2000-01 Men's Basketball Results (Games
are listed in reverse chronological order) [Accumulative
Season Stats] [League
Only Stats]
Toledo Owens 92, Kalamazoo Valley
70 (3/8/01)
(19-10) (7-7) [Box
Score] [Accumulative
Season Stats, 29] [Final
League Stats, 14]
Behind 4-4 shooting by Lamont Ellis and Kendon Edwards in the
first half, the tall and talented Owens Express Jaguars bolted out to a 49-30
halftime lead. Owens, ranked No. 1 in the nation most of the year,
displayed depth, quickness, and size in outmanning the Cougars tonight.
Dressing 16 players and substituting 5 for 5 on numerous occasions, Owens wore
down an already depleted Cougar squad. However, the Cougars again rose up
to battle back to 72-60, but when Brandon Steward picked up his 5th foul
charging to the basket with 8:10 left in the game, the Cougars' comeback
stalled. Owens shot .606 from the floor in the half, and even improved on
that in the 2nd half by hitting 16-25 for .640. Their 36-58 (.621) FG Pct.
for the game was the highest shot against the Cougars this season. Jeremy
King led the Express with 17, Byron Cole chipped in 13, Rodney Hughes 12, Lamont
Ellis 11, and Kendon Edwards 10. For the Cougars, Ryan Cheevers popped in
a career high with 20 on 8-12 from the field, and steady Dominick Melton had
18. KVCC shot 24-62 (.387) from the field. Owens goes to 30-3 on the
season while the Cougars bow out at 19-10.
Coach's Comments: "Owens showed why they have been
ranked at the top of the nation's Division II community college standings all
year tonight. We battled a program that has 15 scholarships, offers books
with their tuition scholarships, provides low-cost housing at a nearby apartment
complex, and recruits a 300 mile radius from Toledo. Our program, governed
by the MCCAA, offers 10 tuition scholarships, no books, on-your-own housing, and
we recruit primarily within Michigan, and mostly within southwest
Michigan. Owens has set the standard for all of our region schools,
especially in basketball. When you combine these factors with excellent
recruiting and coaching, it is easy to see why they are so strong year-in and
year-out. We were out-talented tonight. Owens plays excellent
defense and they were able to shut off much of our inside game. Ryan
Cheevers played perhaps his best game as a Cougar, but his heriocs were not
enough. I was proud of every single player in our program. After
being 10-1 at mid-year and losing 5 players, (3 of our top 4), I thought going
9-9 was a darn good showing in the second semester. We remain hopeful that
our players that lost eligibility will regain it this semester and join us again
in the fall. It has been a good year considering."
Kalamazoo Valley 75, Muskegon 74
(3/7/01) (19-9)
(7-7) [Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 28] [Final League
Stats, 14]
Behind the strong first half play of Dominick Melton (7
points, 13 rebounds), KVCC jumped out to a 42-25 halftime lead. The
Cougars would need all of the lead to hold off a determined Jayhawk surge in the
2nd half. Leading 63-43 with 10:15 left in the game, Muskegon went on a
28-8 tear to tie it up at 71 with 1:01 remaining. Nate Tagert's jumper
with :41 left and two Ryan Cheevers FT's with :17 left enabled KVCC to stop the
bleeding and regain the lead. Despite going 3-11 from the line in the 2nd
half, 7-18 for the game, the Cougars limped home with the win. Muskegon
committed only 3 turnovers for the game, but KVCC won the battle of the boards,
51-40, with Melton's 16 leading the way. Both teams featured balanced
scoring, with Tagert hitting for 16, Brandon Steward 14, Melton 13, Mark Wilson
12, and Ryan Cheevers 10. Muskegon was led by Jerry Minott's 18, while
Omar Jones and Nick Bultema chipped in 13 each, and Melvin Foley and Dan Aultman
pitched in 12 each. Foley added 11 rebounds and Minott 5 assists to the
Jayhawk cause. Muskegon was a coolish 29/81 (.358) from the floor, while
KVCC was 30/63 (.476), 13/23 (.565) in the decisive 2nd half.
Coach's Comments: "We played an outstanding first
half at both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, Muskegon dominated play in
the 2nd half. I was proud of the way we re-grouped when Muskegon took the
lead 73-71, on Bultema's FT's with :27 left. Tagert hit a BIG jumper and
Cheevers calmly tossed in 2 FT's with :17 left. We still had to defend one
more time and when Foley came up with the loose ball and shot a desperation
jumper from 18' behind the basket, the outcome was still in doubt. I
credit a solid team effort and clutch bench play from Mark Wilson for the
win. In 15 minutes of action, Mark was 4-5 from the field, 2-2 from behind
the arc and 2-3 from the FT line! He tossed in 2 assists and 2 rebounds
and did not make a turnover. We could not have won without him
tonight!"
Lansing 73, Kalamazoo Valley
58 (2/26/01)
(18-9) (7-7) [Box Score]
[Accumulative Season Stats, 27]
[Final League Stats, 14]
What a difference 5 days and behind the arc shooting
make! The Lansing Stars, who were 2-14 from 3 point range just 5 days ago,
roared out of the blocks tonight, hitting 7-12 from behind the arc in the first
half to take command of this first round MCCAA State Tournament game.
Terry Reddick started the long range parade with a three at the 18:40
mark. He was followed by three more bombs by Darnell Clark, two by
substitute Jason Kibby, and one by Joe Miller in the next 9 minutes of
action. LCC then went inside for the rest of the game, shooting and
missing only two more 3 point attempts after the 4:49 mark in the first
half. The Cougars, on the other hand, could manage only 11-37 (.297)
shooting in the first half, and an even more dismal 6-24 (.250) performance in
the second half. Their 17-61 (.279) is the lowest FG Pct. shot in a game
the entire season! KVCC closed to 61-52 on a Cheevers trey with 8:50
remaining, but went into another scoring draught (no points for the next
4:10) to see their hopes dim. Travis Meister led the Stars with 25
points and 5 rebounds. No other Star was able to crack the double digit
barrier in scoring. Ryan Cheevers led KVCC with 15, while Dominick Melton
tossed in 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, and Brandon Steward popped in 10
points and dished out 4 assists. Lansing outrebounded the Cougars by a
whopping 45-29 margin with 6'9" Zach Loynes garnering a game high 11, and
Joe Nees 9. Melton led the Cougar rebounding with 6. LCC finished
28-54 from the field for .519. KVCC was 18-23 (.783) from the charity
stripe; LCC hit for 10-14 (.714) from the line.
Coach's Comments: "I don't have an easy answer for
what happened tonight. We have said all along in the second semester that,
in order for us to succeed, every player we have left in the program must play
at the top of his game. Tonight we did nearly the opposite! We
couldn't convert inside and we were cold outside. In spite of Lansing's 3
point barrage, our defensive efficiency ratio was actually better tonight than
it was last Wednesday. However, as we continued to miss shot after shot
from inside and outside the paint, we dug a hole that we could never dig
ourselves out of. Dominick's 2-14 shooting was a season low, Brandon was
3-12, Shane and Aaron combined for 0-7 shooting, Dan was 2-6 and Bret 1-4.
