Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2002)
10 Sports WedNEsdAy, FEbRUARy 20, 2002 TN e CI ac I íamas P rínt after two losses on the year. But then Clackamas faced NICK BARRON some adversity and, coupled with some of their most difficult matches all sea Business Manager All Clackamas’ men’s basketball team had to do was win two games and they could call themselves South ern Division champs. But the Cougar men fell to Chemeketa on Feb. 13 then lost on Feb. 16 to Southwestern Or egon, leaving the team’s hopes of re peating as league champions up to chance. With Chemeketa holding a4-5 league record coming into their match with Clackamas, the Storm didn’t appear to have a chance against the first-place Cougars. The Cougars had beaten them on Jan. 23, but the second time around was a differ son, now find themselves with their backs against the wall. “We need to keep opr focus,” said sophomore Mat Tondreau “We just haven’t been doing what got us here.” In looking ahead, the Cougars play three more games before the end of the regular season, two of which are on the road. Clackamas sits in a tie for second place with Lane, the team that handed the Cougars their first league loss of the year. The likelihood of a Clackamas repeat as Southern Divi sion champions does not look prom ising, but in college basketball the re sults are never for certain, especially heading ent story. Chemeketa emerged as the bet ter team, if just for one night, defeating Clackamas99-88. Matt Tabisz was Clackamas’leading scorer in the game, with 25 points. "...w played two teams who played harder than we did, and that is unacceptable." Michael Kuebler tossed in 17 and grabbed seven re bounds, and Marvin Noble scored 14. In the into March. If Southwestern drops either one of their three matches, and the Cougars win all three of theirs, Clackamas will be in a tie for first place for the sec Clif Wegner Clackamas' men's basketball coach ond time this sea son. Neither Wegner nor his team will be hold ing their breaths for that to happen end, though, it was the Storm’s deter mination to upset the league leaders that doomed Clackamas. “There is a very unlikely chance that that will happen (winning the South Despite their loss at Chemeketa, ern Division), but there is still a Clackamas still had an opportunity to tie Southwestern for first place with a victory. Instead, the Cougars were chance,” panned Tondreau Wegner is not worrying about Southwestern. Instead, he is focus ing on preparing his team for the re drowned in the Lakers’ hype, losing 9081. though. Kuebler, who is averaging 26 points mainder of the year. “We’re just trying to focus on im per game this season, finished with another spectacular athletic perfor proving, game by game, and getting ready for NWAACC’s. The league mance, scoring 33 points and snag ging nine rebounds. Noble chipped in eight points and ended with eight re champion never wins the NWAACC. *1 believe on any night we can beat bounds in the Cougar loss. NWAACC wants to play us, because The Cougars are in the midst of a slump, albeit a short one, dropping if wecomeout shooting well, we’ll beat you,” said Wegner when asked if his three of their last four games. “On both Wednesday and Satur day we played two teams who played team still had a shot at winning the harder than we did, and that is unac ceptable. No matter what else, we play harder than other people. We always have, and we’ve always prided our selves on that, and we didn’t do that,” said Clackamas Coach Clif Wegner when asked for reasons behind his team’s uncharacteristic losing streak. anybody. I think nobody in the NWAACC Championships in early March. “I think we’djustbe scary for people to play (in the NWAACC Champion ships); we’re kind of like the Gonzaga of the NWAACC.” That is the path that Clackamas has fallen into in just two weeks: fromdomi- MAGGIE JIRASEK / Clackamas Print nant contender to underdog challeng ers. To reach Nick Barron e-mail On Jan. 30, the Cougars sat in the drive’s seat of the Southern Division, barrotwru @hotmaiL com or drop by with a 7-0 league record and were 20-2 B-104 Mat Tondreau of Clackamas attempts a free throw in the Cougars'game against Southwestern Oregon on Feb. 16. Clackamas, who fell to the Lakers 90-81, never came within two points of their opponent. MOVE AIEAD? LIFE SOUTHERN DIVISION SW Oregon Clackamas Lane Chemeketa Linn-Benton Mt. Hood Portland Umpqua LEAGUE K 10-1 8-3 8-3 6-5 5-6 5-6 2-9 0-11 SEASON 20-5 21-5 15-10 17-8 10-14 11-13 5-19 4-20 C ontact M argie G ibœr I nfo M eeting M ar 5^ Go Cougars! Go Cougars!
