ACC Loses Two in Conference Play

The Alpena Community College men's basketball team faced a challenging week, falling to Kirtland Community College 89-66 on January 14 and Montcalm Community College 75-57 on January 17.

Kirtland Hands Alpena 89-66 Loss

Playing in Grayling on Tuesday night, the Lumberjacks struggled to contain a potent Kirtland offense that shot an impressive 51.5% from the field. The Firebirds dominated the opening half, building a 50-33 lead that proved insurmountable.

Derian Williams led Alpena with a strong individual performance, pouring in 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting while adding seven free throws. Kobe Johnson contributed 15 points and five rebounds, while Derby Kromer added six points off 3-of-4 shooting.

However, the Lumberjacks faced difficulties from beyond the arc, connecting on just 5-of-21 three-point attempts (23.8%). The team also struggled on the boards, being outrebounded 47-18.

Kirtland received balanced scoring with four players reaching double figures. Jayvion Sims paced the Firebirds with 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Domonique Ramsey and Troy Jenkins each added 13 points.

Montcalm Prevails 75-57 at Park Arena

Returning home on Friday, Alpena hoped to bounce back but fell to a strong Montcalm squad. The Lumberjacks trailed 38-26 at halftime and couldn't overcome the deficit despite a slightly improved second-half performance.

Williams again led the scoring effort with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Johnson added 12 points while hauling down four rebounds and recording four steals.

Oluwatobi Ogunyode provided a spark off the bench with 10 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Gary Reed chipped in nine points in the losing effort.

Montcalm's balanced attack featured 16 points from Dawson Dunn, who also contributed six steals, while James Browning added 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.

The loss was compounded by Alpena's 24 turnovers, which led to numerous transition opportunities for Montcalm. The Lumberjacks also struggled from three-point range again, making just 4-of-14 attempts (28.6%).

Looking Ahead

With the two losses, Alpena falls to 1-12 overall and 0-3 in conference play. The Lumberjacks will look to regroup and find their first conference victory as they continue their season playing at Bay College on Wednesday, Jan. 21 before returning home to host Mid-Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 24. The team showed bright spots in the performances of Williams and Johnson, but will need to improve ball security and perimeter shooting to compete in upcoming contests.