Only Ryan (5-10, 4-8 from the arc, and Nate (3-5) shot well. We must
credit Lansing for their improvement in two areas: their zone defense
tightened up and their rebounding was dominant. Joe Nees, a 6'6"
center who did not play last week, came off the bench to grab 9 boards and plug
up the inside gaps defensively tonight. LCC started 6'9", 6'6",
6'5", 6'5", and 6'1" and brought in 6'6" and 6'4. This
size gave our three 5'8"-5"10" Cougar perimeter players constant
match-up problems. We played more zone than we wanted to, both to protect
Dominick and to counter the post up play of LCC. In the second half we
were able to stay close by pressing full court with our smaller team. In
the end, again, we did not have an answer for All League performer, Travis
Meister (25 tonight, 27 last Wednesday). We'll regroup for a final
tournament run, playing an undetermined opponent next Wednesday at 7:30 PM in
our gym in the annual NJCAA Region XII tournament."
Kalamazoo Valley 81, Lansing 78
(2/21/01) (18-8) (7-7) [Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 26] [Accumulative
League Stats, 14]
Wow, what a game! This one was a battle for 4th place in
the conference, a battle for home court advantage in next week's MCCAA State
Tournament, and a battle just because it was Lansing and Kalamazoo Valley!
KVCC slipped out to an early lead behind 3 treys by Dominick Melton.
Lansing battled back, but some solid play by Nate Tagert and Brandon Steward
resulted in a 41-33 KVCC halftime advantage. Both teams played a lot of
zone defense throughout the game. Travis Meister, All League sophomore,
again was a thorn in the Cougars' side. He finished 13-22 from the field
and gathered in 6 boards to go with his game high 27 points. Darnell Clark
hit for 14, Terry Reddick 12 Paul VanDyke 11, and Joe Miller 10 for the
Stars. For KVCC, Nate Tagert led the scoring with 20, Melton had 19,
Steward 11, and Dan Clothier 10. Melton led all rebounders with 9.
Lansing shot 31-62 (.500) while KVCC shot a coolish 28-68 (.412) from the
floor. LCC was 2-14 (.143) from behind the arc, while KVCC was a
respectable 7-20 (.350) on threes. Perhaps the key basket in the game came
at the :41 mark, as a Ryan Cheevers' three put KVCC up 78-75 at that
point. A Bret Stephenson FT with :21 left and 2 FT's by Shane Nowak with
only :12 left sealed the win.
Coach's Comments: "The sparks always seem to fly
when we square up with Lansing! This was an exciting game with the outcome
still in doubt right up until the desperation shot from mid-court by Travis
Meister at the buzzer was wide of the mark. When Dominick fouled out with
3:48 left and the score tied and was teed up for hitting the ball in
frustration, our plight looked pretty dim. Nate scored 17 of his 20 points
in the 2nd half. Nowak stepped up with 4 key FT's, Tagert scored on a
power move, and Steward penetrated down the middle for 2 in Dominick's
absence. All of this set the stage for Ryan's big 3 at the :41 mark.
We didn't give up; our guys just keep battling, and tonight that determination
in the clutch paid rich dividends. We will undoubtedly have a tough
tournament game with them again Monday night, but at least we'll battle them now
on our home turf. It was a very good win for the Cougars!"
Grand Rapids 91, Kalamazoo Valley 78
(2/17/01) (17-8) (6-7) [Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 25] [Accumulative
League Stats, 13]
The league leading Grand Rapids' Raiders came into Cougar
arena as the 7th ranked team in the NJCAA national poll. But, behind
Dominick Melton's two 3's the Cougars jumped out in this one, 8-1.
Dominick picked up his 3rd foul at the 14:00 minute mark, resulting in the
Cougars playing several minutes without the league's leading scorer and
rebounder. Behind Derek Reynold's 7 points, Grand Rapids went on a 13-0
run to end the half and take a 41-31 lead into the locker room. GRCC
shot .529 in the half to KVCC's .344. The second half saw KVCC claw away
at a lead they just could not overcome. The Raiders were 7-12 from three
point range as they kept the battling Cougars from catching them. Brandon
Steward came of the bench to score 20 of his 24 in the second half. KVCC
shot 17-33 for the half (.515 while GRCC was even hotter at 19-31 (.594).
For the game the Raiders were 37-66 for .561 while holding the Cougars to 28-65
for .431. The rebounding battle went to Grand Rapids 43-28, with Tom
Curtis gathering 11 and Eric Chess 9. Derek Reynolds hit for 22, Bilal
Muhammad 20, K'Brio Kimble 19, and Eric Chess 14. Kimble had a game
high 10 assists. Steward led the Cougars with 24, Melton added 21, and
Nate Tagert 18 and 8 rebounds.
Coach's Comments: "This tall and talented club
dominated us in our game at Grand Rapids. Today, we played much better,
actually leading most of the first half. However, those soft segments
where they ripped it out and beat us down the floor with their outstanding
quickness proved too much for us to overcome. We have trouble with a
player as quick as Derek Reynolds. Kimble, the league's top assist-getter,
selected his shots well and kept us from helping out by finding the open
man consistently. Eric Chess is the best big man in the league at
6'7" 260. Nate played stronger today, and Dominick played well
despite picking up 3 quick fouls. I was proud of our effort, disappointed
in the outcome."
Kellogg 69, Kalamazoo Valley 60
(2/14/01) (17-7)
(6-6) [Box Score]
[Accumulative Season Stats, 24]
[Accumulative League Stats, 12]
Kellogg held a slim lead most of the first half in this
one. Behind the rebounding of Tyler Kent (10), the Bruins held a 26-19
edge on the boards at the half. They increased that margin to 47-36 for
the game, with Kent's 14 holding game honors. A Dominick Melton field goal
with 13:25 left in the game gave the Cougars a 41-41 deadlock, capping a 13-5
second half run. But the Bruins were sparked by Jason Miller off the bench
as Jason tossed in all 15 of his points in the second half. KVCC was 13-15
(..867) from the FT line as KCC stumbled to 7-14 (.500) from the FT
stripe. Neither team shot well from the field, but KCC was 28-67 for .418
for the game while the Cougars could only manage 20-59 for .339. Melton
hit for 14 and 13 rebounds; Nate Tagert was the only other Cougar in double
figures with 11. Miller's 15; Tyler Kent's 15, and Phil Martin's 12 led
the Bruins. The win puts Kellogg at 4-8 in the league and 9-12 overall.
Coach's Comments: "I didn't think our shooting
could get much worse than it has been lately, but it did tonight! I
thought we had many good looks in this game, but we simple could not hit the
shots, and more often than not, we only got ONE shot. Their 23 offensive
rebounds to our 14 sealed our fate tonight. Both teams changed
defenses often, but Kellogg won the battle of the boards, regardless of
the defenses played. This loss hurt, as a win would have guaranteed us a
spot in the 6-team MCCAA State Tournament. Now a win by us, or a loss by
Ancilla or Kellogg would give us the spot. With Grand Rapids and Lansing
left for us, our backs are to the wall."
