Kirtland Basketball

Men's & Women's Team Results

Wednesday, November 11, 2009 3:39 PM EST

A trio of Firebirds scored in double figures Saturday, Nov. 7, but that wasn't enough for the Kirtland Community College men’s basketball team to avoid its second consecutive loss at the Triton Tip-Off Classic.

The Firebirds lost their first-round match-up with host Triton College, 77-54, on Friday, Nov. 6. And a bad shooting night might have cost Kirtland in its second-round clash with the Oakton Community College Raiders, as the Firebirds ended up on the wrong end of the 54-51 final score on Saturday.

Kirtland (1-2 overall) committed 25 turnovers in Saturday's loss to the Raiders, as well as struggling to find the basket consistently. The Firebirds hit just 31 percent of their shots from the floor, as well as converting just 41 percent from the free-throw line.

"We got better defensively," said Kirtland head coach Ty McGregor. "But it's tough to beat teams when you don't have sureness with the basketball and struggle making shots."

Kirtland trailed at the half, 24-18.

Freshman guard Desmond Sain (Detroit Southwestern) helped pace the Firebirds with a double-double that included 14 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. He also stepped up defensively, drawing two charges.

Two more freshman scored in double figures for Kirtland, with forward Xavier Walker (Flint Powers Catholic) tallying 11 points, 7 rebounds and 1 steal, and guard Wade Luxford (Frankfort) chipping in 10 points, 3 boards and 1 assist.

Other contributors to Kirtland's final stat line included: Dmitry Martynenko (Moscow, Russia) with 7 points and 1 assist; Zachary Kaul (Hartland/San Diego, Calif.) with 5 points, 3 assists, 1 board and 1 steal; Ricky Odige (Glades Day, W. Palm Beach, Fla.) with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal; Jeremy Taylor (Mio) with 2 points, 3 boards and 1 assist; and Taylor Smith (Cedarville) and Jamiersen Green (Flint Carmen-Ainsworth) each with 1 rebound and 1 assist.

Triton College 77, Kirtland CC 56

Kirtland suffered its first loss of the 2009-10 season, falling to host Triton College, 77-56, in a first-round matchup of the Triton Tip-Off Classic on Friday, Nov. 6.

The host Trojans jumped out to a 40-28 lead at intermission, and then put the game out of reach by outscoring the visiting Firebirds, 33-28, in the second half.

Luxford paced Kirtland with a team-high 15 points, 2 assists and 1 steal, with Kaul chipping in 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist. Unfortunately, for Kirtland, the two freshman guards were the only Firebirds to score in double figures.

Other Kirtland hoopsters contributing in the tournament clash Friday included: Sain with 6 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound and 1 steal; Brian James (Flint Central) with 5 points and 4 rebounds; Odige with 4 points, 4 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal; Green with 3 points; Smith with 3 points and 1 rebound; Taylor with 2 points and 3 boards; Martynenko with 2 points, a team-best 8 rebounds and 1 assist; Walker with 1 point and 3 rebounds; and James Hodge (Clio) with 1 assist.

For more information on Kirtland athletics, visit online at firebirds.kirtland.edu or call 989-275-5000, extension 385.

A sluggish first half cost the visiting Kirtland Community College women’s basketball team, as the Firebirds were shot down in their season opener, 67-64, by host Columbus State Community College on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The Firebirds committed 18 turnovers in the first half, falling behind the host Cougars, 42-24, at intermission.

"That's pretty much the game right there," said Kirtland head coach Tom Ritter, referring to his team's miscues early on in the non-conference clash.

Kirtland (0-1 overall) rallied, turning the ball over just four times in the second half, and turned up its defensive intensity to outscore Columbus State, 40-25, after half time. But it just wasn't enough.

"Our defense was much better in the second half," Ritter said. "We had a chance."

With just two sophomores on the roster, a pair of freshmen stepped up to lead the Firebirds. Guard-forward Kristen Ormsbee (Johannesburg-Lewiston) hit for a team-high 19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals and 3 assists. And center Teri Taylor (Clare) tallied 17 points and 2 assists, while also pulling down a team-best 14 rebounds.

Other contributors for Kirtland on Saturday included: Gina Gerow (Tawas) with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals; Lindsey Nelson (Arenac-Eastern) with 8 points, 5 boards and 1 assist; Aranda Bushre (Coleman) with 5 points, 1 board and 1 steal; Katie Shea (Clare) with 2 points and 3 rebounds; Kasey King (Birch Run) with 2 points, 3 steals, 1 board and 1 assist; Alexandra Kappen (Cass City) with 2 points and 1 assist; Chelsea Williams (Houghton Lake) with 2 boards and 3 steals; and Joyana Englehart (Atlanta) with 3 steals, 1 rebound and 1 assist.

The Firebirds might have lost more than just a game. Ritter said Shea, one of the two returning players for Kirtland, was injured in the first half and played less than five minutes Saturday. Shea's status will be re-evaluated before Kirtland's next hoops clash Nov. 14 on its home court, the McGregor Athletic Complex in Mio, versus Grand Rapids Community College.

For more information on Kirtland athletics, visit online at firebirds.kirtland.edu or call 989-275-5000, extension 385.