10 • T he C lackamas P rint
S ports
M arch 3, 2004
Cougar men straighten out Big Bend,
win fifth -place NWAACC hardware
Frank Jordan
T he C lackamas P rint
The Clackamas Cougar men com
pleted another outstanding season on
Monday as they defeated the Big
Bend CC Vikings 81-73 to capture
the fifth-place trophy at the
NWAACC
Basketball
Championships.
“A great effort by all of our kids.
They played hard all season and it is
nice to see them rewarded for their
hard work,” said Head Coach Clif
Wegner. “They played really hard
today, they had great control and
poise at the end of a tight ball game
and that paid off for them.”
Alex Swerzbin got the Cougars
off’ to a quick start, scoring CCC’s
first seven points. Brandon Gill hit a
jumper and a fall-back three-pointer
and Steve Lemma made a show-and-
go layup and a three to help the
Cougars to an early 25-17 lead.
Big Bend slowly started working
their way back and when Viking
guard Brian Kast hit a three with
4:34 left in the opening half, Big
Bend had their first lead al 28-27.
The two teams went back and
forth the rest of the half, as Ammon
Bemis made two baskets down low,
then Swerzbin made a jumper at the
halftime- buzzer, drawing the
Cougars to within one at the break,
36-35.
Bemis wasn’t around much for
the Cougars in the second half as he
picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in
the first two minutes, sitting him
down for the rest the game.
Freshmen Jzfvin Sims and Josh
Spirlin camez in and picked up the
slack made by Bemis’ departure and
made key contributions in the second
half.
. Big Bend used an 8-0 run to grab
a 55-48 lead, but the Cougars fought
back behind the inside plajtof Sims
and the outside play of Swerzbin and
Gill. CCC got the lead back at 63-61
after two foul shots by Gill, then Gill
was fouled on a three-point try. He
hit all three at the line to give
Clackamas a lead at 67-64. It was
back and forth for the next three
minutes until Gill hit a three out from
the wing to give CCC the lead for
good at 76-73. Free throws by Sims,
Lemma and Gill closed out the
Vikings and gave the Cougars their
trophy.
“Spirlin and Sims simply took
over the. game in the second half.
Their play was very inspirational to
the whole team and carried us to a
huge win,” said Wegner. “Not to
mention the play of our three sopho
more guards: • Gill, Lemma and
Swerzbin’. They were as good as
they have been the whole season.
Everyone did a real nice job today
and the whole weekend.”
■Gill capped an outstanding tour
nament with 24 points to lead CCC,
while Swerzbin contributed 22.
Sims had 14 points and six rebounds,
and Lemma chipped in 11 points,
grabbed a game-high eight rebounds
and dished out a team-high five
Clackamas players and coaches pose with the fifth-place trophy earned at the
NWAACC championship tournament on Monday in Kennewick, Wash. (Left to right)
Garrett Johnson, Coach Clif Wegner, James Couture, Wes Jensen, Alex Swerzbin,
Brannon Kishpaugh, Brandon Gill, Steve Lemma, Cole Kieling, Ammon Bemis, Josh
Spirlin, Asst. Coach Jim Worden, Ervin Sims, Brent Kahle and Maycol Rivera.
assists. Clackamas shot 45 percent
from the floor and was 16-22 from
the line for the game. Both teams got
42 rebounds, but the Cougars forced
Big Bend into 23 turnovers to help in
the win.
Guard Daniel McFaul led the
Vikings with 19 points, Leigh
Castillo had 16 and Travis Ohrn
chipped in 12.
Big Bend was
harassed into just 40 percent shoot
ing and missed some big free throws
late that may have turned the tide in
their favor.
The fifth-place finish ended
Clackamas’ 11 th appearance at the
NWAACC tournament with their
tenth trophy. This year’s placing
improved upon the seventh place that
the team garnered last season. The
Cougars last won the NWAACC
championship in 1994.
