Finch leads women to hoop win over Mott

By Brodee Gillam

Sports Editor

Gritty 'til the end.

The women's basketball Stars pulled out a 64-55 victory against Mott CC at home on Nov. 28.

The first home win of the season for LCC pushed the team's record back to 2-2.

Freshman guard Kelsey Finch led LCC in scoring with 22 points. She also showed she can be a force on defense with three steals and two blocks.

The first quarter ended with the teams tied 14-14. However the Stars were sloppy with the ball to start the game, with 11 turnovers in the first 10 minutes. This led to 33 overall turnovers for the game.

LCC Head Coach Ervin Brunson said the turnovers were good ideas that were poorly executed.

"It's more mental," Brunson said. "The intent is fine. But at that time (of the mistake) it was costly turnovers."

The Stars pulled away from the Bears in the second quarter, heading into halftime up 33-26. Finch was the star, scoring 13 of her 22 points in the quarter.

Brunson said he expects her strong play to continue as Finch gets more comfortable and makes better decisions.

"(She needs to learn) when to take that shot; when not to take that shot," Brunson said. "But she's our strength on the perimeter … she's got to score."

The Stars set the tone during the second half, grinding out the last two quarters to win by nine points.

Freshman forward Khadajah Williams played in her first game for LCC due to an ankle injury and showed strong potential. In just 12 minutes she scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Williams said she expects even more out of herself.

"I felt like I could have did better, but every game you can do better," Williams said. "It was different, especially (because) it was my first college, official game … I'm not really satisfied with (seven) rebounds. That's ridiculous. I want to average 13, 14 a game."

Brunson said he feels Williams can step into a starting role when she gets healthier and gets more reps.