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2001-02 Men's Basketball Results (Games
are listed in reverse chronological order) [Accumulative
Season Stats] [Accumulative
League Stats]
Muskegon 93, Kalamazoo Valley
80 (3/5/02)
(16-13) (7-7) [Box
Score]
This one was all Muskegon as the Jayhawks avenged two earlier
setbacks to the Cougars. Muskegon tightened up their inside defense from
the two previous contests with KVCC and managed to pull ahead in the first half,
24-16, on a Dan Aultman slicer at the 10:20 mark. The Cougars could only
gain a point the rest of the half, going to the intermission behind 38-31.
Despite a 20 point outburst by Ricky Shilts in the second half, Muskegon rode
Willie Thomas' 19 points and a balanced Jayhawk attack to the win. Thomas
netted a game-high 28, while Willie Burrel and Aultman chipped in 19 apiece;
Melvin Foley and Darin Kanouse rounded out the Muskegon attack with 10
each. Justin Best scored 27, Shilts had a career-high 23, and Dominick
Melton tossed in 14 for the Cougars. MCC won the battle of the boards,
45-42 with Melvin Foley leading the way with a game-high 11. Ryan Cheevers
had 9 assists for KVCC; Darin Kanouse had 10 for MCC. MCC shot 36-81 for
.444 for the game; KVCC was 30-70 for .429. Both teams shot well from the
line with MCC going 14-16 (.875), and KVCC finishing 11-14 (.786).
Coach's Comments: "Credit Muskegon for excellent
interior defense and balanced scoring in the win. It seemed as if every
time we battled back to get close, they countered with a key basket.
Thomas was sensational tonight, exploding for 19 2nd half points. After a
sluggish start, I thought we actually picked up our offense significantly in the
second half (18-32 for .563 from the field). However, our Achilles' Heel
was our inability to stop them. They seemed more energetic than we did
several times, nabbing 21 offensive rebounds to our 17. This is a good
Muskegon team that we were able at beat twice earlier, but they were determined
not to let that happen tonight. It was a disappointing way to end the
season, but I'm still proud of the 16 wins this team achieved. We played
through adversity after adversity this year, never having everyone healthy for a
full week at any time in the season. Even though we could not stop them
for any sustained period of time, we did not quit. It has been a good
year."
Lansing 95, Kalamazoo Valley
65 (2/27/02)
(16-12) (7-7) [Box
Score]
The Cougars led this one from the start until a Levi Rost
trifector put LCC ahead 30-28 with 3:47 left. Despite being down only
38-35 at the half, the Cougars would never catch up. The Stars unleashed
their spectacular three point show again tonight, hitting 15-32 with Rost's 5-6
leading the way. Rost led all scorers with 19 on 7-9 shooting, Terry
Reddick hit for 17 on 8-10 accuracy, Sabah Khoury had 14, Charles Ford 13, and
Melvin White 11 for the Stars. Rost also was the game's leading rebounder
with 12. KVCC garnered 38 boards to Lansing's 31. Rost also chipped
in with 6 assists. Dominick Melton led KVCC with 14; Ricky Shilts and
Justin Best each had 10. Lansing shot 38-74 for .514 from the floor while
KVCC was 25-54 for .463. The Cougars committed 26 turnovers to only 11 for
the Stars.
Coach's Comments: "They just wore us down
again. We played hard but did not have enough depth to counter their 5 for
5 substitution pattern. They continually disrupted our offensive flow with
relentless pressure from fresh substitutes. Their lead went from 3 to 10
to 15 and beyond as they converted countless steals into open shots at the other
end. Rost and Reddick were outstanding and the rest of the cast were solid
in their performance. They broke us down with the dribble time and time
again, and when we helped out, they kicked it out for an open three. This
is one of Lansing's finest teams, and tonight they gave clear indication as to
why they're league champions and 23-3 on the season."
Kalamazoo Valley 96, Lake Michigan
82 (2/25/02)
(16-11) (7-7) [Box
Score]
The Cougars charged out of the blocks tonight on their way to
a torrid 20-34 FG-FGA first half (.588) to post a 49-31 halftime margin.
It was a good thing for the Cougars, however, as Lake Michigan battled back in
the second half to go 20-38 (.526) themselves, once closing to 4 points (69-65)
with 7:43 left on a jumper from red-hot Lee Sims. Sims scored an
impressive 23 second half points, finishing with 30 for the game. LMC was
33-69 (.478) from the field for the game while the Cougars actually improved on
their first half percentage by finishing 36-60 for .600 from the floor.
Both teams were effective from behind the arc with LMC netting 7-17 for .412 and
KVCC 7-15 for .467. Maurice Barr poured in 22 and had 6 rebounds for the
Indians. Adam Abdul-Haqq added 7 boards to the Indians' cause.
Dominick Melton scored 31 on 12-15 shooting from the floor and 6-7 from the
line. He also grabbed 8 rebounds for KVCC. Ricky Shilts scored
a season high 20 points on 5-7 from the floor, 4-5 from behind the arc, and 6-6
from the foul line. He also chipped in 6 assists for the Cougar
cause. Ryan Cheevers scored 13 points, Andre Gibson 12, and Justin Best 10
to round out the well-balanced Cougar attack. Gibson was the game's top
rebounder with 10; KVCC held a 35-26 margin on the glass.
Coach's Comments: "I thought the difference tonight
was our ability to get a substantial lead in the first half. Our biggest
lead was 45-23 but we faded before halftime to 49-31. However, LMC
"owned" the first 13 minutes of the final half. Lee Sims was
unstoppable (23 points), and Maurice Barr cleaned up inside. After their
38-20 run in the second half, we settled down to play pretty well down the
stretch. Playing with a touch of the flu, Dominick Melton dug in as did
iron-man Ryan Cheevers and we shot the ball well enough to overcome our
turnovers (11 in the second half). We had good scoring balance, and
managed to out-rebound them, even though we had trouble defending them
again. I'm delighted with the win. Now we head for Lansing for a
Quarterfinal game against the league champion Lansing Stars. It'll be an
awesome challenge, but at least we have a chance to advance. LCC beat us
103-94 up there early in January and pounded us 98-58 here in early
February."
Ancilla 99, Kalamazoo Valley 96 (2
OT's) (2/22/02)
(15-11) (7-7) [Box
Score]
The Chargers lived up to their nickname tonight!
Sporting a torrid 3 point attack, Ancilla buried 7 of 11 treys in the opening
half to stake a 42-38 lead over the Cougars. Ancilla upped the margin to
49-40 in the early going of the final half, but KVCC, behind a career effort by
Justin Best, (14-18 FG-FGA's for 38 points), managed to go on a 29-15 run to
take a 69-64 lead on a Bret Stephenson basket with 7:03 left. But the
Chargers charged right back, holding KVCC scoreless from the 4:00 minute mark to
the :36 second mark and closing to within two at 75-73 on a Paul Sammons putback
with 1:00 left. Best dropped one of two FT's, at the :36 mark, Ryan
Cheevers made one of two FT's at the :19 second mark, and Cheevers again dropped
one of two FT's at the :06 mark to put KVCC up 79-76. Enter Thomas Brown
with :02 left and an out-of-bounds play that resulted in a fallaway three that
kissed the glass at the buzzer to tie the game at 79. The Cougars pushed
the lead to 85-81 on a Nate Tagert jump hook with 2:29 left in the first
OT. Andre Gibson dropped one of two Ft's with 2:08 left and Ricky Shilts
hit two for two FT's with 1:15 left, but Ancilla again answered with a David
Hanger jumper at 1:28, an Edwin Belardo jumper with 1:08, a Paul Sammons putback
with :38, and another spectacular save, this one by Belardo, a 17' jumper with 3
ticks left to tie it once again at 88. A Ricky Shilts three with 2:40 left
in the 2nd OT put the Cougars back on top, 96-93, but the lead was short-lived
as Paul Sammons stepped behind the arc to tie it up at the 2:06 mark. A
Bret Stephenson power basket with :16 left was nullified as he was called for
pushing off as he posted up. Derek Iseminger was the benefactor, netting
two FT's with 16 ticks left. Belardo added another FT with :08 remaining
to make it 99-96 as the Cougars called timeout to set up a final play.
