2003-04 KVCC Men's Basketball Results (Scroll down to see results of earlier games)     [What are OER and DER?]   [OER.DER Comparisons]

Region XII, District 8,  March 6, 2004 , at KVCC

Game 10  Championship Game

Mott 64, Kalamazoo Valley 61     [22-8]     [Box Score]     [30 Game Final Season Stats for KVCC]

The Cougars' run at a berth in the National Tournament came to a heartbreaking halt this afternoon, as the defending National Champion Mott Bears clamped on their tenacious defense to pull out a slender victory in front of the largest crowd of the year in Cougar Arena.  The fired-up Cougar contingent roared out to a 20-9 lead behind two bulls-eye treys by Gerald Fletcher and one by Jamie Smith.  But after a timeout, Mott dug in to hold KVCC scoreless for the next 6:27 , sparking a 15-0 run to take the lead 24-20 with 4:17 remaining in the half.  The Cougars, playing solid defense themselves, regrouped to keep it close at the half, trailing 27-30.  Mott could only manage 11-35 (.315) from the floor against the Cougars, while KVCC was 10-29 (.345) as defense ruled the half.  The offenses came to life in the final half as Mott improved to 13-25 (.520) and KVCC to 13-26 (.500) from the floor.  The lead see-sawed during the half and a Darrahyl Brown layup off a nifty dish from Adam Kerfoot, gave the Cougars their biggest lead at 57-52 with 5:01 remaining.  Just seconds later, however, Jerel Allen swished a long range bomber to tie it again at 55-55.  Jamie Smith countered with another jumper at the 3:01 mark, giving the Cougars their final lead, 57-55.  The Cougars would not score again until the :44 second mark, as Dominique Crawford's steal and layup gave Mott a 59-57 lead.  Janon Cole sealed the win with a power layup with 1:15 remaining.  BJ Jameson's basket with :44 left closed it to two again, but Cole responded with two big FT's with only :18 remaining to make it 63-61.  A Jamie Smith jumper with :03 left was wide and a final desperation foul gave Allen another FT for the final 64-61 hard-earned Mott victory.  Tournament MVP Jay Youngblood led all scorers with 23; Cole had 17, and Allen 13 for the Bears.  Mott shot 24-60 (.400) for the game; KVCC was 23-55 (.418).  Smith led KVCC with 17, Brown pumped in 13, and Gerald Fletcher contributed 11 to the Cougar cause.  KVCC out-rebounded the Mott squad 40-32, with Smith's 14 a game high.  The Bears converted 12-18 (.667) from the charity stripe while the Cougars were 9-14 (.643).  Probably the most telling statistic was KVCC's 21 turnovers to only 12 by the Bears.

Coach's Comments:  "The end of this game felt like Deja Vu to us.  We held a 9 point lead at Mott last year with just over 5:00 remaining, and we did not score again in regulation, as they tied it and went on to win in OT by ten, then went on to win a National Championship.  They are a talented bunch of athletes that are well-schooled defensively, and when their defense digs in it is hard to even complete a pass against them.  My hat's off to Coach Schmidt and his squad.  They made the big plays down the stretch and deserved to win.  However, I am very proud of our Cougar squad.  We were prepared, we came to play, and we left all we had on the floor.  This was a great championship game with two determined teams playing solid defense at both ends of the floor.  Our .500 second half shooting was a goal we reached only sparingly this season, and we did it today against what may well be the finest defensive team in the nation.  Allen's 13 points, all in the second half, were big factors in the win, and big-time players like Youngblood and Cole stepped up again when it counted.  While we didn't quite reach the nationals, it has been, nevertheless, an exciting and a remarkable season.  We owe a lot to our sophomores, Larry Weller, David Stephens, Arthur Price, Gerald Fletcher, BJ Jameson, and Greg Dutton, and we have a solid nucleus returning for next year.  It's on to the recruiting trail and our quest for a strong inside presence to replace Larry.  Congratulations to Mott Community College and our best wishes for their success in the National Tournament in Danville March 17-20!"

The All Tournament squad was:

Jay Youngblood, Mott  --  Tournament MVP

Jamie Smith, KVCC
Desmond Favors, Lake Michigan
Jerel Allen, Mott
Larry Weller, KVCC
Darrahyl Brown, KVCC

Game 9  Kalamazoo Valley 58, Lake Michigan 57     [Box Score]     [29 Game Accumulative Stats for KVCC]

Jumping out on a layup by Anthony Curry, the Indians led the entire first half in this semi-final game.  A triple by Jamie Smith with 3:46 left pulled the Cougars within one at 24-23, but two triples by Desmond Favors preserved a 30-27 halftime lead for Lake Michigan .  The second half was nip and tuck throughout, with five points the largest margin either team could muster.  This game, like the first two played between these teams this year, was as tight as tight can be.  Tied numerous times, a Favors' jumper put LMC up 52-49 with 6:00 left.  Points were scarce down the stretch, as Adam Kerfoot cashed in on a driving layup with 4:19 left to give KVCC a 53-52 lead.  BJ Jameson increased the margin with a driving layup to stretch the slender margin to 55-52 at the 1:59 mark, but a triple by Ricardo Horton 12 seconds later tied the game once more at 55-55.  Larry Weller stepped up with a FT with 1:25 to give the Cougars a 56-55 advantage.  KVCC held LMC off and got the ball back with less than :10 on the clock.  Adam Kerfoot stepped up to the line at the :05 mark, and his errant shot was deftly gobbled up by Darrahyl Brown, who put back the biggest basket of the game to give KVCC a 58-55 margin.  A basket by Anthony Curry at the buzzer made it 58-57 KVCC.  Favors led all scorers with 22, while Corey Thacker scored 8 and hauled down 10 rebounds for LMC.  Jamie Smith led KVCC with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Larry Weller chipped in 16 points on 7-9 shooting; Larry also grabbed 6 rebounds to go with Brown's 8 and Smith's 11.  KVCC held a 44-36 rebound edge.  LMC shot 24-56 (.429) from the floor; KVCC was 24-68 (.353) for the game.  Neither team shot many FT's, and neither team shot FT's well.  The Cougars were 5-11 (.455) and the Indians 2-5 (.400) from the charity stripe.

Coach's Comments:  "This tense game was a match-up of similar teams with similar philosophies.  Minor mistakes and big plays made the difference in the outcome, as possession after possession each team used most of the 35 second shot clock before a shot was taken.  Jamie Smith's offense off the bench was huge tonight, as was Ace Willhite's defense.  The Loy Norrix couple paired up to get and to prevent big baskets tonight.   Ace's 5 steals and Jamie's 11 rebounds were game highs.  Larry Weller went 7-9 from the field as he gave us still another solid floor game.  We have worked hard on offensive rebounding on FT's and tonight that paid handsome dividends as Darrahyl Brown slid neatly around a block-out to put back the game winner with less than 5 seconds left.  We are delighted to be in the Regional Championship game for the second straight year, but we all know that we'll have to play much better tomorrow to have a chance against No. 3 Mott Community College.  At least we made it to the game, so we have a fighting chance.  We've won two tournament games this week while shooting .371 and .353 from the floor respectively.  A win tomorrow will require  much better shooting and the best defense we have played to date. We look forward to the challenge."

Game 8  Mott 78, Wayne County 62     [Box Score]

March 4 Games

Game 7  Kalamazoo Valley 77, St. Clair 59     [Box Score]     [28 Game Accumulative Stats for KVCC]

A see-saw battle in the opening half ended with a flurry of threes, two by St. Clair and one by KVCC's BJ Jameson from mid-court at the buzzer, closing the gap to 35-34.  The Skippers shot a sizzling 15-29 (.517) from the floor while the Cougars could only muster a meager 13-38 (.342).  The second half, however, saw a different Cougar team, as the defense stiffened to hold St. Clair to 9-29 (.310) shooting.  The Cougars could only manage 10-24 (.417) in the final stanza, but forcing 25 St. Clair turnovers proved to be the deciding factor for the victors.  Valley was 23-62 (.371) from the floor; St. Clair finished at 24-58 (.314).  KVCC got to the line 33 times, making 23 for .697, while St. Clair was 6-8 (.750) from the charity stripe.  Both teams had balanced scoring as Jacob Falter led St. Clair with 12, and Michael Frantz dropped in 10.  The Cougars were led by Darrahyl Brown and Lorne Johnson with 13 each; Gerald Fletcher had 10, while Jamie Smith, BJ Jameson, and David Stephens all chipped in 9.  KVCC won the rebound battle 41-36 with Smith's 8 leading the way.  Falter led St. Clair with 7.

Coach's Comments:  "I thought BJ's mid-court triple to end the half sparked our second half start.  There were two distinct reasons in my mind that we were able to pull this one out.  First, we forced 25 turnovers with our pressure in the second half (10 TO's), and secondly, we got to the line 33 times by aggressively attacking the basket.  This was Lorne Johnson's best game as a Cougar, and BJ Jameson gave us a big lift again from the bench.  Larry's defense was solid, and Arthur played another outstanding floor game.  Lake Michigan played a super game against Grand Rapids , so tomorrow will be another stiff challenge.  But at least we are one of the four teams remaining that has a chance for a region championship.  I'm proud of the way our guys played together tonight, and I'm especially proud of their defensive efforts."