Glen Oaks 85, Kalamazoo Valley 71
(2/9/01) (17-6) (6-5) [Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 23] [Accumulative
League Statss, 11]
The Vikings, behind the sharpshooting of Jeff Johnson, jumped
out to an 11-2 lead today. Johnson poured in 19 first half points (8-13
from the field, 3-7 from behind the arc), to establish the Glen Oaks
offense. Bret Stephenson came off the bench to energize the Cougars by
scoring 13 points and helping KVCC to close to within one at the half,
36-35. But the second half belonged to Scepter Brownlee, who
scored 12 points, including 4 three's, to pick up the slack for Glen Oaks.
The Cougars held Johnson to 3 second half points, but Brownlee's shooting kept
KVCC at bay. The closest the Cougars could get was 79-71 at the 2:08 mark,
but errant 3's and solid defense by Glen Oaks stopped the Cougar scoring for the
rest of the game. Johnson led Glen Oaks in scoring with 22, Brownlee had
13, and Mario Collins added 11. Mike Dyson scored 9 and pulled down a game
high 11 rebounds. Brandon Steward led the Cougars with 18, Dominick Melton
added 17, Stephenson 13, and Nate Tagert 10. Melton led the rebounding
with 9 while Stephenson and Tagert each had 6. Glen Oaks shot 32-68 (.471)
from the field while the Cougars were 27-56 (.482). Glen Oaks won the
battle of the boards, 44-29.
Coach's Comments: "Glen Oaks showed why they're
tied for the conference lead today. Jeff Johnson was virtually unstoppable
in the first half, and Scepter Brownlee took over the scoring in the second
half. I thought their 3-point accuracy, (9-21 for .429) and their
tenacious defense made the difference today. Even though we shot the ball
better than we have been, (.482), we still had trouble from behind the arc
(.278) and we coughed the ball up 18 times. Those turnovers, coupled with
the 15 rebound deficit, were just too much to make up. We have not been
the kind of team that can get behind by 10-12 points and come back, partly
because of our limited depth and partly because of our shortage of overall team
quickness. We didn't give up, however; we battled them to the end.
The team that played better definitely was Glen Oaks today and they deserved the
win."
Kalamazoo Valley 92, Ancilla 85
(2/7/01) (17-5) (6-4) [Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 22] [Accumulative
League Stats, 10]
The Cougars came out firing in this one, holding an 11 point
lead with 2:00 left in the half. Ancilla, however, went on an 8-0 run,
stealing the inbounds pass with :00.6 seconds left and nailing a desperation 3
to close to within 3, 46-43 at the break. The Chargers led 63-62 and again
65-64 at the 8:58 mark, but a Nate Tagert basket with 7:39 left gave the Cougars
a slender lead they would not relinquish. KVCC had six men in double
figures and were led by Dominick Melton's 23. Brandon Steward tossed in 16
(13 in the first half), Nowak contributed 16, Dan Clothier 11, and Tagert
11. Jeremy Bennett led the Ancilla attack with 24, Paul Sammons chipped in
21, Evan Smith had 11, and Antwain Banks 10. Ancilla's Smith was the
game's leading rebounder with 10; Clothier and Tagert each had 8 for the
Cougars. KVCC was 31-67 (.463) from the field; Ancilla shot 34-75 (.453)
for the game.
Coach's Comments: "Like our game at Ancilla, this was a
battle from beginning to end. I thought the slight difference tonight was
in our three point accuracy (12-26 for .462), and in our balanced scoring (6
players in double figures). We had 5 different players hit threes tonight;
this area of our game has cost us dearly, so I'm pleased to see the
improvement. Had our offense not stepped it up tonight, we would have lost
this one. Ancilla is the best kept secret in the region. They have
excellent players, they play hard, and they pass the ball well. They can
beat anyone in our state on any given night. Coach Reese has done a
fantastic job in his first year in the conference. I am very happy to get
this one over with!"
Kalamazoo Valley 87, Muskegon 76
(2/3/01) (16-5)
(5-4) [Box Score]
[Accumulative Season Stats, 21]
[Accumulative League Stats, 9]
KVCC jumped out to an 8-0 lead today, behind the sharpshooting
of Shane Nowak, Brandon Steward, and Dan Clothier. Muskegon continued to
stay close from this point but remained down 38-27 at the
half. The Jayhawks went on an 8-0 run at the midpoint of the
2nd half, closing to 55-49. But 3 of 4 FT's and a 15' jumper by Ryan
Cheevers put KVCC back up by 11. Omar Jones and Jerry Minott poured in the
threes to keep Muskegon within striking distance, but nifty passing (20 assists
to only 10 turnovers) and accurate FT shooting (19-25) kept the Cougars out
front. Brandon Steward led KVCC in scoring with 17, Nate Tagert had 16,
Ryan Cheevers (7-9 FT's) 14, Dominick Melton 12, Dan Clothier 11, Shane Nowak 9,
and Bret Stephenson 9. The rebounding was even at 45. KVCC shot
30-65 for .462 while MCC was 30-79 for .380. The Cougars were 8-18 from
behind the arc for .444; MCC shot 10-31 for .323 from tri-fector
territory. Valley was 19-25 from the line (.760), while Muskegon was 6-10
from the stripe. Omar Jones led Muskegon with 19; Jerry Minott had 16,
Larell Billips and Dan Aultman 10 each.
Coach's Comments: "This game was very different
from the one we lost a couple of weeks ago at Muskegon, 103-99 in OT. We
got much better balance in our scoring, had twice as many assists as turnovers,
20-10, and managed to get to the line 15 more times than did MCC. Nick
Bultema lit it up in Muskegon for 23 points, but the defensive efforts of Dan
Clothier, Shane Nowak, Mark Wilson, and Aaron Bucklin helped to hold him to 5
points today. Credit Bret Stephenson with another solid relief effort,
scoring 9 points and garnering 7 rebounds in only 14 minutes of playing
time. We're delighted to get the win and go to 5-4 in the league."
Kalamazoo Valley 82, Lake Michigan 77
(OT) (1/31/01)
(15-5) (4-4) [Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 20] [Accumulative
League Stats, 8]
This one was a "donneybrook on the hilltop."
With the score going back and forth, when the smoke cleared at the half, the
score was 35-35. Neither team was able to establish control of the game as
the lead changed hands several times during the 2nd half. At the 1:41
mark, Ryan Cheevers stepped up to hit his first 3 pointer to knot the game again
at 64. Two FT's by LMC's John Hunt put LMC back out front at 66-64 with
1:29 left. Cheevers again swished a three to put the Cougars back ahead,
67-66 with 38 ticks remaining. The Cougar defense held and Shane Nowak was fouled with :08 remaining. But the heroics were not over!
Shane made the first to put KVCC up 68-66, but after he missed the second,
John Hunt took the outlet pass full speed to the other end, dishing it off to
Glenn Keller for the layup with :01 left to send the game into overtime.
Cheevers again stepped up, hitting his third three in less than 2 minutes of
playing time. Nate Tagert took over the scoring, adding 6 straight points,
to put the Cougars up for good at 77-75 with 1:04 left. Melton and
Steward each added 2 FT's to ice the game in the last :21. Melton again
led the balanced Cougar attack with 23 points and 16 rebounds. Tagert
added 14 points and 6 rebounds; Dan Clothier 12 (3-4 from the arc), Cheevers 11,
and Steward 11 and 8 assists. LMC outrebounded the Cougars 45-43.