Bret Stephenson's open three pointer fell harmlessly off the rim as Ancilla won
this fiercely contested battle. Brown led the Ancilla squad with 28 and 8
assists, Austin Brooks added 21 points, Belardo 12, and Sammons 11.
Sammons had 9 rebounds to lead the Chargers. KVCC was led by Justin Best's
38 points and 5 assists, Dominick Melton added 21 and a game-high 13 rebounds,
Bret Stephenson added 10, and Cheevers 9. KVCC held a slim edge on the
boards 39-38. The Cougars shot 31-58 for .534 from the floor; Ancilla was
37-77 for .481. KVCC shot a whopping 47 FT's, netting a modest 31; Ancilla
was 14-25 from the charity stripe.
Coach's Comments: "We knew going into this game
that we were in for a struggle. Ancilla has played many league teams
tough, losing close game after close game, including two overtime losses.
The key for us was defending the three, and they were 7-11 from behind the arc
in the first half! We managed to tighten down in that area the remainder
of the game (they were 4-16 over the 2nd half and the 2 OT's), but we had to
battle back from a nine point deficit early in the second half and each time we
had a chance to "seal" the win, we either missed a free throw or they
made a spectacular shot. Justin was fantastic inside and we actually took
pretty good care of the ball (7 second half turnovers), but we just couldn't
defend their guards. Brown and Brooks were fantastic tonight and Jayme
Fazi and Edwin Belardo bit BIG baskets on us. Sammons had a really solid
game and his three with 2:06 left in the second OT brought them back to be in a
position to win. This was a great emotional game with excitement on play
after play. We learned when we got home that Lake Michigan had beaten
Grand Rapids and we finished the league in fourth place and will play Lake
Michigan at home Monday (February 25) night in the first round of the MCCAA
State Tournament. The winner Monday night will go to Lansing for the
Quarterfinal game on Wednesday, February 27."
Kalamazoo Valley 92, Kellogg
88 (2/20/02)
(15-10) (7-6) [Box
Score]
What a game! This was a classic struggle between quick,
aggressive, pressing guards on one team, and bigger, stronger post men on the
other. A Nate Tagert three after a slick offensive rebound and pass by
Andre Gibson slipped the Cougars ahead at the half 48-39 behind a torrid 20-28
from the field for .714. The Cougars took a 77-72 lead on a Ricky Shilts trey
with 6:53 left in the game, but Kellogg battled back to go up by 2, 86-84 on 2
FT's by Todd Flynn with 2:02 remaining. The Cougars worked the ball to
Gibson for an inside power move with 1:27 remaining that tied the score at
86. Strong responded with another offensive putback to make it 88-86 KCC.
But Justin Best tied it again at 88 with a neat inside power move. Kellogg
worked for the last shot but turned the ball over with 7.4 seconds left.
The inbounds play went 3/4 court from Best to Shilts to Cheevers to Melton
driving down the middle for the basket with 1.5 seconds left. A subsequent
foul with .5 seconds remaining gave Cheevers a chance to make 2 more FT's for
the final 92-88 margin. KVCC shot a season best .630 for the game on 34-54
from the field. Kellogg was a nifty 34-67 for .508 for the game.
KVCC won the battle on the boards by a slender 30-29 margin, although Kellogg
had 15 offensive rebounds to only 10 for the Cougars. The Valley men were
19-25 from the line (.760) while Kellogg was 13-20 (.650). Dominick Melton
led all scorers with 24 points while Justin Best netted 23 on 9-11
shooting. Andre Gibson chipped in 12, Bret Stephenson 11, and Ricky Shilts
10 for KVCC. Bryce Johnson led KCC with 18; Antonio Strong had 14, and
Aaron Randle 11. Melton led all rebounders with 9.
Coach's Comments: "This was tense from the
tip-off. Kellogg kept running fresh players at us and wore us down.
On the plus side, however, was the fact that we continually got the ball inside
for easy baskets. Our shot selection was excellent tonight. However,
I was disappointed in our play in two areas. First, we did not do a good
defensive job on them in the second half; they broke us down too many times and
they beat us to the glass for second and third shots too many times.
Second, we still made too many turnovers (19 compared to 25 in an 80-71 victory
at KCC earlier) that resulted in easy baskets, especially down the
stretch. Credit their defensive pressure for our turnovers, but we also
know that in order for us to play well down the stretch of the season, we simply
must handle the ball better. It was a great win, however, as we made THE big
play at the end to pull it out. The fans got their money's worth
tonight."
Grand Rapids 76, Kalamazoo Valley
72 (2/16/02)
(14-10) (6-6) [Box
Score]
This was a physical battle from start to finish. Grand
Rapids made the plays in the last two minutes to seal the hard-fought
victory. Derek Reynolds' trey with 1:13 left in the game stretched a
71-70 Raider lead to 74-70 and proved to be the deciding dagger.
Reynolds and Calvin Ollie each had 25 to lead GRCC; Darren Tanis popped in
19. Ricky Shilts scored 18 (6-7 from 3 point land), Dominick Melton
chipped in 17, Justin Best 14, and Ryan Cheevers 10 for KVCC. Mike
Valliere led all passers with 9 assists while Bret Stephenson had 7 assists and
Cheevers 6 for KVCC. Melton pulled down 15 rebounds and Stephenson
10 to lead the Cougars to a 41-32 edge on the glass. GRCC shot 29-64
(.453) from the floor; KVCC was 27-62 (.435).
Coach's Comments: "Our offense sputtered in the
second half today. We had trouble scoring in close. The game was
extremely physical; that benefited Grand Rapids more than it did us today.
Their relentless full court pressure took its toll on our ball handling,
especially in the last five minutes of the game. We were in a position to
win another one, but we were unable to take control of the end game as we have
done several times before. We held Reynolds to 1-10 shooting from behind
the arc when we beat them in Grand Rapids; today he was 6-13! Also, Tanis
was in foul trouble early in GR, but today the physical play inside worked to
his advantage as he was on the floor for 32 minutes and was 8-12 from the field,
most of them on slashing power moves. Credit Calvin Ollie with a solid
performance also (10-15 from the field and 8 rebounds). We've still got a
shot at third place with two games left. At least we left the gym still
ahead of them in the standings. (KVCC is 6-6 and GRCC 5-7 in league
play.)
