Lady Red Hawks Fly Past Lady Vikings

Lake Michigan College led from start to finish on Monday night and defeated Glen Oaks Community College 93-44. The Lady Red Hawks jumped out quickly on both ends of the court and raced out to an early lead.  Throughout the first quarter, Lake Michigan forced several Glen Oaks turnovers and converted on the offensive end. At the end of the first 10 minutes, Lake Michigan College held a 16-point lead (26-10). The second quarter was very similar to the first 10 minutes, with the Lady Red Hawks extending their lead and not allowing the Lady Vikings to get back into the game. With 1:06 left before halftime, Lake Michigan built a 28-point lead and held that lead for the remainder of the quarter.  The Lady Red Hawks outscored Glen Oaks 23-11 in the second quarter and led 49-21 after the first half.  Lake Michigan shot 50% in the first half (21-42), while holding Glen Oaks to just 22% (5-22).

Right out of halftime, the Lady Red Hawks continued to increase their defensive pressure and offensive scoring to further extend their lead in the game.  Glen Oaks struggled to respond throughout the third quarter and Lake Michigan outscored the Lady Vikings 32-14 to take a commanding 81-35 lead entering the final quarter. Scoring slowed down for both teams in the final quarter, but Lake Michigan still outscored Glen Oaks 12-9 in the last 10 minutes for the final 49-point win (93-44).

With the win, Lake Michigan improved to 23-5 overall and 15-2 in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Western Conference, which keeps them in a tie for first-place.  The Lady Red Hawks will play for the conference championship when they host Muskegon Community College on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 at 5:30 pm.  Muskegon is also 15-2 in the MCCAA Western Conference and the winner will earn the conference championship and the number one seed in the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) District G Championship Tournament which begins on March 5. Muskegon won the first meeting this season over the Lady Red Hawks, 51-48.

After the game, Head Coach, Patrick Daniel stated "We played with a purpose tonight and we wanted to make sure we played with confidence going into our last regular season game.  These ladies have worked all year for this and we are excited and really look forward to playing for a conference championship here at home. It will be a great game."

For the game, Lake Michigan shot 46% (37-79) while Glen Oaks converted on 22% of their shots (12-54). Lake Michigan also out-rebounded the Lady Vikings 53-35 and forced Glen Oaks to commit 34 turnovers. The Lady Red Hawks only committed 11 turnovers for the game and as a team, Lake Michigan had 26 assists, 20 steals, and three blocks.

Four players scored in double figures for Lake Michigan led by Jayla Bibbs with 26 points.  Samantha Jenkins had 20 points, Monae Palmer added 19 points and Taylor Cegelis chipped in 11 points. Cegelis led the Lady Red Hawks in rebounds (10) and blocked shots (2), while Jenkins dished out 11 assists and Bibbs had seven steals.

The final regular season game on Wednesday, February 27, 2019 versus Muskegon Community College tips off at 5:30 PM.  Prior to the game, there will be a "Talon Tough" Tailgating event starting at 4:30 PM, where current Lake Michigan College students can participate in games, win prizes, receive t-shirts, and eat for free.  The Women's Softball team will also be introduced at half time prior to their Spring Break departure.