FOR RELEASE: Monday, January 16, 2006

Kirtland Lady Firebirds drop heavy loss to St. Clair

ROSCOMMON – Even with Lizz Stempki’s powerful 24-point game, the Kirtland Lady Firebirds couldn’t overcome a slow start and finally lost their bid to catch up in their 84-76 loss to the Skippers of St. Clair County Community College on Saturday, Jan. 14, in Roscommon.

The Lady Firebirds will now go into their Wednesday, Jan. 18 contest at Delta College with a 9-10 overall record, against the Pioneers who are now 9-6. The Lady Skippers moved up to 12-4 overall.

“The girls played very hard and never gave up,” said Firebirds head coach Teresa Stuck. “I am very proud of them for being so resilient. We just need to start games better.”

By the half, the Lady Firebirds were down 41-31. They managed to tie the game several times in the second half, but foul trouble, missed shots and St. Clair’s 3-point shooter kept them from taking the lead.

Emily Henion (freshman, Frederic) continued to be the defensive spark for the Firebirds, snatching steals with finesse. She also kept the ball moving on offense and dropped in 13 points on top of it.

Emilee Bruner (sophomore, Mio) also stepped up her offensive game, adding 12 points for Kirtland, while Onica Jones (freshman, Rochester, N.Y.) did the same, adding 10.

Rounding out the score were Rena Barnett (freshman, LeRoy) with 9 points; Natalie Foster (freshman, Houghton Lake) with 4 points; and Evalyn Bain (freshman, Bahamas) and Nadia Blake (freshman, Toronto) each with 2 points.

Don’t miss seeing the Lady Firebirds in person when they return to the CRAF Center in Roscommon on Saturday, Jan. 21, to play host to Schoolcraft College (15-1) in a 1 p.m. contest. Fans will see the return of second-year student and Lady Firebird Ashley Andrews to the bench this week. She has been serving in the Marine Corps for most of the academic year but will once again don a Firebirds uniform.

Kirtland travels to Alpena on Wednesday, Jan. 25, then plays before a home crowd once again on Saturday, Jan. 28, when the Lady Firebirds play host to Henry Ford CC. For more information on Firebirds basketball, log onto the Web at http://firebirds.kirtland.edu.