Game 6  Mott 92, Lansing 82     [Box Score]

Game 5  Wayne County 85, Glen Oaks 66     [Box Score]

Game 4  Lake Michigan 68, Grand Rapids 64     [Box Score]

March 3 Games

Game 3  Lansing 86, Muskegon 70     [Box Score]

Game 2  Glen Oaks 88, Kellogg 66     [Box Score]

Game 1  Lake Michigan 71, Oakland 68     [Box Score]

2nd Round MCCAA State Tournament Game

Wayne County CCD 77, Kalamazoo Valley 76     02/25/04     [Box Score]     [27 Game Accumulative Stats]     [Final 14 Game League Stats]

Another exciting basketball game at Cougar Arena!  Wayne County CCD , coming off a big 88-85 win over Mott CC, the nation's number one NJCAA Division II team last week, and 95-57 winner over Muskegon in Round 1 of the MCCAA State Tournament Monday, rode solid defense and an aggressive, attacking, board-banging offense to edge out the never-say-die Cougars tonight.  Behind Marc Williams' 18 second half points, the Wildcats erased a 41-51 deficit at the 14:02 mark to take the lead at 75-74 with :51 remaining.  Jamie Smith tossed in a jumper from the paint with :27 left to give the Cougars their last lead at 76-75.  But Williams was not done as he cleared the defense to hit a jumper from 18' to give the Wildcats the 77-76 lead.  Larry Weller drove hard to the basket on the last possession, but the sticky Wildcat defense knocked the ball loose.  A wild scramble wound up with a jump ball and a final Cougar possession with :00.7 remaining.  Fletcher in-bounded the ball to Jamie Smith, who shot instantly from 17' but the last second Cougar heroics were not to be tonight as the shot was wide of the mark as the buzzer sounded.  Williams led WCCCD with 18, Anthony Butler had 13, Ricky Henderson 12, and Brent Henderson 11.  Ricky Henderson grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Wildcats to a 51-45 edge on the glass.  KVCC was led by Darrahyl Brown's 14 points and 14 rebounds.  Smith and David Stephens each had 10 and Arthur Price 9.  WCCCD shot 32-73 (.438) from the floor; KVCC was 25-71 (.352).  Wayne connected on 4-18 treys for .222; KVCC was 10-26 for .346 from long range.  The Achilles Heel for KVCC, however, was a dismal 16-30 (.548) from the FT line; WCCCD was 9-14 (.643) from the charity stripe.

Coach's Comments:  "We played hard tonight, but the most disappointing thing to me was our inability to hold or expand on the 54-41 lead we opened on David Stephens' triple at the 13:17 mark.  When they came at us hard, we simply were not physical enough to hold them off.  We had a 5 rebound advantage at halftime, but they pounded us by 11 in the closing stanza.  Our offense was better in the second half (14-31 for .452), but we just could not stop them from penetrating and breaking us down.   Wayne is a VERY good team; in fact, I would rate them as a top contender for Regional honors next week.  I just hope we can get a little tougher defensively by next week.  We have had another very good year, but would like to make some noise in the regional next week to wrap things up.  I never expected our team to go brain dead at the FT line, as we had finally climbed above 70% as a team for the year--respectable for any team.   But, when so many games are decided by the smallest of margins, each missed FT tonight resulted in a lost opportunity.  We have won more than our share of close games this year, especially at home.  Tonight our miscues doomed us because our defense was just not tough enough to keep them at bay.  We will be playing in the Regional next Thursday night at 7:30 PM at KVCC.  Our opponent is yet to be determined."

Kalamazoo Valley 93, Ancilla 51     02/20/04     [Box Score]     [26 Game Accumulative Stats]     [14 Game League Stats]

Behind stingy defense and balanced scoring, the Cougars opened up a 39-15 halftime advantage in this one.  Ancilla managed only 7-23 (.304) shooting in the opening stanza, and they improved to a modest 21-63 (.333) for the game.  Coupled with 1-13 (.077) shooting from long range, and 25 turnovers, these statistics led to Ancilla's demise this evening.  Germayne James, Richmond , IN , led all scorers with 23.  Chris Williams 11 pts and 9 rbs, and Steve Fox 10 pts, 5 rbs, paced the Chargers, while KVCC placed 5 scorers in double figures; Jamie Smith 13, Darrahyl Brown and Gerald Fletcher 12 each, Gareth Murray 11, and David Stephens 10.  KVCC had 47 rebounds to Ancilla's 42.  Brown's 8 paced the Cougars.  KVCC shot 36-78 (.462) from the field and 9-27 (.333) from behind the arc.

Coach's Comments:  "Our defense set the pace in this one, as we were able to disrupt Ancilla's half court attack effectively in the opening half.  We got solid performances off the bench from Smith (13), Jameson (6, 5 assts), Stephens (10), Sharp (7), Kerfoot (4, 4 assts), Murray (11), and Dutton (7).  The win, coupled with Lansing 's 90-81 victory over Glen Oaks, gives us a bye for next Monday in the MCCAA State Tournament.  We will play at home next Wednesday against the Wayne County/Muskegon winner of the Monday game played in Detroit .  Tonight was the first time in league competition that we were able to pull away from someone early.  I was pleased with our balance and our overall defensive effort, especially in the first half.  Our combination of Kerfoot, Dutton, Willhite, Murray, and Matthews with 4:45 left helped us go on a 24-6 run to finish the game strong."

 Kalamazoo Valley 67, Lake Michigan 65     2/18/04     [19-6]     [10-3]     [Box Score]     [25 Game Accumulative Stats]     [13 Game League Stats]

Note: The score on the board at the conclusion of this game was 66-65.  However, review of the video tape verifies that the actual score was 67-65, so I have taken the liberty to list the score and correct the scorebook.  Both scorebooks had numerous discrepancies, but the box score on this website reflects each basket made as confirmed by the video tape.  I'm not sure I have the authority to correct the score after the fact, but since it does not affect the outcome of the game, I decided to "get it right."

Darrahyl Brown tossed in two free throws with :11 left, and Lorne Johnson pressured a final shot by Desmond Favors, Darrahyl Brown pressured the rebound attempt by Adam Shepardson, and Corey Thacker's tip-in attempt fell harmlessly off the rim as KVCC prevailed in this tense league battle tonight!  The re-match was much like the first encounter at KVCC, a see-saw struggle in which the lead changed hands numerous times.  In fact, the lead changed hands SIX times in the final 4:16.  Favors' old fashioned three point play put the Indians on top at 4:16 59-58.  A nifty tip in at 4:00 gave the Cougars the lead 60-59, but a baseline jumper by Favors lifted LMC back on top 61-60 with 3:31 remaining.  At the 3:02 mark, the hero of the earlier match up, Gerald Fletcher, converted a nice up and under move to send KVCC ahead again, 62-61.  Corey Thacker (9-10 for the evening) rifled a pass underneath to Aaron Hoddinott to, once again, put the Indians on top at 63-62 with 2:44 left.  After a couple of missed FT's, Jamie Smith stepped up to center stage with a clutch tip in at the 1:22 mark to put the Cougars ahead once more, 64-63.  Thacker drew the foul driving baseline with 1:06 left, but he could only sink one of his two FT's, tying the game 64-64.  The Cougars mis-fired, however, and it was Hoddinott's turn at the line for LMC.  With :41 left, Aaron made one of two FT's to give the Indians the lead for the last time, 65-64.  A Fletcher triple missed and was tipped long with Arthur Price running down the rebound and passing to Larry Weller from 15'.  Larry's drive missed the mark, but Darrahyl Brown grabbed the rebound and was fouled.  With :11 left, Brown calmly dropped in the game deciding FT's.  KVCC was 24-54 (.444) from the floor overall and 5-17 (.284) from behind the arc.  LMC was 26-61 (.426) overall and 4-20 (.200) from long range.  The big difference, however, was at the FT line as LMC converted only 9-16 (.563) while KVCC made good on 14-17 (.824).  LMC out-rebounded KVCC 34-33, with Thacker and Hoddinott leading the way with 6 each.  Smith led KVCC with 9 rebounds; Brown had 8.  Favors' 23 led LMC in scoring; Thacker had 17 and Adam Sheperdson pitched in 12.    Fletcher's 13 led KVCC, but Weller and Brown were close behind with 12 each.

Coach's Comments:  "My hair may be all gray or all gone by the end of this season.  This game was played well by both teams.  I was obviously disappointed in not being able to build on an 11 point lead early in the second half, but credit must be given to the passion with which Lake Michigan played.  Thacker had a tremendous game, and we were unable to stop Favors again, but holding him to 23 is still better than the 30 he got on us here!  BJ Jameson and Quincy Bell gave us a lift toward the end of the first half, helping us pull ahead by 9 points.  Had we not had that lead and had we started the second half the way we did, we would have fallen behind by 10 or more and victory would probably have been beyond our grasp.  This win took a solid effort from a lot of players, and was a great road win for us, especially when we learned of Grand Rapids' win over Lansing.  That combination has put us in a four-way at the top of our conference with all four teams 10-3 in league play.  On Friday night, Ancilla will be battling to get into the state tournament and we will be battling for a share of the conference championship and a home court advantage next week.  Glen Oaks(10-3) is at Lansing (10-3) and Lake Michigan (4-9) plays at Grand Rapids (10-3).  Lansing defeated Glen Oaks and Lake Michigan won over Grand Rapids in the first league encounter.  I'm not sure I have ever seen this league more balanced than it is this year."

