By Justin Stulpe
Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball matched up with the eighth ranked Kalamazoo Valley Community College in a contest of high-powered offenses that delivered tension and an electric atmosphere at Ford Fieldhouse. The Raiders were outlasted by the Cougars 109-97, with the high-stakes bout filled that resulted in tempers flaring on both sides, to go with playoff game level intensity throughout the contest.
The first 20 minutes set the stage for the rest of the game, rapid offensive pace and intense full court pressure defense that showcased both teams ability to play high-level ball on both sides of the ball. As such, both GRCC and Kalamazoo Valley CC flexed their strengths right out of the gates, forcing turnovers and getting in transition to get buckets right at the rim. The game was defined by game-altering scoring runs that would turn the game on its head for one team, but in short order the opposing side would storm right back to keep the game within striking distance.
On the back of scoring run of 10-0, the Cougars grew their lead to 10 with just under eight minutes left in the half powered by suffocating full-court pressure that resulted in numerous steals and difficult shots taken by the Raiders forced by stifling Cougar pressure. In response, the Raiders charged back to take the lead 37-36 with just under five minutes remaining in the half, fueled by many step-back 3-pointers by sophomore guard Bashir Neely and freshman guard Marshaun Flakes despite air-tight defensive close-outs by the Cougars.
Despite the efforts from the Raiders to claw back into the game to hold a lead, that small advantage was short-lived as Kalamazoo Valley CC surged throughout the rest of the half to get back the lead and end the frame up 52-45. Both teams shot under 45% from the field in the first half, but the difference in scoring totals stemmed from the Cougars far superior shooting from beyond the arc compared to GRCC, as KVCC shot an impressive 6-12 from deep as a team, as opposed to the Raiders shooting a poor 3-19 from downtown for 15.79%. Despite the struggles from 3-point land from the Raiders, they only trailed within the single digits and poised themselves to still take home the win.
GRCC began the half by closing the gap in a hurry by taking the lead by one point in just under two minutes. For the next eight minutes of game time, the lead for either side did not exceed four points, with the teams going blow for blow by trading buckets, ultimately leading to GRCC to lead 74-71. The fans were on the edge of their seats in support of both teams, with the passion and electricity felt throughout the arena, waiting for the scoring run that would determine the rest of the game.
With the teams deadlocked in a struggle to pull away, it ended up being the Cougars that were just a little more precise and built a double-digit lead with under nine minutes left to play. The Raiders battled hard in an attempt to go on one final run to reclaim the lead, but the efforts were thwarted by a knock-down free-throw shooting down the stretch to ice the game for the Cougars. A 20-25 shooting clip from the charity stripe in the second half alone put the game out of reach for the Raiders, in conjunction with the continuation of team shooting that is not up to par with the season average for GRCC.
Head coach Joe Fox said that the small things that were not executed to perfection were a defining reason as to why the Raiders fell just short against the No.8 ranked team in the nation.
“Back-to-back games where we played extremely hard and just two or three little things went the wrong way…that 1% better we didn’t have those today, “Fox said.
Fox said that even though the team didn’t achieve the “1%” that was needed in order to beat the top 10 ranked squad, he said that he liked the outlook of the overall performance he was seeing in the last few matchups despite not taking home wins in either contest.
“The last three halves, the second half against Ancilla and both halves tonight we have played to our level of expectation, it’s just little execution things that we need to tighten down,” Fox said.
Freshman guard Tyran Thomas led the charge for the Raiders, tallying a team-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds, four steals and two blocks, along with hitting 8-9 free-throw attempts. Neely chipped in 21 points, three assists and a game-high three rejections, while Flakes added 18 points, two blocks and four steals to tie the game-high with Thomas. The team leader for rebounds was sophomore guard J.D. DeGroot, who grabbed a personal season-high nine rebounds, while scoring six points.
KVCC had five players to score 10 or more points, with sophomore John Sweeney posting a dominant 23-point, 15-rebound performance that propelled the Cougars down the stretch. Sophomore guard Ramere Draper and sophomore guard Josh Wilson both recorded 22 points, while sophomore guard Joe Liedel notched a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double of his own. Despite the Raiders holding Liedel to well under his season scoring average of 26.6 heading into the contest, the face-guarding that he garnered from Neely throughout the game opened up driving lanes for his teammates, proving to be too much for GRCC to overcome.
After starting the season 16-2 including a 13-game win streak, the Raiders have now dropped their third consecutive contest against three very good teams. Even with the gauntlet GRCC has faced in recent matchups, it doesn’t get much easier for them, as they go on the road for their next three games to try and improve their conference record from the 3-3 mark it currently sits at. Their first opportunity to do so is on Feb. 1 as they travel to Lansing Community College for a showdown at 3 p.m. against the Stars.
