Women Stars need confidence, consistency heading into Tourney

By Brodee Gillam

Sports Editor

The last time the LCC women's basketball team played Kellogg CC in January, the Stars blew the Bruins out of the building, winning by 53 points, 85-32.

LCC's last home game, and sophomore night, marked the rematch on Feb. 26. Kellogg showed up to compete this time.

The Stars still beat the Bruins to honor their sophomores, 54-50, but, according to Stars Head Coach Layne Ingram, it should not have been that close.

"The first time we played Kellogg we beat them by 50," Ingram said. "To come out and struggle, that's your textbook case of looking past a team; taking them for granted and they came in here and tried to steal one.

"I'm proud of the girls for fighting: for winning. Because the last two minutes of the game they really had to focus in and make plays, hit shots and make free throws and they did that."

Of the five departing sophomores, Sarah Schultz and Kelsey Finch continued to play a crucial role in the Stars' winning ways.

Schultz struggled from the field, as did the rest of the team, but she still had an enormous impact on the game. Schultz scored a team-high 18 points and had 17 boards, five steals and two blocks.

Finch was LCC's second leading scorer, finishing with 15 points and three steals.

Finch said the team needs to be certain of its abilities if it wants to have success in the postseason.

"The team's we would potentially play … I think we have potential to win these games, especially (against the teams) we lost (to)," Finch said. "A lot of it has to do with confidence. … If we have confidence I'm sure that we could beat anyone in our league."

Finch said one thing is critical in LCC's first district contest on Tuesday, March 6 at Lake Michigan College: aggression.

"Whoever wants it more and is more aggressive is going to win that game," Finch said. "It's not skill. Whoever is going to play more aggressive is going to win that game."