Former Dakota Stars Help Monarchs on Hardwood

A year ago, Heather Kehrer and Ashley Thomas were among the top basketball players in the Macomb Area Conference.

Playing for last season, both were helping the Cougars win a MAC White title. As seniors, they were also looking at their college basketball options.

Fast forward to this season, when both talented young ladies are a part of the women’s basketball squad at Macomb Community College, both are making a solid contribution as freshmen and both are helping the Monarchs to a 19-4 mark.

The team is currently 9-3 in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association's Eastern Division and in the hunt for a MCCAA crown.

“It takes some time to adjust to the college game,” said Monarchs’ coach Jay Ritchie. “But both Ashley and Heather are doing that and getting more comfortable on the court. They’re both doing a great job for us.”

Kehrer, a promising post player for MCC, came into her freshman campaign expecting to see some differences between the prep and collegiate games, but the degree of difference has taken some getting use to, she said.

“It’s very different,” Kehrer said. “The competition, especially at my position, is tough. So I just try and work really hard in practice and do everything I can to help the team and to get better. The game is a lot different though.”

Kehrer’s work on the defensive boards, as well as her ability to give the team quality minutes on the defensive end, has earned her some minutes this season and made a valuable contribution to the team.

“Heather is a very talented player,” Ritchie said. “She’s improving every day and has a lot of potential at this level.”

Kehrer credits Ritchie and his staff for a lot of the improvement she’s seen this season.

“Our coach makes us feel really comfortable getting past the transition between high school and college,” Kehrer said. “That’s helped me a lot. It’s a big leap between the two, and coach has really made that easier.”

Thomas is the prototypical energy player–giving the squad minutes off the bench that are both productive and high-octane.

“Ashley does whatever we ask her to do, basically,” Ritchie said. “The other night she came in and got seven steals for us. Other nights she may come in and play great defense. She brings a lot of energy to our team.”

Thomas sees her role this year as a spark off the bench,

“My role varies, I guess,” Thomas said. “If you need me for defense, then I’m a defensive girl. If you need me for offense, I’ll try and do that, too. Mostly though, I try to come in and be that boost the team might need.”

Thomas and Kehrer said the familiarity they have with one another is an added bonus and one that really benefited them, particularly early in the season.

“It was really nice to know somebody,” Kehrer said. “When you play with someone for years, you get to know their game and they get to know yours–that is a big help.”

Thomas agrees.

“I think it’s great to have Heather here with me,” Thomas said. “As the season has gone on, we’ve gotten to know the other girls and now we’re a family. But in the beginning, it was nice to have someone you knew."

You can catch Thomas and Kehrer in action when the team hosts Oakland Community College Feb. 23 at MCC’s Sports and Expo Center located on the school’s Center Campus. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m.