Kalamazoo Valley 91, Muskegon
74 (2/13/02)
(14-9) (6-5) [Box
Score]
Muskegon jumped out to an 11-1 lead as the Jayhawk defense
held KVCC to one point in the first 5:15 of the half. Behind some solid
inside work, however, the Cougars managed to regroup and go ahead for the first
time, 36-35, on two free throws by Dominick Melton at the 1:53 mark in the
half. Then Andre Gibson, Melton, and Justin Best scored rapid field goals,
and Ryan Cheevers threw in a 50 footer at the buzzer to give KVCC a 45-38
halftime lead over the stunned Jayhawks. Muskegon could not regain the
lead as the Cougars shot a torrid 16-24 (.667) from the floor in the second half
while holding the Jayhawks to a frigid 16-43 (.372) during the same time
period. KVCC finished the game 32-54 for a blistering .593; Muskegon was
32-77 for .416. The Cougars were led by Justin Best, 23, Andre Gibson
(8-10 FG-FGA), 22, Dominick Melton 17, and Ryan Cheevers, 13. Melton led
in rebounding with 9; Gibson chipped in 8 and Bret Stephenson 7.
Stephenson had 7 assists; Ricky Shilts had 5 assists. Dan Aultman led
Muskegon with 22 and 9 boards; Todd Terpstra added 13 and Willie Thomas
11. KVCC won the battle of the boards by a slim 37-34 margin. The
Cougars were 23-28 (.821) from the line; Muskegon was 8-12 (.667).
Coach's Comments: "I thought there were two keys
tonight. First, we did not panic when Muskegon came out hot and got us
down ten immediately. Second, we were successful at pushing the ball
inside, especially in the second half, which showed up in our .667 field goal
percentage. This was a great road win for us. It puts us back into a
tie with Muskegon for third place in the conference race with three games to
go. Gibson and Best were outstanding in the second half, and Stephenson's
passing keyed the inside work. And, it didn't hurt that Ryan Cheevers
broke out of his shooting slump with 10 second half points. Our thoughts
and prayers are with our volunteer coach and dear friend, Leonard Jordan, who
fainted during the second half and was transported to Mercy Hospital for
tests. We stopped by after the game to talk with him; he was coherent and
happy we won, but the doctors wanted to keep him overnight for further
testing."
Glen Oaks 78, Kalamazoo Valley
71 (2/9/02)
(13-9) (5-5) [Box
Score]
The Vikings and the Cougars slugged it out minute by minute in
this physical rematch in the Viking den. Glen Oaks held a slim 36-35
halftime lead, but saw the Cougars battle back to take the lead 54-51 on a Nate
Tagert three with 12:52 left in the game. The Vikings then went on a 14-2
run behind threes by Todd Henry and Tyrell Hightower and two more field goals
and a free throw by Hightower. KVCC knotted the score again at 71, with
2:39 left, on two FT's by Ricky Shilts. The Vikings answered again,
however, by scoring the game's final 7 points. Hightower led Glen Oaks
with 21, Henry had 14, and Robbie Keyes chipped in 10. Ricky Shilts and
Andre Gibson had 14 for the Valley; Dominick Melton had 13, and Justin Best
11. Glen Oaks won the battle on the boards 32-30 with Jason Johnson and
Henry leading the way with 7. Melton led the Cougars with 12 carooms.
Glen Oaks shot 27-60 for .450 from the floor; KVCC was 26-63 for .491. The
Vikings committed 11 turnovers to Valley's 24.
Coach's Comments: "We played Glen Oaks much tougher
this time around. Even though they were short-handed with Lewis Muse hurt
on the sideline, we improved our play in every facet of the game from the first
100-69 loss to the Vikings. Ironically, however, the area that hurt the
most in the first loss, bit us again. We had 24 turnovers (27 last time)
against their constant pressure, many again resulting in easy baskets.
They had 11 turnovers (8 last time). We managed to get the lead twice in
the last 13:00 minutes, and again to tie it at 2:39 but our defense could not
hold them off. We kept Hightower in check the first half (2 points), but
he exploded for 19 in the second half. With Pat Makowski on crutches, we
are even thinner, using basically a 7 man rotation. Glen Oaks had a 10 man
rotation, and I felt that their depth was a deciding factor in the game.
This was a physical game and we had some gutsy efforts, but they controlled the
last 2:39 and that was the game. I was proud of the effort our players
made today. We slipped to 4th in the league with a big league game coming
against 3rd place Muskegon Wednesday evening."
Kalamazoo Valley 77, Lake Michigan
61 (2/6/02)
(13-8) (5-4) [Box
Score]
After jumping out to a 7-0 lead, KVCC fell victim to a furious
Lake Michigan rally and dropped behind 12-14 on a jumper by Adam Abdul-Haqq at
the 12:41 mark in the first half. Behind some nifty inside work by Nate
Tagert, (12 first half points), however, the Cougars regrouped and went to the
lockerroom with a 43-34 halftime advantage. Tagert scored again at the
9:53 mark in the game to put KVCC up 60-40. The Indians would not quit,
however, but could get no closer than the final margin. KVCC was led by
Justin Best with 20 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. Tagert had 16
points and a game high 15 rebounds. Dominick Melton chipped in 13 points
and 6 rebounds; Ricky Shilts added 11 points; and Andre Gibson had 10 points and
6 rebounds. Bret Stephenson pulled down 7 rebounds as KVCC held a 49-32
advantage on the glass. Ryan Cheevers dished out 7 assists as well.
The Indians were led by Richardo Horton's 11 and Glenn Keller's 10. Lance
Fleming had 8 boards for LMC, and Lee Sims dished out 6 assists and made no
turnovers. KVCC shot 34-72 for .472 from the floor; LMC was 24-64 for
.375.
Coach's Comments: "I am pleased with the way we
were able to bounce back after the lopsided loss to Lansing last Saturday.
We rebounded better, took better care of the ball, and passed much better
tonight than we did last Saturday. I thought Nate Tagert had his best game
of the season; we needed that. And I thought our defense was pretty
effective in the second half, holding LMC to 10-36 for .278 from the
field. We still did not defend the three very well (LMC was 9-24 for
.375), but our 27 assists were the best we have done for awhile. The win
keeps us in a tie for third place in the conference as we prepare for a rematch
with league leader Glen Oaks at their place Saturday."
Lansing 98, Kalamazoo Valley
58 (2/2/02)
(12-8) (4-4) [Box
Score]
With the score tied 10-10, Lansing went on a 22-7 run and
never looked back in this one. The Stars put on a clinic as the Cougars
went from bad to worse. Lansing controlled the boards 46-28, but more
importantly, held a 20-3 edge in offensive rebounding over KVCC. The
tenacious Star defense forced 28 Cougar turnovers, most resulting in easy
transition baskets. LCC had only 10 turnovers for the game. The
Stars shot 41-84 for .488 from the field; KVCC was 20-47 for .426.
The Stars were led by reserve Sabah Khoury, who came off the bench to score 18
first half points. Khoury had 22 for the game. Levi Rost and Charles
Ford each tossed in 13 and Da'Velle Hoskins had 11. Fleet-footed Kyree
McKnight chipped in with 6 assists; Ford had 5. The Cougars were led in
scoring by Justin Best with 15; Andre Gibson had 12 and Ricky Shilts 10.
Bret Stephenson had 5 assists. Pat Makowski and Gibson were the top KVCC
rebounders with 5 boards each.