Keller paced the balanced Indian attack with 24 and 11 rebounds. Derek
Ingeson hit for 17; John Hunt chipped in 16 points and 7 assists; and Lance
Fleming had 11 points and 15 rebounds. LMC was 31-67 (.463) from the field
while KVCC shot 31-74 (.419).
Coach's Comments: "I thought two keys tonight were
the early threes Dan Clothier made and the late threes Ryan Cheevers hit.
In between that the game was a constant struggle. Dominick played big
again even though his twisted knee is not yet at full strength, and Bret
Stephenson gave us quality minutes off the bench, scoring 7 points and pulling
down 8 rebounds in only 13 minutes of action. This was a very gratifying
win, hard-earned to say the least. Coach Schaffer showed the class of the
LMC program by presenting me with the game ball and a dozen "LMC" golf
balls to commemorate my 500th head coaching win. I was humbled and honored
at the post-game ceremony. And I am most grateful to all the players I
have had, without which this honor is not possible. The Schaffer family
itself provided me 6 years with 3 of their sons, and the teams they played on won
over 120 of those 500 games! This was the 450th win I've had in my 22
years at KVCC, and although I hope and pray that my career will not ultimately
be judged by wins and losses, it sure is nice to be complimented in this
way. I have truly been blessed by the players I've had the privilege to
coach, the assistants I've had the privilege to work with, and the
administrators I've had the privilege to work under."
Lansing 69, Kalamazoo Valley
58 (1/27/01)
(14-5) (3-4) [Box Score]
[Accumulative Season Stats, 19]
[Accumulative League Stats, 7]
The Cougars surprised the Stars early, jumping out to a 22-11
advantage. As the half wore on, however, the Stars gradually pulled even,
then went up by one at the break, 33-32. The 2nd half also was a tense
defensive struggle, as the score was 39-36 Lansing for almost 5 minutes.
In the end it was the three point shooting of Da'Velle Hoskins (5-11) and the
Cougars' absence of accurate three point shooting (2-19) that made the
difference. Travis Meister led the Stars with 20, while Terry Reddick
added 19, and Hoskins 17. Joe Nees pulled down a whopping 23 rebounds for
the Stars. Dominick Melton, despite twisting his knee late in the 1st
half, returned to the Cougar line-up, limping, but he courageously snagged 21
boards and tossed in 22 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 6-7 from the
line. Nate Tagert had 14 points, 8 rebounds, and Brandon Steward chipped
in 10 points for the Cougars. KVCC shot a measly .318 on 21-66 shooting;
LCC shot a cool 25-66 for .379. Valley held a slim margin on the boards,
43-42.
Coach's Comments: "We came out hard today and
established a solid defensive game. However, the cold shooting
continued in the first half as we shot only .382 overall and .333 from behind
the arc. The second half was even worse as we slipped to 8-32 and
0-13! It's hard to win when a team shoots 2-19 (.105) from three point
land. Reddick beat us down the floor several times, and Travis Meister
took charge late in the game, making several clutch shots when we were still
within striking distance. Dominick's knee injury didn't help, but he was
remarkable on the boards, grabbing 12 more in the second half and missing the
school record (22) by only one. We will go back to work Monday, and try to
figure out how we can drop some threes."
Grand Rapids 91, Kalamazoo Valley
63 (1/24/01) (14-4)
(3-3) [Box Score]
[Accumulative Season Stats, 18]
[Accumulative League Stats, 6]
KVCC didn't score until 15:45 in the half, as the Raiders
displayed superior quickness, rebounding, and ball handling to jump out
13-0. It was all uphill for the Cougars tonight. Trailing by 44-26
at the half, the closest the Cougars could get was 62-47 with 9:55 left in the
game. Another trey by Derek Reynolds, however, increased the Raider lead
again to a comfortable margin. Reynolds led the Raiders with 29 on 11-15
shooting. Eric Chess pitched in 14 and garnered a game high 11
boards. Kendrick Cornelius tossed in 10 to round out the balanced GRCC
attack. Brandon Steward led the Cougars with 17; Dominick Melton had 15
and 9 boards. GRCC was 35-78 for .449 shooting while KVCC was 22-58 for
.379. GRCC outbounded the Cougars 48-38, but more importantly 23-14 on the
offensive boards. KVCC committed 25 turnovers to 12 for the
Raiders.
Coach's Comments: "We came out flat again, falling
behind early and struggling to sustain an offensive attack. Grand Rapids
had superior height, quickness, and strength and pretty much dominated this
game. This is our third consecutive game shooting below 40% from the
field. We did not establish an inside game tonight; and that part of our
game has been one of our strengths. GRCC had 19 steals, many of which led
directly to baskets. Their match-up defense kept us out of any offensive
flow. They are an extremely talented team as their 15-1 record
attests. But, we will not give up. There are better days ahead for
the Cougars."
Kellogg 80, Kalamazoo Valley
70 (1/20/01) (14-3)
(3-2) [Box Score] [Accumulative
Season Stats, 17] [Accumulative
League Stats, 5]
Falling behind 7-0 at the start, the Cougars were never able
to take the lead in this one. The closest they would get was 58-55 on a
Nate Tagert layup at the 8:14 mark. Sophomore Phil Martin (GR Ottawa
Hills) led the balanced Bruin attack with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but he was
supported by high school teammate Marcus Lee, who chipped in 19 and 6
boards. Tyler Kent had 13, and Antwan Joseph and Jason Miller each
contributed 11. Dominick Melton again led the Cougars with 27 and 14
rebounds, but his only scoring help came from Shane Nowak with 12 and Nate
Tagert with 10. Kellogg won the battle of the boards by a whopping 46-30.
Coach's Comments: "This was one of those games
where we just couldn't seem to sustain anything for any length of time.
Credit Kellogg with a solid game plan that they executed to perfection.
They continually exploited our defensive weaknesses by posting up mismatches on
whoever we put in the game. They did a fine job of getting the ball
inside. After shooting only 4 FT's in the first half, they shot 22 in the
second. We shot 16 in the first, but only 6 in the second. I really
cannot explain this tremendous difference. We tried equally hard to get
the ball inside in both halves. Obviously, they did a much better job
getting it inside and getting to the line in the second half. We must find
a way to get more balance scoring. This was a bitter pill to swallow, but
until we find a way to shoot above 40% from the field, we're going to
struggle. We were 22-59 for .373 and they were 28-65 for .431. We
did break our cold spell from behind the arc, going 8-19 for .421, and we
continued our solid FT shooting, going 18-22 for .818. We've got a tough
week ahead of us at Grand Rapids Wednesday and Lansing Saturday. We're
looking forward to it!"
Kalamazoo Valley 68, Glen Oaks 61
(1/17/01) (14-2)
(3-1) [Box Score]
[Accumulative Season Stats, 16]
[Accumulative League Stats, 4]
Getting Coach Shilts his 499th career head coaching win was
not an easy task for the Cougars tonight. KVCC jumped out to a 14-8 lead
behind solid board work and a Dan Clothier trey. The rest of the half,
however, saw the Vikings battle toe-to-toe to finish ahead 31-30 at the
break. Willie Thomas scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half.
