MIO -- Jan. 30, 2010 – The Kirtland Community College mens basketball team put the visiting Delta College Pioneers on the free-throw line all too often in a 76-63 conference loss Saturday, Jan. 30, at the McGregor Athletic Complex in Mio.

The host Firebirds actually scored one more basket (24 to 23) than the Pioneers, who held a 29-28 lead at the half, and put up seven more shots (66 to 59) in the matchup between the two Michigan Community College Athletic Association Eastern Division foes. Kirtland even took better care of the ball, committing just 10 turnovers, compared to 17 for Delta.

But the Pioneers (12-9 overall, 5-5 conference) dominated the glass, where they outrebounded (49 to 26) the Firebirds (6-13 overall, 3-6 conference). That included 10 more offensive rebounds than Kirtland, 17 to 7.

“Neither team shot the ball well from the field,” Kirtland head coach Ty McGregor said. “We shot just 36 percent. That’s terrible.

“If we’re not getting to the line, we better hit some more shots and we’re not,” he added. “And the offensive rebounds … that killed us.”

But the charity stripe might have been Kirtland’s Achilles heel Saturday. Delta put up 19 more points than Kirtland via free throws by knocking down 27-of-39 attempts. The Firebirds were 8-of-15 at the line.

“The difference in the game was free throws,” McGregor said. “That comes down to poor defense. We just didn’t guard and then we fouled them.”

One positive for Kirtland was that four Firebirds finished in double figures, with freshman guard Desmond Sain (Detroit Southwestern) posting a solid all-round effort that included a team-high 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots.

Firebird center Dmitry Martynenko (Moscow, Russia) grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds to go with 13 points, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. Guard Zachary Kaul (Hartland/San Diego, Calif.) added 12 points, 6 assists, 5 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots versus the Pioneers, while forward Jeremy Taylor (Fairview) chipped in by hitting three treys on his way to 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist.

Other contributors for Kirtland on Saturday included: Mario Williams (Bridgeport) with 6 points and 2 rebounds; Taylor Smith (Cedarville) with 3 points, 1 board and 1 assist; Wade Luxford (Frankfort) with 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal; Stanislav Unsa (Moscow, Russia) with 2 points, 1 board and 1 blocked shot; and Alvin Sitkiewicz (Gaylord St. Mary’s) with 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Freshman forward Brice Powell (Milwaukee Wauwatosa East) helped power the Pioneers’ winning effort with a game-high 20 points, including knocking down 9-of-12 free throws and one three-pointer. Sophomore forward Kyle Dantzer (West Branch Ogemaw Heights) had 2 points and 4 rebounds for Delta.

For more information on Kirtland athletics, visit online at firebirds.kirtland.edu or call 989-275-5000, extension 385.