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Consistent scoring both behind the 3-point line and inside the paint led to Montcalm Community College Centurions women’s basketball team earning a 76-64 road win against Muskegon Community College, Wednesday, Feb. 11. 

The Centurions (5-5 MCCAA Northern, 8-15 overall) received outside scoring power from mainly two players — freshman Kendall Stout (Stanton, Mich.) and freshmen Emma Rehkopf (Belding, Mich.) — as both went off from the 3-point line. Stout went 6-for-12 on 3-pointers, scoring a total of 24 points, which was a game-high, and Rehkopf shot 4-of-12 behind the 3-point line, finishing with 15 points. 

Stout earned a double-double, as well, getting 10 rebounds to go with her 24 points. 

Rehkopf, who came off the bench to get her individual stats, credits her high school coach for having no fear of taking the outside shots when the opportunities arise. 

“I got confidence in shooting outside from my high school coach, Shad Breimayer,” Rehkopf said. “Since high school, he has always pushed and encouraged me to shoot the ball. Since then, I have found more confidence in myself when on the court.” 

Against the Jayhawks, Rehkopf saw plenty of opportunities and she said once her first shot went down, it built up her confidence to keep shooting. 

“My shooting was working well for me throughout the game,” she said. 

The Centurions were also dominating in the paint, as they outscored the Jayhawks 32-14 inside and outrebounded them, 51-39. Much of the inside force can be contributed to sophomore Emily Putnam (Sheridan, Mich.), who put up a double-double, scoring 14 points and collecting an impressive 18 rebounds, a season high.  

Freshman Karlie Bacon (Stanton, Mich.) was also impressive for MCC, scoring nine points and getting 11 rebounds. Freshman Baylor Syrjala (Lakeview, Mich.) finished with 11 points and five assists. 

MCC held a 42-35 advantage going into halftime and, midway through the third quarter, Muskegon (5-5 MCCAA Northern, 9-11 overall) tried to inch closer after Anna Lundquist’s layup made it 42-37 at the 9:25 mark, however, the Centurions offense would not let up, keeping their distance as they pushed it to a 56-44 lead when Stout hit a layup with 4:43 to go. 

In the fourth quarter, Putnam’s layup with 8:16 to go in the game made it 68-54. However, Muskegon’s Paige Seely-London answered with a 3-point shot, cutting the lead back down to 11. With four minutes left, Jayhawks’ Shamari Hamilton hit two free throws to pull Muskegon with nine. Ultimately, that was as close as Muskegon could get the rest of the game. 

The Centurions outscored the Jayhawks in each quarter except the fourth, during which both teams scored 12 points.  

MCC shot 36.8% from 3-point range (14-of-38) while Muskegon went 10-for-34 (29.4%). MCC led in assists (17-14), points off turnovers (18-8) and second-chance points (17-8) while Muskegon committed less turnovers (10-14).  

With the win, the Centurions stay even with Muskegon for fourth place in the MCCAA Northern Conference. Mid Michigan, 9-0, and Bay College, 9-1, are first and second, respectively, and each has clinched a spot in postseason play. 

UP NEXT: The Centurions will host the Alpena Community College Lumberjacks (0-10 MCCAA Northern, 4-16 overall) this Saturday, Feb. 14, with game time at 1 p.m. In their last meeting at Alpena, MCC scored a season-high in points with a 115-46 win.  

Saturday’s game is themed “Adopt-A-Classroom Night.”