Kalamazoo Valley 83, Muskegon 78     2/14/04     [18-6]     [9-3]     [Box Score]     [24 Game Accumulative Stats]     [12 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

Julius Vines scorched the nets for 20 first half points, and KVCC found themselves down 31-25 with 6:47 left in the first half.  With the score still 36-31 Muskegon with 3:44 left, a FT by Larry Weller sparked a 13-2 Cougar run to put the visitors up 44-38 at the intermission.  Although KVCC tightened the defense on Vines in the second half, holding him to only 4 more points, Antoine Burks and company picked up the slack.  A Matt Borushko trey at the 7:47 mark put gave Muskegon a 69-67 lead, but a putback by Larry Weller, two consecutive jumpers by David Stephens, and a mid-distance jumper by Gerald Fletcher put the Cougars back on top, 76-70 with 5:14 left.  MCC would make another run to close to within two, 80-78 with 2:00 remaining.  Two FT's by Weller, one by Arthur Price, and a final one by Weller held the Jayhawks off at the end.  MCC burned the nets for 11-20 (.550) from behind the arc, but could manage to get to the FT line only 5 times, making 3.  KVCC on the other hand shot only 3-12 (.250) from three point land, but were able to get to the line 26 times, cashing in on 18 for .692.  Overall MCC shot 32-72 (.444); KVCC shot 31-62 (.500).  Muskegon grabbed 37 rebounds to KVCC's 35.  Vines led all scorers with 24; Burks scored 18 and Matt Borushko and Steve Tolsma chipped in with 10 apiece.  MCC's Tom Poe led all rebounders with 9; KVCC's Larry Weller paced the Cougars with 7.  Weller also led the KVCC scoring attack with 16; Darrahyl Brown had 14, David Stephens 11, and Gerald Fletcher and Adam Kerfoot 10 each.  Aaron Gowell had 8 assists for the Jayhawks; Jamie Smith had 5 for the Cougars.

Coach's Comments:  "This game verifies what I have said for years, 'There are NO easy games in this league!'"   Vines was fantastic in the first half, and Burks took over in the second half.  When a team drops 11-20 threes, they are hard to beat!  I thought that there were two keys to this game.  First, David Stephens and others accepted the defensive challenge and slowed Vines in the last 25 minutes of the game, and secondly, Adam Kerfoot's play sparked us.  Adam was 3-3 from the floor and 4-4 from the FT line in 19 minutes of action.  Our defense was average, but our improvement tonight offensively enabled us to grab this win.  We shot 50% from the floor for the first time since a 91-89 loss to Kennedy-King on December 6, 2003.  I was pleased with the road win; it keeps our hopes alive, but I still think our defense can be much better."

Kalamazoo Valley 71, Glen Oaks 69     2/11/04     [17-6]     [8-3]     [Box Score]     [23 Game Accumulative Stats]     [11 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

Darrahyl Brown scored on a nifty pass from Larry Weller with :42 left, tying the game at 69-69.  Then a Gerald Fletcher jumper with :05 left fell short, but Brown grabbed the rebound and put in the winning basket with :04 remaining.  The Cougars held a 35-30 halftime lead, but, behind a relentless inside attack, the Vikings took a 56-52 lead with 8:16 remaining.  A power layup by Justin Henderson at the 7:12 mark gave Glen Oaks their biggest lead at 61-54.  But a FT and a layup by reserve Adam Kerfoot and two layups by George Sharp completed an 8-0 run to put KVCC back on top 62-61 with 5:28 left.  A triple by Jamie Smith with 3:02 left put KVCC up 67-63, but two more baskets by Brandon Rudolph and one by Sidney Woods with :55 left put Glen Oaks back on top 69-67, setting the stage for Brown's heroics down the stretch.  Weller led KVCC with 16 points and 7 rebounds.  Brown scored 12 and grabbed 8 boards and George Sharp and Smith chipped in 9 apiece.    Tyrone Anderson led GOCC with 14; Rudolph chipped in 13 and power forward Justin Henderson scored 12.  Joshua Summerfield led all rebounders with 9 as the Vikings out-rebounded the Cougars 38-29.  Glen Oaks shot 30-63 (.476) from the floor including a sizzling 18-35 (.514) in the final stanza.  KVCC was 26-59 (.441) for the game.  A deciding statistic was Glen Oaks 2-18 (.111) from behind the arc, while KVCC was 8-21 (.381).

Coach's Comments:  "I can't remember a time when we have had so many consecutive "nailbiters" in a row at home.  For the fourth straight time at home, this game was decided, literally, by one play.  Darrahyl grabbed Gerald's missed shot this time, and his put back gave us the final lead that we protected in the last :04 of the game.  Tonight it was George Sharp's offense that sparked us from the bench.  He finished with 4-6 shooting from the floor, including one triple for 9 points.  Larry played solid tonight and Jamie hit a BIG three with 3:02 left in the game.  We still were not able to shut our opponent down in the final five minutes of the game, but I am grateful that we were able to make some huge baskets ourselves at crunch time.  Larry's pass to Darrahyl under the basket with :42 got it tied again, and Darrahyl's offensive rebound putback sealed the win for us.  Glen Oaks is 18-5 now and 8-3 in the league, so this win tightened things up still another time.  We cannot afford to slip in any of our remaining games, but the good news is that Lansing has to play both Glen Oaks and Grand Rapids in two of their three remaining games.  This race is still not decided.  We could finish as high as first or as low as fifth with only three games remaining."

Kalamazoo Valley 76, Grand Rapids 75  (OT)     2/6/04     [16-6]     [7-3]     [Box Score]     [22 Game Accumulative Stats]     [10 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

Another Friday night barnburner at Cougar Arena!  Jamie Smith knocks down a 26' triple (a bank shot!) at the buzzer in the OT to give the Cougars the hard-earned win.  Darrahyl Brown led KVCC with 24 points, 13 boards, and 8 blocked shots!  Gerald Fletcher tosses in 18, and Jamie Smith 12.  KVCC commited 25 turnovers to the Raiders' 17.  GRCC out-rebounded KVCC 54-46, with Curtis Ludke grabbing 12 and Craig Traylor 10.  Tim Stark and Stuart Mayes each had 14, Brad Pompey 13, and Ludke 12.  A tell-tale stat tonight was the poor Raider FT shooting; they were 9-22 (.409).  KVCC was a modest 11-17 (.647).

Coach's Comments:  "Wow!  Once again, we were down but not out.  Winston Churchill's words during World War II ring loud and clear for us tonight.  'Never, never, never, never, never, never give up!'  We gave up a 17 point lead, fell behind by 5 (65-70) in the OT with only 1:47 left, but a trey by Jamie Smith at the 1:32 mark and a subsequent trey by Gerald Fletcher at the 1:00 mark put the Cougars back on top, 71-70.  But a lay-up by Craig Traylor with :45 left put GRCC up once again, 72-71.  Another slashing drive by Gerald put us back on top at the :29 mark, but the real excitement was still to come.  With :10 left Curtis Ludtke scored a power lay-up and drew a foul off an out of bounds play for the Raiders.  A missed FT and a foul called on Ludtke on the scramble for the loose ball put Fletcher at the line for a 1 and 1 with :07 remaining.  Gerald's first shot was off the mark and Darrahyl Brown wisely fouled Stuart Mayes quickly to set up the last second heroics by Jamie.  With :05 left, and GRCC up 75-73, Mayes missed his FT, and Arthur Price quickly advanced the ball to mid-court, then passed to Larry Weller, who found Jamie Smith just over mid-court on the right side of the floor.  With less than :02 left, Jamie drove hard left and pulled up for a long jumper, around 26' from the basket.  As the horn sounded, Jamie's shot banked off the glass for the game winner.  We dodged another bullet tonight, as we committed 25 turnovers, gave up a 17 point lead in the 2nd half, counted on Grand Rapids shooting 9-22 from the FT line, got out-rebounded by 8, and somehow managed to squeak by for the win!  Our defense held the 14th ranked team in the country tonight to 28-84 shooting (.333) so we have to be pretty happy about that.  Without some solid defense and spectacular shooting tonight, we could not have prevailed.  Now it's Glen Oaks next Wednesday.   We're still in the hunt, but someone else has to help us by beating Lansing."  

Lansing 84, Kalamazoo Valley 74     2/4/04     [15-6]     [6-3]     [Box Score]     [21 Game Accumulative Stats]     [9 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

Lansing broke open a tight game in the early minutes of the second half, going on a 15-6 run. Behind some nifty defense and some breakaway layups by CJ Hassel, the Stars bolted out to a 47-36 lead at the 15:00 minute mark, and continued the pressure to go up by as many as 19 points.  The Cougars would not go away easily, however, as they battled back to get within 8, 71-79 with just over one minute left.  But it was too little, too late, and Lansing cruised home with the 10 point victory.  Clark Woods, the leading scorer in the MCCAA, led all scorers tonight with 23; Maurice Benson tossed in 21, and Robert Strickland pitched in 16 to go with his game high 15 rebounds.  David Stephens led KVCC with 15; Jamie Smith contributed 13, and Larry Weller scored 9 and pulled down 10 boards.  Lansing shot a sizzling 16-26 (.615) in the second half to finish at 30-56 (.536).  KVCC was 28-72 (.389) for the game.  The Stars out-rebounded the Cougars 38-33.

Coach's Comments:  "We battled hard to stay even in the opening half, but a slow start in the final half spelled our doom.  Strickland did not play in our 93-76 win over Lansing at KVCC; and what a difference his presence made tonight!  Their defense kept us off guard, especially in the second half.  In the second half, they held us to 15-40 (.375) shooting and 4-16 (.250) from behind the arc.  That defense combined with their .615 shooting from the floor spelled defeat for us.  This was a disappointing loss tonight, but we were beaten by a team that played better, pure and simple.  They are quick and talented, and in spite of our hustle, they controlled this game during the final stanza.  We have no time to "cry over spilt milk," however, as Grand Rapids comes to town this Friday.  They already own a 16 point win over us, so we'll be "underdogs" again.  We must find a way to generate a more consistent inside game, and we simply must hit a high percentage of our threes.  We shot 28 tonight, making only 7; they shot 11 and made 5.  This team has grown to rely too much on the three pointer.  When we have shot well from the outside, we usually have won, but when we haven't, we have really struggled.  It's a dilemma that can only be overcome with tenacious and consistent defense, and that was not the case tonight!"

