Schedule for Wednesday, February 5th
College basketball
Women: SPSCC vs. Pierce – SPSCC Gym – 6:00 PM
Men: SPSCC vs. Pierce – SPSCC Gym – 8:00 PM
Boys basketball
North Thurston vs. Mount Tahoma – North Thurston HS – 7:00 PM
Category Archives: South Puget Sound CC
Wednesday Scores: Blazers Advance to Regionals; Wolves, Hawks Girls Survive; Clipper Wrap Season
Boys basketball
| 3A WCD/Bi-District playoffs – Winner to regionals Timberline 69, Enumclaw 61 |
|||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberline | 10 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 69 |
| Enumclaw | 19 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 61 |
| TIM: Brandell Evans – 24, Donaven Dorsey – 22 | |||||
Timberline outscored Enuclaw 59-42 after falling behind by nine after the first quarter and advanced to regionals with a 69-61 win. The Blazers ended the Hornets eight game winning streak and moved into the semifinals where they will face Lincoln for the third time this season Friday night at Rogers High School in Puyallup. Brandell Evans scored 24 points and Donaven Dorsey added 22.
Girls basketball
| 2A District IV consolation bracket – loser-out Black Hills 69, Centralia 49 |
|||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hills | 12 | 17 | 16 | 24 | 69 |
| Centralia | 14 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 49 |
| BH: Taylor Sauls – 12, Sarah McGee – 11, Sydney Sauls, Nicole Nurmi – 10 | |||||
A balanced scoring attack led by Taylor Sauls’ 12 points gave Black Hills a 69-49 win over Centralia in a loser-out game at WF West High School in Chehalis.
| 2A District IV consolation bracket – loser-out River Ridge 50, Aberdeen 42 |
|||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 9 | 6 | 8 | 23 | 42 |
| River Ridge | 14 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 50 |
Aberdeen fought back from a big deficit in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get over the hump and River Ridge stayed alive with a 50-42 win in the second game in Chehalis. The Hawks will meet Black Hills on Saturday at 6:00 PM in a winner to regionals/loser-out game back at WF West.
Women’s basketball
| Clark 86, SPSCC 48 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPSCC (5-11 NWAACC West, 6-19 overall) | 26 | 22 | 48 |
| Clark (14-1 NWAACC West, 22-3 overall) | 39 | 47 | 86 |
| SPSCC: Ashley Stancil – 14 points, LaKeisha Anger – 13 points | |||
SPSCC wrapped up their 2013-2014 season with a 86-48 loss to first place Clark in Vancouver. Ashley Stancil and LaKeisha Anger scored 14 and 13 points respectively and the Clippers finished with five division wins and went 6-19 overall. Anger finished as third in the NWAACC West scoring 15.8 points per game and fifth in the NWAACC with 10.41 rebounds per game.
Men’s basketball
| Clark 88, SPSCC 69 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPSCC (2-14 NWAACC West, 2-22 overall) | 27 | 42 | 69 |
| Clark (15-0 NWAACC West, 23-1 overall) | 42 | 46 | 88 |
| SPSCC: Keegan Liebelt – 23, Brandon McGurkin – 16, Slanblaytee Kaye – 14 | |||
Keegan Liebelt, Brandon McGurkin, Slanblaytee Kaye, Jonathan Roberts and Brian Tyson had their last 40 minute club meeting tonight with an 88-69 loss to the top team in the NWAACC, Clark, in Vancouver. Kaye scored 15.5 points per game, pulled down 8.09 rebounds per game, and was third in the NWAACC with 5.59 assists per game. The Clippers finished with just two wins this season.