Coach's Comments: "Lansing dominated virtually
every phase of this game. I'm not sure any team in the country in Division
II basketball could have beaten them today. Their relentless pressure
caused us to cough up the ball time and time again. We managed to start
out okay against them, but when they subbed 5 for 5, they took off! Khoury
sparked them with some outstanding 3 point shooting, and they totally crushed us
on the boards. We got 37 fewer shots and made 18 more turnovers against
them. The only area we beat them in was free throw shooting where we were
14-18 to their 5-12. I'm at a loss to explain, after our last 4 league
wins, how we could play so poorly both inside and out. Their defense kept
us from scoring inside, and they kept pressure on us on the perimeter to allow
us only occasional looks. Credit LCC with a great effort today! We
have to regroup and look toward Wednesday when we have a rematch against Lake
Michigan, another team that beat us early in league play."
Kalamazoo Valley 85, Ancilla
61 (1/30/02)
(12-7) (4-3) [Box
Score]
Behind 4 consecutive treys by Ricky Shilts in the first 4:15
of the half, the Cougars spurted out to a 14-5 advantage over the
Chargers. The Chargers battled back to close to 24-20 with 8:21 left in
the half. But Justin Best scored 6 points and Dan Hinkle threw in a 3 to
give the Cougars a 43-31 halftime edge. The Cougars dug in on defense,
holding Ancilla to 2 points over the first 5:51 of the second half, pushing the
margin to 53-32 in the process. KVCC shot .527 from the field (29-55),
while Ancilla managed only .314 (22-70). Shilts led the balanced Cougar
attack with 17; Dominick Melton and Bret Stephenson added 13; Justin Best had 12
and Andre Gibson 10. Melton was the game's top rebounder with 11;
Stephenson had 9 boards, leading KVCC to a 48-32 rebound margin for the
game. Shilts and Best chipped in with 6 assists for the Cougars.
Paul Sammons' 15 led Ancilla; David Hanger had 12, and Thomas Brown 11.
Coach's Comments: "Our quick start tonight helped
us secure our 4th straight league victory. We knew we had to stay up on
their three point shooters, and for the most part we did that pretty well.
They were 7-25 for .280 from three point land. We're not totally healthy
yet, but we're getting stronger game by game. I thought our passing at the
start was key in setting up Ricky's threes, and we played pretty good defense in
the last 7 minutes of the first half. Justin was steady in the second half
and Dominick's defense plugged up some holes we had in earlier games. Bret
played extremely well again, giving us an inside presence (4-6 from the field
and 5-5 from the line) to complement Andre, Dominick, and Nate. We still
made too many turnovers (18), but they were offset tonight with our .527
accuracy from the field. Now we have to get ready for a BIG rematch with
Lansing Saturday."
Kalamazoo Valley 80, Kellogg
71 (1/26/02)
(11-7) (3-3)
[Box
Score]
With a 12-9 lead at the 13:21 mark in the first half, KVCC's
defense stiffened and they spurted with a 12-0 run on the Bruins. However,
even Andre Gibson's 11 first half points could not keep Kellogg, behind some
nifty inside work of Antonio Strong, from closing the gap to 35-29 at the
half. The banged and battered Cougars, sparked by Ricky Shilts' 15 second
half points, kept the Bruins at bay for the remainder of the game. KVCC
answered challenge after challenge by the spirited Bruins, but the closest
Kellogg could get was 62-55 after back-to-back triples by Laron Braxton.
Shilts led the balanced Cougar attack with 18, Gibson had 14, Justin Best 12,
Bret Stephenson 11, and Dominick Melton 10. KVCC out-rebounded Kellogg
42-32 with Melton grabbing 8 and Gibson 7. Strong led KCC with
8. Ryan Cheevers' 8 assists led KVCC in the passing category.
KVCC shot .528 on 28-53 from the field; KCC shot .359 on 28-78. Give the
edge from behind the arc to KVCC in this one also; the Cougars were 5-11 (.455)
while the Bruins were a coolish 4-23 (.174).
Coach's Comments: "This was an important win for us
on the road. Kellogg has been playing well with recent wins over Lake
Michigan (85-62) and Muskegon (80-77) and we were trying to catch up with them
in the league. Although he had no field goals, Ryan Cheevers' floor game
(8 assists, 1 turnover) was a key factor today. Stephenson and Gibson were
tough inside, and Dominick Melton solidified our interior
defense. We did not handle the ball well (25 turnovers), so
we're not misled by the victory. We must take better care of the ball
against good quickness. When we did handle the ball, we got good
shots. Ricky's 3 threes in the second half gave us an effective inside-out
punch today."
Kalamazoo Valley 88, Grand Rapids
75 (1/23/02)
(10-7) (2-3) [Box
Score]
Behind balanced scoring, tenacious defense, and superior
offensive rebounding the Raiders jumped out to a 40-33 halftime advantage.
But the Cougars clawed back in the second half, scorching the nets for 20-31
(.645) from the field. A Justin Best three put KVCC up 72-69 with 6:04
left and KVCC went on a 16-6 run to close out the win. Best led all
scorers with 29, while Ryan Cheevers hit for 18 (16 in the 2nd half), Andre
Gibson 13, and Dominick Melton 10. The Cougars held a 41-33 rebounding
edge with Gibson leading all scorers with 19; Bret Stephenson had 9. Ricky
Shilts chipped in with 9 assists; Cheevers and Stephenson each had 5.
Derrick Reynolds again led Grand Rapids with 18 followed by Roscoe Anderson and
Calvin Ollie with 15 each. Ollie led the Raiders with 8 boards; Anderson
had 14 assists. Ryan Cheevers sealed the game with 6-6 shooting from the
line in the last 3:48. GRCC finished 31-69 (.449) from the field and 4-23
(.174) from three point land. KVCC was 35-64 (.547) from the field and
5-19 (.263) from behind the arc. The Raiders were a coolish 9-23 (.429)
from the line while KVCC hit 13-19 (.684) free throws. Grand Rapids
commited only 11 turnovers to 16 for KVCC.
Coach's Comments: "This was a great win for
us. We stuck together despite falling behind early. I thought the
difference in the second half was our shot selection, our ball handling, and our
defense. Plus, we gave up 11 offensive rebounds in the first half and only
2 in the second. Reynolds is a great player as witnessed by the fact that
he scored 18 while being the target of our defense. I was really pleased
to see Ryan Cheevers step up and shoot the way he has before. His ankle
keeps getting better and better and his play is improving as a results of his
increased mobility. Ryan, Justin, and Ricky all reached down deep tonight
and maintained some consistency without a rest in the second half.
Dominick gave us quality minutes in spite of being in foul trouble, and Justin
gets the game ball! Not only did he handle the pressure, but he also
managed 12-18 shooting with numerous slashing moves to the basket. The
.547 pct. from the field is our best in our 5 league games. Now it's on to
Kellogg and another challenge Saturday."
Kalamazoo Valley 85, Muskegon
65 (1/19/02)
(9-7) (1-3) [Box
Score]
With Andre Gibson and Justin Best scoring the first 11 points
for the Cougars, the home team bolted out to an 11-4 advantage at the 16:30
mark. Balanced scoring and consistent defense led to a slim 41-37 halftime
margin for KVCC. Ricky Shilts scored all 15 of his points in the second
half (6-6 FT-FTA) as KVCC never relinquished its lead. Six players scored
in double figures for KVCC: Best 19, Shilts 15, Dominick Melton 14, Nate
Tagert 12, Ryan Cheevers 11, and Andre Gibson 10. Gibson led the Cougars
with 13 boards; Bret Stephenson and Best had 8 apiece as KVCC held a slim 45-44
rebound margin. Dan Aultman had 13 caroms and Willie Burrel and Ben
Scholten each had 7. Burrel and Aultman led Muskegon with 17 and 13 points
respectively. KVCC shot 27-53 for .509 from the field while holding the
Jayhawks to 27-87 for .310. KVCC was a torrid 25-31 from the line for
.806. Muskegon was 5-6 for .833.
