By Jack Walker
A successful first half for the Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team was not enough to secure their first conference play win, as the team lost 77-87 to Muskegon Community College.
Sophomore Darrell Belcher led all scorers with 21 off the bench for the Raiders, having yet again another solid outing.
The first six minutes of the game for GRCC looked like the same story the team had been writing all season long, an early first-half deficit that would be too much to overcome and would be a factor at the end of the game. With the team trailing 17-6, a much needed spark would need to arrive. In came sophomore guard Javonte Jones, Belcher, and sophomore Tristan McRoberts. All three players added 10 points going into halftime, proving to be the offense the team desperately needed with starting point guard sophomore Joe Francis out.
The Raiders were going through a rough patch entering Wednesday’s game against MCC, coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak. But, the team’s energy seemed different compared to past games. Players on the bench and on the floor seemed more vocal than before, fueling the team to go on multiple runs throughout the half.
Everything was clicking in the first half for GRCC, with the Raiders shooting 7-14 from three, and 18-39 from the field (46.2%.) A sign of improvement for the Raiders was in the turnover category, only surrendering the ball four times in the first half. Outside of the first six minutes, it was noticeable that GRCC had taken full control of the game. The Raiders went into halftime with a six point advantage, 46-40.
Head coach Joe Fox shared his thoughts on the team’s first half,
“After a tough start we rebounded well and played with good pace.”
GRCC’s hot second half quickly cooled down with MCC opening the second half on a 13-2 run. Once again, the team would need to find a spark to help them out of their deficit. Unlike the first half, sparks never came for the Raiders, as they would continue to trail for the final 17 minutes of the game. MCC was able to heat up from downtown, making their first five 3-point attempts of the half.
The Raiders looked like a shell of themselves in the second half compared to their first half. The team shot 14-40 from the field and 2-12 from beyond the arc. The team also committed nine turnovers and allowed 13 points off of those turnovers. Belcher was able to get his points total up to 21 on the night, but it was not enough to overcome MCC’s hot second half shooting.
All season long it’s felt like a tale of two halves for the Raider’s, Fox agreed saying,
“Games are a full 40 (minutes), we cannot play content with just playing hard,” said Fox, adding, “(We) have to play hard and stay focused on the full 40.)
Belcher’s jersey caused a game interruption in the middle of the game when the refs stopped play, which was then followed by Belcher switching out of his usual number 10 jersey to a number 23 jersey. Later in the game, Belcher was temporarily removed for not having his jersey tucked in all the way according to one official.
The removal was followed with a couple of boo’s from the crowd and one person in attendance saying, “That’s bush league,” in reference to the ref removing Belcher.
The usual procedure following the game for the Raiders, win or lose, is a team huddle near their bench, with the players and coaching staff then going their separate ways. However, after Wednesday night’s loss, there was no team huddle near the bench. The coaching staff and players headed straight to the first level of the Ford Fieldhouse for a team meeting, a different scene than usual after a tough loss.
GRCC moved to 8-11 on the season and 0-4 in conference play with the loss against MCC. A tough pill to swallow after starting the season 8-6.
Fox spoke on what the team needs to improve on in order to salvage the season, and end their losing ways.
“The team needs to defend better, plain and simple.” Fox said. “We will keep working on it and improve, we’ve got 10 games left to show what we are.”
The Raiders will have a chance to get out of their slump on Saturday Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. against Kirtland Community College at the Ford Fieldhouse.