Behind the sharpshooting of Mario Collins, Glen Oaks closed to within 61-59 at
the 5:33 mark. The defenses toughened, however, as KVCC allowed GOCC only
2 points from the 5:33 mark home, while GOCC permitted only 7 Cougar points
in this same time span. Four FT's by Shane Nowak and a power layup by
Dominick Melton provided the final margin of victory. The Cougars shot
only 24-66 for .364 for the game, but they held Glen Oaks to 24-61 for
.393. The Cougar defense stepped up in the second half, holding the
Vikings to 12-43 for only .343 from the field. KVCC won the battle on the
boards, 49-35, with Melton garnering a game high 19. Melton led the
Cougar scoring with 27, Nate Tagert tossed in 13, and Brandon Steward 11.
Mike Dyson led the Vikings with 19 points and 10 rebounds; and Collins had 12 to
go with Thomas' 16.
Coach's Comments: "This was a great league
victory! I was really proud of the efforts of each of our
"warriors" tonight. Melton, Steward, Nowak, and Tagert each
played at least 34 minutes and were exhausted at game's end. In the first
semester, rarely anyone played over 28 minutes per game. They reached down
deep tonight and it paid off with the win. Bret Stephenson gave us a big
lift off the bench in the second half, getting a put-back and an assist to help
us open a slight lead. Aaron Bucklin also played a solid floor game in
relief. This is one of the best Glen Oaks' teams I have seen, and all of
the teams in our league, including us, are going to have their hands full in
future games against them. I'm delighted to get away with a win
tonight. Both teams played extremely hard; it was a fun game to watch and
coach."
Kalamazoo Valley 72, Ancilla
69 (1/13/01)
(13-2) (2-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 15] [Accumulative
League Stats, 3]
The Cougars prevailed in this physical road test, but just
barely! Going only 1-12 from behind the arc in the first half, KVCC
struggled to .313 shooting and a narrow 32-31 halftime lead. Four treys by
Ryan Cheevers, one by Brandon Steward, and one by Nate Tagert broke the ice in
the second half. Ancilla took a 54-50 lead with 11:50 left on
a three by newcomer Joseph Arnett. KVCC's defense stiffened as the Cougars
went on a 9-1 run to lead at 9:02, 59-55. Two FT's by Paul
Sammons tied it again at 63 as Ancilla was not done charging. The biggest
bucket of the game, however, went to Nate Tagert as he nailed a three with 2:00
left to put the Cougars up 68-66. Sammons again responded with another
three at the 1:46 mark to put the Chargers up 69-68. Then, it was Ryan
Cheever's turn to step up; his three came at the 1:20 mark, giving KVCC a 71-69
lead, one that they did not relinquish. KVCC's defense held Ancilla to 3
points in the last 4:05 to ice Coach Shilts' 498th career victory.
Dominick Melton was outstanding on the boards with 21 caroms, missing the single
game KVCC record held by Scot Furman, in 1986-87 by one. KVCC held a slim
50-47 edge on the glass. Melton led the Cougars with 18, Tagert had 16,
Cheevers 15, and Steward 14. For Ancilla, Jeremy Bennett scored 21 and
Paul Sammons 17. Evan Smith garnered 11 boards and Kyle Anderson
10.
Coach's Comments: "What a game! This was
another tense league struggle. I'm thrilled with the hard-fought
win. They clamped down on us hard on the inside, and until we managed to
hit some threes, they pretty much shut us down. When we shoot only .333
for the game, it's remarkable that we can come away with a win. Their 6-22
shooting from the free throw line was a key to our win. We were 15-23 for
a 9 point advantage from the stripe. I'm happy. The ride back from
Oregon-Davis High School was shorter because of the outcome."
Muskegon 103, Kalamazoo Valley 99
(OT) (1/10/01) (12-2) (1-1)
[Box
Score] [Accumulative Season
Stats, 14] [Accumulative
League Stats, 2]
Muskegon prevailed in what could only be called another
classic game in this intense rivalry. With neither team able to lead by
more than 7 points in this see-saw battle and the half deadlocked at 43, these
two teams traded sparkling plays down the stretch. Jerry Minott, sprained
ankle and all, returned to the Jayhawk lineup and nailed a three pointer from
downtown at the 14:50 mark in the second half. Minott's gritty play and
Nick Bultema's FT's knotted the game at 65 with 9:23 left. Nick's FT with :18
left in regulation set the stage for KVCC's Brandon Steward to take center
stage. With the score 89-86 Muskegon, and only :09 left, Brandon launched
a "desperation" three, hit it, and was fouled! His missed FT and
Mark Wilson's excellent defense on a Bultema drive sent the game into OT.
MCC struck first on a Dan Aultman low post move and another Bultema FT.
Steward scored all 8 of KVCC's final points, but his heroics were not enough to
overtake the Jayhawks. A Ben Scholten putback with :38 sealed KVCC's fate
as MCC went up again by a 100-97 count. It was Omar Jones and Bultema
again icing the game from the foul line. Jones scored 19 of his game high
23 in the second half. . Bultema chipped in 23, Aultman 13, Minott
12, Melvin Foley 11, and Larell Billips 10 to round out the well-balanced MCC
attack. For the Cougars it was Nate Tagert with 26, Dominick Melton 25,
and Brandon Steward 22. MCC won the battle of the boards, 55-46, with
Aultman leading the way with 11. Melton had a game-high 13 caroms, while
Tagert pulled down 10. Both teams were 38-85 from the field for
.447. The edge came from behind the arc as MCC finished 10-29 (.345) and
KVCC only 5-21 (.238).
Coach's Comments: "I was proud of the effort we put
forth tonight. While losing is never enjoyable, we all felt that an honest
effort was made by everyone. The five point play by MCC in the second half
really hurt. Yet, with Brandon's "miracle" shot with :09 left,
we still had a chance. A free throw here, a turnover there...this game was
decided by a tiny, tiny margin. It was a fun game from the spectators'
angle as each possession was intense and was important. Jones was a load
in the second half, as was Bultema. Our 3-point shooting must improve, as
must our defense and rebounding. However, even though our ranks have been
depleted, we are improving as a unit. This was Mark Wilson's finest game
as a Cougar, and Dominick and Brandon sparkled again. I look forward to
our next game."
Kalamazoo Valley 88, Calvin JV's
77 (1/8/01)
(12-1) [Box Score]
[Accumulative 13 Game Stats]
Sparked by a 19-8 run with 7:16 left in the first half, the
Cougars went to the lockerroom with their biggest margin of the half,
49-34. After a slow start in the second half, the Knights closed to within
6 at 52-46 with 9:42 left and again, 72-66 with 4:36 left. Behind 23-26
from the FT line in the second half, 10-10 by Ryan Cheevers, the Cougars held
off the Knights for the win. Calvin was 12-12 from the line; KVCC 31-36
for the game. KVCC shot 26-54 for .481 from the field while Calvin was
30-75 for .400. A key statistic was Calvin's cool 5-25 from behind the
arc; KVCC was 5-10. The rebound edge went to Calvin, 37-35. The
Cougars' balanced scoring attack was led by Dominick Melton, 19, Nate Tagert,
18, Ryan Cheevers, 16, and Bret Stephenson, 10. Brandon Steward had 5
assists, Shane Nowak, 4. Kevin Broene had 14, Jon Vanderplas and
Ryan Smalligan 12 each, and Phil Visser chipped in 11. Melton led the
rebounding with 13 and Smalligan followed with 7.