Kalamazoo Valley 80, Kellogg 79     1/30/04     [15-5]     [6-2]     [Box Score]     [20 Game Accumulative Stats]     [8 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

Another barnburner in Cougar Arena!  Gerald Fletcher comes off the bench to drop in a 3 pointer with :18 left to give the Cougars an 80-79 win.  His heroics were not over, however, as he then blocked DJ Potter's drive to the basket, challenged the offensive rebound by Potter, and then saw Darrahyl Brown make the defensive play of the game, blocking Steve Bortolussi's put-back attempt at the buzzer.  The Cougars trailed much of the opening stanza, but went to the locker room nursing a tender 40-34 lead.  But diminutive Bruin guard, Derrick Sayers, (11 1st half points) was far from done.  Sayers tossed in 16 more to finish with a game high 27 on 10-23, 4-9, 3-4 shooting.  His stalwart performance was complimented by 5'8" running mate, DJ Potter's 13 points and team high 8 rebounds.  Both Sayers and Potter found time to dish out 5 assists each as well.  For the Cougars, balance was the key again, with Darrahyl Brown scoring 13, Larry Weller 12, Jamie Smith and Lorne Johnson 10 apiece, and Gerald Fletcher 9.  Adam Kerfoot dished out a team high 4 assists, while Brown and Weller shared rebounding honors with 9 each.  Kellogg out-rebounded KVCC 45-43, and shot 30-72 (.417) to KVCC's 32-78 (.410) for the game.  KCC was 8-18 (.444) from beyond the arc; KVCC was 6-26 (.231).  The Bruins had 17 assists and only 9 turnovers; the Cougars had 20 assists, 7 turnovers.  Kellogg was 11-14 (.786) from the FT line; KVCC was 10-11 (.909).

Coach's Comments:  "For the second Friday in a row, we had our necks in the noose.  Gerald's three sent the LMC game into overtime last week, and tonight his three put us up one with :18 left.   On this night our defense couldn't handle Derrick Sayers.  Like Desmond Favors last week (26 points), Derrick took us apart with his quick moves and deft shooting touch.  In our win at Kellogg in early January, we defended Sayers pretty well, holding him to 7 points.  But, tonight he proved why he is among the top three scorers in the state with his 20 point average.  At Kellogg, Will Smith had 26 and 17 rebounds.  Tonight we defended insider better--Smith had 10 and 5--but we just couldn't seem to stop the penetration by their guards.  Lorne Johnson had a career high 10 points and helped bolster our defense, while Brown, Smith, and Weller were solid inside.  It was tense and exciting and we are happy to be left standing at 6-2 in the league.  Glen Oaks (6-0) played at Grand Rapids (4-2) tonight in another big league contest.  (Grand Rapids won that game 68-63).  Our pace quickens now as we play at Lansing (4-2) Wednesday, vs Grand Rapids here Friday, and vs Glen Oaks the next Wednesday.  Two weeks from now we should know whether or not we still have a chance at the championship in this league.  Once again, defense will be the deciding factor.  We will begin working at it on Monday."

Kalamazoo Valley 63, Ancilla 56     1/28/04     [14-5]     [5-2]     [Box Score]     [19 Game Accumulative Stats]     [7 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

The Chargers jumped out to a 14-7 lead in this league battle at Culver Military Academy.  The Cougar defense stiffened, however, as KVCC went on a 25-15 run to lead at the half, 32-29.  Three quick buckets by Darrahyl Brown spurted Valley to a 38-29 margin with just over 15:00 remaining in the game.  By holding Ancilla to 6 points in their first 20 possessions of the final stanza, KVCC was able to offset sub-par shooting (4-21 for .190) from behind the arc and still post a 44-35 advantage with 11:45 left.  Two FT's by Jamie Smith, a nifty tip in by Gareth Murray, and a driving layup by Adam Kerfoot stretched the Cougar lead to 50-35 at the 8:00 mark.  Two FT's by Kerfoot with 6:17 left gave the Cougars their biggest margin of the game, 63-47.  Ancilla went on a furious 9-0 run in the last 1:05 to make the final margin of victory a mere 7 points.  KVCC shot a coolish 26-68 (.382) but held the Chargers to an even colder 21-60 (.350) from the floor.  Neither team could connect well from long distance, as KVCC was a dismal 4-21 (.190), and Ancilla 3-16 (.188).  Darrahyl Brown led KVCC with 16 pts, 15 rbs.  Larry Weller had 7 pts, 10 rbs, and Quincy Bell chipped in 7 pts, 3 assts.  Chris Williams led the Chargers with 19 pts and 10 rbs; Germayne James had 17 pts.  The Cougars out-rebounded the Chargers 52-30.

Coach's Comments:  "I was really concerned about this game, as Ancilla has played an extremely tough non-conference schedule, and their record is not reflective of the type of team they have.  They lost to league leader, Glen Oaks, by a 61-62 score, so nothing more needed to be said.  I thought our defense was pretty solid tonight, and it's a good thing, as our poor offensive performance would have spelled "defeat" without it.  Darrahyl is regaining his strength, and played a strong game on the boards, as did Larry.  We still made far too many turnovers (22) and only had 14 assists, not a good ratio.  But a win is a win, and we hope we have become a better team through this game.  Lorne Johnson gave us a boost on defense in a rare starting role, and Jamie Smith grabbed 8 rebounds to help us control the glass on them.  Neither team made a three point shot in the 2nd half--an unusual statistic.  Now it's on to a dangerous Kellogg team that comes to KVCC Friday fresh after a big win over Muskegon Wednesday night.   We'll have to be ready, as they were all we could handle the first time around." 

Kalamazoo Valley 88, Lake Michigan 82 (OT)     1/23/04     [13-5]     [4-2]     [Box Score]     [18 Game Accumulative Stats]     [6 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

This was an exciting game inside on a frigid, snowy night outside.  After a see-saw beginning, a BJ Jameson trey with 2:43 left and a David Stephens FT with 1:11 remaining in the half gave the Cougars a slender 33-27 margin  at the break.  An explosive second half performance by Desmond Favors helped make this one a nail-biter right through the overtime.  Favors erupted for 22 second half points on his way to a career-high 30 points, but his spectacular performance was mirrored by an equally remarkable display by the Cougars' Gerald Fletcher.  Playing only one minute in the opening half, Gerald returned with 14:05 remaining in the game and the Cougars ahead 44-42.  Fletcher deftly tossed in 5 threes before the final buzzer, including the triple with :11 remaining that sent the game into overtime tied at 75 apiece.  Darrahyl Brown controlled the OT tip and scored a layup on a nifty pass from Larry Weller with 4:00 left in the OT.  The bucket was followed by a Stephens mid-range jumper to give KVCC a 79-75 lead and force an LMC time-out.  A Favors floater and a triple from Adam Shepherdson, however, put the battling Indians back on top 80-79 with 3:12 remaining.  Brown dropped in two FT's at 2:11 to give the Cougars the lead 81-80 and it was time for Fletcher's heroics again.  Gerald popped in the biggest three of the night while being hit on the arm with 1:18 remaining.   He tossed in the FT to complete the rare 4 point play and give the Cougars an 86-82 lead they would not relinquish.  Favors led all scorers with 30 while Shepherdson hit for 12 and Anthony Curry 10 for LMC.  Fletcher's 19 led KVCC; Larry Weller had 17 and Brown and Stephens 12 each.  The Cougars out-rebounded LMC 44-33 with Weller's 12 a game high.  Brown had 9 caroms and Jamie Smith 7 for KVCC.  Guard Curry led LMC with 8; Corey Thacker had 7 boards.  KVCC's Arthur Price had a game high 6 assists.  KVCC finished the game 30-64 (.469) while LMC was 33-74 (.446).  Twenty-four treys were dropped in this game with LMC going 10-25 (.400) and KVCC 14-33 (.424).

Coach's Comments:  "Another intense, classic league game was played in the tough Western Conference tonight.  We had no answer for Desmond Favors tonight.  His second half performance was nothing short of spectacular!  But it was so good to see Gerald Fletcher break out tonight as well.  Gerald was a key "sixth man" on last year's team, but has been struggling to get it together this season.  A three week setback around the holidays did not help.  In fact, we thought he was ineligible, and he could not get in touch with an instructor over the break, so he had to sit out 4 games only to learn that there had been a mistake in the posting of a grade and he was, in fact, eligible.  Gerald took the disappointment in stride, rejoining the team and starting at the bottom on this team filled with guards.  Tonight was his first big opportunity, and that came mainly in the second half.  His contribution was timely, indeed, for our squad.  Six of nine threes,19 points in 14 minutes of playing time, and solid defense in the last minute were just what the doctor ordered!  Larry Weller had a solid game as well, and David Stephens ended a three point slump by going 3-7 and hitting some big baskets.  Throw in Darrahyl Brown's hustle baskets, and Jamie Smith's pinpoint passing, as well as solid  point guard play from BJ Jameson (5 assists, 1 turnover) and Arthur Price (6 assists, 1 turnover), and we were able to somehow survive Favors' highlight performance.  Our defense was pretty good in the opening half, holding LMC to 11-29 (.379), but they broke out to 19-37 (.514) in the final stanza, making this win a result of accurate three point shooting more than solid defense by our team.  I'm delighted to get the win, but we'll go back to practice Monday, re-focusing on what we can do to become a better, more consistent defensive team.  For our improvement in this vital area, time is quickly running out."

