GK GOES OFF IN GR: Kemp Leads Norse To Win

Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos from the game, as well as listen to post-game comments from Genesis Kemp and Coach Matt Johnson. Also listen to Kemp's player spotliht interview from earlier in the day.

GRAND RAPIDS---It was the happiest of homecomings for Genesis Kemp as he returned to his hometown of Grand Rapids in a Bay College uniform on Saturday. Kemp sat the entire first half, but once he was put on the floor in the second half, he turned in an inspired performance to help the Norse beat the Grand Rapids Community College Raiders, 88-75.

Kemp scored 17 points and pulled down five rebounds, all in 14 minutes of play in the second half, to lead the Norse to a win in their first-ever Michigan Community College Athletic Association game.

Kemp burned the Raiders team that had heavily recruited him last year.

"GRCC wanted me bad," Kemp said. "Toward the end of my senior year (of high school), I talked to my mom. It was a big decision to move so far away. But my mom thought it would be a good environment for me, something new. I had to go against them tonight. But it was all love."

Kemp posed for photos with his family and friends who cheered loudly for him from the Ford Fieldhouse bleachers, and he posed for photos with GRCC's Danyel Bibbs, who he grew up with in Grand Rapids. He says he's most happy to have performed well for all of them.

"My high school coach, Bibbs, going against him, it was all love," Kemp said. "My principal, and just my friends and family who came out to support me today. It feels good, man. All the hard work I've put in in the gym. All the things that Coach Johnson trusts me to do to make our team better, that I executed tonight. I was blessed to get in, and hopefully, made the people who grew up with me proud tonight."

Kemp's best moment was when he went in for a two-handed slam dunk that gave the Norse a 67-56 lead midway through the second half.

After a GRCC basket, Kemp scored again to make it a 69-58 lead. And moments later, he nailed a triple right in front of the bleachers, and it was 75-61.

"He came out ready to play in the second half," Norse Coach Matt Johnson said. "I know he had friends and family here, and this was a big contest for him. Grand Rapids was a school that recruited him pretty heavily. He wanted to show them what he's capable of, and he did exactly that. He played a heck of a second half."

The Norse victory was not all about Kemp, as lots of other guys also contributed. And while Bay won going away in the second half, they didn't play well early on and fell behind by dougle digits.

After Chris Coleman knocked down a triple for the Raiders, they Norse trailed, 26-15.

From there, though, the Norse took control, going on a 21-4 run to take a 36-30 lead late in the first half, capped off by a Lamar Grayson basket. Grayson had 13 points in the first half, and the Norse went to the locker room with a 43-39 lead.

Bay led by just one, 45-44, when Justin Nelson scored on a put-back. A Colin Hudson jump shot made it 52-45, and Kemp had an "and-one" basket, giving the Norse a 55-47 lead.

The Raiders closed to within 55-52, but Bay went on another run, with Grayson scoring again, and Jaylen Flaniken putting one home to make it 61-52.

Flaniken followed up Kemp's dunk with a triple to make it 72-61, and then Kemp nailed his triple to make it 75-61.

A Nelson basket completed another 8-0 Bay run, and then Tyrel Creger hit a shot in the paint, putting the game out of reach at 82-65.

Another Hudson basket gave Bay its biggest lead at 88-69 before the Raiders scored a couple of baskets in garbage time against the Bay reserves.

"That's a good basketball team," Johnson said. "They were Pre-season #1 in the (MCCAA) North Division. It's hard to win on the road, no matter where you're at. To win in a conference game on the road is even more difficult. It's a great effort by our guys. We didn't play particularly well, to be completely honest. But we fought just enough, and did enough good things to grit and fight and find a way to get a W on the road. We'll definitely take it."

Grayson led the Norse with 18 points, followed by Kemp's 17 points. Flaniken added 15 points, and Creger chipped in eleven points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Baril Mawo also made the most of his 16 minutes off the bench with seven points and seven rebounds.

GRCC fell to 11-3 on the season with its third straight loss after an 11-0 start. Brocton Kohler ked the way with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Kemp's buddy, Biggs, added 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

Bay College (11-4 overall, 1-0 MCCAA) will return to action Wednesday night at home against North Central Michigan College. The Timberwolves are 3-9 in their first season of basketball, and they lost their conference opener Saturday in Mt, Pleasant to Mid-Michigan, 103-70.

Game time Wednesday night is 7:30. The game will be broadcast live on FM-106.3 and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.