Coach's Comments: "This was a great win for
us. We have had a lot of adversity lately, and it was gratifying to be
able to rebound like this. Every person that played, played
courageously. We're still a beaten and battered team, but at least this
win over a quality team signals that we may be down but we're not out! I
thought the difference was in two areas: we played better defense, and we
were more under control on offense today than we have been in our first three
league games. Now it's Grand Rapids and their outstanding quickness next
Wednesday night. I'm hopeful that we can build on this big win
today."
Glen Oaks 100, Kalamazoo Valley
69 (1/16/02)
(8-7) (0-3) [Box
Score]
After a Nate Tagert jumper to start the game, the Vikings took
control of every phase of this game, spurting out to a formidable 52-37 halftime
margin. Former McDonald's High School All American, Tyrell Hightower, led
the Viking charge with 29 points on 10-18 shooting from the field and 8-10 from
the line. Lewis Muse chipped in 22 points and added a game high 11
rebounds. Robbie Keyes rounded out Glen Oaks' double figure scorers with
15. Ricky Shilts led the Cougars with 15 (5-9 from behind the arc).
Justin Best and Dominick Melton each added 11. The Vikings out-rebounded
KVCC by 12, 49-37.
Coach's Comments: "We were out-rebounded, out-quicked,
out-shot, and out-played by a good team tonight. We again had trouble
getting into any consistent rhythm on offense and simply could not stop the
Viking penetration and attack on the glass. We haven't been dominated
inside like this for a long time. This is only the third time this season,
in 15 games, that we have been out-rebounded. Add to this the fact that we
committed 27 turnovers to Glen Oaks' 8, and the outcome is understandable.
One bright spot was our 22-26 performance from the FT line, a season best
(.846)."
Lake Michigan 89, Kalamazoo Valley
77 (1/12/02)
(8-6) (0-2) [Box
Score]
This one was close at the start, with Nate Tagert leading the
way for the Cougars with 10 points in the first 7 minutes; Derek Ingeson paced
the early Indian attack with three 3's in the first 8:14. LMC spurted in
the middle of the first half, stretching their lead to 44-30 with 3:00
left. KVCC went on an 11-3 run to close to within 6 (47-41) at the
half. The Indians shot a blistering .581 (18-31) in the opening half while
cooling off to 12-31 for .419 in the 2nd half. The Cougars were 15-32 for
.469 in half one, 15-39 for .385 in half two. KVCC, behind two 3's
from Ricky Shilts and layups by Justin Best and Bret Stephenson managed to tie
the game at 71 with 5:07 left, but Glenn Keller scored twice and Lee Sims popped
a three at the 3:53 to spark a 7-0 Indian run and take control of the end
game. Ingeson led the Indians with 23 (9-9 from the line), Lance Fleming
had 18, Sims 15, and Keller and Maurice Barr 10 apiece. Andre Gibson led
the Cougars with 18 while Best had 15, Tagert 13, and Shilts 11. The
Cougars won the battle of the boards 46-33 with Best and Stephenson grabbing 8
and Gibson 7. Fleming had 9 and Keller 7 for LMC. LMC's 3 point
markmanship (9-21) .429 gave them a decided advantage in this one; KVCC was 5-19
(.263). LMC commited 12 turnovers; KVCC had 20.
Coach's Comments: "For the second straight game we
had trouble defending the three point shot. And we again made crucial
turnovers in key parts of the game. Melton and Cheevers are recovering
from injuries and are at 50-60% efficiency. Both made heroic efforts today
but their games are still sub-par. We need them both at full
strength. Credit LMC for a solid game plan, sharp passing, excellent shot
selection, and a strong defensive effort. I feel as if we are starting
over and are at the same point now that we were 3-4 games into the season.
We are a team searching for its identity. I am hoping that we can get
everyone healthy, stabilize positions, clarify roles, and move forward from
here. I don't think the season could get much more frustrating, but we
will not give up hope. If we stick together and continue to work hard, we
can still reach our full potential."
Lansing 103, Kalamazoo Valley
94 (1/9/02)
(8-5) (0-1) [Box
Score]
The 10-2 Stars jumped out to a 21-8 lead behind the 3-point
bombardment of Davelle Hoskins and Levi Rost. The Cougars hung tough the
rest of the half, closing to 45-40 at the 1:23 mark and finishing the half down
52-44, despite .386 shooting (17-44). Lansing protected a fragile lead
until the 7:02 mark when Justin Best netted a tri-fector to put the Cougars up
for the first time in the game, 79-78. Valley stretched that lead to 82-78
on a FT by Ricky Shilts and a layup by Pat Makowski. Makowski's basket
capped a 12-0 Cougar run that began when the game's leading rebounder, Dominick
Melton, sustained a knee injury that put him out of the game for good at the
9:50 mark. The Cougar lead was short-lived, however, when Par Yelsik took
and dropped his only 2 three point attempts of the night making it Lansing 84,
KVCC 82. Justin Best tied the game at 86 and then again at 88 before a
Melvin White 3 put LCC up for good at the 3:04 mark, 89-88. Hoskins led
the way for the Stars, bagging 8 threes in 18 tries and finishing with 27
points. Waverly's Terry Reddick scored 23, Melvin White 20, and Levi Rost
17. Best's 27 led the balanced Cougar attack while Melton hit for 16, Bret
Stephenson 13, Billy Collins 12, and Nate Tagert and Ricky Shilts 10
apiece. KVCC outrebounded the Stars 57-36 with Melton's 15 high and
Stephenson's 11 next best. Rost was the only Star in double figure
rebounding with 10. Rost added 8 assists, Kyree McKnight 7 for Lansing;
Shilts led the Cougars with 8 assists. KVCC finished with a coolish .419
from the field on 36-86 shooting; Lansing was a torrid 38-74 (.514). The
game, however, was decided behind the arc with Lansing swishing 16 of 36 tries
(.444) and KVCC only connecting on 3 of 18 (.167).
Coach's Comments: "We showed a lot of heart
tonight, but were simply not able to make the big plays when we needed to.
Lansing took a bundle of threes, and we did not get good pressure on them.
Hoskins and White were outstanding from behind the arc and Reddick hurt us
inside. We got to the line 10 more times than they did and we outrebounded
them 57-36, but the 16 3's did us in. Yelsik's consecutive 3's at the 5:30
and 5:05 mark erased our lead quickly. Justin played well, as did
Dominick, but we were not able to generate consistent offensive balance.
In spite of that, however, I thought that our defense was much too weak to be
able to defeat a good team. When we score 94 points, we should be able to
win; when we give up 103 points, we're not going to win often. We must
regroup in a hurry."