Coach's Comments: "Any win is good to get.
This game was one of momentum. We had too many soft spots on defense, but
we were able to hit our free throws to keep them at bay. Dominick had
another double double and Nate was 7-10 from the field. Ryan's clutch FT
shooting down the stretch sealed the win. Our first half offense (.576)
and defense (.341) were solid; but the second half saw a big drop off in both
areas, offense (.333) and defense (.471). We selected our threes better
and hit 50% of them while Calvin struggled in this area. We were able to
finish our season undefeated against JV teams. Now to 10-2 Muskegon for a
battle to stay in the first division in our league."
Kalamazoo Valley 94, Lake Michigan
86 (1/6/01)
(11-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 12 Game
Stats]
This league opener saw both teams go into battle weakened
somewhat by first semester grades. Unlike NCAA schools, the NJCAA requires
semester by semester eligibility. Lake Michigan lost three key players to
grades, while KVCC lost four and one that was trying to become eligible.
For the Cougars, the losses were statistically devastating. Gustafson,
Calhoun, and Gonzales alone represented over 44 points per game in the first
semester. All three are lost for the year. The nine remaining
players, however, dug in and successfully battled in Indians, marking up the
eleventh consecutive win for the Cougars and the 496th career coaching win for
Coach Shilts. A late spurt in the first half, sparked by substitute Dan
Abbott, gave the Cougars a 48-35 halftime advantage. It was a good thing
as the Indians poured in 7 threes and 51 second half points to come roaring back
and into the lead, 56-53. Dominick Melton stepped up big for the Cougars,
netting a career high 30 with 13 rebounds. Nate Tagert chipped in 15 and 9
boards, while 5'8" Brandon Steward scored 13 and garnered 6 rebounds.
Shane Nowak rounded out the balanced Cougar attack with 12. John Hunt led
the Indians with 26, including 5 treys, while Wegatha Ghebremicheal scored 18
and dished out 6 assists. Lance Fleming had 14 and David Zietlow 10 for
LMC. KVCC won the battle of the boards, 58-36, and shot 34-74 for .459
from the field while holding LMC to 33-79 for .418 from the field. LMC
sank 10-32 from behind the arc, while the Cougars were a coolish 2-11. At
the line, however, KVCC was 24-35 (.686) and LMC 10-14 (.714).
Coach's Comments: "This was truly like the
beginning of a new season. We all had to regroup after a week of academic
adversity. I was proud of the effort of each of the nine players we
played. It was a hard fought game that could have gone either way.
Lake Michigan is well coached. They take care of the ball (only 9
turnovers for the game) and maximize each possession. I was please with
our first half defense, but they wore us down late and gave us big trouble from
behind the arc. Dominick and Nate both had big games, and we got solid
help from Brandon, Dan, Mark, and Bret off the bench. We'll have to play
better defense over a 40 minute span in order to challenge in our league.
We look forward to another challenge from Calvin's JV's Monday night as we make
up our snowed out game of December 6."
Kalamazoo Valley 92, Lakeland (OH) 80
(12/9/00) (10-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 11 Game
Stats]
Except for a 3-2 lead and a brief two point margin at 44-42,
the Cougars trailed all the way until Joe Gonzales popped in a three with 4:51
left in the game to give the Cougars a 75-73 lead. The Lakers responded
with another inside bucket by Jason Harris to tie it up at 75. Andy
Gustafson scored from close range on a nifty pass from Ryan Cheevers at the 3:22
mark, the Cougars' defense stiffened, and KVCC rallied to go up 85-77 with :54
left. Cheevers dropped in four consecutive free throws to seal the
win. Gonzales led the Cougars with 26, 20 coming in the second half.
Dominick Melton had 14, Gustafson 14, Derrick Calhoun 12, and Brandon Steward
12. Lakeland won the battle of the boards 46-40, but KVCC had the edge
from the line on 18-23 shooting (.769). Jason Harris scored 23, Jonathan
Burge 20, Antonn Melton 18, and Dave Pisarcik 11 for the Lakers. KVCC shot
35-78 for .449 from the field while the Lakers were 32-75 for .427. The
Cougars were cold from behind the arc, going 0-13 in the first half and 4-12 in
the second. Lakeland was 4-9 from trifector range.
Coach's Comments: "I thought there were two key
spots in the game. The first was the way we closed the half, coming from
14 down to trail by only 2. And the second was our ability to close the
seams to shut down Lakeland's penetration in the last five minutes.
Brandon Steward took a great charge and sparked us off the bench with 6 assists,
12 points, and only 1 turnover. I'm proud of the way we finished the
semester. We've grown a lot, and today it showed as we were able to
prevail over a quality Ohio team. Now, it's finals time, and we'll focus
on closing the semester academically as well."
Kalamazoo Valley 115, Oakland 67
(12/8/00) (9-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 10 Game
Stats]
The Cougars raced out to a 22-8 lead in the first 7 minutes
and never were seriously threatened after that. Halftime score was 57-26
and the lead ballooned to 94-50 toward the end of the game. Oakland
played hard in the second half, drawing numerous fouls taking the ball to the
basket, but the Cougar shooting even improved to .548 in the second half.
Andy Gustafson came off the bench to score 27, Derrick Calhoun tossed in 22,
Dominick Melton had 21, Bret Stephenson 11, and Ryan Cheevers 10. Calhoun
led in assists with 10, while Nowak pitched in 8. Melton led the
rebounding with 9. Damon Allison scored 15 and William Motley 14 for the
Raiders.
Coach's Comments: "This was one of those games a
coach longs for. We came out strong and when we substituted, we got better
throughout the half. Our shot selection was good and Derrick went 7-8 from
the field, 4-4 from behind the arc; Dominick was 10-13 from the field and Andy
had a great stretch to score 27 in only 19 minutes of playing time. Bret
was again solid off the bench with 4-5 shooting and 3 blocks and Brandon and
Shane gave us quality minutes off the bench at the point. We won the
battle of the boards 55-46. Tomorrow's game against an established
Ohio power will be a good final test for us this semester."
Kalamazoo Valley vs Calvin JV's--postponed
because snow prohibited them from making it--game has been rescheduled for
Monday, January 8 at 7:00 PM at KVCC.
Kalamazoo Valley 97, Hope JV's 85
(12/2/00) (8-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 9 Game
STats]
This one went to 29-19 KVCC on a Matt LaMacchia basket with 9:23 left in
the half. But Hope caught fire behind the stellar shooting of Joe
Verschueren and the solid inside play of Jason Mejeur to go up 39-37 with 2:03
left in the half. A power basket by Dominick Melton gave the Cougars a
slim 44-43 halftime lead. KVCC shot 17-29 for .586 in the half, while the
Flying Dutchmen were even hotter on 17-28 for .607 field goal shooting.
