Bay College sophomore Ryan Sweeney (5) attempts a layup during a game against Kirtland Community College on Jan. 20, 2025 at Bay College. ("The Big Dog" Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – What was supposed to be the game to watch between two ranked teams sitting atop the MCCAA Northern Conference turned into a blowout win by No. 17 Mid Michigan College Lakers. It took down the No. 18 Bay College Norse by a final score of 113-97.

“Mid Michigan is really good,” Norse coach Matt Johnson said. “They were definitely better than us today, I’m not so sure they are better than us overall, but they were today. They played better, they played tougher, and shot it really, really well. Our rotations were slow and we aren’t going to win many games allowing over fifty percent shooting from three. Mid Michigan showed our guys how to work hard, how to play tough, and how to win. Hopefully we can take those lessons and learn from them and be ready when they come to visit us later in February.”

In a premonition of things to come, the Lakers jumped out to a quick six-point lead before the Norse could respond. Bay did get themselves back into the game and the early going of the first half turned into the exciting matchup the game was billed to be. The teams hit on deep three’s with Tre Sanigar and Vynce Overshawn showing off their range, hitting shots well behind the three-point arc. A Sanigar connection from downtown with a defender in his face made the score 32-27 midway through the first half.

The difference from there is that Overshawn and the Lakers stayed hot. The Norse did not.

The Lakers blew the game open with a 22-5 run, putting Bay down 54-32 with four minutes to play in the first half.

The Norse offense would find its footing again and gain some momentum. A Ryan Sweeney three as the first half buzzer rang cut the score to 59-44 at intermission.

While the momentum kept the Norse offense going, they did not find an answer defensively. Mid Michigan continued to shoot the ball well in the second half, moving the ball well and getting open looks that helped them hold a double-digit lead throughout the contest. Bay cut the lead to 15 multiple times during the second half, but that was as close as they would get, and Mid Michigan stayed undefeated in conference play.

Ryan Sweeney led the Norse with 26 points and nine rebounds. Tre Sanigar had 21 points and Nic Willams ended with 12 points and six assists.

Joe Iung led the Lakers with 24 points. Overshawn connected on seven 3-pointers for 21 points. James Wright had 19 points.

The win puts the Lakers in the driver’s seat for the MCCAA Northern Conference. It is the second conference loss for Bay during their first round of conference games, making them 5-2. Muskegon Community College and Montcalm Community College also won their games on Saturday, making them 5-2 in conference play. Mid Michigan now sits atop the conference with a two-game cushion meaning that if anyone were to challenge them for the conference title, one of the two-loss teams would not only have to win out in the second half of the conference season, they would need some help to catch the Lakers.

Bay College is on the road to face North Central Michigan College on Wednesday. The Timberwolves are winless on the season having dropped a 73-63 decision against Montcalm on Saturday afternoon. The Norse routed NCMC at home on January 15 by a score of 92-50. That game is scheduled for a 7:30 pm start.