1999-2000 Men's Basketball Results     [Final Season Stats]  [League Stats]

Toledo Owens 61, KVCC 56     (2/29/00)      (11-16)     [Box Score]

The 25-3 Owens Express got a taste of Cougar Pride tonight, but it was not strong enough to derail the talented Express freight train. Battling to a slender 32-30 halftime lead, the tournament's fifteenth seeded team, the Cougars of KVCC, could not generate enough offense against the tenacious Owens defense to pull off the upset.  Playing inspired defense, the Cougars stifled the vaunted Express offense, holding them to a meager 23-61 (.371) from the field.  Unfortunately, after allowing the upstart Cougars to shoot 11-24 (.458) from the field in the first half, Toledo tightened down the hatches, forcing the Cougars to a dismal 7-23 (.304) shooting performance in the 2nd half.   The tall, talented, and physical Ohio squad pounded the Cougars on the glass, 46-28, with Flint's Deandre Bell leading the way with 13.  Point guard, Justin Burton, chipped in 9 boards and reserve Lamar Chears, 7.  Mike Davis garnered 7 and Brian Lisk 6 for the Cougars.  Bell led Owens' scoring with 16 while 6'7" Rodney Hughes had 14 and Burton, 13.  No Cougar was able to score in double figures.   Justin Sherlock and Randy Seling had 9; Mike Davis, 8.  Davis also countered the vicious double teams with a season high 7 assists.
Coach's Comments:  "We prepared hard for this game, and we laid it all on the line.  It's a bitter taste to come so close to a stunning upset, but we all honestly left the gym with our heads high.  Our closure on their penetration and our challenging the shooters ( 5 blocked shots to their 3) resulted in giving them an unusually difficult time scoring, inspite of their dominance on the boards.  But Owens is not the number two ranked team in the country by accident.  Their ability to tighten their defense when their offense sputtered, led to their ultimate triumph.   Justin Burton's 4-5 from 3-point land was huge as we tried to pack it in to stop their physical inside game and conceded him the long shot.  He was 1-9 from the arc in Owens' recent loss to Cincinnati State in the OCCAC State Championship game; but he made sure this did not happen again!   This concludes a particularly frustrating season in terms of wins and losses, but I believe that many positive experiences we shared together will make all of us a little stronger.  We just did not have the size, quickness, or skills to finish the MANY tight games we had, successfully.  But we stayed together and became a close knit family as we struggled.  I'm please with that reality."

Siena Heights JV's 88, KVCC 79     (2/18/00)      (11-15)     [Box Score]

Starting a whole new five, KVCC jumped out to a 14-8 lead in this one.  The sluggish Saints, enjoying a 13-6 season and in a tie for their conference lead, roared back, however, pounding the ball inside to a variety of big men.  Behind Matt Bennett's 8 points, Siena roared out to a 45-31 halftime advantage.  The Cougars kept battling back, closing to 64-57 and again to 74-67, but could not get closer than 7.   Siena's Josh Hunter led a balanced Saint attack with 14, Bennett finished with 11, and Jeff McKian, Luke Baker, Andy Power, and Jason Miller all chipped in 10 apiece.   The Cougar attack was led by Randy Seling's 13, while Jay Linebaugh and Jeff Storrs had 12 each, and Justin Sherlock chipped in 10.  Jan Klompen led the Valley rebounding with 9; Eric Keppen had 8 as KVCC outrebounded Siena Heights, 45-35.  For the Cougars, 13 men played over 10 minutes and the 14th played 9.  The difference in the game was in turnovers as Siena had 18 and KVCC a whopping 29.
Coach's Comments:  "After a fairly solid start, our defense once again sputtered and our ball handling wained.  Twelve different players committed 17 turnovers in the first half; no one had more than 2.  Our inability to score inside again hurt us, as Siena repeatedly succeeded in pushing the ball inside.  We did have a few good stretches of defense, but each time our defense held them, and we closed in, our ball handling faltered.  We have the week off now.  We will prepare for our regional tournament, which begins February 29 at Toledo Owens.  We will be paired against one of the top-seeded teams in the tournament."

Muskegon 105, KVCC 103     (2/16/00)      (11-14)     (3-9)     [Box Score]

Another tight game and another Cougar defeat.  Despite shooting 38-65 (.585) from the field, 15-25 (.600) from 3-point land, and 12-15 (.800) from the FT line, the Cougars once again fell down the stretch.  Muskegon, behind 21 second half points from the league's leading scorer, Jon Crisman, edged the Cougars, 105-103.  Marc Cremer tied Crisman for the game's scoring honors with 29.  Cremer was the top rebounder with 13, while point guard Jerry Minott collected 8.  Nick Bultema chipped in 22, and Matt Shepard and Minott rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 and 11 respectively.   Mike Davis led the Cougar attack with 20 points, 9 rebounds.  He was 6-6 from the charity stripe.  Jeff Storrs scored 18 and was 4-5 from behind the arc.   Randy Seling had 12, all in the first half.  Linus Thalman (6-6 FG) and (3-3 3-point land) tallied 17 as did point guard Justin Sherlock.  Sherlock had 6 assists, Jeff Storrs, 5.  A power layup by Mike Davis with 1:41 left put the Cougars up, 103-99.  Matt Shepard responded with a turn-around in the paint to make it 101-101 at the :50 second mark.  A Jeff Storrs' pass to Aaron Bucklin in the open court went astray and the Jayhawks got the ball back at the :15 mark.  Crisman took the inbounds pass all the way and was fouled by Sherlock.  Crisman netted 1-2 from the stripe, but Shepard came up with the free throw miss.  Shepard made both FT's to make it 105-103 with :02.4 left.  A Randy Seling desperation shot was wide and Muskegon clinched the win.
Coach's Comments:  "When it rains, it pours.  I have never been involved in a game where our offensive efficiency was as high as it was in this game, but still was not good enough to win.  This was an especially hard loss, not only because it eliminated our chance in the state tournament, but also because it, simply and crudely stated, was a pathetic defensive performance.  I believe that our defense was as poor, if not poorer, in this game than in any other in over two decades in the KVCC gym.   We simply could not stop them from scoring inside and out.  They took us apart with their dribbling, passing, and rebounding.  They held a commanding advantage on the offensive boards with 18 to our 9, and they took much better care of the ball, 12 turnovers to our 21, than we did.  Our offense keeps improving, espcially with our 19-31 (.613) second half performance.  But, consistency in basketball begins and ends at the defensive end, and we did not get the job done there.  I credit Muskegon with making the big plays when they had too."   