Kalamazoo Valley 119, Oakland
81 (12/15/01)
(8-4) [Box Score]
Parlaying balanced scoring and solid defense, KVCC jumped out
to a 17-2 lead and cruised to a 63-33 halftime margin in this one. The
Cougars were led by Justin Best's 25 (10-13 from the field), Dominick Melton's
21, and Derrick Calhoun's 17. Bret Stephenson added 13 and 8 assists, and
Ricky Shilts 10 and 7 assists. Chris Girerd led Oakland with 19; Artie
Lockett had 13. KVCC shot 43-82 for .512 while holding the Raiders to
31-94 for .330. The Cougars also controlled the boards 66-42.
Coach's Comments: "After three tough losses, this
was a welcome experience for us. We got out of the blocks quickly and
managed to finish the half strong. Our defense eventually disappeared but
not until we had a 40+ point advantage. Everyone that played scored, a
rare event for any team. We had balanced scoring, rebounded well, and we
finished with our best assist-turnover ratio (35-19) of the season. It was
a good way to end the semester."
Lakeland 89, Kalamazoo Valley
84 (12/14/01)
(7-4) [Box Score]
The Cougars fell behind early again tonight as Antonn Melton
poured in 11 of his team's first 22 points to give Lakeland a 21-16 edge at the
11:22 mark. The Lakers protected that lead behind 18 Melton points in the
first half. The second half was a tense struggle with KVCC finally
knotting the score at 76 with 3:18 left. Every time the Cougars knocked,
however, the Lakers answered. Melton finished with a game-high 32 points
while sharpshooting lefty Brad Winton was 5-5 from behind the arc and 2-2 from
the FT line for 17. Dustin Kinney popped in 22, and Doug Viegas 11 as
Lakeland went 29-60 (.483) from the field. Kinney led the Lakers with 11
rebounds as he helped his team to a slender 35-31 rebound advantage.
Perhaps the most telling statistic, however, was the Lakers' torrid 21-23
performance from the FT line, featuring a perfect 13-13 in the second
half. KVCC, led by Derrick Calhoun's 20, managed five more field
goals enroute to an impressive 34-65 (.523) field goal tally. Dominick
Melton had 15, Bret Stephenson 13, Justin Best and Ricky Shilts 12 each in the
balanced Cougar attack. Melton led the rebounding with 11. KVCC
finished 6-19 (.316) from behind the arc compared to Lakeland's 10-21 (.476).
Coach's Comments: "Against another quality opponent
we were not able to play solid enough defense to pull off a win. Our
offense is improving, but our inability to defend the dribble or the shooting
from behind the arc cost us dearly tonight. Melton and Winton were
outstanding for the Lakers from the perimeter, and Kinney pretty much destroyed
us inside. After starting rather lethargically, we picked up our intensity
and battled hard in the second half. But as happens so often against a
good opponent, the hole was a bit too deep. We took better care of the
ball (25 assists, 15 turnovers) and we selected and shot well (.523), but the
little things make the difference and we didn't get the little things done
tonight on defense."
Kennedy King 85, Kalamazoo Valley
73 (12/12/01)
(7-3) [Box
Score]
The 8-2 Statesmen from Kennedy King struggled early against a
determined Cougar squad. Kennedy King trailed until a 3 pointer by Dwayne
Williams at the 7:06 mark in the half put them up 25-24. The Cougars kept
All American candidate, 6'8" Cameron Echols (8 pts) bottled up most of the
game, but 6'7" Elijah Palmer (17 1st half pts), and 6'2" sharpshooting
guard Dwayne Williams (14 pts in the 1st half), picked up the slack for the
Division I power, enabling them to lead by a slim 41-38 halftime margin, despite
KVCC's torrid .607 shooting from the field. KVCC managed to stay close
until KK applied an aggressive trapping press at the 11:00 minute mark, forcing
several turnovers and spurting the Statesmen to a 77-60 lead with 7:40 left in
the game. The Cougars could get no closer than the final margin.
Palmer led KK with 27, Williams added 25. Echols chipped in 8 and pulled
down a game high 11 rebounds. Dominick Melton scored 18, Derrick Calhoun
17, and Justin Best 11 for the Cougars. The rebounding was even at 37,
with Melton grabbing 9. KVCC shot 29-55 for .527 for the game, while KK
was 35-79 for .443.
Coach's Comments: "We managed to hold our own
tonight for all but a 4-5 minute stretch in the second half. Their
pressure enabled them to score 9 consecutive times during their rally that put
us 17 down. We got thru their defense many times, resulting in our fine
field goal pct. for the game (.551), BUT our turnovers cost us dearly.
They have excellent overall quickness and they took much better care of the ball
than we did. This is a fine KK squad that only last week lost their first
game 71-79 to the nation's number one ranked Division I NJCAA team, Indian
River CC from Iowa. Highland CC another nationally ranked arch-rival from
Illinois then clipped KK 78-76, so they were still wincing from those
defeats. They were shooting a torrid .551 from the field coming into the
game; we managed to hold them to .443 and stay even with them on the boards, so
there WERE some bright spots. Andre Gibson has a sprained ankle and did
not dress; Ryan Dunning is sick and did not make the trip. It would have
been nice to see if they could have made a difference tonight. We just
have not seemed to be able to get everyone healthy at the same time...maybe next
semester?"
Waubonsee 85, Kalamazoo Valley
65 (12/8/01)
(7-2) [Box Score]
Behind a stifling pressure defense and two deadly threes by
Darius Lathen, Waubonsee sprinted out to a 23-13 margin at the 8:21 mark.
Lathen scored 14 first half points, then was contained by the Cougars in the
second half. However, superior rebounding (44-34) and effective defensive
pressure kept the Cougars from mounting any charge that could get closer than 7
points. With WCC leading 63-56, Darnell Coleman dropped in a FT, and
Jared Carswell popped a field goal to make it 66-56. Derrick Calhoun
answered with a three, but that was to be the closest KVCC would
get. Brandon Pruitt, 6'8" center, led the Chiefs with 20,
Lathen chipped in 17, Carswell added 14, and Coleman had 12. Led by
Carswell's 12 rebounds the Chiefs outrebounded KVCC 44-34. Derrick Calhoun
played much of the game in foul trouble, but managed to score 16; Dominick
Melton was the only other Cougar in double figures with 13. Bret
Stephenson led the Cougars in rebounding with 7. Waubonsee shot a sizzling
33-55 (.600), while holding KVCC to an ice cold season low of 19-68
(.279). To further exacerbate KVCC's problems, they were only 6-36 (.167)
from behind the arc.
Coach's Comments: "This was one of those 'learning
opportunities' that come along every so often. We were outplayed in almost
every phase of the game today. Waubonsee (9-1) is a quality team that
showed us how far we have to go to become a good team. Their quickness
kept us from getting any consistent offense going. We hurried our
perimeter shots, and we were not able to score inside with any potency. We
go from the frying pan into the fire this Wednesday when we travel to
Kennedy-King Community College in Chicago. They are another power, this
time a Division I power, that will give us another opportunity to access whether
or not we have made any progress playing against talented
student-athletes. I was very disappointed today, because I had hoped that
we were farther along. But, we now know that we are not yet a good team,
and I hope each player will step it up and determine to work even harder to
improve his game. For example, we had not been out-rebounded yet this
year, but lost the battle of the boards to WCC by 10! I'm glad we played
them, and I hope we'll be better prepared to play successfully in the next
physical, fast-paced game against a quality opponent."
