Kirtland Community College

Sports News Release

10775 N. St. Helen Road, Roscommon, MI 48653 (989) 275-5000     kirtland.edu
Subject: Kirtland’s Lady Firebirds win one, lose one
For Release: Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005		 Office: Public Relations 
Contact: Irene Borak, (989) 275-5000 Ext. 242

Kirtland’s Lady Firebirds win one, lose one
ROSCOMMON – Snapping their three-game winning streak but, with any luck, not the heart of the team, Kirtland’s Lady Firebirds took a rough 88-66 road loss to Oakland Community College in Waterford on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

Meghan Bastian, a Kirtland freshman from Hale, sent up 18 points in the effort, while teammate Nynne Larsen, from Denmark, added 16 points. In addition to a stellar all-around performance, freshman Felon Harris, from Toronto, contributed 11 assists.

The loss came after three large-margin wins by the Lady Firebirds. In the most recent, Kirtland accomplished a complete reversal of a dismal matchup they’d suffered earlier in the season against the Wildcats of Wayne County Community College. On Saturday, Jan. 29, they revenged their previous 29-point loss by defeating the Wildcats 76-57 on the Firebirds’ home court in Roscommon.

Firebirds coach Teresa Stuck said she was proud of the way her players stepped up Saturday, especially with Amanda Cooper out with a severely sprained ankle.

Bastian led the way, running the floor, grabbing rebounds and hitting 8 for 9 from the floor for 18 points. Kenzie Steward shot 6 for 6, for 17 points and again, Harris had a tremendous game.

“She played a lot of minutes against a pressure defense and had 5 assists but never turned the ball over,” Stuck said of Harris. “Her development as a point guard is really shining.” Harris also grabbed 8 boards and 3 steals.

Ashley Andrews, a freshman from West Branch, and Jamie Dent, a sophomore from Grayling, gave a great defensive effort, keeping the second-leading scorer in the nation, Wayne’s Valerie McQueen, to just 14 points.

“They’re seeing a different team now than they were during the first half of the season,” said an optimistic Stuck about how opponents are viewing her team.

“They’ve gone from being strangers to one another at the beginning of the season, to playing as a team,” she said.

The recent games left the Lady Firebirds with a 4-6 record in the MCCAA Eastern Conference (7-16 overall), which has them in a three-way tie for sixth, with five conference games left on the schedule. A sixth game, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5, against Henry Ford Community College will not be played but will be considered a win as Henry Ford’s women’s team folded mid-season.

After having the weekend off, the Lady Firebirds will play their last home games, hosting Delta College at the CRAF Center in Roscommon on Wednesday, Feb. 9, with a game time of 5:30 p.m., then hosting St. Clair CC on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. Admission to home games is free.