Saturday Quick Scores: Geoducks Sweep; Hawks, Cougs Win District Openers; Saints Softball Gets First W
Men’s basketball
Evergreen 94, Concordia 93 (OT) – Recap
Western Oregon 70, Saint Martin’s 62 – Recap
Highline 75, SPSCC 59 – Box score
Women’s basketball
Evergreen 84, Concordia 71 – Recap
Simon Fraser 70, Saint Martin’s 59 – Recap
Highline 74, SPSCC 62 – Box score
Boys basketball
2A District IV playoffs
River Ridge 65, RA Long 58
Capital 75, Centralia 64
Mark Morris 70, Tumwater 55
Girls basketball
4A WCD/Bi-District playoffs
Camas 47, Olympia 43 (Oly eliminated)
College baseball
Cal Baptist 11, Saint Martin’s 4 – Box score
College softball
Saint Martin’s 8, Oregon Tech 5 – Box score
Today (2/15): Clippers, Geoducks Last Home Games, Saints Host Wolves; High School District Hoops
Women’s basketball
SPSCC vs. Highline – SPSCC Gym – 3:00 PM
Evergreen vs. Concordia – CRC Gymnasium – 5:30 PM
It’s the final home game of the season for both SPSCC and Evergreen. It’s senior night and the final home game for two starters, Sammi Clark and Jessica Denmon. Clark is averaging 15 points per game this year and averaged in double-digits in each of her three seasons as a Geoduck. It might also be the last home game for head coach Monica Heuer, who will step down at the end of the season.
Men’s basketball
SPSCC vs. Highline – SPSCC Gym – 5:00 PM
Saint Martin’s vs. Western Oregon – Marcus Pavilion – 7:00 PM
Evergreen vs. Concordia – CRC Gymnasium – 7:30 PM
Like the women, today marks the final home game for SPSCC and Evergreen. The men will honor three seniors, Kyle Calhoun, Cody Peters and Marc Taylor. Calhoun leads the Geoducks with 17 points per game this year and Taylor is averaging 11. Peters has struggled through injuries this season but averaged 11 points per game last year.
The Saint Martin’s men host a crucial GNAC game tonight when they take on Western Oregon at 7:00 PM. The Saints currently sit in eighth place in the conference at 5-8 and desperately need a win over the sixth place Wolves (6-7) to keep pace for the final playoff spot. The two teams met in Monmouth on January 18th and the Saints bested the Wolves 79-73 behind 19 points from Ryan Rogers and 15 points off the bench from Lucas Shannon.
Girls basketball
4A WCD/Bi-District playoffs
Olympia vs. Camas – Stadium HS, Tacoma – 1:00 PM
Olympia faces a loser-out game today against Camas in Tacoma.
Boys basketball
2A District IV playoffs
River Ridge vs. RA Long – River Ridge HS – 7:00 PM
Capital @ Centralia – Centralia HS – 7:00 PM
Tumwater @ Mark Morris – Mark Morris HS, Longview – 7:00 PM
River Ridge, Capital and Tumwater open up district play today. River Ridge plays the only home game, hosting RA Long at 7:00 PM. Capital and Tumwater each have to go on the road. Capital faces league champion Centralia in Centralia and Tumwater battles Mark Morris in Longview.
Wednesday Scores: Navs Fall in Districts; Blazers Downed; Clippers Stall; SMU Baseball Doubled Up
Girls basketball
| 2B District IV playoffs Adna 46, Northwest Christian 40 |
|||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Christian | 8 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 40 |
| Adna | 4 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 46 |
| NWC leader: Mackenzie Reeves – 19 points | |||||
Mackenzie Reeves scored 19 points for the Navigators but Northwest Christian fell into the consolation bracket with a 46-40 loss to Adna in the first round of the 2B District IV playoffs at Rochester High School. NWC will play the loser of the Wahkiakum/Raymond game Monday.
| Lincoln 47, Timberline 45 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberline (10-2 3A Narrows) | 12 | 8 | 9 | 16 | 45 |
| Lincoln (9-3 3A Narrows) | 16 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 47 |
| TIM leader: Linae Myhand – 17 points | |||||
Timberline finished the regular season with a loss to Lincoln in Tacoma and dropped into sole possession of the #2 seed to districts out of the Narrows League. The loss means they will play a loser-out district game on Monday at Clover Park High School.
Boys basketball
| Lincoln 75, Timberline 59 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln (11-1 3A Narrows) | 13 | 22 | 23 | 17 | 75 |
| Timberline (7-5 3A Narrows) | 15 | 10 | 18 | 16 | 59 |
| TIM: Donaven Dorsey – 23 points | |||||
Timberline’s loss to Lincoln combined with Foss’ defeat of Mount Tahoma means that the Blazers and Falcons both finish the regular season at 7-5 in the 3A Narrows. They will play a tiebreaker game for third place on Friday at Stadium High School.
