LANSING, Michigan — The Stars, you could say, were aligned on Saturday afternoon. The Lansing Stars trailed almost the entire game against archrival and no. 2-ranked Mott Community College, ultimately winning in the final minute, 70-69
The alignment was all about effort up and down Lansing coach Mike Ingram’s roster. The Stars were ready and, despite cold shooting all afternoon, played harder and wanted it more than Mott. Effort and intensity on defense, ironically, has been the method of operation for Mott over the years. It seems, however, that these players are living off a reputation they don’t deserve.
Lansing scored the hustle points The put-backs in transition were almost all theirs; the loose balls that didn’t roll their way, they just wanted a little more. Add to that that the younger team of the two actually showed more poise in the final minutes.
Led by sophomore guard Troy Aubrey (Lansing Everett), the Stars never gave up on this game even when Mott looked to be on the verge of blowing it open. Aubrey’s intensity, I believe, set the bar for his team offensively and defensively. He also calmly knocked down two free throws with less than 10 seconds left in the game to give Lansing a 3-point lead.
Contrast his performance with that of Mott’s heralded trio of sophomore guards who, to be honest, probably should have stayed on the bus. Sam Burton, Marshawn Norris and Demetrius Miller combined for four points and three assists. Norris, coming off a 26-point performance in a win over Owens was 0-for-8 from 3-point range. The group was out-classed by Aubrey and Mott freshman point guard Darryl Marshall, who scored nine points off the bench.
Sophomore Jordan Davis (Lansing Sexton) led Lansing Community College with 18 points. Sophomore Vino Ashley (Detroit King) added 12 points. Former Flint Northern standout Michael Martin had a team-high seven rebounds and 13 points despite struggling with his outside shot. Martin took this game personally and it showed in his effort.
Mott’s sophomore forwards Michael Brigham and Leviante Davis scored 21 and 17 points, respectively. Mott’s Doug Anderson played very little in the second half after drawing his fourth foul just two minutes in.