Glen Oaks women best Kirtland

CENTREVILLE — The Glen Oaks Community College women's basketball team buckled down defensively Saturday en route to a 47-38 victory over Kirtland. Kylie Quist led GOCC with 10 points and four assists.

Forcing 25 turnovers and registering five blocked shots, the Vikings outscored Kirtland 16-4 in points off turovers. Glen Oaks also dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 33 rebounds on their end compared to 22 offensive boards by Kirtland. That helped GOCC collect 18 second-chance points to the Firebirds' 10. 

After trailing 11-9 through the first stanza, GOCC went on a 15-7 run to close out the first half with a 24-18 lead. Kennedy Lockett hit a 3-pointer and Kaytlin Smith and Tracy Ackley came up with big buckets to get things going for the Vikings in the second quarter. Natalie Whitaker and Jayla Parker-Vincent joined the party with field goals before Karsyn Stebbins and Kambrya Zilm both drained a pair of free throws. 

Chelsi Zyla was silent offensively until back-to-back triples in the third quarter that gave Glen Oaks a 32-23 lead. Quist drained a deep ball next and Lockett scored for a 14-point advantage — the biggest in the contest for Glen Oaks. The home team would eventually enter the fourth frame with a 37-25 lead. 

A Smith reverse put the Vikings back out front by double digits in the fourth. Stebbins drove baseline for her own reverse to make it a 41-28 game and give Glen Oaks enough of a cushion to hold on. 

Zyla finished the contest with six points, Partee and Lockett both scored five points in the game for Glen Oaks, followed by Smith, Ackley and Stebbins with four apiece. Parker-Vincent, Whitaker and Weller all had two points. 

Smith ended the night with an astounding 17 rebounds, four steals and four blocks. Quist added nine rebounds and Ackley grabbed six boards. 

The Vikings improved to 2-5 overall. 

(Kylie Quist)