Kalamazoo Valley 91, Muskegon 75     1/21/04     [12-5]     [3-2]     [Box Score]     [17 Game Accumulative Stats]     [5 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

A slow start (Muskegon was up 12-4 at the 15:05 mark) made tonight look like more of the same for KVCC.  But the Cougar bench responded in this one by roaring back behind 10 first half points by Greg Dutton and 7 by Gerald Fletcher to take a 44-36 halftime lead.  Balanced scoring was the story of the night as the Cougars' margin slipped to 52-50 with 14:01 remaining.  David Stephens then sparked a Cougar run with three triples and the Cougars led 67-58 with 10:41 remaining.  A BJ Jameson trey with 3:51 left and a George Sharp triple with 2:14 put the game out of reach for the Jayhawks.  Darrahyl Brown led KVCC with 15, Stephens had 13, Jameson 11, Dutton 10, Sharp 9, and Larry Weller and Jamie Smith 8 each.  Weller led KVCC in rebounding with 12, and Arthur Price dished out a game high 7 assists.  For the Jayhawks, River Rouge's Antoine Burkes had 17 and pulled down a game high 13 boards, Julius Vines scored 16, and Matt Borushko had 15.  The Cougars shot 35-73 (.473) from the floor; Muskegon was 31-77 (.403).  KVCC won a close fight on the boards, 48-45.  The Cougars had a season low 6 turnovers for the contest, while amassing an impressive 23 assists with crisp ball handling.

Coach's Comments:  "I thought our balanced scoring and our three point accuracy made the difference tonight.  We were 11-26 (.423) from behind the arc, with several guards stepping up with big shots.  Darrahyl is regaining his foot strength, and George looked more like the George of the first semester.  BJ Jameson played solid, as did Gerald Fletcher off the bench.  Our defense was a bit better, but we still lack the intensity necessary to win with any consistency.  Greg Dutton played his best game in a Cougar uniform so far and David Stephens broke out of his shooting slump with 3-7 from long range.  All in all it was a good night for a Cougar team that had a less than impressive week last week.  Our defensive intensity will determine, to a large extent, the success or lack of same in our future games."

Glen Oaks 70, Kalamazoo Valley 52     1/17/04     [11-5]     [2-2]     [Box Score]     [16 Game Accumulative Stats]     [4 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

Glen Oaks jumped out to a 16-2 lead in this one, holding the Cougars to 2 points in the first 8 minutes of the game.  With the score 16-4 and 9:37 remaining in the half, however, KVCC went on a 27-12 run to lead at the half, 31-28.  The 2nd half, however, was more of the early part of the first half, as Glen Oaks went on a 21-4 charge to lead 49-35 with 10:23 left.  The rest was history as the Vikings scorched the nets for 19-30 (.633) in the final stanza to seal the lopsided victory.  Glen Oaks was 31-60 (.517) for the game; KVCC shot 18-68 (.265).  Glen Oaks won the battle on the boards 43-40, with lanky Joshua Summerfield and power forward Tyrone Anderson grabbing 7 each.  Jamie Smith led all rebounders with 9.

Glen Oaks: Joshua Summerfield 14 pts, 6 rbs, 5 assts, Brandon Rudolph 12 (6-8 FG), 4 assts, Justin Henderson 10, 6 rbs, Brian Carter 10 (5-5 FG), 9 rbs.  Team Totals: 31-60 (.517), 5-11 (3's) .455, 3-5 FT-FTA (.600).

KVCC: Larry Weller 9 pts, 5 rbs, Jamie Smith 8 pts, 8 rbs, David Stephens 7, 6 rbs, Gareth Murray 7, George Sharp 6.  Team Totals: 18-68 (.265), 5-19 (3's) (.263), and 11-17 FT-FTA (.647).

Coach's Comments:  "I thought we couldn't play any worse than we did at Grand Rapids Wednesday night.  But I was wrong.  We displayed sloppy ball handling early, and were torn apart inside late.  Our 5-27 (.185) is a season, and maybe an all time low, for KVCC in a half of basketball.  Our guards were a combined total of 3-29 tonight (.103).  A perimeter shooting percentage of 10.3 will hardly win a game of basketball anywhere in the world. And our defense totally collapsed in the closing stanza as they shot an impressive 19-30 (.633).  I'm at a loss to explain our pathetic play, but Glen Oaks showed why they are at the top of the league at 4-0.  They are sound defensively, and they have balanced scoring and a strong inside presence.  Our weakness inside and the soft belly of our defense spelled disaster this afternoon.  I can't remember ever coaching a game where NONE of our players even scored in double figures!  Our defense was not physical enough nor intense enough.  We drove back to KVCC and had an "emergency" practice for 90 minutes to see if we could build some toughness into this squad.  I will not give up on them.  They are good people, and despite some obvious shortcomings, they can and will improve, That improvement will take a large dose of  the right attitude and a lot of determination and hard work."

Grand Rapids 79, Kalamazoo Valley 63     1/14/04     [11-4]     [2-1]     [Box Score]     [15 Game Accumulative Stats]     [3 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

This game was all Grand Rapids from start to finish.  After creeping out to a 14-8 lead on a Tim Stark tri-fector at the 12:20 mark, the Raiders never were seriously challenged by the Cougars.  Dominating play on the inside and drilling open treys from the perimeter, the Raiders made this one look easy.  GRCC led on the boards, 41-33, and took advantage of their quick start and their balanced scoring to coast to the victory.  Quennel Young, Tim Stark, and Jamie Brown each dropped in 12 points, while All Conference guard Brad Pompey added 10, and Curtis Ludtke 8.  Ludtke and Young each pulled down 9 rebounds for GRCC.  Quincy Bell led all scorers with 21; Jamie Smith and Darrahyl Brown each had 11, but no other Cougar could manage more than 5.  The Raiders were 11-13 (.846) from the FT line, while KVCC was 6-8 (.750).  GRCC shot 29-65 (.446) from the floor; KVCC was 25-59 (.424).  Stark (4-11) and Brown (4-8) led the Raider 3 point barrage.  Bell was 5-8 from behind the arc.

Coach's Comments:  "Our performance tonight was very disappointing.  I really felt our defense had improved well beyond what we played tonight.  Grand Rapids exploited every weakness we have.  We took pretty good care of the ball (14 turnovers), but we gave up 11 offensive rebounds and were not at all effective with our own inside game.  We only got to the line 8 times as we have to credit their defense for shutting down our inside attack and forcing a dismal 7-27 (.259) long range shooting night.  They showed why they deserved to be nationally ranked (14th); we showed why we don't.  We'll regroup for Saturday quickly; Glen Oaks defeated GRCC last week by 12 points, and Glen Oaks remained at the top last night with a 67-44 win over Muskegon.  We have our work cut out for us!"

Kalamazoo Valley 93, Lansing 76     1/9/04     [11-3]      [2-0]     [Box Score]     [14 Game Accumulative Stats]     [2 Game League Stats]     [OER.DER]

This was another in a long tradition of classic games between KVCC and LCC!  For the Stars, Maurice Benson put on a scoring show in the opening stanza (20 points) and Clark Woods took over center stage in the 2nd half (18 points).  The game was a see-saw affair in the opening half, with the Cougars nursing a slender 48-45 halftime lead.  Lansing blistered the nets for 53.1% (17-31) shooting in the opening stanza; KVCC was 18-37 for .486.  The Cougar defense stiffened in the final 6:55 as a 73-70 lead led into a 20-6 run to close out the win.  KVCC out-rebounded the Stars 42-26 with Ace Willhite's 13 leading the way.  Point guard Paul Stoll led the Stars with 8 rebounds.  KVCC featured 6 players in double-figures with Jamie Smith getting 16, Quincy Bell 15, Larry Weller 14, and Willhite, David Stephens, and Arthur Price 10 each.  Smith also had 6 assists and 7 rebounds.  KVCC shot 33-67 (.493) for the contest; Lansing shot 27-62 (.435).

Coach's Comments:  "This was a big win for us because Lansing has another fine team.  The difference, I thought, was mainly in our defensive intensity during the final half.  We held them to 11-33 shooting (.333) after allowing them to shoot .531 in the opening half.  This was Quincy's finest game in a Cougar uniform, and it sure was good to have Darrahyl Brown back, if only for 16 minutes.  Adam Kerfoot played another solid floor game, and Greg Dutton gave us a big lift off the bench for the third game in a row.  The league race is heating up, and although we're where we want to be, we have many difficult challenges ahead.  Next week is road week, Wednesday at Grand Rapids CC, and Saturday at Glen Oaks.  We'll know in a couple of weeks if we are contenders or pretenders." 

League Opener at Kellogg, 1/7/04

Kalamazoo Valley 83, Kellogg 78     [10-3]     [1-0]     [Box Score]     [13 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

A David Stephens' basket with 38 ticks left in the first half gave KVCC a 40-27 halftime lead despite Bruin center Will Smith's 13 points.  The Cougars maintained a modest margin until Stephens dropped a FT to make it 66-47 with 9:50 left in the game.  But the Bruins were not done, as Will Smith and company charged again and again, scoring at the buzzer to close to within 5.  Smith finished the night with 26 pts and 17 rbs.  Dereck McGlothan scored 14, Tommy Hoyt and DJ Potter 10 each for KCC.  Larry Weller led the balanced Cougar attack with 17 pts and 13 rbs, David Stephens hit for 16 and 6 rbs, Jamie Smith was 13 and 8 before fouling out, Quincy Bell chipped in 12, and reserve Adam Kerfoot scored 10 on 6-7 shooting from the line.  The Bruins out-rebounded the Cougars 42-35, but KVCC out-shot KCC from the field.  The Cougars were 29-63 (.460) while the Bruins shot 30-70 (.429).  KVCC was 18-25 (.720) from the line; KCC was 11-13 (.846).

