PRESS CONTACT:
Irene Borak
Director of Public Relations
10775 N. St. Helen Road
Roscommon, MI 48653
(989) 275-5000 ext. 242
FINAL SCORES
Friday, Dec. 16
Men’s first round – Kellogg Community College 91, Lewis College of Business 76
Lakeland CC 94, Kirtland CC 88
Saturday, Dec. 17
Men’s consolation – Kirtland CC 120, Lewis College 98
Men’s championship – Kellogg CC 97, Lakeland CC 95
Friday, Dec. 16
Women’s first round – Kirtland CC vs. Sinclair CC – cancelled
Genesee CC 61, Lakeland CC 60
Saturday, Dec. 17
Women’s consolation – Lakeland CC 79, Kirtland CC 71
Women’s championship – Genesee CC 76, Kirtland CC 58
ROSCOMMON – Firebirds Tony Brown and Sal Kabara, and Lady Firebirds Chelsey Williams and Rena Barnett were named to their respective men’s and women’s All-Tournament Teams at the culmination of the Great North Tournament which was hosted by Kirtland over the Dec. 16-17 weekend.
The tournament brought three women’s and four men’s teams together for non-stop basketball action at the CRAF Center in Roscommon with the Firebirds men’s team going 1-1 over the weekend, and the Lady Firebirds sustaining two losses in one tiring day.
Brown is a 6’1” Kirtland freshman from Battle Creek. He led the Firebirds in scoring during the tournament, dropping in 26 points in Kirtland’s 94-86 first-round loss to Lakeland CC (Kirtland, Ohio), then netting 32 points in the Firebirds’ 120-98 tromp over Lewis College of Business (Detroit) in the consolation game on Saturday.
Kabara, a 6’6” freshman from the Central African Republic, often leads the Firebirds in scoring and rebounds. He dropped in 30 points in the KCC’s consolation win.
For the women, Williams, 6’1”, from Houghton Lake, and Blake, 5’7”, from Toronto, both freshmen, were essential to the Lady Firebirds’ defensive success, with Williams pulling down a whopping 18 rebounds in their game against Lakeland’s women’s team, and Blake nabbing 3 steals against Genesee CC (Batavia, N.Y.).
Women’s basketball
When Sinclair Community College of Dayton, Ohio, backed out of the tournament due to the weather, the second Great North Tournament was left to shift with only three women’s teams – Kirtland, Lakeland and Genesee. Kirtland coach Teresa Stuck rose to the challenge, however, volunteering her team to play in both the consolation and championship rounds on the second day of the tournament in order to make it a contest.
The one women’s game to be played on Friday saw Lakeland (7-3 overall pre-tournament) take a spirited 61-60 defeat at the hands of No. 2-in-the-nation Genesee (8-0).
On Saturday, Kirtland (6-4 pre-tournament) took a 79-71 loss to Lakeland at 2 p.m. in the consolation round, then gave it their best shot in a 76-58 loss to Genesee at 6 p.m. in the championship.
“To play two collegiate games in one day is unheard of,” Stuck said of her situation. “It’s hard to play on back-to-back days, let alone with seven players.”
But that’s exactly how the ball bounced and the Lady Firebirds rose to the challenge.
“Wow – I am so proud of the heart in these girls,” was Stuck’s reaction to the Firebirds’ twin losses. “They gave everything they had against two very tough teams this weekend. We competed with some of the best teams in the nation at our level and if we continue to work, improve, and play as hard as we are – we will be there in March.”
In their loss to the Lakeland Lakers, the Firebirds’ Rena Barnett, a freshman from LeRoy, led her team with 25 points, shooting 10 for 18. She added 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Williams gathered another double double, the first since her ankle injury, knocking in 18 points and 18 rebounds.
Blake contributed 10 points and pulled down 5 big boards and 2 steals, while Emily Henion (freshman, Frederic) and Emilee Bruner (sophomore, Mio) combined for 17 points.
With just a couple hours between games to soothe their nerves and catch their breath, the Lady Firebirds then offered fans their most impressive 20-minutes to date, keeping pace with the Genesee Cougars to go into the half of the championship game riding the Cougars’ tails, 31-30.
Keeping up the pace through the second half was more than the Firebirds could manage, however, despite the valiant effort put forth.
“This game was much closer than the score reflected,” Stuck noted. “We just ran out of gas after 30 minutes. After that point, missed free throws and a few key turnovers due to dead legs really hurt us.”
Barnett again led the Firebirds’ scoring with 20 points on 7-10 shooting to go with 4 assists. Blake added 11 points and 3 steals. Onica Jones (freshman, Rochester, N.Y.) took 5 charges to add to 8 points and 5 rebounds.
With her team now at 6-6 after a super-tough pre-conference schedule, Stuck is optimistic about the rest of the season and post-season play in the National Junior College Athletic Association.
“This weekend really showed us where we are in the nation,” Stuck said. “It was an opportunity to match up against top competition and figure out what we need to work on in the next two months of conference play to be ready for the national tournament. This tournament was a measuring stick for the direction our program is heading and where it fits in the nation.”
In the meantime, the Lady Firebirds head to Tampa, Fla., for a Dec. 30-31 weekend tournament with hopes of keeping their positive momentum going before jumping into Michigan Community College Athletic Association Eastern Conference play which begins Wednesday, Jan. 4, when they travel to Dearborn to take on Henry Ford CC.
Catch the Lady Firebirds at home on Saturday, Jan. 7, when they host Macomb CC in a 1 p.m. matchup at the CRAF Center in Roscommon. The Firebirds men’s team plays at 3 p.m. Admission is free.
Men’s basketball
Winners in first-round men’s basketball action in the Great North Tournament on Friday were Kellogg CC (Battle Creek, 6-3 pre-tournament), 91-76 over Lewis College of Business (9-3); then Lakeland (10-2) defeated Kirtland (4-6), 94-88.
Three Firebirds were in double digits against the Lakers – Brown with 26 points, Juandrell Lewis (sophomore, Detroit) with 20, and Dave Allison (sophomore, Lapeer) with 16.
The loss pushed the Firebirds into the consolation round on Saturday against Lewis College in which they took an early and significant lead and never looked back. Brown dropped in the 32 points for the Firebirds in the contest, followed by Kabara with 30, Allison with 17 and Demarvelous Carter (sophomore, Flint) with 10.
The long weekend ended with the Kellogg Bruins taking the men’s tournament championship by defeating Lakeland in the final game of the weekend, 97-95. Kellogg’s Cory Broyles, a 5’10” sophomore from Benton Harbor, was named Most Valuable Player in the men’s bracket, while his teammate, Jordan Cunningham, as well as Rick Leasure and Greg Wallace from the Lakeland team, joined Kirtland’s Brown and Kabara on the All-Tournament Team.
The Firebirds men’s team will take a break before jumping into its MCCAA conference schedule on Jan. 4 with a game in Dearborn against Henry Ford CC. Catch the Firebirds at home on Saturday, Jan. 7, when they host Macomb CC, with game time at 3 p.m. in the CRAF Center in Roscommon.