Stars steamroll Alma JV to stay unbeaten
The LCC men’s basketball team is getting comfortable in the Gannon Gym.
The Stars prepped for the regular season with scrimmages in Illinois and Allendale before the inaugural LCC alumni game Nov. 13.
“It’s a good chance for our guys to get out there and play against some older, more experienced guys,” LCC Coach Mike Ingram said. “It’s supposed to be fun and a learning experience.”
Freshman George Goodman scores during the Stars’ 102-72 win over Alma JV, Tuesday. (Photo by Suzanna Powers)
The alumni game was the first of a six-game homestand for the Stars. With the regular season starting just five days later, it was time to dig into conference play.
LCC hosted Michigan Community College Athletic Association rival Delta College Nov. 17 and kept on rolling. The Stars overpowered the Pioneers 82-61 in LCC’s first taste of conference competition.
The long homestand continued Nov. 20 when Alma College’s junior varsity squad marched into Gannon Gymnasium to take on the Stars. LCC continued its nonconference dominance.
The LCC Stars topped Alma JV 102-72, thanks mainly to a dominant performance from their big men. The win improved the Stars’ record to 2-0.
Sophomore center Tyrin Wade tallied 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his second game as a Star. Freshman power forward Davario Gaines nabbed eight rebounds as well as scoring 15 points.
“Coach (Ingram) does a good job of getting us ready to play,” Wade said. “The frontcourt is really the backbone of everything we do. We want to win immediately. We’re not waiting around until the second half of the season to get serious about this.”
Last year’s Stars started the season 4-10, then went 15-1 to place themselves in the MCCAA championship game. Sophomore Skylear Moore, a member of that team, was LCC’s leading scorer vs. Alma JV with 21, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team, more than we had last year, believe it or not,” Moore said. “We’ve got a big weekend coming up. It’s going to be fun to see if we can keep this up.”
The Stars were scheduled to continue action at home through the holiday weekend. The Stars hosted a four-team tournament Nov. 23 and 24. Kellogg CC, another MCCAA foe, served as the second conference opponent the Stars faced in 2012 during the tournament.
“If we continue to grow like we’ve been doing, we’ve got a chance to make some real noise in this conference,” Ingram said. “The reason I play such a tough non-conference schedule is as simple as preparation. It gets us ready to do what we have to do the best. I’m pretty sure we’ll be just fine.”
For results and reaction to the tournament over the holiday weekend and final home matchup of November against St. Clair County CC, check www.lcc.edu/lookout.
The final issue of The Lookout for the fall semester publishes Monday, Dec. 10. For continuing coverage of LCC men’s hoops follow Dominick Mastrangelo on Twitter @dmaster_92.
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