Coach's Comments:  "League action is intense, and tonight was no exception.  Will Smith played the best game I've ever seen him play.  Even though we won, the game ball belongs to Will!  Once again we were unable to hold on to a sizeable lead; the same thing happened Sunday vs Olney Central in Mattoon, IL.  However, we got several big baskets from our bench tonight, with Greg Dutton, David Stephens, and Adam Kerfoot providing badly needed sparks at key times.  Quincy Bell had a solid game and Adam Kerfoot was clutch from the FT line down the stretch.  Also, Larry Weller was a perfect 8-8 from the line, as he scored a double-double.  I'm glad we have some sophomores on this team.  Arthur and Larry, particularly, were steady in helping us ward off their comeback effort.  We got an important road win tonight, but we'll have to play much better than we did tonight if we are to become legitimate contenders in the league this year."

Lake Land College (Mattoon, IL) New Year's Classic 01/04/04

Kalamazoo Valley 72, Olney Central 63     [9-3]     [Box Score]     [12 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

KVCC jumped out of the blocks with Larry Weller nailing 3 threes and Jamie Smith 2 in the opening stanza.  The Cougars held off every Blue Knight challenge to hold a slender 39-33 halftime lead.  Then KVCC went on a 22-9 run to start the final half, opening a 62-42 lead with just over 10 minutes to go.  Olney regrouped to close to within 6 at 67-61 with a 19-5 run of their own as the clock ticked down under 3 minutes.  Some nifty FT shooting and some aggressive rebounding helped KVCC close this one out with a win.  Smith led all scorers with 23 and he pulled down a game high 13 rbs as well.  Weller chipped in 18, was 4-6 from behind the arc, and dished out a team high 6 assists.  Quincy Bell had 9 and BJ Jameson 8 for the Cougars.    Darrell White led Olney with 17; Clint Burris scored 11; and 6'10" Derrick Ford scored 10 and pulled in 7 rbs.  Adam Brussard handed out 6 assists to lead the Blue Knights.  KVCC and Olney matched rebound totals with 33.  The Cougars shot 25-54 (.463) from the floor to Olney's 26-69 (.377).  The Blue Knights connected on 5-20 (.250) from 3-point land, while KVCC shot 10-19 (.526) from behind the arc.  Olney was 6-7 (.857) from the line; the Cougars were 12-15 (.800).  The Cougars had 20 assists, 21 turnovers; Olney had 21 assists, 14 turnovers in the contest.

Coach's Comments:  "What a difference a day makes!  With Darrahyl Brown still out and George Sharp still in Muskegon, we came out shooting with confidence against a tall and talented squad from Olney Central.  Adam Bussard had knocked down 9 threes against Lake Land on Saturday, and we held him to 0-10 from the floor!  Larry Weller did a commendable job on 6'10" Derrick Ford; Jamie Smith dug in to contain 6'6", 240 lb 3 point sharpshooter Clint Burris; and Ace Willhite, Quincy Bell, and Arthur Price supplied the necessary support to keep the Blue Knights shooting a dismal .377 (26-69) from the floor.  We shot well from behind the arc (10-19) and were able to pull ahead by 20 points halfway thru the 2nd half.  When Olney turned up the heat, they were able to close to within 6 with just under 3 minutes left.  But we were able to finish what we had started and get out of Mattoon and the torrential downpour outside with a win.  I was extremely proud of our team today.  They showed a lot of character and determination to come back from our spanking yesterday to upset this Division I NJCAA squad that has already gained a 3 point win over Michigan power Schoolcraft College.  Now it's on to our league with our remaining 14 games in the next 7 weeks.  We should be prepared."

Lake Land College (Mattoon, IL) New Year's Classic 01/03/04

Lincoln Trail 95, Kalamazoo Valley 54     [8-3]     [Box Score]            [11 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

Division I power Lincoln Trail came out blazing in this one.  The Cougars never knew what hit them, committing 17 first half turnovers against the stifling full court press by the Statesmen.  A three pointer at the buzzer of the half put LTC up 36-21, but the Statesmen from Robinson, IL, were just warming up.  Lincoln Trail buried KVCC in the final stanza by scoring 59 points and cruising to the worst beating given a KVCC team in two years.  Montrelle Crittendon and Adam Asberry led LTC with 15 while point guard Ricky Harper chipped in 14, and Maurice Blakey 13.  LTC blistered the nets with 38-70 (.542) while the hapless Cougars could only manage a dismal 23-70 (.329) shooting night.  Compounding Valley's problems was a 2-19 (.105) performance behind the arc.  Surprisingly enough, KVCC outrebounded LTC 43-32 with Jamie Smith leading all rebounders with 14.  Smith and Larry Weller were the only Cougars in double-figure scoring with 17 and 16 respectively.

Coach's Comments:  "This would better be a 'no comment' game for me.  First, we arrived shortly after 1:00 PM thinking we would scout Lincoln Trail vs Lake Land in the first game.  We learned that the games had been switched to 3:00 and 5:00 and we were playing Lincoln Trail!  I knew nothing about the Statesmen as we had been told in September that our opponent on January 3 would be Olney Central.  George Sharp had major surgery on his mouth and has not practiced with us since December 11.  He did not make the trip.  Then, Darrahyl Brown stepped on a basketball during warm-ups and sprained his ankle seriously enough to have to use crutches the rest of the day.  He did not play a second this weekend, and is questionable for Wednesday's league opener at Kellogg.  These setbacks, coupled with the reality that we lost Gerald Fletcher, Arrun Hubbert, Lorne Johnson, Gareth Murray, and Darre Johnson to grades at the break, and I had to wonder what else could go wrong!  (With all the rain that fell, it was possible that the game could have been flooded out; there were still many, many things to be thankful for!)  Quincy Bell and Ace Willhite got the nods as starters and we simply started over!  We were in no way prepared for the vicious pressing, trapping style that apparently characterizes Lincoln Trail's team strategy this season.  All of the teams in this Classic are Division I JUCOS, meaning that they can offer room, board, books, and tuition scholarships on top of whatever Pell Grant money their players may qualify for.  It is not unusual for 5 or 6 players to go from Lincoln Trail to Division I and Division II NCAA institutions after their tenure at the JUCO level there.  I wanted to play stiff competition before our league opener, and that goal was more than met!  In a subtle, yet strange way, however, I believe that this game ripped open our weaknesses and challenged our very fabric in a way that would soon show tremendous growth.  The game, and yes, the loss, were embarrassing, yet good for us."

KVCC Christmas Tournament 12/13/03

Championship Game: Illinois Central 79, Kalamazoo Valley 70     [8-2]     [Box Score]     [10 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

The ICC Cougars battled the KVCC Cougars back and forth in the first half.  A driving layup by Jamie Smith gave KVCC a slender 38-34 halftime margin, but a quick trey by Nathan Koster and two FT's by Quentin Edwards gave ICC a 40-38 lead they would never relinquish.  KVCC was plagued by 19 turnovers against the aggressive Cougar squad from Illinois.  But perhaps the most vital statistic of the afternoon was the wide rebounding margin that ICC had over the Michigan Cougars, 48-33.  Point guard Nathan Koster led the balanced ICC attack with 18, 8 rbs, and 6 assts.  Quentin Edwards scored 14 and also had 6 assts; Greg Cannon had 15 points and 11 rbs and Rodney Edgerson scored 11.  For KVCC, Jamie Smith led the way with 17; Gerald Fletcher scored 11 and chipped in with 4 assts.  ICC shot 29-64 (.453) from the field; KVCC shot 25-66 (.379).  KVCC was 10-34 (.294) from behind the three point line; ICC was 4-10 (.400).  Quentin Edwards, ICC, was named tournament MVP.  Nathan Koster and Greg Cannon also made the All Tournament team.  KVCC's Jamie Smith and Darrahyl Brown also made the All Tournament team, as did Oakland's Alex Davenport.

Coach's Comments:  "We were beaten today by a better team.  We earned their respect in the opening stanza, but their defense tightened and we did not have an answer for them in the closing half.  Our 11 assists, 19 turnovers vs their 16 assists, 13 turnovers, along with their dominance on the boards, were too much to overcome.  Our field goal percentage was a season low .379, but credit must be given to ICC's solid defensive play.  I thought our inability to score inside resulted in the wide rebound margin in favor of our opponent.  They kept us outside firing threes off the mark, while they pounded the offensive boards (16) for numerous easy put-backs.  I still believe playing these good teams helps us measure what we need to do to prepare for our league.  I'm disappointed, but I still believe that, with more heart and intensity, we can be pretty good in our league.  We desperately need leadership from someone ready to step up!"

