Men Have Successful Week Of Play
This past week, the Red Hawks went 2-0 in their two conference match-ups and gained some much-needed momentum heading into the third week of conference play.
The successful week started off with a bout against the Lansing Community College in the state's capitol city. Early in the game, the Red Hawks saw a 10-2 deficit. After a timeout, they quickly gathered their composure and with their stifling half-court defense at hand, only allowed 26 points in the remaining 17 minutes of the first half and went into the locker room with a 39-36 lead.
The second half of the game was filled with multiple highlight reel plays that could have been featured on the ESPN Top Ten Plays the following morning, including two alley-oop dunks by Jailen Campbell, a vicious two-handed dunk by Abdoulaye Ba, and a game-sealing block by Zahyem Bradwell. With momentum on their side, the Red Hawks pulled away, outscoring the Stars 52-38 in the second half, resulting in a 91-74 victory.
Brian Hunter Jr. led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Jailen Campbell adding 17 points and seven rebounds. Abdoulaye Ba and Skylar Samuel both chipped in 10 points in the victory.
Saturday's home match-up against the Bruins of Kellogg Community College proved to be a gritty, grind-it-out victory. Almost immediately after the tip-off, the Red Hawks jumped out to a 9-2 lead and imposed their will against the Bruins throughout the entire first half and headed into halftime with a commanding 47-33 lead.
Soon after halftime, the Bruins clawed their way back into the game little by little and took a two-point lead late in the second half. The Red Hawks responded with some timely made baskets by Micah Johnson, Brian Hunter Jr., Skylar Samuel and Jailen Campbell, which led to an 84-81 victory over the Bruins.
Micah Johnson played an integral part in the team's victory, scoring 29 points to go along with his 11 assists and 5 rebounds. Brian Hunter Jr. also put up a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 10 assists. Jailen Campbell provided a much-needed spark off the bench by chipping in with 13 points and five rebounds.
The Red Hawks start a four-game road trip on Wednesday, February 1st, where they look to add to their win-streak and take on the Chargers of Ancilla College in Plymouth, Indiana.