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Lumberjack men fall short, losing to Bay College, 66-57

By Owen Kinzey 3 min read

ALPENA - Similar to ACC's women's team, the Lumberjack's men's basketball team (8-12, 6-4 Northern MCCAA) hosted its annual fundraiser to support Friends Together.

The men's team followed immediately after the women's, and ultimately, the Lumberjacks fell short by a final of 66-57.

After previously falling to Bay College by a final of 72-77, ACC found its way back into the game late, but late-game pressure gave the game back to the Norse.

Because the games followed each other, both teams invested substantial money towards Friends Together to support cancer awareness.

"This event for cancer is a really big thing. Personally, my sister got breast cancer, and it really hit home to have this event. It's really nice to see the support, and it helps out a really good cause," ACC coach Bobby Allen said.

While Alpena succeeded in its money raised, the Lumberjacks got off to a super slow start to begin the game.

Throughout the first half, Bay College held ACC to just 19 points overall, limiting the offense on all fronts.

The only player able to find any success for the Lumberjacks was ACC's Elijah Hennings, who ended the half scoring 11 points.

Not a single player other than Hennings added more than two points offensively, and to win the game, more players would have to step up.

On the opposing side, the Norse got right after it, scoring 33 points.

While there was no star like Hennings, Baril Mawo, Ryan Sweeney, and Genesis Kemp dropped eight points, while Joshua Ofori had seven.

Bay could score quickly, and a tremendous defensive effort put the Norse in front 33-19 going into the half.

Out of the break, Alpena caught fire and managed to take away the lead.

With the crowd in full force, the Lumberjacks had all the momentum rolling and everything going in its favor.

Of course, coming back down a 14-point deficit took a while, but ACC got out in front with 8:14 on the clock.

Led by a 19-point half from Hennings and additional points from Trevon Johnson and Daddy Hill, Alpena had the chance of an incredible comeback.

Suddenly, in the late minutes, unfortunate fouls and tough breaks favoring the Norse rattled the ACC players.

Soon, the Lumberjacks found themselves in a 10-point hole, which they could not escape.

The final ended 66-57.

"My guys can play, and they just have to believe in themselves and trust each other," Coach Allen said. "I think I could've done a better job looking back and using a timeout to settle our guys down to get back in our rhythm."

ACC travels to Grand Rapids Community College on Saturday.

Starting at /week.