Consolation Game Results: Oakland 109, Clark State 57     [Box Score]

2nd Game Results:  Kalamazoo Valley 79, Clark State 72     [8-1]     [Box Score]     [9 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

This game was a struggle from beginning to end.  The Cougars committed a season high 27 turnovers, but still managed to ride a whopping 60-33 edge on the boards to gain the win.  Holding Clark State to 10-37 (.270) shooting in the opening stanza enabled KVCC to enter the intermission with a 37-25 advantage.  The visitors from Ohio then outscored the Cougars 47-42 to make this one close to the end.  A field goal by James Helton with 7:37 closed the gap to 58-53, but the Eagles would get no closer.  KVCC shot 30-70 (.429) for the game.  Neither team shot well from behind the arc as CSCC was 3-17 (.176) and KVCC 5-22 (.227).  Monte Ward led all scorers with 30 points with James Leigh joining him in double figures with 11.  Darrahyl Brown led KVCC with 22 and 17 rebounds; Jamie Smith had 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 assists.  David Stephens scored 12 and Larry Weller chipped in with 5 assists.

Coach's Comments:  "This was a unique game statistically.  We have been taking pretty good care of the ball until tonight.  Clark State's quickness forced us into 27 turnovers, a number that usually spells defeat.  However, superlative rebounding performances, an area in which we have shown early season weakness, by Darrahyl and Jamie offset our poor ball handling.  We had no answer for Monte Ward (30 points) tonight.  He drove around us and shot over us routinely.  We WERE able, finally, to make more free throws (14) than our opponents were allowed (10).  I thought that when they closed to 25-21 with 6:20 left in the first half, we were in trouble.  However, we righted the ship and held on to outscore them 12-4 to end the half.  I credit our bench with that important turnaround.  All-in-all it was an "ugly" win, but one in which I hope we learned much.  Why a team plays in such an uncharacteristically poor manner in any given game remains a mystery, probably to all coaches everywhere, but we know this, IF we don't come out with great intensity in our remaining games, we will be relegated to a mediocre season.  Illinois Central recently defeated the No. 5 ranked NJCAA Division II team in the nation (Kirkwood, IO) so we'll not be able to win tomorrow without a much more intense and consistent performance." 

1st Game Results:  Illinois Central 74, Oakland 62     [Box Score]

Kalamazoo Valley 86, Calvin JV's 59     (7-1)     [Box Score]     [8 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

The Cougar defense held tight in the opening stanza holding the Calvin Knights to 11 points in the first 13 minutes of action.  Behind Jamie Smith's 11 points, the Cougars built a 54-20 halftime margin.  The final half, however, was a different story as the proud Calvin tradition motivated this Knight team to battle fiercely in spite of the 34 point deficit at the break.  However, Calvin could only get to within 21 at 65-44 at the 10:29 mark, as KVCC displayed unusual balance in recording the win.  Smith led all scorers with 18; 13 of the 15 players scored for the Cougars, no others in double digits.  Greg Mejeur scored 13 for Calvin, Josh Claypool 12, and Steve Buter 11.  Luke Bouman pulled down 10 rebounds for Calvin; David Stephens 10 for KVCC.  The Cougars held a slim 46-45 margin on the glass.  KVCC shot 35-82 (.427) for the game; Calvin shot 22-67 (.328).  KVCC totaled 25 assists with BJ Jameson's 6 leading the way.

Coach's Comments:  "I complimented our squad at the half for a solid performance at both ends.  Apparently, however, we did not handle the success very well as we opened the final half playing as poorly as we have all year.  Calvin outscored us 24-11 in the first 10 minutes of the closing stanza and really outplayed us for the entire half.  Nevertheless, it goes into the book as a lopsided win, for which I am thankful.  Eleven of our players played double digit minutes and 3 more played 9 minutes so in that sense it was good for our squad.  An unusual statistic tonight was the fact that we did not shoot a free throw in the first half, and only shot 10 for the game.  Calvin shot 21, mainly due to their ability to get the ball to their post men consistently.  I thought BJ Jameson (6 assts, 0 turnovers), Quincy Bell (3-5, 6 pts in 12 minutes), Ace Willhite (2 assts), and Gareth Murray (9 rbs), particularly, gave us big lifts off the bench.  And Smith, Weller, and Brown combined for a collective 14-21 (.667) field goal percentage."

KVCC Invitational  (December 5-6, 2003)

Kennedy King 91, Kalamazoo Valley 89     (6-1)     [Box Score]     [7 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

The Cougars spurted out to a 22-16 lead in the first 10 minutes of this one, but the Statesmen from Chicago kept chipping away at the lead and ended the half with a 20-10 run to cut the margin to two, 44-42.  A floater by Gerald Fletcher with 11:25 remaining gave the Cougars a 68-58 lead.  Some torrid offensive play by tournament MVP Parrish Brown (13 2nd half points, 9 coming in the last 4:42) put Kennedy King up 89-87 with 1:37 remaining.  Darrahyl Brown scored on a put back at 1:21 to tie it again and set the stage for the final plays.  A KK turnover with :09.5 seconds left gave KVCC a final chance.  Lorne Johnson dished off to Arthur Price for an open 3 in the corner at the buzzer, but Arthur's shot fell harmlessly off the rim, giving the Statesmen a hard fought win over the previously undefeated Cougars.  Maushae Byles led KK with 22 on 9-14 shooting; Steve Strong scored 20, Arnold Coaks and Parrish Brown hit for 13 apiece, and Keith Gayden rounded out the double figure scorers with 11.  Jamie Smith led KVCC with 24 on 10-13 shooting; David Stephens hit for 15, Larry Weller 14, George Sharp 12, and Darrahyl Brown 11.  KVCC outrebounded KK 41-36 with Brown grabbing a game high 13, Smith 9, and Weller 8.  Keith Gayden led KK with 9.  The Statesmen shot 38-73 for .521, a blistering 21-34 (.618) in the final half.  KVCC was 32-64 (.500) for the game.  KK was 9-20 (.450) from behind the arc; KVCC was 7-20 (.350).  Neither team shot well from the FT line as KVCC was 18-30 (.600) and KK 6-11 (.529).

Coach's Comments:  "This was one of those frustrating losses, mainly because we held the lead for over 35 minutes of this game.  Credit KK for making the plays down the stretch.  We couldn't stop Steve Strong from penetrating late in the game, and their 3 point shooting nailed our coffin shut.  We did manage to get one final open shot to pull out the win, but it was not on the mark.  My biggest disappointment in this game was our inability to stop them in the last 5 minutes of the game.  We tried different combinations on defense, but we just couldn't hold them off.  We will refocus our practice efforts in building our defensive togetherness and intensity.  They shot over 60% from the floor in the second half, putting a premium on our offensive effectiveness.  Equally disappointing was our dismal FT shooting, a problem we have had before in earlier games.  Nevertheless, the Division I competition is good for us.  It exposes our weaknesses and gives us much to work on.  With steady improvement in the fundamental areas, this team could end up having a good year.  I'm anxious for our next practice to begin."

First Game Friday: Kennedy King 106, Kellogg 98     [Box Score]

Kalamazoo Valley 102, Macomb 63     (12/5/03)     (6-0)     [Box Score]     [6 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER/DER]

Behind Jamie Smith's 5-5 shooting, the Cougars managed to overcome a red-hot Macomb squad (15-26 for .577) to squeak out to a 45-34 halftime lead.  David Stephens scored 12 of his game high 18 in the opening stanza as well.  The Cougar defense tightened down the hatches in the 2nd half, holding the Monarchs to 29 points while scorching the nets for 57 themselves.  Valley controlled the boards 44-31 with an impressive 25 offensive rebounds.  Darrahyl Brown matched Stephens' 18 points for the night while Jamie Smith tossed in 16 and George Sharp 9.  Macomb's Gerald Dozie led all rebounders with 10.  Smith and Brown grabbed 9 each and Stephens 8 to pace the Cougars.  KVCC shot .488 (41-84) for the game, while Macomb was .500 (27-54) from the floor.  The Cougars tossed in 9-23 (.391) from behind the arc while holding the Monarchs to 2-12 (.167).  Arthur Price had 5 assists while Stephens and Larry Weller had 4 each. 

Coach's Comments:  "I was not pleased at all with our first half defense, but we gradually picked up the intensity in the second half.  As a result we were able to create 25 turnovers and several easy baskets on fast breaks.  I think there were two big factors tonight.  One was their 25 turnovers compared to our 10, and the other was our 25 offensive rebounds compared to their 11.  We have been emphasizing the importance of blocking out on defense and attacking the offensive glass and tonight that emphasis paid handsome dividends.  Tomorrow will be the stiffest test we've faced yet, as Kennedy King is a Division I power that always is loaded with talent from the Chicago area.  They press hard and are deep so it should be an indication of just where our program is right now.  We're looking forward to the challenge."     

Kalamazoo Valley 94, Olivet JV's 64     (11/25/03)     (5-0)     [Box Score]     [5 Game Accumulative Stats]     [OER.DER]

Jamie Smith scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists to lead his Cougars to a 94-64 win over Olivet's junior varsity squad in the KVCC Thanksgiving Classic.  Quincy Bell chipped in 14, Darrahyl Brown 13, and Larry Weller 11 to round out the balanced Cougar scoring.  KVCC outrebounded the Comets 39-33, with Weller grabbing 8 for KVCC and Kevin Hicks 8 for Olivet.  The Cougars hit a sizzling 22-24 (.917)  from the foul line and a solid 14-31 (.433) from behind the arc; Olivet finished 22.59 (.373) from the field, 12-18 (.667) from the FT line, and 8-23 (.318) from behind the 3-point line.  Steffen Cornell and De'Andre Clement led the Comets with 12 apiece, Derek Kurtz, Ryan Johnson, and J. C. Stanciel all had 10.  The halftime score was 40-23, KVCC.

