News

By Ryan Schlehuber, MCC Sportswriter

Emily Putnam still remembers that feeling from last season — of feeling shorthanded and gassed after every game — which was the case. 

With a full roster this year, however, things are looking, at the least, normal for the Montcalm Community College Centurions women’s basketball team, which has started Year 2 with a 1-2 record so far. 

This year’s team includes five returning players — including Putnam, a Stanton, Mich. sophomore guard — and seven freshmen, who have already made a positive impact on the program, according to Putnam.  

“It already seems a lot different than last year,” Putnam said. “The biggest difference is we can actually simulate an offense and defense in practice and get a real feel for game-like situations.” 

In its inaugural year last year, the Centurions played shorthanded for much of the 2024-25 season owing to injuries and players resigning from the team. Many of the players were forced to log 38 minutes or more a game just to have five players on the court at times. MCC finished with a 4-19 overall record and were last in the eight-team Michigan Community College Athletic Association’s Northern division with a 3-11 record. 

This year, however, things are looking much brighter for Centurions head coach Scott Pedigo. 

“I’m excited for the season,” Pedigo said. “We’re already taking steps forward to where we want to be. Are we where we want to be yet? No, but we’re figuring things out as we go through nonconference play.” 

Along with Putnam, returning players for MCC include Madi Longoria (Wyoming, Mich.), Emma Kosinski (Lakeview, Mich.), Kennedy Schilling (Flushing, Mich.), and Emma Rewa (Greenville, Mich.). 

New to the team are:  

• Baylor Syrjala, guard, Lakeview, Mich. 

• Victoria Coss, guard, Carson City, Mich. 

• Kendall Stout, forward, Stanton, Mich. 

• Karlie Bacon, guard, Stanton, Mich. 

• Brooklyn Winkel, guard, Falmouth, Mich. 

• Emma Rehkopf, guard, Belding, Mich. 

• Emma Polash, forward, Ithaca, Mich. 

Three games into the season, the freshmen are already making an impact, including Syrjala, who has led the team in points the last two games, and Stout, who collected a game-high 13 rebounds in MCC’s most recent game, a 69-53 loss to Spring Arbor’s junior varsity team at home, Wednesday, Nov. 5. 

“Just having players is nice,” Pedigo said. “Looking at this year’s stats, the girls are playing between 20 and 24 minutes, which is a lot less than they did last year. That cost us a lot of games because we’d be right there in the game but would be gassed by the fourth quarter.” 

With the number of freshmen that are now on the team, and with the talents they have, Pedigo said he is able to switch up his starting five that matches up well with opponents. 

“We’re doing a little mixture of subbing, and I’ve told the players that I am playing the kids who are best in practice,” Pedigo said. “Being able to start freshmen and having sophomores with game experience coming off the bench is an advantage we’ve never had, so I think the big difference this year, other than just more players, is that we’re not walking into the season blind.” 

Putnam said the freshmen are bonding well with the rest of the team, and she is happy to be reunited with at least two of her high school teammates from Central Montcalm — Bacon and Stout. 

The Centurions started off Year 2 with a sold win, beating Cornerstone University’s JV team, 70-58, in its season opener at home, Saturday, Nov. 1, with Putnam scoring a game-high 25 points and Rewa and Putnam collecting nine rebounds each to lead the team.  

MCC then faced No. 6-ranked Owens Community College on the road, losing 94-38, Monday, Nov. 3. Pedigo said Owens is in a class by itself.  

“We were just outmatched,” he said. “They’re the No. 6 team for a reason and they showed us why.” 

Syrjala led MCC with 11 points while Putnam and Stout each had eight rebounds. Bacon led the team in assists with four. 

In the home loss to Spring Arbor JV, Syrjala once again led the team in scoring, this time with 15 points. 

MCC’s game against Andrews University, which was scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 11, was canceled owing to a scheduling issue with Andrews. So, the Centurions will not play again until Saturday, Nov. 15, when they travel to Benton Harbor to face Lake Michigan College.  

Pedigo’s team is currently working on passing better and setting up their offensive system in a timelier manner. Putnam said the Centurions have done well fighting against the press, something they struggled with all last season. 

“We are taking our time and realizing we have 10 seconds to get across halfcourt,” Putnam said. “We’re moving the ball really well. We just need to work on running our plays and not getting caught up on the shot clock. Many times, we feel like we don’t have enough time but we’re realizing that 20 seconds is plenty of time to set things up.” 

Pedigo said his freshmen are still adjusting to the speed and physicality of college basketball, but they are up to the challenge. 

“Each of them is stepping up and getting their moments,” Pedigo said. 

Against Lake Michigan, Pedigo believes his team will have an advantage with speed and will be able to size up with their opponent in height, which is something MCC has consistently dealt with against each opponent. The tallest player on MCC is Schilling, a 5-foot, 11-inch-tall forward, who Pedigo sees really good things happening for her if she dedicates herself more to the paint. 

“We’re hoping she realizes she can be a little more physical,” Pedigo said. “I think she’s headed that way. When she does, she could really help us. She’s a bigger body and longer arms and she can get those rebounds just being in a good spot.” 

With good ball handling skills and having a good touch with outside shooting, Pedigo sees Schilling as possibly a surging leader on the floor if she can find success inside. 

“The more success she has inside for us, the more minutes she’s going to play,” Pedigo said. 

Pedigo said despite a lack of height advantage, MCC has done well with its transition baskets and expects to keep a faster pace on offense. 

“I think we’re able to handle pressure better now and, with our speed, we can push things up faster,” he said. “We lost to Spring Arbor by 16, but last year we lost to them by 50. It was a six-point game at one point in the third quarter. We just need to hit our shots down the stretch. That’s what it came down to.” 

UP NEXT: At Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 15. Game time is 1 p.m. The Red Hawks are 1-1 so far on the season, beating North Central Michigan 84-47, Nov. 1, and losing to Kirtland Community College, 69-59, Nov. 2.