Click the thumbnails to see photos and video highlights, and to hear post-game comments from Genesis Kemp and Coach Matt Johnson. Also click the AUDIO button to hear Assistant Coach Mike Cretens halftime interview.

PETOSKEY---The Bay College men's basketball team stayed undefeated and atop the MCAA North Division standings Wednesday night with a 79-56 win over the North Central Michigan College Timberwolevs at the Petoskey Plastics Arena.

The Norse scored the first seven points and never trailed, as they improved to 8-0 in conference play and 18-4 overall. Bay stayed one game ahead of the Mid-Michigan Lakers (7-1, 16-5), which beat Grand Rapids Community College Wednesday night, 83-65.

“Defensively, in the second half, we did a great job,” Norse Coach Matt Johnson said. “We held them to 24 points, and 56 overall, so I think that was the difference. But they did exactly what I expected somebody to do to us at some point. They played hard. Their 1-3-1 (defense) gave us a different look, and it gave us something that we haven't seen yet. We struggled with it at times.”

But the Norse also broke down the Timberwolves defense by pounding the ball inside. Sophomore center Justin Nelson of West Iron County had four slam dunks as the guards routinely found him inside, and the big guy did the rest. He scored 14 points.

Also inside, Genesis Kemp continued to do his job. Coming off the bench, he has, on multiple occasions, gave the team great offensive production compared to minutes played. While he is still working on his defensive coverage, Kemp scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in only 18 minutes of play.

“Even though we beat this team before, we executed properly tonight, and we got the Dub” Kemp said. “This game, I was just working on things that is my weakness. Probably, my mid-range game. And the things that I really wanted to focus on were getting some of my teammates who don't get in a lot a couple reps. I wasn't really too focused on me. I was really focused on the people who don't get in.”

Kemp added a slam dunk to go along with Nelson's four slams, and he drained a triple, continuing to show just how hard he is to guard with his inside-out game.

Bay led by as many as 17 points in the first half at 28-11 after Kemp drained his triple, but the Timberwolves did not fold. They closed to within 44-32 at halftime, and hung around down as little as ten points before the Norse stepped on the gas in the middle of the second half and blew the game open.

“We didn't shoot it very well from the perimeter,” Johnson said. “I think that was because we settled for bad shots. When we got the good ones, the ones that we wanted, we knocked them down, hit enough of them, and that's life on the road. We walked out with a 23-point win. I'll take it.”

The Norse were led by Kemp's 21 points, followed by Lamar Grayson with 15 points (and he was dishing dimes with a team-best five assists). Nelson grabbed eight rebounds to go along with his 14 points. Point guard Ty Creger chipped in seven points, grabbed seven rebounds, had four steals on defense, and committed only one turnover.

The Norse badly out-rebounded the Timberwolves, 54-37, and forced 19 turnovers (Bay had eleven turnovers).
 

North Central (6-13 overall, 3-5 MCCAA) did not have a player score in double figures. Jackson Raymond hit three triples for nine points. Bryon Bishop added eight points and six rebounds.

Bay College now has four of its final six regular season games at home, starting with this Saturday's game against Grand Rapids Community College.

The Raiders are tied for third in the league with a 4-4 record (15-6 overall) and are coming to Escanaba for the first time ever (the Norse played the previous two matchups at Ford Fieldhouse).

Saturday's game is also Alumni Night, which will see guys who played for the Norse over the past six years of the program (as well as some who played decades ago in the old Norse program), come to town. The game starts at 3:00 and will be broadcast live on FM-106.3 and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.