WATERFORD, Michigan — The biggest test of the season for the no. 1-ranked Bears of Mott Community College came Saturday afternoon on the road at no. 15-ranked Oakland. The Raiders came into the game unbeaten in the MCCAA Eastern Conference and with an impressive 14-2 record.
Mott’s players clearly understood the importance of the game, as they made nearly ever play late to vault their team into first place in the conference.
The Bears led by two at the half and by as many as nine points in the second half en route to a 75-68 win. The final score isn’t, howver, an indication of what this game was: this was a war on both ends of the floor. In the end, Mott executed its game plan against a much bigger team and came away with their most important victory of the season.
Mott sophomore John Taylor was a man among boys this afternoon, taking the ball to the rack with reckless abandon. He led all scorers with 27 points. Taylor had a full season’s worth of spectacular baskets in the lane in just one game. He was the difference-maker for Mott, though several Bears came through in the clutch including Walter Davis, Boo Williams and Ralph Eason.
Mott’s undersized frontline including Davis, Kory Billups, Robert Littlejohn and Kortez Ross did an excellent job limiting the production of OCC’s 6-11 sophomore Ugochukwu Njoku.
Mott (17-1) will welcome another of the MCCAA’s top teams into the Steve Schmidt Gymnasium on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. Kirtland comes into Flint riding a three-game winning streak.
