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Sports
Women sit at 4-0 with tough games ahead
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, January 17,1996 /
Jesse Sowa
Sports Editor
Clackamas Women’s Basket
ball Coach Karen Twain has been
waiting for this chance since she
took over the program three years
ago.
The Cougars are now 4-0 in
the Northwest Athletic Associa
tion of Community Colleges
(NWAACC) Southern Region
and are currently ranked third in
the Northwest.
Clackamas moved to 4-0
with a tough 70-66 win against
Southwestern Oregon Commu
nity College (SWOCC) in Coos
Bay on Saturday. The Cougars led
by eight at halftime, but the
SWOCC kept it close before even
tually falling to Clackamas.
SWOCC is currently ranked
fourth in the Northwest.
The Cougars were led by
Lindsay Hatch, who had 18 points
on 9-13 shooting. Clair Cox
added 16 points and Lisa
Sorenson 14.
Clackamas knocked off #2
Umpqua in Roseburg on Jan. 9.
The Cougars were led by Clair
Cox, who totalled 25 points and
11 rebounds. The game marked
the first time that Clackamas had
all of its players available to com-
pete. Lindsay Hatch added 22
points, seven rebounds and six
assists. Clackamas also defeated
Umpqua earlier in the year in a
non-league contest at Randall
Hall.
The Cougars defeated Lane
CC on Jan. 6 in a home contest.
Post Robin Barchus scored 16
points and grabbed five rebounds.
Lindsey Virtiska added nine
points and six assists.
Clackamas pulled out a tough
62-58 victory against Mt. Hood
at home on Jan. 3. The Cougars
shot 23-52 from the field com
pared to 23 -71 for the Saints.
Clackamas was 5-11 from the
three-point line. The Cougars had
13 blocked shots and 49 rebounds.
Clackamas had a successful
Christmas Break, winning two
tournaments. The Cougars won
the Crossover Tournament in
Olympia Dec. 14-16 and the Lady
Red Devil Classic at Lower Co
lumbia College Dec. 27-29 in
Longview.
. The Cougars defeated
Highline, Lower Columbia and
Mt. Hood to win the Red Devil
Classic.
Against Highline, Clacka
mas led 47-30 at halftime and
cruised to the easy win. Thé Cou
gars played a close game with
Lower Columbia, but pulled out
the 57-53 win. Clackamas beat
Southern Region rival Mt. Hood
for the Classic Title.
In the Olympic tournament,
the Cougars won three close
games to take the title. Clacka
mas beat Wenatchee Valley,
Olympic, and Skagit Valley in
winning the first-place trophy.
The Cougars held Wenatchee
and Olympic to 53 and 57 points,
respectively, before holding off
Skagit Valley for a 94-89 overtime
win.
Clackamas trailed 30-23 at
halftime, but came back to tie
Skagit at 71 to force the extra pe
riod. The Cougars shot 29-53
form the field in the second half.
Sorenson led Clackamas in
scoring with 22 points. She also
added six rebounds and four as
sists. Barchus had 20 points four
rebounds, while Melanie Sharp
scored 13 points and grabbed nine
rebounds. Point guard Denise
Haselwood had eight points and
dished out 14 assists.
League play will continue to
be interesting for Clackamas with
five of the top six teams in the
Northwest coming from the
Southern Region.
Clackamas will take on
Chemeketa CC, the top-ranked
team in the region, tonight at
home in Randall Hall. The Cou
gars will then host Linn-Benton
CC (#6) on Saturday. Both games
begin at 6 p.m.
Before the contest with
SWOCC, Twain looked ahead to
what could be a very satisfying
rest of the season. “If we come out
of it winning the next three
(SWOCC, L-B and Chemeketa),
we’ll win the league,” she said.
“The girls feel real good about it”
Colts: from losers to winners
Andrew Beck
Staff Writer
The Dallas Cowboys and
Pittsburgh Steelers will play in the
Super Bowl. "And now, the rest
of the story".
Radio personality Paul
Harvey uses that catchphrase to
indicate he is going to read you
an amazing story. If Paul Harvey
worked for the NFL, he might
read this story about the resurrec
tion of a proud franchise and their
Cinderella-like entry into the NFL
playoffs. One year ago, one of the
NFL’s oldest and most established
franchises, the Indianapolis Colts,
were in a very common situation;
The club did not have a winning
team.
The Colts felt their goal of a
winning season was nearer and
more attainable after more than a
decade of failure, having only
made it to the NFL playoffs once
since 1978. The Colts finished
with an 8-8 record in 1994-95 and
felt they were just a few players
away from reaching the playoffs.
