ESCANABA, MI – The Bay College Men's Basketball Team (20-2, 7-0 MCCAA) received a national ranking of #19 heading into this past week and faced their biggest challenge of the conference season. They knocked off the Mid Michigan College Lakers (13-7, 5-2) by a score of 85-73, opening up a two-game lead in the MCCAA North Conference standings.
After and early back-and-forth where the Lakers had the lead twice, the Norse would finally start to pull away midway through the first half. A 9-0 run for Bay opened up a double-digit late in the first half. Bay shot 53.1% from the field in the first half and had three players in double-digits in scoring (Baril Mawo (SO, Manchester, NH) – 11 points, Genesis Kemp (SO, Grand Rapids, MI) – ten points, and Joshua Ofori (FR, Shakopee, MN) – ten points). The Norse had a commanding 46-30 lead at halftime.
The Norse looked like they were going to run away with the game early in the second half. A three-pointer from Kemp early on made the score 52-32, but a 10-2 Laker run closed the gap quickly. The Norse responded again and pushed the lead to 20 with just under 13 minutes to play.
The Lakers did not back down and closed the lead to 11 with just under ten minutes to play. Though Mid Michigan kept making small runs to hold on to hope, they would never cut the lead to below double-digits. Bay would fend off their guests and wind up with a 12-point victory.
"I thought this was the best we've played defense at any point," Norse Head 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. It was an awesome effort, and it was all of us. We were just very consistent and locked in. It was fun. I'm happy for our guys because their hard work is paying off. They're improving as well, and doing some really good things."
The Norse have not lost a conference game since joining the MCCAA last season, and are now 21-0 in regular season conference play. They finish the first half of the conference season in the driver's seat, holding a two-game lead atop the standings. Whoever wins the North Conference would host the MCCAA State Championship.
Kemp finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds. Kairee Gadson (FR, Rochester, MN) also had 15 points, along with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Ofori finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Mawo had 13 points and five rebounds. Ezra Brown (FR, Appleton, WI) contributed 13 points off the bench. Ryan Sweeney (FR, Green Bay, WI) ended his day with 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
James Wright (FR, Redford, MI) led all scorers with 20 points. He also grabbed six rebounds for the Lakers. Delon McCloud (SO, Kentwood, MI) picked up 15 points in the contest.
The Norse continue conference play on Wednesday when they host North Central Michigan College. Bay travelled to NCMC on January 17 and beat the Timberwolves by a score of 76-50. The game on Wednesday is scheduled for a 7:30 pm tip.