Glen Oaks 94, KVCC 85 (OT)     (2/12/00)      (11-13)     (3-8)     [Box Score]

The Cougars suffer their second consecutive overtime loss. KVCC sprinted out to an 11-2 lead, but Glen Oaks, behind Clinton Taylor's 13 points, methodically overcame the Cougar spurt and pulled out to a 38-33 halftime lead.  With Kalamazoo Central grads Clinton Taylor (GOCC) and Mike Davis (KVCC) leading the way, the game became a tense possession by possession struggle with the lead changing hands several times.  Taylor was a perfect 11-11 from the FT line (4-4 in the 2nd halfand 6-6 in the overtime), and Davis was 9-10 from the charity stripe for the game (7-8 in the 2nd half) as both teams cashed in from the line.  With the score 78-77 Glen Oaks and :03.6 seconds remaining in regulation, Linus Thalman was fouled driving to the basket.  He missed the first and made the second, sending the game into overtime.  Glen Oaks finished 22-27 (.815) and KVCC shot 17-22 (.773) from the line, while the Vikings were 33-77 (.429) from the field to KVCC's 31-73 (.773).   Rebounding was just as tight as Glen Oaks, behind Ben Selvage's 13 won that battle 46-44.  Davis was the game's leading rebounder with 15.  The difference was in the tenacious Viking defense which resulted in 17 steals and numerous conversions off those steals.  The Cougars had only 8 steals.  Shawn Armstrong paced Glen Oaks in the steal category with 6 and John Hunt contributed 7 assists, Reggie Patterson, 6.   Jeff Storrs had 8 assists, Linus Thalman 7 for the Cougars.  Taylor paced the balanced Viking attack with 33, Selvage had 20, Jessie Whintly 13, and Armstrong 10.   Jeff Storrs tossed in 18 (4-5 from behind the arc), Davis 17, Chris Couch 14, Brian Lisk 12 and Linus Thalman 11.
Coach's Comments:  "I thought defensive quickness was the difference in this game.  Both teams played hard the entire game.  Glen Oaks' tenacious defense forced us into the kind of turnovers that result in baskets.  However, as much as we struggled, we did managed to shoot 50% from the field in the 2nd half and we did have a chance to win the game with a top free throw shooter at the line at the end of regulation.   In our first game with Glen Oaks Mike made two free throws with :03 left to help us win, 71-70.  In this one, we missed one of them and fell behind in the overtime.   Clinton Taylor made ALL of the big free throws for Glen Oaks; he was cool as ice in the overtime, especially.  He played a great game."

Grand Rapids 103, KVCC 95  (2OT's)     (2/9/00)      (11-12)     (3-7)    [Box Score]

This was a classic nail-biter!  The lead see-sawed the entire first half with both teams changing defenses frequently.  Not one free throw was shot by either team in the first half as physical play ruled.  Mike Davis banked-in a running 25-footer at the half for a meager 33-32 KVCC lead.  The second half was more of the same, as Eric Chess and Jason Moorhead worked inside and David Bush and Larry Copeland bombed from the outside for the Raiders and Randy Seling came off the bench to tie a KVCC single game record with 9-15 shooting from three point land.  Seling swished a 3 at the 2:14 mark to put the Cougars up 72-69.  David Bush countered at 1:59 in regulation with a 3 deep in the corner to tie the game again at 72-72.  No one scored in the final 1:59 and the game headed in its first overtime when a Jeff Storrs jumper caroomed off and a Brian Lisk rebound attempt rolled quietly off the rim at the buzzer.  GRCC spurted out to a 77-72 lead in the first overtime as 6'7" Eric Chess stepped outside and hit his 3rd three and Bush dropped two FT's.  A Davis power shot closed it to 77-74, but Bush countered again with a jumper and Moorhead worked inside for another bucket to make it 81-74 with 3:10 left.   The Cougars refused to quit, however, as Seling bombed another 3, to make it 81-77.  Chess hit 1 FT to make it 82-77, and Davis found Brian Lisk all alone under the basket to make it 82-79, Raiders with 1:31.  Seling broke free again from behind the arc to tie it at 82-82 with :41 left.  Defense reigned in the final :41 and both teams headed for a 2nd overtime.  Jason Moorhead scored first at the 4:42 mark to make it 84-82 GRCC.  Jeff Storrs countered with a 17' jumper to tie it once more, 84-84.  But Jason Moorhead was not done as he nailed a 15' floater to put GRCC up again.  A Brian Lisk layup tied it again at 86-86, with 3:43.  Moorhead, Chess, and Martin scored the game's next 6 points, to put the Raiders up for good, 92-86.  KVCC had one last chance to tie the game, but a Linus Thalman 3 point attempt missed the mark and Larry Copeland drove the middle and dropped a 12' jumper to make it 94-89 with 1:55.  The Cougars fouled frequently and GRCC cashed in to make the final margin 103-95.
Coach's Comments:  "This was one of those games where you walk off the court with great pride in your team's effort but great disappointment in the result.  Our guys really battled a tall and talented Grand Rapids squad and came within a whisker of pulling off a stunning upset.  Seling's shooting was remarkable and we actually outrebounded them 51-47.  A few costly turnovers enabled them to score easily in transition and that was costly.  We had 20 turnovers to their 13 and 5 steals to their 14.  A lot of teamwork and effort went into this game and I cannot fault our intensity and focus.  We have to regroup now to get ready for Glen Oaks Saturday.   We are in a battle for a position in the state tournament."