The Colts had built their
team on the concept of a ball con
trol offense balanced with a pow
erful running game.
Bill Tobin, the Colts Direc
tor of Football Operations, hoped
to build this team in the mold of
his former jewel, the 1986 Chi
cago Bears, maybe the greatest
team in NFL history. So far,
Tobin had found his running back
to emulate Walter Pay ton, the All-
Pro speedster Marshall Faulk, but
the Colts still ranked 27th in the
NFL for total offense in 1994-95.
The next season would have to be
different.
H
The answer to Tobin’s linger
ing problems were solved in nine-
year NFL veteran quarterback Jim
Harbaugh and former Green Bay
Packers Head Coach Lindy
Infante. Infante, an offensive
mastermind, was coaxed by Tobin
out of retirement to become the
Colts' offensive coordinator.
Infante installed a well-rounded
offense that centered around the
quarterback and took pressure off
of the running game. In the sec
ond game of the season against
the New York Jets, Harbaugh be
came that quarterback and went
from a backup player to the Pro
Bowl. Harbaugh set career highs
in passing efficiency, touchdowns,
and overall performance percent
age.
Following a strong quarter
back like Harbaugh, as good
teams usually do, the Colts be
came a winning team from the
ground up. Vince Tobin, Bill’s
brother and the Colts' defensive
coordinator turned the Colts into
a defensive force that held the San
Francisco 49ers to 17 points. The
Colts' defensive scheme was so
aggressive that with four line
backers in the game, plays were
called for the cornerback Ray
Buchanan to blitz.
But the MVP performance
for the Colts may not have been
on the field but in the front office
by Bill Tobin. Tobin drafted two
All-NFL rookies in defensive
tackle Eliis Johnson and tight end
Ken Dilger. Ellis Johnson was
second on the team in sacks with
4.5 and Ken Dilger bested Hall
of Famer John Mackey’s Colt
record for catches by a tight end.,
When Mike Cofer, the Colts place
kicker was released mid-season.
Tobin replaced him with Cary
Blanchard, who kicked 19 of 24
field goals. For his efforts, Tobin
was selected as the “Executive of
the Year” in a recent issue of the
USA Today/Sporting News and is
most likely a shoe-in for the NFL
equivalent as well.
The Colts finished 9-7 this
season and the team qualified for
a wild card playoff berth. India
napolis team defeated the defend
ing AFC champion San Diego
Chargers, 35-20 in the first round,
amazingly without the presence
of Faulk.
Rookie running back Zack
Crockett got the first start of his
career and ran for 147 yards and
two touchdowns.
The magic continued for the
Colts even as they faced the best
team in the AFC in the regular
season, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Without starting fullback
Roosevelt Potts or Faulk, the Colts
won the game, 10-7. The Colts
won with three interceptions and
Harbaugh’s will to stay in the
game despite popping his shoul
der out of place and coughing up
blood. No, these are definitely not
the same Colts that have been in
only one playoff game since 1978.
The Colts play with heart, despite
limited expectations.
In an era where Nike can throw
money at Jerry Jones so he can
further tarnish the Cowboys'
name and NFL owners can move
their franchises like chess pawns,
it is nice to see a Cinderella take
the stage. The story of how an
underdog goes from loser to win-
ner thrpugh hard work and per
severance. And now my friends,
you know the rest of the story.
photo by Jesse Sowa
Melanie Sharp puts up a lay-in against Mt. Hood at home.
Clackamas beat the Saints 62-58 in the Jan. 3 contest.
Support Cougar
Athletic Programs
Men's basketball hosts
Chemeketa tonight and
Linn-Benton on Saturday.
The men travel to Port
land CC on Jan. 24 and to
Lane CC (Eugene) on
Jan. 27. The men play at
8 p.m., the women 6 p.m.
Women's basketball hosts
Chemeketa tonight and
Linn-Benton on Saturday.
The women also travel to
Portland and Eugene next
week. NOTE: Chemeketa
is ranked #1 in both the
men's and women's polls.
CLACKAMAS FEDERAL
CREDIT UNION
YOU ARE ELIGIBLE!!!!!!
Eligible to join the most convenient financial
institution in Clackamas County. We are as close as
your phone and as convenient as your nearest ATM.
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ATM's
•VISA at 13.9% APR, no annual fee,
25-day grace period
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All full-time Clackamas Community College
students are eligible to join Clackamas Federal
Credit Union.
270 Warner-Milne Rd.
Oregon City, Or. 97045
Ph. 656-0671
FAX 655-7658
4400 SE International Way
Milwaukie, Or. 97222
Ph. 653-7788
FAX 653-9771