“This tournament is really hard
for the players. Just think about it,
you have to play four games in four
days, under some real pressure,” said
Wegner. “Not only for the players,
but for the coaches as well. Our kids
played great and deserve all of the
credit. Most of these tournaments
come down to adrenaline and guts.
Our kids displayed some guts this
weekend and for that, we walk out of
here with a trophy. Enough said.”
All-Tournament Teams
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER-Chris
Bannish.LCC.
FIRST TEAM-Gregg Barlow, MHCC;
Bryan Freshwater, LCC; Trevor
Hutton, MHCC; Brandon Lord, PeC;
Steven Trotter, LCC.
SECOND TEAM-Travis Fridrich,
EdCC; Brandon Gill,CICC; Daniel
McFaul, BBCC; Robert
Pankowski.WWCC; Marcus
Whittaker, TCC.
MOST INSPIRATIONAL PLAYER-
Ben Perry, MHCC.
CHAMPS: Alldrin named MVP
(Continued from page I )
in Clackamas’ favor, resulting in
an Umpqua bucket and a tie game.
Umpqua turned the ball over a
number of times thereafter and the
Cougars pulled away for the 83-75
victory.
In a quarterfinal game Saturday,
the Cougars defeated Shoreline CC
68-54. Shoreline jumped out to an
early lead but the Cougars-held on
and once again dominated the second
half.
Shoreline’s Ebonee Newson
scored 19 first-half points, but fouled
out early in the second half.
Martineau was pleased with the
job the Cougar post players did on
Newson.
“Oh, the big girl, she’s tough,”
Martineau said. “It didn’t look like
she could play, but she’s an excellent
player; I thought we did a good jyb
on her. She’s leading the NWAACC
in scoring and rebounds. She fouled
out; we did a job on her.”
Alldrin led the Lady Cougars
with 21 points; she also grabbed
seven rebounds. Cadotte scored 11
points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
In their tournament opener on
Friday,
Clackamas
defeated
Wenatchee Valley CC 76-59.
Alldrin poured in 21 points;
Calmettes and Somer Erickson each
added 16 points. Cadotte scored 13
and hauled in eight- rebounds.
• Tournament All-Stars included:
Caddote and Erickson, who were
voted to the first team. Alldrin was
voted tournament MVP.
Martineau knows this was a spe
cial team and season.
“Oh man, these girls are frickin’
good. They’re nine people who don’t
care about who scores and who
plays; as a group they are the best
I’ve seen by far.
Clackamas Athletic Director Jim
Jackson is very pleased with the suc
cess of both men’s and women’s bas
ketball this season.
“The women have worked so
hard lor us,” Jackson said. “It shows
the type of coaches that we have. 1
was impressed with how well-condi
tioned our teams were compared to
the others in the tournament. I’m
biased, but I think we have the best
coaches in the Northwest.
“We’re pleased all the way
around. Anytime you can have both
teams there it’s pretty impressive, it
says a lot. The kids have just been
great.”
Next year, only two women,
Kasie Elliott and Lindsey Boeckman,
will return from this . season’s
NWAACC championship team.
All-Tournament Teams
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER-Cindy
Alldrin CICC.
FIRST TEAM-Courtney Bothum, ChCC;
Ashley Cadotte,CICC; Somer Erickson,
CICC; Julie Melcher, ChCC; Micaela
Williams, UCC.
SECOND TEAM-Angela Cornejo, S.VC;
LeeAnn Genovese, Lane; Brianna
Hilliard, YVCC; Nikki Johnson, CenC;
Laura Sprague, WWCC.
MOST INSPIRATIONAL PLAYER-Annie
Hartle, ChCC.
Clackamas’ Cindy Alldrin (32) drives baseline past a
Chemeketa defender during the Cougars’ 55-36 win to
take the NWAACC championship Monday night.
Clackamas sophomore wing Ashley Storms (14) lets a
three fly in the NWAACC title game against Chemeketa.
Photos by AMY CASHMAN Clackamas
Cougars’ Somer Erickson (10) watches Ashley Cadotte (33) work the boards for CCC.