News
By Ryan Schlehuber
MCC sportswriter
SIDNEY — It was a game the team needed, and when the shots began dropping in, the Montcalm Community College Centurions women’s basketball team didn’t hold back.
For the first time since MCC reinstituted its athletics department and renewed women’s basketball program a year ago, the Centurions team scored more than 100 points in a game, beating Alpena Community College 115-46 in Alpena, Saturday, Jan. 17.
The Centurions (1-2 MCCAA North, 4-12 overall) won their first conference game of the season in dramatic fashion, with two players scoring more than 20 points and five in total scoring 18 or more points. Also, Alpena’s 46 points was the second-lowest score against MCC this season (Glen Oaks Community College is the lowest this season, a 44-39 win against MCC Nov. 24).
“This was such a fun game,” said MCC freshman Baylor Syrjala (Lakeview, Mich.), who scored 18 points on the night (4-for-7 from the three-point line). “Everyone was able to score, and everyone was able to play a part in the win.”
MCC head coach Scott Pedigo, who was happy to see an all-around solid game from his team, had been waiting for a game like this all season from his team, stating the Centurions were close to putting a game like this together several times this season but couldn’t find the bottom of the basket.
“This game was fun because all the players were able to share the ball, really showcase what we have been working on and it was nice to see everyone having a good night shooting at the same time,” he said. “It was nice to see them share the ball and make shots we know we are capable of and it was a night we felt things really came together for us as a team.”
The Centurions shot an impressive 20-of-34 (58.8%) from the three-point line, which underlined the story of the game. MCC freshman Kendall Stout (Stanton, Mich.) was one of the successful three-point shooters for the Centurions, going 4-of-5 from the three-point line, scoring a total of 20 points.
“I think that was our best shooting night, by far,” Stout said. “A 58.8 shooting percentage that game from the three is impressive and almost every girl on our team contributed. I think this win showed us that we are a great team and we need to continue to show that.”
Also scoring in double digits were sophomore Emily Putnam (Sheridan, Mich.), who went 3-for-5 at the three-point line, scoring a game-high 21 points and collecting a game-high eight rebounds; freshman Karlie Bacon (Stanton, Mich.) finished with 19 points; and, coming off the bench, freshman Emma Rehkopf (Belding, Mich.) scored 18 points.
The shooting fireworks started quickly for the Centurions, as it raced to a 13-0 lead before the Lumberjacks (0-4 MCCAA North, 4-10 overall) scored its first points of the game with Lillie Maser hitting a jump shot at the 5:54 mark of the first quarter. MCC kept firing away as Stout and Putnam knocked down two three-pointers each and helped MCC establish an impressive 38-8 lead after the first quarter.
“The first quarter, I think we realized that we could beat this team pretty badly,” Syrjala said. “Our three-point percentage was a huge factor.”
Both the second and third quarters were relatively close, however, MCC continued to expand its lead, outscoring ACC 16-12 in the second and 24-17 in the third quarter. With a comfortable lead going into the fourth quarter, the Centurions didn’t let up, outscoring the Lumberjacks 37-9.
“Once again, our team was doing amazing shooting,” Syrjala said. “We shared the ball really well. We realized that we could get to 100 points in the fourth quarter, so we set a goal to hit it and we exceeded it.”
MCC dominated the game statistics, shooting 48.4% from the field to ACC’s 32.7% and outrebounded the Lumberjacks, 48-32. The Centurions also passed the ball well, collecting 29 assists while the Lumberjacks finished with 32.
MCC had only 11 turnovers in the game and caused ACC to turn the ball over 29 times.
After losing the last five games, with the last two opponents scoring more than 100 points on MCC, Syrjala said when her team got hot against Alpena, all the frustrations of the past few games came out.
“We did take out all our aggression,” Syrjala said. “We came off two harder opponents that beat us pretty badly.”
Stout said the balanced effort on both sides of the court finally showed what her team could do and the potential it holds.
“I think this win showed us that we are a great team and we need to continue to show that,” she said. “This game definitely gave us a boost and helped us see that we are more than we think we are.”
Both Stout and Syrjala said while the overwhelming win against Alpena felt good, their team needs to refocus and reset as they prepare for Kirtland Community College, Saturday, Jan. 24, a home game that begins at 1 p.m. MCC will be hosting its next three games at home.
“For the next few games, I think we are going to be confident but also disciplined because we need to keep building from this,” Syrjala said. “If we can play together as a team like we did at Alpena, play good defense and shoot as well as we did, we will go on a roll.”
Stout is looking for her team to continue playing well on offense and defense.
“Our defense was outstanding as well as our offense, and those are key components of basketball,” Stout said. “Therefore, remembering all the good things from this game, whether it be on defense, offense or even the bench, we need to keep up that same level of energy and commitment.”