The defenses tightened somewhat in the second half but both teams finished well
above .500 from the field. Sixty-three free throws were shot in this
tightly officiated game, with the Cougars winning the battle from the line on
28-33 for .848 shooting. Dominick Melton was the game's leading scorer and
rebounder, hitting for 24 on 9-11 FG shooting, 6-7 FT shooting, and pulling down
13 rebounds. Nate Tagert scored 16, Joe Gonzales 15, and Shane Nowak and
Ryan Cheevers 10 apiece. Verschueren tossed in 19 while Mejeur and Jason
Kingma popped in 17 each for Hope's JV's. KVCC won the battle of the
boards, 38-23.
Coach's Comments: "Playing in the rich tradition at the Holland
Civic Center is always fun; winning there is even more enjoyable. For the
second game in a row, we were able to shoot above .500 from the field, but I was
even more pleased with our 15 rebound margin and our superb FT shooting.
We still fouled too much and made too many turnovers (21), but all-in-all I was
really pleased that we were able to hold them off late in the game. Joe
Gonzales could not have picked a better time than when he did to drop two
consecutive threes. Melton, Stephenson, and Tagert had to share time with
4 fouls apiece, but none of them fouled out. We played without Andy
Gustafson, our leading scorer, today, so I was especially pleased at our
depth. Steward, Nowak, Stephenson, and LaMacchia again gave us quality
minutes. It was a good win for our young team."
Kalamazoo Valley 99, Olivet JV's 75
(12/1/00) (7-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 8 Game
Stats]
At the 14:00 minute mark in the first half, the Cougars,
behind the sharpshooting of Andy Gustafson and Nate Tagert, spurted to a 20-4
getaway. The rugged Comets, however, battled back to make it 45-30 at the
half, KVCC. In the second half the Comets closed to 64-56 on a layup by
Trent Harvey with 9:35 left. Bret Stephenson and Tagert went to work
inside and sparked a rally that enabled Valley to pull away down the
stretch. Dominick Melton pulled down 15 rebounds to lead a 51-32 margin
for KVCC. Stephenson and Matt LaMacchia came off the bench to score 16 and
12 respectively, and Tagert tossed in 16 to go with Joe Gonzales' 14 to pace the
Cougar scoring. Darryl Taylor led the Comets with 18, Mario DiSmuke had
17, Matt Brawley 15, Michael Simpson 11, and Jesse McCrary 10.
Coach's Comments: "We finally were able to shoot
over .500 in a game! We were 41-76 for .539, our season best. We had
trouble pulling away again, however, because our defense softened and Olivet's
resolve hardened. They were 14-40 for .350 in the first half and 18-35 for
.514 in the second. I thought our depth won this one as 10 players played
13 minutes or more; Tagert's 28 minutes was the most anyone played.
Brandon Steward came off the bench to dish out 6 assists with no turnovers,
while Ryan Cheevers and Joe Gonzales chipped in with 7 assists apiece. We
head for Holland, Michigan, tomorrow to play the Hope JV's at the Civic
Center. They have a fine team, so it will be another measure of our
progress this season."
Kalamazoo Valley 66, Macomb 60
(11/29/00) (6-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 7 Game
Stats]
KVCC jumped out to a 9-2 lead on the strength of 5 from
Derrick Calhoun and 4 from Andy Gustafson in this one. They never trailed,
although Macomb closed to within 2, 62-60 at the 2:42 mark. Free throws by
Ryan Cheevers (2-2) and Joe Gonzales (2-2) and some solid defense in the last
2:42 protected the slim lead. Calhoun led the Cougars with 16, Nate Tagert
had 13 off the bench, Gonzales scored 10, and Dominick Melton chipped in 10 on
5-7 shooting. Melton led all rebounders with 14, as the Cougars held a
43-36 rebounding edge for the game. With Macomb holding a 21-19 rebounding
edge at halftime, the Cougars attacked the glass with a 24-15 2nd half
edge. Especially noteworthy in this one was the way the Cougars turned
around Macomb's 9-5 offensive rebound halftime advantage to a 17-14 KVCC
advantage for the game. Tim Campbell led Macomb with 15 while Chad Gira
chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds. Tommy Gildon had 8 rebounds and 4
assists for the Monarchs.
Coach's Comments: "We only shot 26-63 for .413 so
we'd have to credit our defense for this one. Tagert was outstanding off
the bench and Calhoun's 3-3 from behind the arc was solid. Our offensive
efficiency the 2nd half was not good )13-33 for .394, and our defense softened
as they shot 16-32 for .500 in the 2nd half. The difference came down to
solid defense in the final 3 minutes, staying out of foul trouble (8 for the
game), and making the final 4 free throws we shot. We're far from where we
want to be, but regardless, it's a win on the road for a still very young team,
and I'm grateful for that."
Kalamazoo Valley vs Olivet JV's (11/21/00 -- Postponed due
to snow)
This game was rescheduled for Friday, December
1, at 4:00 PM at KVCC.
Kalamazoo Valley 75, Alma JV's 64
(11/20/00) (5-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 6 Game
Stats]
The Cougars jumped out to a 42-28 halftime margin and extended the margin to
55-30, with 14:17 remaining. Then the Scots dug in and launched a sterling
rally, outscoring KVCC 25-5 over the next 8 minutes. Holding onto a
tenuous 60-55 margin, Dominick Melton powered in a layup to make it 62-55 with
5:20 left. The stunned Cougars regrouped enough to hang on for their 5th
victory in 6 games. Andy Gustafson led the Cougar attack with 18.
Nate Tagert came off the bench to score 14 and haul in 5 rebounds.
Dominick Melton scored 12, but garnered a whopping 20 rebounds, just 2 off the
school record set by Scot Furman in the 1986-87 season. Chip Woodbury led
the Scots with 17 while Jim Thomas chipped in 10.
Coach's Comments: "Each game we play takes on a character unique
to the contest. This one looked as if it was going to be a breather down
the stretch, but our players must have thought the same thing. The Alma
program is getting stronger and stronger, and the tenacity of their young
players became evident. I hope we learned that we can NEVER go soft with
our defense, or virtually any lead is not safe. Every game is a learning
experience with this young team! Dominick Melton was outstanding on the
boards tonight and Nate's lift off the bench was huge. Our big men led the
scoring and helped get us to the line for 29 FT's but our overall guard play and
offensive execution will have to improve before we can be considered serious
contenders in our league."
Kalamazoo Valley 97, St. Clair 88
(OT) (11/18/00)
(4-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 5 Game
Stats]
This one was a classic nail-biter. Forging ahead early, the Cougars, up by 12
late in the half, fell prey to a patented momentum swing by the Clippers.
