March 20, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – So close. Both Grand Rapids Community College basketball teams suffered heartbreaking losses against Macomb Community College on Saturday, each missing final shots at the buzzer.
The softball team also fell short, dropping a pair of games against Jackson College at Belknap Park.
The women’s basketball team snapped a seven-game winning stream with a 58-56 loss to Macomb, a tough team that arrived at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse undefeated.
The Monarchs have won 40 straight games, and are ranked No. 6 in the nation. The Raiders fall to 7-2.
The Raiders’ Jayla Bibbs is the fourth-most rebounds in the country. The sophomore from Buchanan had another strong game with eight points and 20 boards.
Sophomore Shonyah Hawkins of Grand Rapids continues to shine, with 20 points.
The men’s team fell behind and caught the Monarchs several times before falling just shy at the end, losing 79-76.
Isaac Anderson, a sophomore from Fort Wayne, Ind., continues to lead the team, on Saturday scoring 27 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.
Azyah Brown, a freshman from Allentown, Penn., had 14 points and 11 boards. Chandler Collins, a sophomore from Hudsonville, and Darien Banks, a sophomore from Southfield, each scored 10 points.
The Macomb men are now 2-8 on the season, and Grand Rapids falls to 4-5.
The Raiders next play Alpena Community College on Tuesday at home.
The softball team is off to a tough start after dropping back-to-back doubleheaders.
The Raiders pulled ahead of Jackson in the second inning of the first game when Marlo Abbey drove in two runs with a double.
But the Jets pulled ahead in the third inning and never looked back, winning 15-5.
Alexa Abrahamson, a sophomore from Wyoming, took the loss for the Raiders, pitching seven innings and allowing 14 hits and 14 runs while striking out five and walking one.
Grand Rapids collected nine hits. Mariah Ridding, Kate Stearns, a sophomore from Sparta; and Abbey, a freshman from Kentwood, all collected multiple hits.
The Jets took the nightcap 15-7, with Jackson scoring seven runs in the fourth inning.
Ridding, a freshman from Levering, took the loss for the Raiders, allowing 17 hits and 15 runs while striking out three over five innings.
The Raiders had 10. Haley VanHuis, a freshman from Grandville, went three-for-four at the plate. Brooklynne Siewertsen also had multiple hits.
Grand Rapids hosts Glen Oaks Community College in a Tuesday doubleheader.