Kalamazoo Valley 75, Macomb 62
(12/7/01) (7-1) [Box
Score]
This was a defensive struggle from the start. Both teams
had difficulty finding the basket in the first half (KVCC .406, Macomb
.371). At the 9:28 mark Justin Best scored a layup to put the Cougars up
20-12, but behind the torrid 3 point shooting of Macomb's Charles Youngblood
(4-7 in the half), the Monarchs held on to trail by only 6 (37-31) at the
half. The second half was more of the tense half court struggle as
Macomb's pressure defenses forced numerous KVCC turnovers (25 for the
game). Solid defense and good free throw shooting down the stretch did the
Monarchs in. KVCC was 24-34 (.706) from the line while Macomb could only
manage 10-17 (.588) from the charity stripe. The Cougars also won the
battle of the boards 48-31 with Dominick Melton grabbing a game high 18 and
Andre Gibson 10. David Meyers had 11 for Macomb. Best led the Cougar
scoring with 23 (18 in the first half), Melton had 13, and Gibson chipped
in 10. Youngblood had 18, Antoine Wilcox 17, and James Daniels 10 for
Macomb.
Coach's Comments: "This was a quality test from a
solid MCCAA team. We made many mistakes tonight, especially handling the
ball versus their pressure defense, but we managed to keep them at least 9 down
most of the second half. Dominick was outstanding on the glass (9 rbs each
half), and Justin did most of our scoring in the first half. Our
carelessness handling the ball was offset by getting to the line 34 times, but
16 assists and 25 turnovers is not indicative of a quality performance. We
will have to play much better to have a chance tomorrow versus Waubonsee.
They are the best team we have played yet this year. We'll find out how
far we have come and how far we have to go tomorrow!"
Kalamazoo Valley 98, Calvin JV's
64 (12/5/01)
(6-1) [Box
Score]
A Ryan Dunning 3 put the Cougars up 22-9 at the 9:55 mark in
the first half and the Cougars never looked back in this one. With the
addition of a healing Dominick Melton and a healing Nate Tagert, the Cougars
displayed the most depth they have had all season. Melton led the way with
6-7 from the field and 10-10 from the line for 23 points in only 19 minutes of
action. Justin Best chipped in 16, Derrick Calhoun 13, and Andre Gibson
10. Calhoun and Gibson each had 9 rebounds and Bret Stephenson had 8 as
KVCC dominated the glass, 52-36. Brad Sall scored 11 and Mike Worst 10 for
Calvin. KVCC was 36-72 for .500 from the field and 21-23 for .913 from the
line. Calvin shot 22-71 (.310) from the floor. Calvin's Mark
Plaisier was the game's top rebounder with 11, while Calhoun dished out a game
high 6 assists.
Coach's Comments: "The difference tonight, sparked
by the return of Dominick and Nate, lay in three areas. First, our defense
was more consistent, especially on the interior. Second, we passed the
ball better, especially on the inside, gathering 25 assists to 14
turnovers. And, third, we shot a season high 21-23 from the free throw
line. Nine players played 15 or more minutes. Dominick had an
outstanding return and Justin Best played his best game as a Cougar.
Except for a few correctable errors, I thought this was our best overall effort
yet this season."
Kalamazoo Valley 106, Alma JV's
80 (11/20/01)
(5-1) [Box Score]
Behind three three pointers by Ryan Dunning and some good
inside work of Andre Gibson, the Cougars bolted out to a 21-6 lead at the 15:17
mark. After some good relief work by the first wave of substitutions, KVCC
held a commanding 58-36 halftime lead. In the second half, Alma traded
KVCC basket for basket as the Cougar defense developed copious pores. The
Cougars finished shooting a season high .553 from the field on 42-76
accuracy. Even more impressive, however, was the 11-22 from behind the
arc, also a season high. Ryan Dunning led the Cougar charge with 9-11
overall shooting (7-9 from 3 pt range!) and 25 points to match Andre Gibson's
25. Bret Stephenson (11), Justin Best (10), and Ryan Cheevers (10) rounded
out the balanced Cougar attack. The Cougars won the battle of the boards
with a 56-49 margin. Gibson was the game's top rebounder with 13;
Stephenson garnered 10. Joe Baysdell led Alma with 17 while Wes Rasdorf,
Jim Thomas, and Chris Woodbury each had 13, and Travis Hyde 12. Point
guard Thomas picked off 10 rebounds; Baysdell had 9, and Woodbury 8. Alma
shot .350 on 35-100 from the field and 6-30 (.200) from behind the arc.
Coach's Comments: "We came out hard again
tonight. The first 10 minutes were pretty solid, but we finished the half
forgetting how to play good defense. Alma hung around the whole second
half as they broke us down numerous times with the dribble. The bright
spots were (1) Dunning's shooting, (2) not fouling (they were 4-5 from the
line), (3) 11 players played 10 or more minutes, and (4) we had 29 assists again
tonight. The bad news is that we will not be able to win in our league
playing the kind of defense we played in the second half. We're still
learning, and we have a long way to go. Nate Tagert was cleared today to
begin practicing with us when we return next Monday. Dominick Melton will
see his doctor this Friday, and we are hopeful, but not as confident, that he
will be able to at least begin practicing a little next week. Each of
these guys will strengthen our inside game when they get healthy."
Kalamazoo Valley 103, Olivet JV's
65 (11/19/01)
(4-1) [Box
Score]
After a rather sluggish start, the Cougars raced out to a
49-26 halftime lead and never looked back in this one. KVCC finished with
a sizzling .549 FG Pct. on 39-71 shooting accuracy. Olivet managed a
coolish 23-63 for .365. The Cougars won the battle of the boards 42-32,
and also shot 10-22 for .455 from behind the arc, while Olivet's JV's were ice
cold on 4-25 3 pt shooting for .160. Derrick Calhoun (7-9) led the
balanced attack with 21, Andre Gibson chipped in with 14, Bret Stephenson had
12, and Vladimir Temelkovski came off the bench for a career high 10.
Gibson was the games top rebounder with 11. Josh Shane pumped in 16 for
Olivet, while Josh Kellogg and Mark Long (6-7) each had 13.
Coach's Comments: "I was pleased with the way we
stayed with our game plan at the start. We got good shots, but they didn't
drop early. Then we were sparked by reserves A. J. Van't Hoff, Justin
Best, Billy Collins, Ricky Shilts, and Vladimir Temelkovski. Chris Stairs
(8 pts) and Pat Makowski (5 pts) put the icing on the cake late in the 2nd
half. Everyone played at least 6 minutes and everyone scored. This
is the first time we've shot over 50% from the floor and the first time we've
had over twice as many assists (29) as we had turnovers (13). Now we'll
get another chance to see how we handle tonight's success when we take the floor
against the Alma JV's tomorrow night. I'm confident we've learned
something from our East/West Classic experience last weekend."
Kalamazoo Valley 80, St. Clair
71 (11/17/01)
(3-1) [Box
Score]
St. Clair came out of the blocks ready in this one!
Behind a daunting half court trapping defense, the Skippers stunned the Cougars
early, bolting out to a 22-8 lead at the 8:10 mark on a nifty jumper by Jermaine
Johnson. The Cougars woke up, however, and behind some 3-pt sharpshooting
by Ricky Shilts, Ryan Dunning, and Derrick Calhoun, plus some good inside work
by Andre Gibson, they went on a 30-10 run of their own, good enough to lead at
the half, 38-32. In the second half, the Cougars withstood challenge after
challenge from the Skippers, the final one at the 2:05 mark when the game's
leading scorer, David Grant (21), scored inside to make it 73-70 KVCC. Two
FT's by Cheevers, two by Shilts, a thunderous dunk by Gibson, and a final FT by
Dunning sealed the Cougar win. Dunning (17), Gibson (16), Shilts (16), and
Calhoun (13) led the balanced Cougar attack. Alex Brown (11) and Garnett
Kohler (10) aided the Skipper cause with double-figure scoring. Gibson led
all rebounders with 15 as the Cougars out-boarded St. Clair 41-33.