Lansing 88, KVCC 69     (2/5/00)      (11-11)     (3-6)     [Box Score]

The Lansing Stars pulled out to an 18-8 lead early in this one.  KVCC was never able to get closer than 6 the rest of the way.  LCC's leading scorer, Travis Meister, was held to 4 points in the first half, but exploded with 21 more in the 2nd half.   Randy Burton chipped in 15 and Steve Clack came off the bench to score 11.   Joe Nees topped all rebounders with 11, and Joe Miller contributed 6 assists to the Stars' victory.  Mike Davis and Linus Thalman shared top scoring honors for the Cougars with 15 each.  Randy Seling scored 14 and Brian Lisk 11.  Chris Couch had 4 assists, while Lisk and Davis led the Cougars in rebounding with 8 each.   Lansing won the battle of the boards 44-33.  LCC was 34-65 (.523) from the field and 11-23 (.478) from behind the arc.  The Stars' defense held KVCC to a meager 24-68 (.353) from the field and an even more dismal 7-24 (.292) from behind the arc.
Coach's Comments:  "We just couldn't generate any consistent offense today, and we were certainly not able to contain their balanced attack.  We did get to the line 10 more times than they did, but their torrid 3-point shooting was too much to overcome.   We have to learn to contain a big scorer for more than a half!  Meister was a load again, especially in the 2nd half.  Credit must go to Lansing for their ability to get the ball inside and hurt us."

KVCC 94, Kellogg 89     (2/2/00)      (11-10)     (3-5)     [Box Score]

Kellogg threatened to blow this one open in the first half, hitting 15-27 (.556) from the field and leading by as much as 15 close to halftime.  A Jeff Storrs 3-pointer at the buzzer closed the gap to 40-28 Kellogg at the half.  The Cougars started the 2nd half with a 16-3 run to take the lead, 44-43, on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Mike Davis.  The game remained close throughout the half as Storrs connected on 5 more 3's to spark a 66-point second half effort by the Cougars.  Storrs finished with a season high 26, and chipped in 5 assists and 3 steals to lead the Valley.  Mike Davis burned the nets for 19 second half points (9-12 FG-FGA and 6-7 FT-FTA) to finish with 24 for KVCC.  Julius Johnson led the Bruins with 24 and Justin McCammack had 18, including 6-9 from behind the arc.  Kellogg won the battle of the boards, 37-26.  A Brian Maher 3-pointer with 4:24 left put the Cougars ahead 77-72 and set up the free throw parade down the stretch.  Linus Thalman was 6-6, Justin Sherlock 2-2, and Randy Seling 2-2 from the line in the final minutes.
Coach's Comments:  "This was a gutsy come-from-behind win for us.  We started a different lineup tonight and received solid performances from Chris Couch and Aaron Bucklin.  Mike Davis battled Julius Johnson inside and Jeff Storrs held the leading 3-point shooter in the league, Reed Redenbaugh to 12 and only 2-6 from trifector land.  Reed scorched the nets in our game here, hitting for 36 including 6 threes.   We found the open man often tonight, and were able to handle their press, especially in the second half (only 7 to's).  We were 22-32 (.688) from the field in the second half, a season's best.  I was proud of our effort and especially pleased with our 8-12 shooting from the arc and our 22-28 (.786) from the line."

Lake Michigan 73, KVCC 66     (1/29/00)      (10-10)     (2-5)     [Box Score]

This was still another tight league struggle.  The difference turned out to be the 10-19 (.526) accuracy of the Indians from behind the arc compared to the 3-16 (.188) for the Cougars.  Both teams had balanced scoring, but the long-range accuracy of Derek Weaver (4-7) and John Gill (4-7) gave LMC a 21-point edge from the arc.  KVCC was 29-67 (.433) overall, while LMC shot just 26-63 (.413) for the game.  Neither team was able to control the inside, but LMC got to the FT line 12 times, all in the 2nd half, and converted 11 of them, to the Cougars' 5-7.  KVCC won the battle of the boards, 39-35.  Both teams took pretty good care of the ball as LMC finished with just 11 turnovers and KVCC, 12.  Scottie Shaver hit for 18 and 5 assists, Mike Matthews had 15 and 8 rebounds, Derek Weaver, 12, and John Gill 12 and 6 assists.  Randy Seling had 15, Jeff Storrs 13, Brian Maher, 11 (5-6 from the field), Brian Lisk 10, 8 rebounds, and Mike Davis 9 points and a game high 10 rebounds.
Coach's comments:  "I thought Lake Michigan did a fine job containing our inside game today.  Mike Davis, who is shooting over 50% from the field on the season, was double and triple teamed consistently, and worked hard just to be 4-11 for the game.   When an opponent bottles you up inside and you go 3-16 from behind the arc, you're in trouble.  Their 3-point accuracy was over 50% again (10-19), after they upset league leading Muskegon last Wednesday by netting 20-34 from 3-point range!  We knew what we had to do, but doing it was another matter.  Our balanced scoring kept us in the fight, but  this time Lake Michigan made the big plays in the last 5 minutes of the game.  Shaver and Matthews scored all twelve of their points from the 5:32 mark, and that proved to be the game.  Credit their defense for holding us to only 6 points in the final 5:54.  We are a struggling team, but we will not give up.  Our opponents next week, Kellogg and Lansing, have both defeated us, but we will dig in to do our best in these games."

Muskegon 75, KVCC 66     (1/22/00)      (10-9)     (2-4)     [Box Score]

This one was a see-saw battle the entire first half.  Muskegon was led by the sharpshooting of Matt Shepard, who scored 17 of his 28 points by halftime.  The balanced KVCC attack and tenacious defense kept KVCC within striking distance.  A Linus Thalman jumper from the corner with :19 left in the half gave the Cougars a 33-31 halftime lead.  Jeff Storrs shut down the league's leading scorer, Jon Crisman (26/game) in the opening half, holding him scoreless.  Brian Maher's 2nd triple at the 10:13 mark gave the Cougars a 52-49 lead, but then it was all Crisman from then on.   Jon scored 17 second half points, 15 of them in the final 10:00 minutes of the game.  Matt Shepard's 3 from deep in the corner at the 2:00 mark put a nail in the Cougars' coffin, upping the Jayhawk lead to 65-58.  KVCC could not get any closer as Muskegon calmly dropped FT after FT.  Shepard led Muskegon with 28 points (10-15 from the field) and 6 rebounds, while Crisman was the only other Jayhawk in double figures with 17.  Jon also garnered 6 rebounds.  Jason Copenhaver had 10 rebounds and point guard, Jerry Minott had 8 rebounds as MCC won that battle, 43-40.  Brian Maher led the Cougars in scoring, going 6-6 from the field, 2-2 from behind the arc, and 3-3 from the line on his way to 17 points.  Mike Davis chipped in 15 and was the game's leading rebounder with 10.  Linus Thalman scored 10 while Jeff Storrs had 8 assists and Justin Sherlock, 5 assists.  The Cougars shot a coolish 27-72 (.375) from the field, and an even cooler 4-16 (.250) from behind the arc.  Muskegon, on the other hand, finished 25-59 (.424) from the field but shot only 2-14 (.143) from behind the arc.   The Jayhawks enjoyed a huge 23-32 (.719) FT edge over KVCC's 8-13 (.615).
Coach's comments:  "I was proud of our team tonight.  We came to play and so did Muskegon.  This was a tense league battle that was decided in the last 10 minutes as we missed shot after shot and one of the league's best players, Jon Crisman, came to life and showed his all league credentials.  It was a strange game, as I felt we got pretty good shots from the perimeter, but were simply unable to convert them, especially down the stretch.  Muskegon out-executed us in the final minutes, but I'm still proud of our preparation and effort."

