By Alexandria Webb
Grand Rapids Community College Men’s basketball fought a tough battle, falling to Lake Michigan College, 89-98. This left the Raiders with an overall record of 20-9 for the 2025-2026 season.
The Raiders started off with a sense of urgency and readiness, as they held the lead in the beginning of the game. Previously facing this team twice, Head Coach Joe Fox knew the type of basketball style his team would be up against.
“They beat us by 16 down there, and then we came up, played them here, and we beat them by 17. The styles of play were pretty similar,” Fox said.
In the end, Fox knew it would come down to how many shots would be made.
“We thought it would come down to who made more shots, and they hit a couple more than we did tonight,” Fox said.
Offensively, the Raiders experienced a tough shooting night, according to the stats, they shot 41% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Overall, their shots were not falling in despite many offensive attacks toward the basket.
“The emphasis in practice was just taking care of the ball, and I didn’t think we did it enough to beat a good team tonight. That was probably it more than anything, because their style of defense is a little different than some we’ve seen. But you know we thought we were prepped for it,” Fox said.
Freshman Wing, Jared Demoff, also noted LMC’s aggressive defensive techniques and knew they had to adjust.
“Be strong with the ball. They play very, very aggressive. Just making right passes and quick passes and not holding the ball for too long,” Demoff said.
The second half of the game, GRCC notably was taking closer shots, trying to close in on the deficit. Yet, time eventually ran out, leaving the Raiders with a heavy loss.
“This is a game we definitely could have won. We had that mindset of ‘we don’t want to lose.’ And that was a team that we know we can beat. We’ve beat them before,” said Demoff. “We had a great year, a great team all year, you know, the one that mattered, we couldn’t win.”
This was a hard game, especially for Sophomore Wing Gaden Muxlow.
“This one hurt pretty bad, I’m a sophomore, so my career’s done at GRCC,” said Muxlow. “It’s been a really good one, but I am sad that it’s over.”
Fox concludes the season, knowing the hardships that come with playing any sport, not just as an athlete but as a coach, too.
“Only one team in the country gets to end with a win, so you’re always ending with a loss; it’s tough,” said Fox. “It was such a fun group to coach, a bunch of sophomores that did such a good job for two years. A few transfers who came in and played really well. The group was fun, so it hurts.”
Sophomore Wing Gaden Muxlow led the team in making the most 3-point shots. Freshman Guard E.J. Bowman tied with Sophomore Forward Matthew Richards for the most assists during the game. Sophomore Guard Tyran Thomas led the team with a total of nine defensive rebounds. Thomas also led the team by scoring a total of 18 points.
As the Raiders prepare for next season, Muxlow left the GRCC court with one last quote: “Go Raiders!”
