LocalSportsJournal.com

LUDINGTON – Ludington and Western Michigan Christian are two of the early favorites in the Lakes 8 Conference girls basketball race this season, and the Orioles got a leg up on the Warriors on Friday.

Jenna Keson scored 10 fourth-quarter points to lead Ludington to a 43-37 come-from-behind victory in a hard-fought conference battle on its home court.

Ludingtons No. 13 Jenna Keson drives past WMC guard Cassie Kingma. Photo/Leo Valdez

“I knew Western Michigan Christian was going to be tough, we had some tough battles (with them) over the summer,” said first-year Ludington Coach Matt Millspaugh.

WMC led 6-5 after one quarter, 17-15 at halftime and 27-25 after three quarters.

But Ludington took control in the fourth quarter with a pair of 3-pointers by Keson that gave her team a 36-28 edge with five minutes to play.

Keson helped ice the game down the stretch by hitting two of four free throws to keep the Orioles’ lead at two possessions.

Junior WMC forward Aubrey Goorman led all scorers with 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Western Michigan Christian was plagued by 33 turnovers in the contest.

“They are quick and it’s man-to-man pressure,” said WMC coach Jeremy Goorman about Ludington’s defense. “There weren’t any traps, just full court pressure, and we couldn’t keep our poise. That’s what Ludington tries to do to get you out of your game.”

Keson finished with 13 points for Ludington while Ali Plamondon added 11.