20-2: Norse Beat Lakers; Tighten Grip On 1st Place
Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Ezra Brown and Coach Matt Johnson. Also click the AUDIO button to hear Ryan Sweeney's player spotlight interview, and comments from Bay College President Nerita Hughes about the future of athletics at the college. Mid Michigan fell two games back at 5-2, and the Norse have the tiebreaker. Winning the conference would mean the Norse would host the MCCAA State Championship, after having to travel to Detroit last year to play in the event at Henry Ford College.
“I thought this was the best we've played defense at any point,” Norse Coach Matt Johnson said. “They're averaging 90 points. I know they scored 73, and 43 in the second half, and I'm not super-excited about that, but the defensive effort we had in the first half was by far the best that we've had at any point this year."
Mid Michigan got a triple from Devin Watts to start the game with a 3-0 lead, and that was the only time the Lakers had the lead all afternoon long. The Lakers were close, though, trailing just 19-16 just past the halfway mark of the first half before the Norse scored nine straight points to open up a 12-point lead at 28-16. The lead grew to 20 points on two occasions in the second half. The first, on a Genesis Kemp triple, made it 52-32. And after the Lakers cut the lead to 12 points, the Norse went on another spurt, ended by a Mawo lay-up, making it a 62-42 game. “I just went out there and played basketball, man,” Brown said. “It's been a tough season for me, but I'm starting to really figure it out. I'm figuring out the right shots at the right time, and I'm feeling it. It's good to have a little leeway (make a mistake but not getting benched), feeling like you're really having an effect on the game, and changing the pace of it." "I feel like it was pretty good," Brown continued. "There were a couple of plays where I lost focus, where I was moving a little bit too slow, but other than that, just working hard and being in the right spot at the right time.”
“He had 13 points and guarded who people say is the best guard in the conference the entire time he checked in,” Johnson said. “Great effort by Ezra. He stepped up.”
“I mean, we've got six guys (scoring) in double figures, and they've got two,” Johnson said. “Our depth, the way we share it, the way we play, I think we're going to be tough to beat if we keep making progress. This was a huge win. I think this is the biggest win we've had yet. Great win. I'm proud of the guys. Our shooting percentage: we shot 54-percent from the field, 50 from three, 75-percent from the free throw line, and we held a team that scores 90 points a game in the 70's. It's just an awesome, awesome team effort.”
On the Norse Dunk-O-Meter, there were two of them on Saturday: Ofori had a sweet one-handed stuff, and Kemp took a bounce pass from Gadson for a two-handed jam.
|