Valley did not score on the final 10 possessions of the half, while the fired-up
Clippers roared ahead on the 15-0 run. St. Clair went ahead 67-61 on a
jumper by James Brooks with 6:46 left. The Cougars clawed back to tie it
at 75-75 on a Andy Gustafson 3-pointer at he 2:56 mark. Jeremy Denha's
put-back with :35 left set the stage for the heroics by Valley's Joe
Gonzales. Joe stroked in a 15' jumper with :30 left, and the Cougar
defense held on the last possession. Then, Gonzales nailed two consecutive
3's to start the OT and the Cougars were on the way to a 16-7 overtime
margin. Gustafson led the way with 22, Derrick Calhoun chipped in 21,
Dominick Melton had 18, and Gonzales finished with 13. Denha and Brian
Pulaski each had 20, James Brooks 16, Ronnie Sanchez 15, and Garnett Kohler 13,
to lead the balanced Clipper attack.
Coach's Comments: "Our young team showed a lot of character this
afternoon. St. Clair raced ahead of us in last year's Classic in Muskegon
by a 42-15 margin and we never fully recovered. We started much better
today, and except for the lapse at the end of the first half, played pretty
consistent, fundamental basketball. Our second half shooting was 14-24 for
.583 and we finished with a season's best 33-59 for .559. Our defense
still is not where we want it to be, but we did not back down in this physical
contest. Dominick Melton played a courageous second half, overcoming two
separate injuries to finish with a game high 10 rebounds. Bret Stephenson
gave us good minutes off the bench, and Andy and Joe were outstanding down the
stretch. Andy scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half. And,
Derrick Calhoun continued his steady play for the third game in a row. The
long ride home was made happier by us being able to pull this one
out!"
Kalamazoo Valley 86, Alpena 65
(11/17/00) (3-1) [Box
Score]
This game featured mostly freshmen as the intense rivalry that has developed
over the years between these two schools continued. With a large and vocal
crowd attending the final game in first round action in the annual East/West
Classic, the first ten minutes saw a tight, physical, defensive struggle.
The Cougars inched ahead by 44-32 on a Dan Abbott rebound shot with :02
remaining. But the inbound pass was to Tyler Eison who raced toward
mid-court, launched a desperation 50-footer that split the net to ignite the
quieted Lumberjacks. But the Cougars were ready as the second half started
as they spurted out to 53-40 on a Gustafson basket with 17:03 remaining.
Despite a superlative 29 point, 10 rebound effort by Josh Walker, Alpena was
never able to close to within single digits. Andy Gustafson led the
balanced KVCC attack with 20. Derrick Calhoun had 14, Bret Stephenson 13,
Shane Nowak 11, and Joe Gonzales 9. KVCC won the battle of the boards
36-35 with Dominick Melton leading the way with 9. KVCC shot a season high
34-63 for .540 while holding Alpena to 27-64 for .422.
Coach's Comments: "We showed significant improvement in virtually
every phase of the game tonight, except in turning the ball over. Our
defense was more consistent and our shooting was the best so far this
year. I was especially pleased that we were able to hold them off in the
second half. Ryan Cheevers stepped up in Brandon Steward's absence and
made his floor presence felt. It was a good win against a formidable
opponent."
Kalamazoo Valley 106, Siena Heights JV's
99 (11/13/00)
(2-1) [Box
Score] [Accumulative 3 Game Stats]
The Cougars clawed out of the blocks in this one, building a
31-14 lead with 11:59 left in the half. The Saints (2-1), however, were
not about to take the Cougar surge lying down. They struck back to close
the gap to 55-46 with just over a minute. A Ryan Cheevers jumper and a
Derrick Calhoun steal and three pointer at the buzzer gave the Cougars a 60-46
advantage. Siena Hts. closed to within 3 several times late in the game,
largely due to the solid shooting of Jason Miller, who scored 14 of his 19 in
the second half. Vince Perkins led the Saints with 22, followed by
Miller's 19, and 12 by David Clarke. For the Cougars it was again Andy
Gustafson leading the scoring with 25. Derrick Calhoun followed with 23
and Ryan Cheevers came off the bench to score 15. Rebounding favored the
Saints, 54-43, with Leland DuNomes pulling down 11 and Perkins and Miller both
adding 9. Calhoun's 8 led the Cougars while Nate Tagert
garnered 7. Shane Nowak was the games leading assist man with 6.
Coach's Comments: "We started well again, but had
many soft spots in our defense. This is a very good JV team from
Siena Hts. They are physical and have several super perimeter
shooters. Jason Miller was a load for us tonight. Offensively, we
passed the ball better (29 total assists) and took care of the ball the best we
have yet (only 11 turnovers). Our field goal pct. is still way below what
we're pursuing, but our free throw shooting remained hot (25-30 for
83.3%). It was a good win. We were able to make a big play when we
needed it tonight. Brandon Steward was taken to the Emergency Room after
the game. He has a sharp pain in his clavicle, but x-rays were negative
and he was treated and released. His status for Friday's game is uncertain
at this time."
Kalamazoo Valley 81, Trinity Christian JV's
59 (11/11/00) (1-1) [Box
Score]
The Cougars started much better in this one, but sharpshooting
by Joseph Buikema just before the half closed the Cougar lead to 37-33.
But in a seven minute stretch in the second half, KVCC's defense held, forcing
TC into several turnovers and easy conversions. Valley's defense held
Trinity Christian to 11/38 second half shooting for a meager 28.9%.
Rebounding advantage this game went to the Cougars, 59-40. Andy Gustafson
again led the scoring with 17, while Derrick Calhoun and Joe Gonzales each added
13. Calhoun also had 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Dominick Melton
added 9 boards and Nate Tagert 8. The Cougars shot 37.8% for the game but
were a perfect 16-16 from the line. Trinity Christian shot 36.8% for the
game and were only 5-11 (45.5%) from the line.
Coach's Comments: "We not only started better in
this one, but we finished even better. Our defense seemed to jell a
little, but our offense was still ragged and inconsistent. Three point
shooting was 4-18 (17.6%), but we were able to force 24 turnovers and converted
on numerous of our 18 steals. It was a good first win and made the ride
back a little more enjoyable for everyone."
Illinois Central 100, Kalamazoo Valley
78 (11/10/00)
(0-1) [Box
Score]
The new look Cougars got a rude awakening to the intensity of college
basketball in this game. Perennial power, Illinois Central, jumped out of
the blocks to spurt to a 31-9 lead in the first 8 minutes. Numerous
turnovers and broken offensive plays contributed to the poor start. The
Illinois Central Cougar attack was led by Zach Scheirer who had 18 points and a
whopping 16 rebounds! Five other Central players were in double
figures. ICC dominated the glass, 55-36. For the KVCC Cougars, Andy
Gustafson led the way with 25 points and 8 rebounds. Derrick Calhoun had
11, and Dominick Melton 10. Nate Tagert also had 8 rebounds. Brandon
Steward chipped in 6 with 4 assists and 2 steals to his credit.
Coach's Comments: "I believe that things happen for a reason, and
I'm anxious to learn the reason for this totally unexpected
"collapse." We worked hard for 5 weeks, scrimmaged several
strong teams, and I really felt we were ready for this challenge. What
I've learned over the years in this coaching business, however, is about all you
can expect with any certainty is the unexpected. After we dug the 22 point
hole, we actually closed to within 10 in the first half and 8 in the second,
before losing by the 22 point margin. Time will tell how much we have
learned from this experience."