Men’s basketball
| Centralia 52, SPSCC 48 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPSCC (2-12 NWAACC West, 2-20 overall) | 26 | 22 | 48 |
| Centralia (5-8 NWAACC West, 5-16 overall) | 27 | 25 | 52 |
| SPSCC leader: Slanblaytee Kaye – 19 points | |||
Women’s basketball
| Centralia 73, SPSCC 66 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPSCC (5-9 NWAACC West, 6-17 overall) | 32 | 34 | 66 |
| Centralia (9-4 NWAACC West, 13-10 overall) | 38 | 35 | 73 |
| SPSCC leader: LaKeisha Anger – 22 points | |||
College baseball
| Cal Baptist 8, Saint Martin’s 4 – Box score | ||||||||||||
| Riverside, CA | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMU (0-1) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| CBU (7-0) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | X | 8 | 13 | 3 |
| W: Johnathan Davis (1-0) L: Brad Banker (0-1) SV: Josh Ferrell (1) SMU HR: Chandler Tracy (1) |
||||||||||||
Oly Sports is on Vacation
Oly Sports is on vacation. Regular posting will resume on Tuesday, February 11th. Here is what’s happening in town until then (weather permitting and subject to change)…
Friday, February 7th
Boys basketball
North Thurston @ Timberline – Timberline HS – 7:00 PM
Capital vs. Aberdeen – Capital HS – 7:30 PM
Tumwater @ Black Hills – Black Hills HS – 7:30 PM
Girls basketball
Tumwater @ Black Hills – Black Hills HS – 6:00 PM
Saturday, February 8th
College baseball
Saint Martin’s vs. UPS (DH) – SMU Baseball Field – Noon
Women’s basketball
SPSCC vs. Tacoma – SPSCC Gym – 3:00 PM
Saint Martin’s vs. Alaska – Marcus Pavilion – 5:15 PM
Men’s basketball
SPSCC vs. Tacoma – SPSCC Gym – 5:00 PM
Saint Martin’s vs. Central Washington – Marcus Pavilion – 7:30 PM
Roller derby
MIA Derby Girls vs. Northwest Derby Company – Bettie Bunker (5700 Lacey Blvd) – 6:00 PM
Sunday, February 9th
College baseball
Saint Martin’s vs. UPS (DH) – SMU Baseball Field – 1:00 PM
Wednesday Scores: SPSCC Swept; Rams Girls Claim Playoff Spot
Women’s basketball
| Pierce 81, SPSCC 76 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce (5-6 NWAACC West, 8-13 overall) | 27 | 54 | 81 |
| SPSCC (3-8 NWAACC West, 4-16 overall) | 37 | 39 | 76 |
| SPSCC leader: Sofia Guerra – 19 points |
Sofia Guerra, LaKeisha Anger and Dramikha Skaar combined for 54 points and 32 rebounds for South Puget Sound but the Clippers turned the ball over 35 times and Pierce scored 54 points in the second half to comeback from a 10 point halftime deficit to win 81-76.
The Clippers shot 50% from the floor for the game and 55.2% in the second half but took 23 less shots than Pierce, who shot just 34.9%. The Raiders also made 14-of-25 free throws compared to just seven made free throws for SPSCC.
Guerra scored 19 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, Anger scored 17 with 11 boards and Skaar added 18 points with seven rebounds for South Puget Sound.
Pierce’s Haley Hutchinson scored 24 points to lead all scorers and North Thurston alum Haley Harn added 12 points with 14 rebounds.
Men’s basketball
| Pierce 100, SPSCC 51 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce (9-2 NWAACC West, 16-5 overall) | 51 | 49 | 100 |
| SPSCC (1-10 NWAACC West, 1-18 overall) | 21 | 30 | 51 |
| SPSCC leader: Brian Tyson – 14 points |
Girls basketball
| North Thurston 68, Mount Tahoma 46 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Thurston (6-5 3A Narrows) | 16 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 68 |
| Mount Tahoma (2-8 3A Narrows) | 11 | 14 | 16 | 5 | 46 |
| NT leader: Hayley Niles – 16 points |
North Thurston claimed the fourth and final playoff spot in the 3A Narrows with their 68-46 win over Mount Tahoma in Tacoma.
