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Sports
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, November 29,1995
Good recruiting class leads to balanced attack
for Clackamas Women’s Basketball program
Jesse Sowa
Sports Editor
A good recruiting year equals
a well-balanced team. And that’s
exactly what Clackamas Commu
nity College Women’s Basketball
Coach Karen Twain has this year.
Twain sees this year’s team
as probably the best she’s had so
far. She feels that this team could
be a prime contender for a trip to
the Northwest Regional Tourna
ment in March.
Clackamas will be led on the
court by 5-foot, 6-inch Denise
Haselwood, the starting point
guard and co-team captain along
with Leslie Knudsen. Haselwood
is a sophomore from Centralia,
WA with excellent leadership
skills. She was also involved with
the volleyball team at Clackamas
this fall.
“She communicates great on
both defense and offense,” Twain
said. “She really runs the whole
show.”
Knudsen, a 5-8 sophomore
wing player from Gresham High
School, returns to the Cougars
with considerable improvement
over last year. “She’s gotten a lot
better,” Twain commented. “So
much so that we’re playing her at
three positions (guard, forward,
post).”
Chelsea Becher is a return
ing 5-8 sophomore guard from
Canby HS. “Chelsea has great
speed and is a good hustler,”
Twain said.
Shannon Segerstrom is a 5-
7 sophomore wing from Moun
tain View HS in Bend and a
starter from last year. Segerstrom
is currently out with a knee in
jury that will sideline her until
early January. “She gives us a lot
more depth when she’s with us.
When we get her back I think it
will really help us.”
Returning to Clackamas this
season as Twain describes as one
of the two best post players in the
league is Melanie Sharp, a 6-0
second-year post player from
Sweet Home HS with excellent
inside skills. Sharp just returned
to the basketball program after a
strong volleyball season. “She can
really leap,” Twain said. “She’s
quiet on the floor and you don’t
know that she’s doing the dam
age, but she’s doing it.”
Lisa Sorenson, a 5-9 fresh
man from Silverton HS, is a start
ing guard for Clackamas with a
great outside shot. “She’s a pure
shooter and has great quickness,
also,” Twain said.
' Sophomore Angel a Womack
returns to the Cougars as a 5-9
post from McNary HS in Salem.
Twain sees great improvement in
Womack over last year. “She’s a
real finesse player and a good
shot.”
Also playing the post posi
tion for Clackamas is 5-9 fresh
man Robin Barchus from North
Eugene HS. “For someone that
tall, she’s very quick and she can
really jump,” Twain said. Twain
expects big things from Barchus
this season.
Clair Cox is a 5-10 freshman
starting post from St Mary’s HS
in Portland. “Clair’s deceiving
because she’s only 5-10, but she’s
as good as any 6-3 or 6-4 post,”
Twain said. “She’s real physical
and very strong.”
Mindi Loiodici, a 5-5 sopho
more shooting guard from Oregon
City HS, has been out because of
illness. Twain considers Loiodici
to be one of the most talented
players on the team. “She’s a pure
three-point shooter and plays
great defense,” Twain said.
Denise Griffith is a 5-6 walk-
on wing player from Milwaukie
HS. “She’s a positive addition to
the team and has a good attitude,”
Twain said. “She works real
hard.”
Lindsey Vrtiska, 5-6 guard
from Glencoe HS in Beaverton,
is the Cougars’ backup point
guard. “She has walked in here
and made an immediate impact,”
Twain said. “She understands the
game really well and sees the
floor. She’s going to do a lot of
stuff for us.”
Another player from
Glencoe, Lindsay Hatch, is a 5-8
wing who is currently starting for
Clackamas. “She’s just very tena
cious defensively,” Twain com
mented. “She’s very talkative out
on the court and has good speed,
also.”
Clackamas started their sea
son with two impressive wins at
home last weekend in the Cougar
Invitational on Friday and Satur
day.
The Cougars defeated Grays
Harbor CC, 73-66, on Friday
night and Blue Mountain CC 78-
65.
Against Grays Harbor,
Clackamas .was led by Sorenson
in the first half as she knocked
down four three-pointers to keep
the Cougars in the game.
Sorenson finished 5-11 behind the
three-point line and scored 23
points for the game.
Clackamas started the game
with a 10-0 run, but the Chokers
closed to within one at 18-17 on
several Cougar turnovers. Clacka
mas led 40-34 at halftime and
held on in the second half to beat
Grays Harbor. Sharp had 14
points and 16 rebounds for the
Cougars, while Cox added 13
points and 18 rebounds. Barcus
finished with 12 points.
Against Blue Mountain,
which Twain considers to be one
of the best teams in the Northwest,
Clackamas started slowly and fell
behind early 12-4. The Cougars
then scored ten consecutive points
to take a 14-12 lead behind a
strong inside game and good foul
shooting. Clackamas led 35-32 at
halftime after playing some strong
defense to hold their slim lead.
The Cougars broke open the
game early in the second half on
a 13-1 run that gave Clackamas a
55-37 advantage over the visiting
Timberwolves.
Sharp just beat the shot clock
and stopped a good run by Blue
Mountain with a ten-foot jumper
in the key with just over seven
minutes remaining in the game.
