Kirtland Community College

Sports News Release

10775 N. St. Helen Road, Roscommon, MI 48653 (989) 275-5000     kirtland.edu
Subject: Kirtland defeats St. Clair in run for third place
For Release: Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005		 Office: Public Relations 
Contact: Irene Borak, (989) 275-5000 Ext. 242

Kirtland defeats St. Clair in run for third place
ROSCOMMON – Kirtland’s Nynne Larsen, a 5’9” freshman from Denmark, pulled out all the stops, landing 25 points and hitting 4 for 5 from the three-point line, to help the Lady Firebirds defeat visiting St. Clair County Community College 72-62 in Roscommon on Saturday, Feb. 12.

The win was the Firebirds’ sixth out of their last seven games and was a crucial step in their late-season march toward a third-place conference finish.

“This was a big win because it put us in position for a shot at third place in our 10-team conference,” said Firebirds coach Teresa Stuck.

With three games left on their season schedule, the Firebirds are now 7-6 in the MCCAA Eastern Conference (10-16 overall). The biggest hurdle between them and that third-place ranking is likely the team they’ll play Wednesday, Feb. 16 – first-place Mott CC which is undefeated at 13-0.

“The game Wednesday is really big for us,” Stuck said. “Winning it could put us as high as third and as low as sixth in our tight conference race.”

Schoolcraft College is currently in second place with an 11-2 record, while St. Clair County CC and Oakland CC share third at 8-5. Kirtland and Wayne County CC are next in line at 7-6.

After struggling to find their niches amidst unfamiliar teammates, the Firebirds are approaching their last three season matchups with real team cohesiveness and confidence that was lacking during the first half of the season.

Recognizing that Larsen was on a roll Saturday, the Firebirds made sure she got the ball when possible. Kenzie Steward, of Alma, added 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Felon Harris, of Toronto, took down a team-high 12 rebounds, as well as 8 assists, 8 points and 3 steals.

“She was huge in breaking any kind of pressure that St. Clair threw at us,” Stuck said of Harris. “She played real big minutes for us tonight.”

The Firebirds will need all the big minutes they can muster between now and the regional tournament which begins March 4 at Delta College. After Wednesday’s game, they remain on the road, traveling to Alpena on Saturday, Feb. 19, then to Macomb on Tuesday, Feb. 22, to finish out the regular season.