Boys basketball
| Mount Tahoma 69, North Thurston 60 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Tahoma (3-7 3A Narrows) | 19 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 69 |
| North Thurston (3-8 3A Narrows) | 7 | 11 | 13 | 29 | 60 |
| NT leader: Wes Reynolds – 20 points |
| Raymond 59, Northwest Christian 58 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond (6-5 2B Pacific) | 10 | 18 | 11 | 20 | 59 |
| Northwest Christian (5-7 2B Pacific) | 10 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 58 |
| NWC leader: Austin Koukal – 28 points |
Today (2/5): Clippers Face Pierce in Doubleheader Action
Guest Gamer: Red Devils Finish Off Fatigued Clippers
Jonathan Roberts leads the SPSCC cheers – Oly Sports file photo
Friend of Oly Sports, Jordan Nailon of Olympia Power and Light and The Chronicle, filed this gamer from the South Puget Sound/Lower Columbia game on Wednesday night. Big thanks to him and please follow @ChronNailon on Twitter.
OLYMPIA – The Red Devils overcame an early 12 point deficit and avenged their worst loss of the season here Wednesday night as they toppled the Clippers by a score of 60-49 in NWAACC conference action.
South Puget Sound gave Lower Columbia fits in the early going with their all zone all the time defensive front. Facing the unfamiliar scheme, the Red Devils looked confused and uncomfortable in their zone offense and continually settled for long range three point attempts during the first ten minutes of action.
Despite their awkwardness, LCC managed to carve out an early 5-1 lead, but then the well went dry and SPSCC slowly turned the tables. Slanblaytee Kaye and Jonathan Roberts led the Clippers charge in the first half, and the duo slowly turned a their four point deficit into a 12 point, 20-8 lead with 7 minutes to go in the half.
“They’re just quicker than us,” said Roffler. “That’s what they did special.”
“We knew coming in that they were quick and we said we were going to force them to the middle, and’ you’ve got guys getting beat to the outside three times in a row. That’s just inexperience on our part. That’s just bad basketball.”
One possession later, after Cameron Howell connected from deep for LCC, Red Devils coach Jim Roffler called timeout. Despite Howell’s make, Roffler was tired of the outside shooting and in no uncertain terms, instructed his team to start getting the ball into their post players and attacking the soft middle of the zone.
“That’s not all on our perimeter guys,” said Roffler of his team’s abundance of early three point attempts. “When guys aren’t getting in position at the exact right time, then you’re got hesitation, and that hesitation will cost you against a good team, either with a turnover, or a ‘Well he was open, but not anymore.’”
With the offensive adjustment and a bout of foul trouble afflicting the shorthanded Clippers, who dressed 7 but played only 6, LCC managed a 13 point swing and reclaimed the lead at 23-22 with 25 second left in the half when Sherif Taha connected on a round the wheel corner three.
“We just started listening to coach and executing,” said Red Devil guard Phillip Jalapoor of the adjustments that turned the tide against the Clippers. “Just the way they play is weird, with their guards up top and always attacking. It’s just a weird game.”
Out of the half, LCC looked ready to take control of the game when they went on a 4-0 run, but one SPSCC free throw and a Kaye three pointer re-knotted the game at 27 all. The game would be tied twice more, once at 30 and again at 32 with 15 minutes remaining in the game, before LCC began to put real distance between themselves and the Clippers.
Playing with a short crew as they have all season, fatigue and foul trouble began to take its toll on SPSCC. Shots that were falling in the first half were coming up short and entry passes to the post regularly bounced off of brick-hard hands. By the end of the game, four of the six SPSCC players were hampered with four fouls.
With SPSCC struggling, LCC slowed the pace down and ate up clock, while converting easy layups off of backdoor cuts or shooting free throws when the Clippers were forced to foul. In the 15 minutes of game time after the teams were tired at 32, LCC outscored the Clippers 28-17.
