By Lindsey Soet
On Feb. 17, the Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball team faced off against Alpena Community College for the third time this season. Freshman guard Tia Richard, freshman forward Kaylie VanDerHulst, sophomore guard Avery Jirous and freshman forward Ava Schultz’s double-digit contributions allowed the Raiders a 28-point win over ACC, 70-42.
GRCC started off hot as they maintained a steady lead over the Lumberjacks for the majority of the first quarter. After leading by 13 points with 6:17 left in the quarter, the Raiders began to let their lead slip away. As a result of turnovers and fouls against GRCC, ACC managed to get within five points of the Raiders by the end of the quarter. The Raiders ended the first quarter with a narrow five-point lead, 20-15.
After a shock from the Lumberjacks, GRCC got their groove back and began to expand on their lead. Shooting 33.33% from the field, the Raiders were able to pull ahead by 21 points by the end of the half. Jirous was a key scorer in this quarter, accounting for six of GRCC’s 18 total points. The Raiders ended the half up 28-19.
The third quarter was a bit slow for the Raiders, as they only scored 14 points and shot 23.81% from the field. The Raiders relied on offensive and defensive rebounds to keep their lead. Richard led GRCC in the quarter scoring six of their 14 points. The Raiders went into the final quarter 52-29.
The Raiders coasted through the final quarter, with Richard scoring nine points. The team secured 17 rebounds, further solidifying their victory over the Lumberjacks. GRCC shot 31.58% from the field and 75% from the free-throw line. The game ended with GRCC defeating ACC 70-42.
Richard was the top-scorer for GRCC, with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Jirous scored 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Schultz scored 13 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, one block and two steals.
Jirous said she believes that working as a team helped GRCC secure the victory.
“We really came together as a team and played as one,” Jirous said.
GRCC head coach David Glazier said he thinks that the team’s aggression allowed them to succeed, saying, “We just had everybody be aggressive.”
The Raiders are now 8-14 overall and 5-6 in conference play. GRCC will travel to University Center on Feb. 21 to take on Delta College at 5:30 p.m.
