LCC cagers prep for Mott CC showdown
Sophomore guard Travion Babers takes a shot during the Stars’ 77-70 win over St. Clair CC Nov. 27.
Dominick Mastrangelo
Sports Editor
The LCC men’s basketball team gets a shot at redemption Dec. 12 when it hosts the defending Division II National Champion Mott Community College Bears.
The Bears kicked the Stars out of Flint in the teams’ last meeting Nov. 28 with a 71-47 boot.
The last time Mott CC came to the Gannon gym, the Bears blew past LCC in the 2012 Michigan Community College Athletic Association championship game en route to a national title.
The Stars have started the regular season sturdy and were riding a three-game win streak into the first weekend of December. The Stars were scheduled to travel to Cuyahoga CC in Cleveland Dec. 8 for some non-conference action before the showdown with rival Mott.
LCC Coach Mike Ingram had positive things to say about the Stars after they claimed the first win of their eventual three-game victory streak.
“I kind of attacked the guys tonight and made them give me more than they were giving me before,” Ingram said after the Stars’ 77-70 win over St. Clair County CC Nov. 27. “I told the guys beforehand I was going to pressure them more. They responded well.”
The Stars shot 38 percent from the floor against St. Clair. Sophomore guard Skylear Moore had 17 points, two rebounds and an assist.
“We play our best when we come out hard and play aggressive,” Moore said. “When the big men get down (in the paint) and start banging, that opens things up for us on the perimeter. We need to stick to our style of play.”
Ingram has modified the Stars’ lineup since the loss at Mott. Sophomore George Goodman, who was the Stars’ starting pointgaurd when the season began, has been replaced by freshman Travion Babers.
All the shifting does not appear to bother the Stars.
“Coach knows us better than anyone and he is always going to put us in a position to win,” Moore said. “We all have to do our jobs, even if they change from time to time.”
Heading into the Stars’ home matchup with Mott, Ingram said the intensity meter will have to go up another notch.
“I noticed some things and we have made some changes,” Ingram said. “I want our guys to get a taste of the best competition out there. I want to play the best so we can be the best. It get’s our guys ready for the most important part, which is the end of the season.
“(Mott) can be beaten.”
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