The Red Devils were led by Sherif Taha, who finished with 15 points, while Cameron Howell added 12 and Manu Niu contributed 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Jalapoor, who added 7 points and four rebounds emphasized the importance of this win for his team, saying, “We had to get it back. They got that one win against us and we had to get it back. It was a must, must win for us.”
Roffler put it in different terms. “I think every game we play this year is interesting. We’re just so young.” He added that due to illness and injuries, “It’s been really difficult to have the continuity with this young program.”
“It’s not pretty, but we just try to grind it out.”
The Clippers were led in scoring by River Ridge graduate, Jonathan Roberts, who had 23 points. Slanblaytee Kaye added 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists for the Clippers in the loss.
————–
RED DEVILS 60, CLIPPERS 49
Lower Columbia CC 23 37 – 60
South Puget Sound CC 22 27 – 49
Lower Columbia CC (60) – Howell 12, Tucker 7, Drey, Jalapoor 7, Taha 15, Dupree, Niu 10, Parrot 2, Trafelet, Burright 7
FG: 19 of 54 – .352 FT: 15 of 25 – .600 Reb: 50 (Niu 11)
South Puget Sound CC (49) – Tyson 7, Roberts 23, Kaye 11, Liebelt 3, Logan, McGurkin 5
FG: 15 of 55 – .273 FT: 10 of 18 – .556 Reb: 36 (McGurkin 11)
Wednesday Scores: Bears Upset Tigers in Tacoma
Boys basketball
| Olympia 42, Stadium 39 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympia (4-5 4A Narrows) | 11 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 42 |
| Stadium (8-2 4A Narrows) | 4 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 39 |
| OLY leader: Mitch Fettig – 21 points |
Mitch Fettig scored 15 points in the first half, tying Stadium’s first half team total, and Olympia held off first place Stadium in the final seconds to take home a 42-39 upset in Tacoma.
Khalil Matheney added 12 points for the Bears who moved to 4-5 in the 4A Narrows. Fettig and Matheney combined for 33 of Oly’s 42 points but it was Max Fortier that hit a pair of free throws near the end to seal the deal. Only four Bears scored points in the game.
Lucious Brown and Bobby Moorehead scored 14 and 12 points for Stadium, who dropped to 8-2 in league, still two games ahead of second place Yelm and Gig Harbor.
| Timberline 83, Shelton 55 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelton (0-8 3A Narrows) | 14 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 55 |
| Timberline (5-4 3A Narrows) | 24 | 19 | 17 | 23 | 83 |
| TIM leader: Tariq Romain – 14 points |
| Northwest Christian 48, Naselle 33 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naselle (1-8 2B Pacific) | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 33 |
| Northwest Christian (5-5 2B Pacific) | 11 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 48 |
| NWC leader: Austin Koukal – 15 points |
| Wilson 60, North Thurston 40 |
| WIL: 9-0 3A Narrows – NT: 2-7 3A Narrows |
Girls basketball
| Olympia 70, Stadium 37 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium (0-10 4A Narrows) | 8 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 37 |
| Olympia (6-3 4A Narrows) | 18 | 24 | 19 | 9 | 70 |
| OLY leader: Laura Snodgrass – 12 points |
| Timberline 42, Shelton 16 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberline (8-1 3A Narrows) | 21 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 42 |
| Shelton (3-5 3A Narrows) | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| TIM leaders: Myhand, Salanoa – 10 points |
| Wilson 67, North Thurston 31 | |||||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Thurston (4-5 3A Narrows) | 6 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Wilson (8-1 3A Narrows) | 11 | 25 | 10 | 21 | 67 |
| NT leader: Hayley Niles – 10 points |
| Naselle 57, Northwest Christian 44 |
| NAS: 5-4 2B Pacific – NWC: 4-6 2B Pacific |
Men’s basketball
| Lower Columbia 60, SPSCC 49 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Columbia (5-4 NWAACC West) | 23 | 37 | 60 |
| SPSCC (1-8 NWAACC West) | 22 | 27 | 49 |
| SPSCC leader: Jonathan Roberts – 23 points |
Women’s basketball
| Lower Columbia 55, SPSCC 48 – Box score | |||
| Team | 1st | 2nd | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Columbia (8-1 NWAACC West) | 24 | 31 | 55 |
