_____________________ _?
TI he CI ac I camas P rìnt
WEÓNEsdAy, J anuary 12, 2000
Tom Lenox, a
freshman guard from
Molalla, puts on the
press against a
Portland Panther
during Clackamas'
100-84 victory.
Clackamas
rolls, wins
11 of 14
MANDY GOOD
Sports Editor
The Clackamas Cougars
stayed one step ahead of
Portland’s performance on the
Jan. 5th game in Portland’s home
gym.
“We out-played them slightly
in about every area—we shot
better, handled the ball better and
out rebounded them,” said Head
Coach Cliff Wegner.
The game started strong
straight off the bench and
clinched the sixth-game winning
streak out of seven games
played.
“Our depth was really far su
perior. We out-scored them off
the bench 54 to 10,” said Wegner.
Dallas Husak came off of the
bench and scored 22 points.
Tom Lenox also came off the
bench and displayed his out
standing skills. By halftime the
Cougars had a confident lead of
13 points.
“We came up very flat in the
second half, so we benched all
five of the starters. The second
team came in and played very
well and got the lead up to about
15 points,” said Wegner.
Wegner noted that the players
that are coming in off the bench
to play are playing with a lot more
confidence, which added to the
strength of the team.
“Tom Lenox is coming into the
game and just shooting the ball
and relaxing, Wes Jennings is
playing well off of the bench, and
Nate Block is coming in off the
bench looking superior,” ex
plained Wegner.
Much of the success of the
game is attributed to the post
players' skills. The players have
proven, and will continue to
prove, their strong role in the
team.
“I think that we have the best
post kids in the league, which
includes Nate Block, Wes
Jennings, Jered Gritters, Chris
Lohrey and Dallas Husak. Al
though we still need to prove it
when we play,” said Wegner.
The final score of the game
was 100-84, and ended in a Cou
garwin.
“When the starters came back
into the game, they played very
hard and we finished the game
off right,” said Wegner.
On Saturday, Jan. 8, the Cou
gars played Linn-Benton in their
second away game of the week.
The team got up early in the game
with a score of 20 to 8 and went
on to win 88-66.
“We got a nice early lead by
going to the inside and rebound
ing and playing very good de
fense,” said Wegner.
By halftime, the Cougars were
still leading the game 35 to 22.
Linn-Benton continued to play
hard and got back into the game
in the second half. The score was
brought down to a ten-point
spread.
“They made a furious rally;
they didn’t shoot very well all
night, but they had a streak
where they hit about five out of
eight three’s,” said Wegner.
An obstacle that Linn Benton
had to face was Cougar player
Nate Block.
“Nate stepped up and looked
like a man among boys, they just
could not guard him,” said.
Chevis Thompson, a freshman
guard from Denver, CO, tip
toes on the endline as he tries
to stay in bounds against PCC.
JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print
Wegner.
In the second half of the game,
Block was dominating the court.
His ball-handling skills were a
factor in the team's overall per
formance.
“In the second half of the
game, every time he touched the
ball he either made a lay-in or got
to the free-throw line,” said
Wegner.
Point Guard Kyle Bracy was an
other strong force for the Cougars.
“Kyle Bracy did a fabulous job
running the ball—he played 35
minutes and only had one turn
over. As a point guard, 3 to 4
turnovers is pretty good for play
ing that amount of time,” said
Wegner.
The effort was outstanding
due to the time and the competi
tion. The Cougars continued to
play well even as Linn-Benton
rallied against them.
“We settled down and got our
composure and finished the
game winning by 22 points,” said
JOHN THORBURN / Clackamas Print
Wegner.
The Cougars are off to a good
start, winning the first two out of
four road games. They face a
tough situation with four straight
road games.
“We were away both games last
week, we’re away both games this
week. Ifwejust get through those
games 4-0 or 3-1, then I think that
we will be in good shape. Then
we have 6 out of 7 games at home
and we play very well at home,”
said Wegner.
Don't tell Cal schools that Pac-10 power lies in the Northwest
O
regon football fans need
to start opening their eyes
to the Pacific-10 and its
state today.
From the
Editor’s desk.».
For years, the Pac-10 Conference
has been synonymous with excel
lence. For the past two seasons,
however, the level of talent and
play has been mediocre at best. The
result? A major loss of respect.
Why has this happened?
It’s a simple answer.
In 1991, the University of Wash
ington Huskies dominated college
football—winning a share of the
national title with Miami, thrusting
school into
national
power sta
tus and ul-
t i m a t e 1 y
showing a
changing
of
the
guard from
California
school dominance in the confer
ence.
What happened next? The “Pac-
10” cut the Huskies down at the
knees, unleashing huge penalties
for small sanctions brought
against the team for violations.
The Pac-10 doesn’t like Wash
ington.
The Pac-10 is comprised of the
For years, Washington was in
four state schools from Oregon and creasing the number of top recruits
Washington plus four universities that it pulled from the Gold State’s
from California and two from Ari backyards.
zona. For decades, dominance has
What were the penalties im
resided among
posed? Loss of
those
six : ..... ,
recruits and no
..... ;................... ..........■.... ■'
schools. In the
bowl eligibility.
past 10 years,
...the Ducks are
This spells a loss
however, some
of interest for
going
to
start
of the best foot
Washington
attracting more of
ball has been
when young play
played by the
ers make their
that big talent...
Northwest col
choice of college.
leges. When the
When
team
Cal schools tried
members of the
to shift that
UCLA football
power back down south, the con team broke federal and state laws
ference was weakened severely.
last season, what happened? Noth
The problem that existed be ing.
tween California schools and
In recent years, Oregon football,
Washington was recruiting.
namely the Ducks, have increas
ingly gained respect because
they’re playing good football. How
long do you think the “Pac-10” is
going to allow this to go on?
The University of Oregon is
building an image of a great foot
ball program. With the California
schools showing nothing better
than .500 level play, the Ducks
are going to start attracting more
of that big talent away from
those schools.
What would happen next?
Washington is returning to
dominance. Oregon is increas
ingly getting stronger. Oregon
State is back on the college foot
ball map. Great football doesn’t
lie within the Pacific-10 confer
ence.
It certainly doesn’t lie within
the “Pac-6.” .