Coach's Comments:  "I was especially pleased with our defense in the first half tonight.  We held Olivet to .308 from the floor in that half to achieve the 40-23 lead at the break.  We started a bigger lineup than usual, due to the fact that David Stephens had to miss the game to attend his 3-hour Macroeconomics class.  Jamie Smith responded well to his new position and Darrahyl and Larry both had solid games inside.  And, finally, we shot more FT's than an opponent!  And, it appears that we saved making them until tonight as well.  I'll take 22-24 from the line anytime!  Quincy Bell gave us a big lift tonight as he popped in 4 treys to match Jamie's 4.  Now we're off for Thanksgiving and will enjoy the brief vacation away from basketball.  I'm pleased we're 5-0, but I think we have much improving to do to become legitimate contenders in our conference.  These next 5 games against quality opponents will be a key indication for us as will the performance of our players in their finals.  We're off to a good start!"

Kalamazoo Valley 97, Alma JV's 59     (11/24/03)     (4-0)     [Box Score]     [4 Game Accumulative Stats]

David Stephens scored 9 of his game high 17 points in the first 8 minutes as the Cougars raced out to a 28-8 lead and never looked back.  Darrahyl Brown also contributed 17 points, Jamie Smith 13, George Sharp 12, and Gareth Murray 11 to pace the well-balanced Cougar attack.  All 14 players that were dressed played at least 11 minutes in the romp.  The Cougars were 40-93 (.430) from the floor while holding the Scots to 21-67 (.313) shooting.  KVCC won the battle of the boards 59-46 with Larry Weller (KVCC) and Isaac Smith (Alma) leading the way with 11 apiece.  Andrew Barnhart led Alma with 14, Jamie Diener scored 11, and Greg Nelson 10.  

Coach's Comments:  "We started a different lineup tonight to try to apply more pressure full court.  After an average start, I thought our pressure started to pay dividends around the 14:00 minute mark.  For the game we forced Alma to commit 28 turnovers, obviously a big stat.  We moved the ball around better tonight than we have been doing, and we cut off baseline much better defensively.  I'm still not pleased, however, with our inside play and our rebounding.  We take too many long shots before we try to get the ball penetrated.  Consequently, our opponents continue to get to the foul line more than we do.  Even while winning by 38 points, we were outshot from the FT line 23-16 tonight!  We did have 29 assists and 19 steals, both good numbers.  Olivet's JV's are tough this year, so tomorrow night will show how much we were able to learn in a big win like tonight's."

Kalamazoo Valley 68, St. Clair 65     (11/22/03)     (3-0)     [Box Score]     [3 Game Accumulative Stats]

KVCC jumped out to a 9-0 lead by holding St. Clair scoreless in the first 4:49 of this one.  The stingy Cougar defense was the story of the first half as the Skippers shot only .333 (11-33) from the field.  However, KVCC could only manage a meager .361 (13-36) shooting percentage against the equally stingy, scrappy Skipper defense in the opening half, leading 35-24 at the intermission.  KVCC maintained the slender lead for just over 14 minutes of the 2nd half, leading 57-43 on a Jamie Smith jumper with 11:05 remaining in the game.  Then the bottom fell out of the Cougar defense as St. Clair tied the game at 59 apiece (16-2 run!) on a floater by Mike Moses with 5:21 left.  Larry Weller ended a 6:17 dry spell for the Cougars to knot the game 61-61 at the 4:01 mark.  Two power baskets by Derrick Graham, one at 3:37 and one at 3:05 put the Skippers in the lead again with 3:05 remaining, 65-63.  A spectacular tip in by Smith with 39.2 ticks left tied the game again as both teams struggled for end game control.  The Cougar defense forced a turnover with :08 left, and after a timeout, the stage was set for George Sharp's buzzer beater.  Jamie Smith drove hard to the middle and found Sharp on the perimeter as the Skipper defense helped out.  George arched the ball high over the outstretched Skipper to nail the game winner at the buzzer.  Sharp's first three came 1:12 into the game and his second and final three with :0.0 showing on the clock.  KVCC shot 28-71 (.394) from the floor while St. Clair improved to 27-65 (.415) for the night after a 16-32 (.500) second half showing.  St. Clair was 0-5 from behind the arc; KVCC made 8-27 (.296).  The Cougars held a slim 45-42 margin in rebounding.  Jacob Falter led St. Clair with 14; Jason Underwood scored 12 with Darren Jones and Michael Frantz chipping in 9 each.  Underwood led St. Clair on the boards with 7.  Mike Moses, Jr. had 5 assists, Falter 4 for the Skippers.  Darrrahyl Brown led an equally balanced Cougar attack with 14; Jamie Smith contributed 13 and David Stephens 9.  Brown led all rebounders with 12; Weller followed with 9, Smith 8 and Stephens 7.  BJ Jameson dished out 4 assists for Valley.

Coach's Comments:  "Well, we survived our first close call, but barely!  St. Clair, under Coach Dale Vos, ALWAYS comes ready to play and hungry.  We outplayed them for 34 minutes tonight, but with their backs to the wall, they roared back to dominate the final 6 minutes of the game.  Jacob Falter, Derrick Graham, and Jason Underwood took control inside and really exploited our weaknesses on the glass, igniting their 22-6 late game run.  Our highlights were Smith's tip in to tie it at :39 and Sharp's spectacular shot off a Smith pass at the buzzer.  Darrahyl Brown sparked us repeatedly with his offensive rebounding (7) late in the game.  We really labored this afternoon, not getting the lift off our bench in the 2nd half that we had become accustomed to in our first two games.  And for the third straight game, we shot fewer FT's than our opponents.  This is a MAJOR concern, as we have not been able to generate a solid inside game, either offensively OR defensively.  Had our defense not completely collapsed, I would say it was our defense that won the game, as our offense really sputtered.  Teams shooting under .400 do not win many modern college basketball games.  Yes, we dodged a bullet today, maybe because St. Clair was 0-5 from behind the arc and the 3rd leading 3 point shooter in the Eastern Conference last year, Michael Frantz, was not able to nail a three (our defense?), or maybe because St. Clair shot a dismal 11-20 from the FT line, or maybe, even, because they were slow out of the blocks, falling behind 0-9 at the git, or for whatever reason, but the important thing is, 'Did we learn anything?'  The answer to that question remains to be seen."

Kalamazoo Valley 86, Alpena 51     (11/21/03)     (2-0)     [Box Score]     [2 game stats]

This one was tight throughout the first half, but some nifty relief work by the Cougar bench resulted in a 39-30 halftime margin for the Cougars.  The second half was all KVCC as the pressure defense applied by the freely substituted Cougars wore on the Lumberjacks, forcing 15 2nd half turnovers and 26 total game turnovers.  Those errors combined with Alpena's frigid 1-16 (.063) from behind the arc proved their demise.  KVCC was led by Darrahyl Brown's 14 (7-8 from the floor), while David Stephens, Larry Weller, and Arrun Hubbert chipped in 12 apiece and Jamie Smith 10.  KVCC shot 37-77 (.481) from the field while holding Alpena to 20-51 (.392).  BJ Jameson dished out 7 assists; Arthur Price 6.  The Cougars outrebounded Alpena 42-32 with Weller's 7 leading the way.  Alpena was led on the boards by Shane Ison's game high 9.  Brent Wichtner scored 13 and Drew Kemp 10 for the Lumberjacks.

Coach's Comments:  "Our depth was solid today and our pressure defense paid handsome dividends, forcing 26 turnovers while resulting in several easy baskets.  We got 17 assists with only 3 turnovers from our three point guards, and we displayed good scoring balance as a result of 27 assists.  I was pleased with the ball movement and happy that we could disrupt their offense as well as we did.  Jameson had a solid game as did Weller and Brown.  Hubbert's 5-6 from the bench was a big lift as well.  I was happy to hold them under .400 field goal percentage, a goal we have this year.  All in all, it was a good day for Cougar basketball. Tomorrow will be an even stiffer test as St. Clair has shown some muscle by taking perennial power, Toledo Owens to the wire recently, losing by only 7."

Kalamazoo Valley 104, Indiana Tech JV's 64     (11/10/03)     (1-0)     [Box Score]

A new year begins!  The Cougars raced out 22-13 lead by scoring a whopping 22 points in their first 10 possessions.  Arthur Price, Jamie Smith, and George Sharp canned a total of 4 threes in 5 tries in the first 7 minutes of the game.  The subs pushed the lead to 54-34 at the half and the Cougars were roaring in the snazzy Tech gymnasium in Ft. Wayne.  A free throw by reserve Arrun Hubbert put KVCC up 87-46 with 10:07 left and the victory was all but sealed at that point.  Smith and forward Darrahyl Brown led the Cougars with 17 each while Sharp chipped in 12 and Hubbert 11.  All 12 players played and scored in the balanced KVCC attack.  The Cougars shot a sparkling 40-70 for .571 from the floor but the story was their 10-23 (.435) shooting from behind the arc.  ITT was held to a coolish 22-76 (.293) from the floor.  Sharpshooter Jamal Howell led Tech with 15; Dionte Gibson had 14; and Kendall Patterson had 10.  KVCC grabbed 55 rebounds to 34 for ITT.  Smith led all rebounders with 15.  Brown was 6-8 and Smith 7-10 from the field for KVCC, and Smith added 7 assists as well.

Coach's Comments:  "It's always nice to start the year raining threes!  We were very hot at the start of this one.  We were 8-11 from behind the arc in the first half.  I was pleased with our rebounding and passing tonight, but our defense still, in my opinion, has a long, long way to go.  I think our 4 scrimmages against 4-year schools helped prepare us for this opener.  It was a good win, but one we must not get too excited about.  We have many tougher games ahead."