| SPSCC (2-7 NWAACC West) | 24 | 24 | 48 |
| SPSCC leader: LaKeisha Anger – 22 points |
Saint Martin’s, Evergreen and SPSCC Basketball Standings
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
NCAA Division II
| Men’s basketball | ||
| Team | GNAC | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Pacific | 7-2 | 16-4 |
| Western Washington | 7-2 | 13-4 |
| Alaska Fairbanks | 7-2 | 12-5 |
| Alaska Anchorage | 5-4 | 12-8 |
| Central Washington | 5-4 | 9-8 |
| Montana State-Billings | 4-5 | 8-9 |
| Western Oregon | 3-6 | 10-9 |
| Saint Martin’s | 3-6 | 6-11 |
| Northwest Nazarene | 3-6 | 5-12 |
| Simon Fraser | 1-8 | 8-9 |
| Top six teams make the conference tourney |
Halfway through the GNAC season and Saint Martin’s is once again on the outside looking in at the conference tournament to be played on their home court. But Michael Ostlund’s team has been competitive in every league game except the Montana State-Billings and Alaska losses. The MSU-Billings game was a home game that they desperately needed to win and the Alaska game was in front of the largest crowd of the season and on ROOT Sports, a game that going in seemed very winnable despite the Nanooks surprising second place status.
The offense is still a bit of a head scratcher and I can’t imagine that playing four guards at a time will mean sustained success, but the Saints live by the three and die by the three, so anything can happen, as was the case when they upset then #11 Seattle Pacific.
They will need to have a healthy Riley Carel and Lucas Shannon to make any kind of run. Carel missed Thursday’s game with a torn meniscus and it was thought he could miss the rest of the season. But he came back on Saturday and looked pretty good. Shannon suffered a concussion on Thursday and didn’t play Saturday and because of Rei Jensen wasn’t effective (hard to be when you don’t get to play much anymore), the Saints played five guards with 6-4 Brad Norman filling the post position.
The Saints play five of their last nine games at Marcus Pavilion but hit the road this weekend with games at Seattle Pacific and Montana State-Billings and the annual Alaska trip is still looming.
| Women’s basketball | ||
| Team | GNAC | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Montana State-Billings | 7-2 | 14-5 |
| Western Washington | 7-2 | 11-6 |
| Seattle Pacific | 6-3 | 13-4 |
| Simon Fraser | 6-3 | 12-5 |
| Alaska Anchorage | 5-4 | 12-5 |
| Saint Martin’s | 5-4 | 11-7 |
| Northwest Nazarene | 4-5 | 11-6 |
| Alaska Fairbanks | 2-7 | 8-9 |
| Western Oregon | 2-7 | 5-12 |
| Central Washington | 1-8 | 6-11 |
| Top six teams make the conference tourney |
A hot, hot start for Saint Martin’s has cooled off dramatically with three straight losses and a drop from alone in first place to teetering on the edge of missing the conference tourney again.
Before the season, the biggest question for the Saints was who would step up as a second scorer behind Chelsea Haskey. Angela Gelhar or Krista Stabler have become solid scorers, but during their slide, Haskey has been a non-factor scoring 2, 6, 9 and 15 in her last four games. Though her 15 points on Saturday were her most since January 4th, Haskey only scored six points in the second half when Seattle Pacific blitzed the Saints to take home the win.
The Saints play four of their last nine games at home and thankfully have just one game this week, at Western Oregon on Saturday night.
————–
Cascade Collegiate Conference
NAIA Division II
| Men’s basketball | ||
| Team | CCC | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| College of Idaho | 9-2 | 18-5 |
| Concordia | 7-3 | 18-4 |
| Southern Oregon | 7-4 | 18-5 |
| Northwest | 7-4 | 16-6 |
| Warner Pacific | 6-4 | 12-10 |
| Northwest Christian | 6-5 | 12-9 |
| Oregon Tech | 5-6 | 12-11 |
| Eastern Oregon | 3-8 | 12-9 |
| Corban | 2-9 | 6-14 |
| Evergreen | 2-9 | 3-15 |
| Top eight teams make the conference tourney |
Evergreen has improved in conference play in each of the last two seasons after bottoming out without a win during the 2011-2012 season. Of course improvement means one conference win last year and now two conference wins this year with seven very difficult games still left on the docket.
