Nov. 1, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Andrew Moore's 32 points were not enough for the Grand Rapids Community College men’s basketball team, which opened the 2021-22 season with a 91-89 double-overtime loss to Schoolcraft College.
Moore, a sophomore from Forest Hills Northern High School, connected on two free throws with over 13 minutes remaining in regulation, giving the Raiders their biggest lead of the night, 52-40. But the Ocelots came back, whittling the lead down to two points four minutes later.
A lay-up by Ashton Nance (16 points-16 rebounds) gave the visitors their first lead of the second half with 4:20 on the clock. Keionte Cornelius, son of former GRCC great Kendrick Cornelius, put Schoolcraft up by three with 57 seconds to go.
Moore would respond with a three-pointer to tie the game at 66. With Schoolcraft up two, Moore missed a three, but Rico Wade was there for the rebound and knocked down a huge fade away jumper to force the first overtime of the night.
In the first overtime, Cornelius had a shot blocked by Matthew Richards (17 points-16 rebounds-four blocks) and to a second overtime they went with the score tied at 75.
In the final period, Richards tied the score at 86 with 30 seconds remaining. The Ocelots’ Ross Stofflet hit a three and Avery Ismail made two free throws on their next two possessions to claim the victory.
"It was a tough loss," assistant coach Jordan VanDyk said. "We saw a lot of good things and a lot of details we need to work on and improve. We played hard and our guys were together. We look forward to the next one and can't wait to get back in the gym tomorrow."
Cornelius led all scorers with 34 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. For GRCC, Justus Clark, of Farmington Hills, was just one rebound shy of a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 10 assists and nine boards. Wade, from Atlanta, Ga., tallied 18 points and seven rebounds while Brockton Kohler, of Greenville, scored six points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
GRCC will be back at home on Nov. 6 and they will take on St. Clair County Community College. Tip-off will be 20 minutes after the Raiders women's basketball game that begins at 1 p.m.