By Ron Rop
Local Sports Journal
The Muskegon Community College Lady Jayhawks couldn’t put the clamps on a pair of talented scorers on Wednesday night.
Visiting Lake Michigan College, which features Breana Rivoli-Johnson and Jabria Hill, gave the host Jayhawks fits for 40 minutes at Bartels-Rode Gymnasium. And when the clock ran out, Rivoli-Johnson had 37 points and Hill had 20 and the Red Hawks had a 97-65 victory.
Rivoli-Johnson canned five 3-pointers and Hill did all her damage on the inside with 10-for-14 shooting.
“They are the No. 1 team, they compete very well, they run the floor and have a nice transition offense,” MCC coach Ron Jenkins said. “They move the ball well and get the ball inside to the post.”
The Jayhawks tried to stay within striking distance, but a 16-4 Red Hawk run to start the second half effectively put the game out of reach at 61-40.
Sonnie Kurnat had a strong game for the Lady Jayhawks. She finished with 27 points on 12-for-20 shooting. She made five of her seven shots from behind the 3-point line. She was the only MCC player to reach double figures in scoring.
Nicole Walsworth scored four baskets from close range and finished with eight points. Lindsey Burnside had nine rebounds and Sabri Carter-Latin had eight rebounds.
However, one tell tale statistic was the Jayhawks’ 30 turnovers against the fast-pace, pressure defense of the Red Hawks.
“Our biggest crutch all year has been taking care of the ball,” Jenkins said. “We each had 12 turnovers at halftime. We finished with 30 and they only had five more.”
MCC is now 9-14, 2-8 in the Western Conference, and returns to action at 1 p.m. Saturday at Kalamazoo Valley.