Dre Taylor and Jordan Dam each played their first game of the season on December 20th and have made a huge difference for the Geoducks. They went from dropping all but two games by double-digits to two wins and close, competitive losses since the new year and find themselves just a game back of the conference tournament.
However, four of the final seven games are on the road and their three home games are against top-5 teams.
| Women’s basketball | ||
| Team | CCC | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Oregon | 10-1 | 18-5 |
| Oregon Tech | 7-4 | 19-4 |
| Northwest | 7-4 | 15-8 |
| College of Idaho | 7-4 | 10-9 |
| Southern Oregon | 6-5 | 17-6 |
| Evergreen |
6-5 | 10-8 |
| Corban | 6-5 | 11-12 |
| Warner Pacific | 2-8 | 6-15 |
| Northwest Christian | 2-9 | 5-14 |
| Concordia | 1-9 | 4-18 |
| Top eight teams make the conference tourney |
The Evergreen women have done two things this season that have never been done in program history: sweep Concordia and Warner Pacific in Portland and win four straight conference games. The Geoducks are riding that four game streak right now and sit in a pack of six teams fighting for second place at either 7-4 or 6-5 in league play.
Sammi Clark is a consistent, fierce guard that is averaging 14.6 points per game and Brittany Gray has established herself as a solid presence in the front court. Jessica Denmon has two straight double-doubles from the guard position and they have had two bench players explode during their last four games. Uriah Thomas went for 22 points against Warner Pacific and LaNiecia Weatherspoon led the way with 15 points against Corban.
————–
NW Athletic Association of Community Colleges
West Division
| Men’s basketball | ||
| Team | West | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Clark | 8-0 | 16-1 |
| Pierce | 6-2 | 13-5 |
| Highline | 5-3 | 14-5 |
| Green River | 4-4 | 7-10 |
| Lower Columbia | 4-4 | 6-11 |
| Grays Harbor | 3-5 | 6-12 |
| Centralia | 3-5 | 3-13 |
| Tacoma | 2-6 | 7-11 |
| South Puget Sound | 1-7 | 1-15 |
| Top four teams make the NWAACC Championships |
Defections and injuries have plagued South Puget Sound this season and the Clippers are down from 12 healthy players at the beginning of the season to dressing seven players, playing six and running five of them for 38+ minutes per game. No surprise they have managed only one win.
Early starters Joseph Johnson and Oly’s Michael Champlin and new head coach Aaron Landon’s first signed player, Chris Williams, have all left the program. Austin Bonds went down with a broken hand and is out for the season.
Brian Tyson and Slanblaytee Kaye lead the Clippers in scoring at 14.9 and 14.5 points per game respectively and Kaye dropped a triple-double on Grays Harbor with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.SPSCC has eight games remaining, four at home and four on the road, and face Lower Columbia – the only team they have beaten this season – in Olympia on Wednesday.
| Women’s basketball | ||
| Team | West | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Clark | 8-0 | 16-2 |
| Lower Columbia | 7-1 | 14-5 |
| Highline | 6-2 | 15-5 |
| Centralia | 5-3 | 9-9 |
| Pierce | 4-4 | 7-11 |
| Tacoma | 3-5 | 9-9 |
| South Puget Sound | 2-6 | 3-14 |
| Grays Harbor | 1-7 | 3-13 |
| Green River | 0-8 | 2-15 |
| Top four teams make the NWAAC Championships |
Though they have managed just three wins this season, the SPSCC women have improved dramatically since last season. During the 2012-2013 season, they shot just 26% and scored an average of 36.9 points per game, dead last in the NWAACC.
This season the Clippers are shooting 37% and are averaging 58.7 points per game thanks to the emergence of sophomores Maria Jesse (14.1 ppg) and LaKeisha Anger (13.0 ppg, 9.43 rpg) and some semblance of a full, consistent roster.
Oly Sports 