KVCC 71, Glen Oaks 70     (1/19/00)      (10-8)     (2-3)     [Box Score]

Glen Oaks owned the first half as they dropped 9 3's enroute to a 45-32 halftime margin over the Cougars.  The Cougars started the second half by holding the Vikings scoreless until the 15:25 mark.  KVCC tied the game at 54-54 on two Jeff Storrs' free throws with 10:33 to go.  The Vikings spurted again, however, to go ahead 60-56 on a power move by Shawn Armstrong.  Randy Seling dropped his 2nd 3 of the half to tie it again at 62 with 5:50.  Two FT's by Ben Selvage put Glen Oaks ahead again 70-69 with :58 on the clock.  A Linus Thalman 3 point attempt missed the mark, but Mike Davis came up with the biggest rebound of the night and was fouled with only :03.4 ticks left.   Mike carefully dropped both charity tosses to give the Cougars the tight victory.   Josh Heldman's desperation three pointer was right of the mark as the Cougars secured their 2nd league win.  John Hunt led the Vikings with 16, Josh Heldman had 15, Ben Selvage 11, and Shawn Armstrong 10.  Leading rebounders for the Vikings were Jesse Whintly and John Hunt with 5 apiece.  Brian Lisk led the Cougars with 18, Mike Davis chipped in 14, and Randy Seling ended with 12, all in the 2nd half.  Mike Davis led all rebounders with 11.  Linus Thalman finished with 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals for KVCC.
Coach's comments:  "This was a nail-biter with contrasting halves.  Their three-point shooting in the first half put them in a solid position.  We were able to tighten our defense and hold them to zero 3's in the second half.  Seling scored all 12 of his points in the second half, and Brian Lisk had a career high with 18 on 7-8 shooting.  Our bench played an important part in this victory as we got quality minutes from Nick Postma, Aaron Bucklin, Eric Keppen, and Joe Ivy.  Seeing Mike drop those FT's warmed my heart, as he has worked very hard from the beginning of the season to improve his accuracy from the line.  Justin Sherlock had his finest game in a Cougar uniform as he continues to overcome knee surgery he had in December.  I'm proud of our comeback."

Grand Rapids 78, KVCC 64     (1/14/00)      (9-8)     (1-3)     [Box Score]

A Linus Thalman jumper with 13:21 left in the first half gave KVCC their final lead, 12-11, in this one.  Playing without All Stater, Jason Moorhead, who was out with a rib injury sustained in Wednesday's game with Muskegon, the Raiders combined inside domination by Eric Chess and Tom Curtis and outside sharp-shooting by David Bush (7-8 from the field) to control this one for the final 30 or so minutes.  The closest the pesky Cougars could get in the 2nd half was 72-62 with 2:01 left.   GRCC expanded the score with FT's down the stretch to finish KVCC off.  Eric Chess had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Raiders.  Bush finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds; Curtis had 13 and 9, and Kendrick Cornelius finished with 12 and 10 assists.  Thalman paced the Cougars with 19, Randy Seling hit for 11 and Mike Davis chipped in 10.  Davis led the Cougars in rebounding with 7.  Valley shot a cool 23-60 (.383) while Grand Rapids shot a respectable 30-67 (.448).  GRCC won the battle of the boards by a big 49-33 margin.
Coach's comments: "Even without Jason Moorhead, GRCC was too tough for us, especially on the boards.  Their big 16 rebound advantage was impossible for us to overcome tonight.  Add to that the fact that their interior defense keep us from scoring much inside and the game belonged to them.  When we do not score inside with any consistency, we place tremendous pressure on our perimeter shooting and tonight we only shot 10-33 (.303) from behind the arc.  We battled them to the end, but we were not able to generate any consistency on offense and our interior defense was virtually non-exsistent."

Lansing 84, KVCC 74     (1/12/00)      (9-7)     (1-2)     [Box Score]

This one was nip and tuck the entire first half.  A 3 pointer by Justin Sherlock with :02 left in the half put the Cougars up at the intermission, 35-33.  But the second half saw Lansing, behind 20 points by Travis Meister, take a 63-52 lead at the 9:52 mark.  The Cougars rallied to close to 73-70 on a Jeff Storrs' three at the 2:27 mark.  The Stars finished the final 1:51 by making 7 straight free throws to seal the victory.  LCC was a perfect 15-15 from the line in the second half and an impressive 21-24 for the game.  They also pounded the ball inside and shot a sparkling 16-25 (.640) from the field in the second half.  They finished with 29-56 for .518 for the game while holding the Cougars to a meager 30-83 for .361.  Meister led the Stars' with 30 points and 8 rebounds while Joe Miller chipped in 19 and 4 assists.  Richard Williams rounded out the double-figure scoring with 14.  For the Cougars, Linus Thalman tossed in 14, Brian Maher 13, and Jeff Storrs 12.  Joe Ness led LCC in rebounding with 12 rebounds while Mike Davis from KVCC had 11.
Coach's comments: "We managed to play tough again in the first half, but lost our bearings in the second.  Lansing's rugged inside play and fine interior passing enabled them to open a lead we could not quite overcome.  We rebounded better in the second half, but still lost the battle of the boards 44-38.  Lansing's inside game was much more effective than ours.  Their FT shooting was deadly, and they got a solid game from point guard Joe Miller.  On the bright side, we only turned the ball over 8 times, but we did not select our shots well enough."

