finished with, “I know the guys will respond.”
