Stars shoot lights out in women’s win

By Brodee Gillam

Sports Editor

Glen Oaks Community College's hopes of beating the LCC Stars left the building within minutes of the first quarter.

The LCC women's basketball team finished the game with a 99-41 win over the Vikings on Jan. 17, but it was how the Stars started the game that set the tone.

Sophomore Kelsey Finch made sure of that, scoring 18 of the first 20 points with four three-pointers made. This led the 9-7 Stars to a 36-7 lead. The 36 points is the highest scoring quarter of the season for LCC.

Finch, who totaled 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists, said she was not expecting to be that hot to start the game.

"I actually had a really bad warmup; I wasn't shooting well at all in warmups," Finch said. "In my head I was focusing more on driving that game at the beginning, just because they were taller and a little bit slower. But then we were running plays for me to shoot and they were going in.

"I got a lot of transition buckets, (sophomore) Lindsey (Crim) got me the ball a lot in transition. It was kind of crazy."

After Finch started the game fast, the team followed.

LCC was dominant in the paint and on the perimeter against Glen Oaks CC. The Stars had 47 rebounds and 25 assists as a team while holding the Vikings to 34 rebounds and seven assists. The Stars also took care of the ball, finishing with only eight turnovers.

Sophomore Sarah Schultz, who was a defensive presence against the bigger Vikings, finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three steals. Freshman Jessica Taylor, who has been a consistent scoring threat for LCC, had an efficient 17 points, making eight of her 12 shots.

Starting point guard Crim, who finished with eight assists and initiated the offense well, said Taylor is a sparkplug for the Stars.

"I think when Jessie comes off the bench she provides the team with energy," Crim said. "Her scoring picks us up and allows us to play at a higher speed."

The Stars were scheduled to play Lake Michigan College on Friday, Jan. 19. The next home game is Wednesday, Jan. 24 against Ancilla College at 5:30 p.m.