Kellogg 88, KVCC 86     (1/8/00)      (9-6)     (1-1)     [Box Score]

This was a see-saw struggle the entire first half.  The Cougars held a slim 40-34 halftime lead over the Bruins.  They built that lead to 53-39 behind the 3-point markmanship of Linus Thalman and Randy Seling.  Then the Bruins' relentless pressure began to take its toll, sparking a 14-4 Bruin charge to close to within 4 points, 57-53.   The Cougars rallied to sneak out to a 64-55 lead at the 8:20 mark, but the Bruins were not done yet.  At the 5:00 mark, Brian Maher dropped a 15'  jumper off a Thalman assist to put the Cougars back up 71-64.  Four straight FT's by Jeff Storrs put the Cougars up 80-70 with 2:20 left.  But then the roof collapsed as Antwan Joseph bombed an NBA 3 and  the Cougars wore down against the Bruin press.   Several turnovers followed and the FT accuracy left the Cougars as Joseph dropped another long-range 3 to close to within 2, 83-81.  KVCC couldn't get the ball inbounds and Kellogg responded with still another Reed Redenbaugh three pointer to take the lead 84-83 with :40 left.  The Cougars worked the ball down to :18 and took time out.  Brian Maher was called for a screening foul away from the ball on the ensuing out of bounds play.   Redenbaugh calmly dropped the two free throws to put KCC up 86-83.  The excitement was not over, however, as Randy Seling buried another 3   with :09 left to tie it again. Antwan Joseph led the fast break and drove baseline to lay in the game winner with :02 left.  Reed Redenbaugh was 6-12 from 3 point range and 10-10 from the FT line to lead the Bruins with 36 points and 9 rebounds.  Antwan Joseph finished with 15.  Mike Davis scored 20 on 8-11 shooting from the field for the Cougars.  Thalman also had 20 on 4-5 from the arc.  Randy Seling hit for 17 and Jeff Storrs 12.  Rebounding was 42-42 with Davis taking game honors with 11.
Coach's comments:  "This was another tense league struggle.  A 15 point lead in this game meant nothing, as Redenbaugh and Joseph put on two spectacular performances, especially from behind the arc.  This was a tough loss for us, especially since we had an 8-point lead with just over 2 minutes left and could not finish the job.  Our late game performance with the ball enabled them to get those impressive threes.  My hat's off to Kellogg, however, as they displayed exceptional tenacity and teamwork to pull off this important league win."   

KVCC 64, Lake Michigan 61     (1/5/00)      (9-5)     (1-0)     [Box Score]

The Cougars jumped out to a 37-20 lead in the first half, but the Indians, behind the 3-point bombing of John Gill, closed to within 10 at the half, 38-28.  Lake Michigan held KVCC scoreless for the first 5 minutes of the second half, and took the lead, 40-39, on another 3 by Gill.  The rest of the contest was close with neither team able to lead by more than 5 points.  Six FT's from the 6 minute mark kept the Indians even down the stretch.  A Mike Matthews' turn-around jumper with :12 left tied it again at 61-61.  The Cougars called time-out with :09 remaining.  Linus Thalman drove baseline and pitched back to Randy Seling, who buried an NBA distance 3 with :04 left for the win.  KVCC was 26-77 (.390) from the field and 6-22 (.273) from behind the arc.   The Indians finished 22-56 (.393) and were 4-12 (.333) from 3-point land.   KVCC outrebounded LMC, 42-37, with Mike Davis leading the way with 13;  Brian Maher had 9 boards.  Mike Matthews led LMC on the glass with 9 while Derek Weaver finished with 8.  Maher led the balanced Cougar attack with 15, Davis and Thalman chipped in with 14, and Seling had 13.  Gill pumped in 24, Scottie Shaver had 17, and Matthews scored 11 for the Indians.
Coach's comments:  "This was a hard-fought league battle with both teams playing better defense than offense.  Gill's shooting and Shaver's penetration put them in position to win.  We did not shoot the 3 well, which always presents problems.   They stayed out of foul trouble and shot 20 FT's to our 9.  It was courageous for Randy to shoot the last shot as he had missed all 5 of his second half attempts to that point.  We're happy to get the win over a well-coached and determined team."   

KVCC 88, Lakeland 79  (12/11/99)     (8-5)      [Box Score]

Lakeland withstood two KVCC second half charges but could not withstand the third.   Trailing 78-61 with 6:46 left, the Cougars went on a 26-1 scoring spree to ice the game.  The Lakers were held scoreless for 5:42 down the stretch.  A free-throw by Randy Seling with 2:01 left in the game gave the never-say-die Cougars their first lead, 79-78, since leading 4-3 early in the game.  Seling led the balanced Cougar attack with 20 pts.  Linus Thalman and Jeff Storrs pitched in 13 each and Mike Davis had 11 pts and a team-leading 7 rbs.  Storrs also had 8 assts.  Jonathan Burge led the Lakers with 20, Dave Pisarcik had 15, Tito Houston 14, Marvin Black 13, and Brian Krofcheck 12.  Black was the game's top rebounder with 10 as the Lakers held a slender 37-36 margin on the boards.  Lakeland finished 28-57 (.491) from the field; the Cougars shot 31-69 (.449).  One big story of the game was the 8-12 shooting from behind the arc by the Cougars in the second half.  Lakeland falls to 4-5; KVCC goes to 8-5.
Coach's comments:  "This was one of our finest comeback efforts.  The results again show what can happen when solid defense is played and the three's drop!   I was pleased that we did not give up; it looked really dim for the Cougars with 7 minutes left and trailing by 17.  We were sparked by Jay Linebaugh, a seldom used substitute who came in and hit a three while snapping off 2 rbs and setting solid screens that opened scoring lanes.  It's great to see patience and hard work rewarded, and today Jay was ready when given the chance to answer the call.  Randy and Linus hit some BIG threes during the comeback, and Jeff made some nifty passes during the amazing finish.    Credit Eric Keppen, Nick Postma, and Joe Ivy with some impressive relief work also.  Now we've got over two weeks off to finish our finals and enjoy the vacation holiday with family.  Our next game is our league opener at Lake Michigan, January 5.  Merry Christmas!"