The Cougars maintained a big
lead throughout the game.
Clackamas coasted the rest of
the way and Twain was able to get
a good look at some of her bench
players during the final four min
utes as she rested her starters.
Sharp scored 22 points 13
rebounds antlCox added 15
points. Sorenson had another all-
around game with 12 points, five
rebounds and seven assists.
“I have high hopes,” Twain
said despite a Southern Region
that is at its best in several years.
What makes it difficult is that I
think the league is as competitive
as it’s ever been. I think ebery
game in our league is going to be
a battle.”
Men’s basketball opens season with good
showing at Red Devil Tournament in Longview
Jesse Sowa
Sports Editor
Clackamas Men’s Basketball
Coach Royce Kiser has seen the
good, the bad and the ugly of his
team so far this season.
Despite winning their last
game by nearly 40 points, Kiser
feels that his team has a lot to ac
complish between now and the
start of league play in early Janu
ary.
The Cougars are in some tur
moil in that Kiser has yet to find
a set rotation and doesn’t have a
secure lineup. Kiser turned to
some of his younger players in a
102-63 win over Olympic College
on Sunday at the Red Devil Tour
nament at Lower Columbia Col
lege in Longview. “It’s not to say
that the (other) kids can’t
change,” Kiser said.
Clackamas is led on the court
this year by sophomore Aaron
Pearson, who Kiser considers to
be one of the hardest working
players he’s ever had. Pearson is
a 6-foot shooting guard from For
est Grove who played the point
guard position for the Cougars
last season.
Kenny Walker is a 6-2 guard
from Weiser, Idaho. Walker, a sec-
ond-year player, runs the floor
well and has a good shot. “Kenny
Walker is an extremely talented
player,” Kiser said.
Jared Bullock, a 6-4 fresh
man guard from Sheldon, is a
player that Kiser considers to be
well-rounded. “He does a good job
in all phases of the game,” he
said. “He’s not quite there yet, but
he’s a complete ball player.”
Leif Spencer is a 6-6 first-
year guard from Cleveland High
School in Portland. Spencer has
a good shot and is a big rebounder.
“He’s searching to find his game
now, but I’m sure he’s going to
find it and he’ll be a real good ball
player,” Kiser said.
Jace Outlaw, a 5-11 sopho
more guard from Roseburg, is
thought of by Kiser to be a good
defender and a smart player. “He’s
a pretty good floor general,” Kiser
said.
Brian Hay, a 6-2 point guard
from Glencoe High School in
Beaverton, is a player that’s still
learning the Clackamas system.
“He does a real good job of di
recting the floor,” Kiser said.
A player that helped lead
Clackamas to the Northwest Tour
nament last year was Ryan Val
ley, a 6-8 sophomore post from
Pendleton. “He’s strong and he’s
quick,” Kiser said. Valley broke
his foot last spring, but is recov
ering rapidly. “He’s still strug
gling a little, but he’s going to
play better,” he said.
Jawanza Hadley returns to
Clackamas this season as a much
improved player over last year.
Hadley is a 6-5 post from David
Douglas HS in Portland. “If he
continues to improve and play
hard, he could be. an exceptional
basketball player,” Kiser said.
“He’s very quick and athletic.”
Ty Overby, a 6-4 freshman
post from Beaverton, is one of
Clackamas’ most physical play
ers and continues to improve as
the season goes on. “I think Ty is
very talented and he’s going to be
a good player,” Kiser said.
Kiser believes Jay Lassen, a
6-8 second-year post from Cres
cent Valley HS, is the most im
proved player over last year and
the best passer from the post po
sition. “He’s our best post-up of
fensive player,” he said. “He’s
smart on the floor.”
Tio Beall is a 6-8 first-year
post from South Salem HS that is
also still learning the Clackamas
system. “He’s playing better each
week,” Kiser said. “He’s getting
a lot smarter on the floor.”
Kiser believes that his team
must practice more on working
against the press and executing
the offense better. He also sees a
need to step up on defense and
rebounding on the offensive of the
floor. “It’s a real weakness on our
team,” Kiser said of the team’s
rebounding.
Clackamas collected two
wins and one loss in Longview
last weekend. The Cougars de
feated Treasure Valley CC in two
overtimes by a 97-95 score.
Clackamas was led by Pearson,
who scored 20 points and sank
four of five shots behind the three-
point stripe. Spencer added 17
points and eight rebounds.
On Saturday, the Cougars fell
to defending Northwest champion
Clark College of Vancouver, 93-
74. Clackamas trailed by just nine
at halftime, but Clark blew the
game open and won going away.
Walker and Beall led the Cougars
in scoring with 16 apiece. Spen
cer added 15.
Clackamas broke it open
against Olympic and never looked
back. The Cougars led 55-33 at
halftime and only got better in the
second half. Hadley scored 32
points, while Pearson had a triple
double with 17 points, 10 re
bounds and 13 assists.
The Cougars will travel to
Pasco, WA on Friday to play Co
lumbia Basin at 8 p.m. and to
Pendleton on Saturday to take on
Blue Mountain at 6 p.m.
photo by Chad Patteson
The men’s basketball team prepares for matchups
against Columbia Basin and Blue Mountain this weekend.