KVCC was 26-55 (.473) from the floor; St. Clair was 30-69 (.435). St.
Clair's defense forced KVCC into 28 turnovers while the Skippers only commited
15. Perhaps the most significant statistic of the game, however, was St.
Clair's anemic 3-17 (.176) from behind the arc, compared to the Cougars' 9-25
(.360).
Coach's Comments: "I was disappointed with the
lethargic start we had tonight, but I think you have to credit St. Clair's
intense defensive pressure for their early jump. We did show a lot of
heart by coming back in the last 8 minutes of the half, and we finished strong
in spite of St. Clair's continued pressure. To be able to win a game while
committing 28 turnovers is a rare thing, so we are thankful. Justin Best
did not score much but we got good minutes from him and from Billy Collins and
Ricky Shilts from the bench again tonight. And perhaps the 14-18
performance from the FT line in the second half was the brightest spot of
all. We faced a half court pressing zone defense for the first time this
season and it's my hope we'll be better prepared for it the next time!
We're pleased to get the win!"
Kalamazoo Valley 87, Alpena 55
(11/16/01) (2-1) [Box Score]
Behind some nifty passing by Derrick Calhoun and some solid
inside work by Andre Gibson, the Cougars raced out to a 17-6 lead in the first
seven minutes of this game. Two players recovering from injuries, Justin
Best and Billy Collins, came off the bench to further spark a good first half
effort that enabled KVCC to hold a 45-28 halftime margin. The
Cougars shot a sizzling .552 (16-29) from the floor in the half, while holding
the Lumberjacks to .355 on 11-31 FG accuracy. KVCC finished with a .492 FG
Pct. mark on 31-63 shooting, while Alpena was a coolish .328 (21-64).
Calhoun led the balanced Cougar attack with 18 pts and 5 assts. Gibson
tossed in 16, Best 13, and Ryan Dunning 12. Calhoun was the game's leading
rebounder with 11; Gibson had 9, and Bret Stephenson 6. LaMar Toney led
the Lumberjacks with 15 while Josh Kumrits was their top rebounder with 8.
Coach's Comments: "As with most of our games with
Alpena in recent years, this was an intense battle from the tip-off. We
felt that we would have to handle their press to be successful. They
pressed us all over the floor, substituting frequently from their 16 man
roster. Getting Justin and Billy back and getting the quality minutes from
them and from Ricky Shilts off the bench enabled us to avoid any prolonged
section of the game where we were "soft." Derrick
had some solid time, also, despite turning the ball over 7 times. We obviously
have a long way to go yet to become a good team, but we did manage to play
better than in either game last weekend. The fact that this was our third
game and Alpena's first, I think, helped us immensely."
Kalamazoo Valley 84, Madison Area Tech
74 (11/10/01) (1-1)
[Box Score]
KVCC jumped out to an 11-1 lead behind two 3's by Ryan
Cheevers and 1 by Ryan Dunning. The quick start proved to be a major
factor in the game as Madison Area battled back to take the lead several times
throughout the game. In this see-saw game KVCC led at the half 44-41.
Derrick Calhoun and Cheevers each picked up their 3rd fouls in the first half
and were forced to the bench with over 7 minutes left in the half.
Trailing 62-66 with 8:20 left in the game, Gibson scored inside and Dunning
dropped in 2 FT's to knot the score at 66. The Cougar defense stiffened
down the stretch as MATC could manage only 5 points in the last 4:50 of the
game. Two more 3's by Cheevers (at the 5:30 and 3:35 marks) plus 2 layups
by Gibson (at the 5:03 and 3:01 marks) plus a nifty layup by Calhoun (2:02 left)
and another by Ricky Shilts (1:07 left), put the Cougars out of reach at 82-74
with 1:07 left. Gibson led all scorers with 27; Cheevers chipped in 19 on
6-7 from 3-pt. range, Dunning had 12, Calhoun 10, and Shilts 9. The
Cougars won the battle of the boards 47-38 with Gibson grabbing 15 and Bret
Stephenson 10. Cheevers added 6 assists and Dunning 4 steals. Shane
Ellis led MATC with 23 pts, 10 rbs, and 7 assts. Mark Barlow had 12 as did
Shane Ellis (6-7 from the field). Darrell Randle had 9 pts and Jesse Ellis
contributed 7 assists.
Coach's Comments: "This was a gratifying win!
The game could easily have gone either way, but I was pleased with our play down
the stretch. We worked the clock a little and got the ball where we wanted
for the good shots. Cheevers had a great game, hitting those two huge
threes with under 6 minutes left. Andre Gibson scored inside and Bret
Stephenson grabbed some big rebounds late. I also thought that Derrick and
Ryan Cheevers also did a great job NOT fouling out. They both played a lot
of minutes with 4 fouls; we could not afford to lose them! We got to the
line 35 times again today--another good sign. We also limited our
turnovers to 13, 11 better than on Friday. It was a tough weekend, but I
am encouraged by the progress we have made."
Illinois Central 89, Kalamazoo Valley
76 (11/9/01) (0-1)
[Box
Score]
The Cougars from Illinois Central again jumped on us early, bolting out
to a 20-5 lead in the first 8 minutes. Behind some good inside work from
freshman Andre Gibson, however, we managed to cut the margin to 44-32 at the
half. Behind great depth and sophomore leadership, the Illinois squad
pushed the lead back up to 60-40 at the 11:48 mark. It was 75-53 with 5:35
left when we went to a small lineup and an all out press. Behind the
steals of Calhoun, Dunning, and Shilts, the Cougars surprised ICCC by closing to
84-74 with :54 left, but solid free throw shooting by guard Greg Flowers down
the stretch kept the Cougars at bay. Flowers led the balanced ICCC attack
with 16, Rueben Saturn chipped in 14, and Chris Taylor (6-6 from the field)
added 13. Derrick Calhoun led the Cougars with 22, 15 in the 2nd
half. Andre Gibson had 15 and Ryan Dunning 13. The Cougars
out-rebounded ICCC 42-36, with Gibson garnering a game high 11, Bret Stephenson
9, and Calhoun 7. The difference in the game came in field goal pct. and 3 pt.
pct. ICCC was a sizzling 34-63 (.540) from the field while the Cougars
were a coolish 26-68 (.382). KVCC also shot a dismal 7-30 (.233) from behind the
arc.
Coach's Comments: "We got to Sugar Grove early this time; we even
checked in to the Super 8 in Yorkville prior to the game. However,
Illinois Central again had the quickness, size, and athleticism that enabled
them to dictate control of the game early. The bright spot was that we did
not quit; our battered and crippled Cougars, with a 4 guard lineup late in the
game, closed from a 22 point deficit to within 10 with just under a
minute. We shot more free throws and grabbed more rebounds than our
opponent; now we just need to improve our team defense and offensive execution
at half court, AND we need to get Melton, Tagert, Best, and Collins
healthy!"
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