Cincinnati State 88, KVCC 69     (12/10/99)      (7-5)     [Box Score]     

The number 2 ranked defensive team in NJCAA Division I basketball jumped out on the Cougars 16-6.  The fiesty Cougars battled back and when a Mike Davis jumper rolled around and out, the score was Cincinnati State 36, KVCC 34 at the half.  Cincinnati State then turned up the defensive heat in the second half as the Cougars gradually fell farther and farther behind.  CSCC's tall (5 players 6'8" and taller) and talented line-up pounded the boards for a 54-27 final advantage.  Jamal Mills led the balanced Surge attack with 22 pts and 7 rbs.  Bakary Konate and Sylvester Allen each chipped in with 16 pts and 8 rbs, while Sam McIntyre had 12 pts, 8 rbs, and Miami signee, point guard, Maurice Williams had 12 pts  and 5 assts.  Allen also had 8 assts.   Randy Seling led the Cougars with 15.  Jeff Storrs and Linus Thalman were the only other double-figure scorers with 11 each.  Thalman and Seling led the rebounding with 4 apiece.  Cincinnati State shot 36-76 (.474) from the field while the Cougars could only manage 24-60 (.400) against the tenacious Ohio club.
Coach's comments:  "We ventured into quality Division I basketball tonight and definitely saw the difference.  Cincinnati State has been trying for years to end the stranglehold Vincennes University has on regional championships, and now they have 15 full scholarships, which include room, board, books, and tuition.  They have built their program into a true national power and are getting the types of athletes it takes to make a serious run at a national championship.  Vincennes is ranked 6th in the nation at this time, and Cincinnati only lost to them by an 84-81 score last week.  I can see how this team went 14-0 in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference last year.   They have outstanding size, tremendous quickness, and a great blend of solid perimeter shooters and penetrators.  A good athletic director probably would not have scheduled this game.  Would Olivet schedule Michigan?  At any rate, they showed us how far we have to go.  A team like this one really exposes all of our weaknesses.   It was a humbling experience, but I believe we will become a better team because of it."

KVCC 94, Hope JV's 75     (12/8/99)      [7-4]     [Box Score]

KVCC jumped out to 16-6 lead and held off several Hope charges to lead, 47-34, at the half.  The Flying Dutchman could get no closer than 58-50 in the second half.   Mike Davis hauled in 11 of his 14 rebounds in the second half and Randy Seling scored 11 of his 16 during this same time period.  Linus Thalman paved the way in the balanced Cougar attach with 22, Davis had 17, Seling 16, and Jeff Storrs 13 with 5 assists.  Brandon Bosscher scored 19, Mike VanHekken 15, and 6'9" Don Overbeek 14 for Hope.  The Cougars won the battle of the boards, 59-35.  Hope had only 6 turnovers for the game.
Coach's comments:  "We were very concerned about this game as we have tremendous respect for the traditional strength of Hope's overall program.  I thought the difference tonight was in rebounding and defending the first shot.  Hope shot only 27-77 (.351) from the field and 9-31  (.290) from behind the arc, only 4-19 (.211) in the second half.  We were 35-73 (.479) and 6-17 (.353) from three point range.  Eric Keppen had his best game as a Cougar, coming off the bench for 9 points and 7 rebounds.  Thalman and Seling both had solid scoring stretches.   We're delighted to get the win."

Cuyahoga 64, KVCC 61     (12/4/99)      [6-4]     [Box Score]

This one was a see-saw struggle the entire first half.  Neither team was able to establish control.  KVCC led 35-27 but fell behind at the half 40-36.  The undefeated Chargers harassed the Cougars into several costly turnovers, threatening to pull away.  Cuyahoga led 62-45 with 7:47 on the clock.  Then the Cougars rallied once more, holding the Chargers scoreless for 7:45!  The game came down to one or two plays as the Cougars called timeout with 11 seconds remaining and trailing 62-61.   After setting up the final play, Byron Williams became the hero when he stole the ball from KVCC point guard, Jeff Storrs, at midcourt and went the length of the floor to ice the game 64-61.  Storrs had led an inspired Cougar comeback with 15 points and 3-4 shooting from the arc.  Linus Thalman and Mike Davis were the only other Cougars to hit for double figures with 11 each.  Deontae Hines sparked the Chargers with 17 and Williams and Fabyen Robinson hitting for 10 each.  The Chargers won the battle of the boards 37-28.
Coach's comments:  "Credit Cuyahoga's pressure defense with this win.  They forced us into 28 turnovers and scored 28 points off those to's.  Conversely, we forced them into 24 turnovers, but were only able to turn those to's into 11 points.   I was proud that we did not fold when the score was 62-45.  It would have been very easy to just go through the motions and lose by 20 or more.  They had 17 offensive rebounds to our 6.  They have a new coach and an entirely new team and will make waves this year in the OCCAC."

Lakeland (OH) 86, KVCC 74     (12/3/99)      [6-3]     [Box Score]

After a long bus ride, the Cougars jumped out to a 12-6 lead.  Lakeland's Coach Brown issued a wake-up call at a time out and the Lakers responded with a 12-2 run of their own, establishing as much as a 14 point lead before the Cougars battled back to make it Lakeland 36, KVCC 34 at the half.  The Lakers, behind the inside-outside combination of Marvin Black and Brian Krofcheck and the all-around brilliant play of veteran, Tito Houston, built the lead to 14 before a Cougar rally cut it to, 50-48.   The rest of the game belonged to Lakeland as they threatened to blow it open, but the Cougars hung tough to keep it at a respectable margin.  The Lakers were led by Black's 20 points and 10 rebounds; Houston chipped in 19 and 5 rebounds, Dave Piscarcik tallied 14 with 7 rebounds and 7 assists.  Johnathan Burge and Brian Krofcheck rounded out the balanced Laker attack with 13 apiece.  Linus Thalman paced the Cougars with 20 on 4-7 shooting from the arc.  Mike Davis had 14 and 9 rebounds, Randy Seling 12 and 5, and Brian Maher 10 and 7.
Coach's comments:  "Lakeland's quickness and athleticism prevailed in this one.  They have a well-balanced team and hurt us inside and out tonight.  We were able to outrebound them 46-35, but our 18 turnovers were costly.  Perhaps the biggest difference in this one, however, is in the fact that they got to the FT line 25 times to our 6.  We'll have to do a better job getting the ball inside, and stopping our opponent's penetration with the dribble."

