ESCANABA — Lori Wardynski became the third Lady Samson in program history to score 1,000 career points in Friday night’s 76-69 win over Milwaukee Area Technical College.

The Ontonagon graduate scored 33 points in Gogebic Community College’s victory.

She stands at 1,002 points and is just 36 behind all-time leader Jaclyn Aijala. Sam Ofstad is second with 1,022 points.

“While she’s scoring at a high rate, she’s not doing anything out of what we’re doing as a team, she’s doing it all in the flow of what we’re doing because most games, she’s still leading us in assists,” Gogebic Community College coach Mark Movrich said.

She has scored 36 or more points three times this season, so she has a shot at Aijala’s career mark in this morning’s game against Alpena in the final day of the Bay College Classic.

GCC didn’t look sharp early after 12 days off, but they built a 15-point lead with five minutes left in the game.

“We picked up our defensive intensity and it led to some easy buckets for us in transition and then it seemed like we got back in the flow of things,” Movrich said.

The Lady Samsons were sloppy with the ball down the stretch, but their big lead was enough to hang on.

“Our goal is to play fast offensively and defensively and then you get the lead and you don’t need to play fast,” he said. “Not only do you not need to, offensively you don’t want to. To get the girls to flip the switch is kind of hard. There was a lot of indecision — do we look to attack, do we look to score? I think we are better off looking to score.”

Bailey Froberg had 22 points and Lexi Engler scored 14 for GCC.

GCC improved to 10-6 and plays at 9 a.m. today.

– – –

MATC 7 23 16 23 — 69

GCC 10 27 23 16 — 76

MATC – Nikayla Ramsey 14, Richelle Parker-Moore 17, Savannah Hayes 7, Coraye Wesley 2, Tryshtaun Jefferson 21, Shakysia Trammell 7, Marcia Slade 1. FTs: 15-26. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: Ramsey. 3-pointers: None.

Gogebic – Brooke Piilola 3, Lori Wardynski 33, Lexi Engler 14, Bailey Froberg 22, Olyvia Mason 2, Vanessa Nasi 2. FTs: 15-26. Fouls: 21. Fouled out: Wardynski. 3-pointers: Froberg 3, Wardynski 2.