News
Centurions earn first program win against Washtenaw CC, 86-43
After suffering three straight losses to begin its first season in more than 40 years, the Montcalm Community College (MCC) Centurions men’s basketball team captured it first win, in astounding fashion.
What they weren’t able do in the last three games, the Centurions did in one half against the Washtenaw Community College Wolfpack, jumping out to a huge lead and never relinquishing it, beating the Wolfpack 86-43 in MCC’s third home game in four games Tuesday, Nov. 12.
It was freshman forward Brayden Clark (Carson City, Mich.) who led the way for the Centurions, scoring 16 of his team-leading 21 points in the first half, as MCC went on an amazing scoring run, scoring five consecutive buckets early in the game to push its lead to 18-5, which included a fast-break bucket by Clark, who was also fouled in the process and made the free throw.
In their last game, the Centurions (1-3 overall, 0-0 MCCAA Northern) shot out to a good lead against Owens Community College but let the lead slip away with less than five minutes to go in the game, losing 46-44. On Tuesday evening, MCC made sure its lead stayed, scoring more points in the first half than it did the entire game against OCC, as the Centurions went into halftime with a commanding 50-19 lead.
Asked what was missing from their last game that they brought against Washtenaw, Clark simply said, “execution.”
“Tonight, we were fully executing all our plays and we went at it 100 percent,” he said.
In the second half, the Centurions kept the offensive pressure on, which included an emphatic alley-oop dunk by Clark, which was set up by freshman guard Dawson Dunn (Big Rapids, Mich.) with an inbound pass to push MCC’s lead to 56-21.
“We practiced that this morning and it was going good, but it was a little different with the defense there,” Clark said with a huge grin. “But we had a perfect scenario when we finally got it.”
The team attempted two alley-oops before the second-half one, with the first going out of bounds and the second Clark got only a bit of the ball while in the air but managed to tip it in the bucket.
Centurions Head Coach Zach Ingles praised Clark’s performance against Washtenaw.
“He’s the missing piece for us,” Ingles said. “We miss that big, dynamic 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 wing that everyone else has. He struggled early getting healthy, but he’s healthy (now). So, when you see when he’s healthy, he’s a game changer for us.”
At 6-foot, 6-inches, Clark, who also led the team with nine rebounds, showed what sort of presence the Centurions were lacking with their inside game in previous games.
“He’s physical, he’s a little bit older, he’s got a good body, he’s strong, he’s the missing piece,” Zach said. “We don’t expect 8-of-9 in a half but we expect this type of performance because he’s capable of doing the things that we miss.”
The Wolfpack, a club team out of Ann Arbor, could not overcome MCC’s large lead in the second half, with the Centurions pouring it on offensively down the stretch, pushing their lead into the 40s.
Along with Clark’s 21 points, freshman guard Jack Ruggles (Big Rapids, Mich.) scored 16 points and freshman center Gabe Daniel (Erie, Mich.) finished with 10 points.
The feeling of a win was a long-time coming, Ingles said.
“It feels good to get the chip off our block,” Ingles said of the program’s first win. “We’ve been going at it since August and anybody who plays for me knows that I’m a high-volume practicer. They’ve seen a lot of practices, a lot of film and they’ve seen a lot of work and seeing them kind of get an award for them is good.”
Ingles is hoping his team’s confidence can carry over into their next game, which is at home against MCCAA Western foe Marian University Ancilla, which is 5-0 and, according to Ingles, one of the top 10 community college teams in the country.
“The worst part (about Tuesday’s win) is I moved on already and now staring at the next game,” Ingles said. “We already got scouting reports and ready to roll for the next game Saturday. But our confidence is about as high as it gets so we’ll let them enjoy it, let them embrace it and go back to work tomorrow and see what’s coming up ahead of us.”
Saturday’s game against Marian, which is a “Green Out” themed game, starts at 3 p.m.
UP NEXT
The Centurions play Marian University Ancilla at home Saturday, Nov. 16. Game time is 3 p.m. On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Centurions play Alma College JV at home at 7:30 p.m. Home games are in the Activities Building Gym on MCC’s Sidney campus. Doors open one hour prior to game time.
SCORE BOARD
1st H 2nd H Total
Washtenaw CC 19 24 43
Montcalm CC 50 37 87