KVCC 97, Calvin JV's 74     (12/1/99)      [6-2]   [Box Score]

The Cougars raced out to a 30-10 lead in this one behind the hot shooting of Linus Thalman.  When the smoke had cleared at halftime, KVCC had shot 25-36 (.694) from the field and 8-9 (.889) from the line enroute to a 61-28 halftime margin.  In the second half, Calvin managed to close the gap, but never to less than the final score.  Mike Davis (18) and Brian Maher (18) led the well-balanced Cougar attack as everyone played a minimum of 5 minutes.  Thalman finished with 13 points and 6 assists, and Jeff Storrs was 5-5 (FG's), 1-1 (3's), and 1-1 (FT's) while dishing out 4 assists and garnering 4 rebounds.  KVCC won the battle of the boards , 45-32, with Jan Klompen leading the way with 7.  For Calvin, Kyle Smith paced the attack with 18 (4-7 on the 3's), Dave Bartels had 14, Andy Byma and Jon VanderPlas each chipped in 11.  Both Bartels and VanderPlas were standouts on Kalamazoo Christian's Final Four powerhouse last season.   Both teams were solid from the line as the Cougars meshed 18-21 (.857) and Calvin 11-14 (.786).
Coach's comments:  "The best news of the day was the successful arthroscopic surgery on Justin Sherlock.  The doctor performing the operation said Justin looks as if he'll be playing a lot of basketball this year.  He is expected to be back in full shape for the league opener in January.  I was most pleased with the way we came out ready tonight.  The second half left something to be desired, but Calvin's pride and our margin undoubtedly contributed to the closer final margin."

KVCC 104, Alma JV's 88     (11/23/99)  [5-2]      [Box Score]

The Cougars, sparked by 2 threes by Brian Maher, jumped out to a 14-3 lead in this one.   The rest of the half saw Alma take the lead 30-28 at the 6:05 mark.  Their lead was short-lived as Maher scored another 3 at the 5:50 mark and the Cougars built the lead to 45-37 by halftime. Alma was sparked by Spencer Wideman's 3 threes in the first half.  Maher continued his scoring spree with 17 points, while Mike Davis pumped in 14.  Early in the second half, Alma would not go away, staying within 3 points, 84-87 at the 4:47 mark. The Cougars picked up their intensity on defense and held the Scots scoreless for the next 3:06 while building a 97-84 margin.  KVCC burned the nets with 23-26 (.885) from the line and 38-68 (.559) from the field.  Alma was 30-67 (.448) from the field and 18-22 (.818) from the line.  KVCC won the battle of the boards, 41-32.   Maher's 32 points, (11-14 FG/FGA) and 6 rebounds was followed by Davis' 28 and 9 rebounds. Linus Thalman had 12 (8-8 FT/FTA), and Joe Ivy 11.  Jeff Storrs had a good floor game with 7 assists and 0 turnovers.  Matt Johnson led Alma with 21 points and 8 rebounds.  Wideman finished with 16, Jeff Mitchell 15, Cory Heitsch 12, and Clint Perryman, 8 points and 6 assists. KVCC runs its record to 5-2.
Coach's comments:  "This was our 4th game in 5 days and it showed.  Chris Couch has a detached ligament in his thumb and Justin Sherlock looks as if he's going to require surgery on his knee.  Brian and Mike really carried us tonight with their rugged inside play.  Our guards are struggling to get the ball inside, but when they did tonight, we made Alma pay.  There were two bright spots: 1) our season high 23-26 from the line, and 2) only 11 turnovers."

KVCC 95, Olivet JV's 72     [4-2]      [Box Score]

Both teams came out hot in this game, which featured several area prep stars.   KVCC shot a torrid .538 from the floor in the first half and an even hotter 6-9 from three point land.  The Cougars raced to a 52-38 halftime margin behind the hot shooting (17 points on 7-8 from the field) of Jeff Storrs.  The defenses tightened in the second half as Olivet could only manage 13-35 for .371 from the field and the Cougars fell to a modest .448 on 13-49 shooting.  The closest Olivet was to get was 10 and KVCC pulled away in the final 5 minutes.  Storrs led the Cougars with 21, while Mike Davis had another solid game with 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Brian Maher and Joe Ivy rounded out the double figure scorers with 10 apiece in their first starts as Cougars.   KVCC achieved a rare feat by playing the first half with only one turnover!  Loy Norrix graduate, Mike Dyson, led Olivet with 24 points and 11 rebounds.  Nicholas Bremer chipped in 14, Cory Palmer 10, and Tim Lyons 10.  KVCC won the battle of the boards 42-33.
Coach's comments:  "It was especially gratifying tonight to bounce back from our dismal performance against St. Clair Saturday.  We played without two key players, Chris Couch and Justin Sherlock, both of whom are nursing injuries.  I was pleased with the way Joe Ivy and Brian Maher responded to their starting assignments.  We had trouble stopping their half court offense, especially in the first half, but because of our hot shooting, we did not pay heavily for it.  I can't remember any of my teams playing an entire half with only one turnover!  Although we had 12 at the end of the game, I was pleased that we took care of the ball in the first half.   We were 8-13 from the arc and 19-25 from the FT line, both good improvements from last weekend.  We play Alma's JV's tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM and Lake Michigan will play Olivet's JV's at 7:30 PM.  We'll see if we can come out ready two nights in a row."

St. Clair 62, KVCC 51     [3-2]    (11/20/99--at E-W Classic in Muskegon)     [Box Score]

This one was all St. Clair from the opening tip.  Racing to a 26-8 early lead, the Skippers capitalized upon numerous KVCC turnovers and ice-cold shooting to blow it open by the 10:00 minute mark.  The Cougars could do little right as they cleared the bench but continued to fall behind and went to the lockerroom with a 43-14 deficit.  After working with different combinations, the Cougars were able to get no closer than the final 62-51 score.  St. Clair rode a balanced attack behind the rugged post play of Tim Campbell (12 pts) and Jeremy Denha (10 points).  Rebounding was all St. Clair, 41-25.   St. Clair held the Cougars to a record-low 14-52 for .269 from the field and 2-16 for .125 from 3 point land.  St. Clair scorched the nets for  27-52 and a .519 field goal pct. and 5-18 for .385 from behind the arc.  Mike Davis was the only Cougar in double figures with 13 and Brian Mahar led in rebounding with 5.
Coach's comments:  "Last year we led St. Clair in this tournament on their home court by a 45-14 halftime margin.  We went on to win that game 89-44.  Today, it was as if each St. Clair player was determined to erase that taste from their mouths...and they did!  Their half, full, and 3/4 court presses continued to cause several turnovers in the first half.  There were three bright spots in this dark day:   1) we shot 31 free throws while only sending them to the line 6 times, 2) we only made 3 turnovers in the second half, a season best, and 3) we did not give up.  We could easily have been beaten by more than 40 points today, but we actually kept battling to the point that when the game was over, we really believed that if we had had another 10 minutes we could have pulled ahead.  We'll need to re-group now and focus on ball handling against the presses and shot selection on offense, and regaining the intensity we had Friday against Alpena on defense.  The battle, as usual, is consistency."

