Men’s basketball wins thrilling home opener
Louanna Faine
On Nov. 19, the stands were packed to watch the MCC Thunderbirds play their first home game of the season against the Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters.The Thunderbirds played a close game, and finished with a 73-71 victory over Eastern Arizona.
The T-Birds started the season with a three game winning streak, so it came as no surprise that they were going to fight for this win.
At the end of the first quarter, the T-Birds lead by one-point, 39-38.
Daniel Carter, a returning sophomore from Gilbert, helped his team out offensively by scoring 13 points and three assists.
“We came out playing hard,” Carter said.
According to Tyler Molesworth, a returning sophomore from Mesa Mountain View, the T-Birds offense did not play well.
The offense did a lot of running around and was not under control.
“Our legs weren’t with us on offense and we looked a little sluggish at tonight’s game,” Molesworth said.
Eastern Arizona’s Mike James broke down the MCC defense by scoring 23 points with two assists.
According to Weylan Towns, a freshman from Phoenix, there needs to be more patience and it starts with the point guard, who needs to be more of a leader.
According to assistant coach Josh Kutchinski, the team played overall 80 percent throughout the whole game.
“It’s hard, we played three weeks ago and taking three weeks away from games, it’s hard to keep that intensity in practice when you haven’t played in three weeks,” Kutchinski said.
During the game, there was noticeable frustration coming from head coach Sam Ballard and the players.
“The frustration came from the players not doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Kutchinski said.
“It wasn’t the best game for us. I’m just happy we got the win. We got lucky at the end. It wasn’t a good win, nothing to be excited about,” Towns said.
Throughout the game, there was a lot of team spirit and regardless of the score, the T-Birds showed how they could pull together as a team and get the win.