KVCC 66, Alpena 54  [3-1] (11/19/99--1st rnd of E-W Classic in Muskegon)     [Box Score]

The Cougars jumped out to a 10-2 lead in this physical struggle.  Alpena let the Cougars know early, however, that they had come to play.  A tightly contested first half ended with the Cougars up 32-30.  Alpena caught the Cougars at 44-44 and took the lead two different times in the second half.  With the Cougars hanging on to a tenuous 54-52 lead, the Cougars went on a game-sealing 14-2 run.  Randy Seling dropped 4 consecutive free throws to start the run and Linus Thalman contributed 4-4 free throws in the last 1:16 to ice the win.  In this low scoring contest, the defenses ruled as Alpena could only manage 22-63 from the field (.349) and 4-14 from 3 point land (.286); the Cougars were a chilly 23-66 for .348 from the field and an ice-cold 2-15 from behind the arc (.133).  Mike Davis led the Cougars with 25 and 12 rebounds while Thalman chipped in 16, and Jeff Storrs and Randy Seling 10 each.  Former Toledo Rogers star, freshman Justin Chapman led the Lumberjacks with 20 points and 8 rebounds; Gary Greenwood was the only other Alpena player to hit double-figures with 10.   Alpena won the battle of the boards, 43-39.
Coach's comments:  "This outcome of this game was not decided until the final three minutes.  We finally had a good stretch of free throw shooting when we had to.   Like us, Alpena is a 'young' team and is struggling for consistency.  They were rugged and should be a factor in the Eastern Conference race this year.  I was happy to get the win." 

KVCC 114, Macomb 65     [2-1]   (11/13/99)      [Box Score]

The Cougars jumped out to a 26-11 start with 11:37 on the clock in the first half.   The Cougars never looked back as they finished the half 62-30 and continued their dominance in this one.  Linus Thalman led the Cougars with 9-11 shooting from the field, 2-3 from 3-point land, and 6-6 from the line for 26 points in 26 minutes played.   Mike Davis followed in the balanced Cougar attack with 19, while Jeff Storrs chipped in 12, Joe Ivy 10, and Randy Seling 10.  KVCC shot a blistering .635 for the game on 40-63 shooting, while holding the Monarchs to 27-85 for .318.  KVCC also shot 25-39 from the line and held a slight 47-43 edge on the boards.  Everyone on the KVCC squad played at least 6 minutes and for the second time this year, everyone scored. 
Coach's comments:  "I was pleased with the way we came out of the blocks this afternoon.  We were ready to play.  I think we learned a lot last night.   This was a fun victory.  It's always gratifying as a coach to be able to play everyone and to see everyone rewarded by scoring.  What a difference the 3 makes when it goes in!  Last night we were 3-21 from behind the arc and today we were 9-20.   That's a huge swing!"

Edison State 85, KVCC 71     [1-1]    (11/12/99)     [Box Score]

The Edison Chargers proved too much for KVCC this night.  Edison spurted out to a 16-2 lead and held off several challenges from the determined Cougars.  The Chargers shot .448 from the field on 25-59 while the Cougars were ice-cold with 24-74 for .308.   Edison led at the half 38-32.  The visitors were led by sharpshooter, Greg Hildebrad with 27.  Jim Derzko tallied 18, and Josh Hollar had 11.  For the Cougars, only Randy Seling with 23 and Mike Davis with 10 managed double figure scoring.   Dzerko also led the Chargers with 10 rebounds, Jeff Brandiwie had 9, and Ryan Shamblin, 8.  Four Cougars managed 6 rebounds: Couch, Seling, Lisk, and Davis.   KVCC's defense forced Edison into 32 turnovers in the contest.  Edison is now 3-0 and headed to Mott Community College for a Saturday game. 
Coach's comments:  "Edison gave us an idea of how far we have to go.  They outplayed us defensively and beat us solidly with offensive fundamentals.  We did not give up and even closed to 60-58 late in the game before the wheels came off.  We will learn from this game.  Dollie Parton once said that 'You cannot have the rainbow without the rain.'  Tonight we had some rain." 

KVCC 107, Ancilla 77    [1-0]      (11/9/99)                 [Box Score]        

KVCC opened its season with a 107-77 victory Tuesday evening over first-time opponent, Ancilla College.  Ancilla is located near Donaldson, IN, which is 30 minutes south of South Bend.  They have petitioned for membership in the MCCAA and are currently playing many of the NJCAA Community Colleges in the State and Region.
After an up and down first half, KVCC went to the lockerroom with a 48-38 lead.  The Chargers were able to stay close until 10:22 when the Cougars spurted to a 67-50 lead on Chris Couch's jumper from the side.  The Cougars romped home with every player hitting the scoring column.  Mike Davis, the only returning player on this year's team, led the way with 22 points and 14 rebounds.  Chris Couch followed with 18 points and 8 rebounds, and Randy Seling chipped in with 16 and Linus Thalman, 14.    The Cougars out-rebounded the Chargers 55-34 while shooting an impressive .558 from the field on 43-77.  Ancilla shot 33-78 for .423.  Valley was 8-22 (.364) from 3-point range, while Ancilla shot a chilly 2-13 (.154).
Jeremy Bennett fired in 26 points with 3 thunderous dunks, while Joseph Arnett tallied 19.   No other Chargers were in double figures.  The Cougars are 1-0 and Ancilla falls to 0-4.
Coach's Comments:  "I was happy that we were able to play everyone and that everyone scored.  That does not happen very often.  This game was not really a 30 point romp as it looks; rather, we were able to ascertain many of our strengths and weaknesses tonight.  We must cut down on our turnovers, and we must become much better defensively to be a factor in our league this season.  Friday's game with Edison State will tell us much more about the current status of this team."