Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2013)
P R IN T : ß »U Wednesday, April 17,2013 RELAYS: Cougars prepare for championship meets LeBron h eats up M iam i basketball .t.. A O .M . f fP RT Continued from Page 1 Andrew Millbrooke Sports Editor As the 2013 season winds down, it’s time to reflect on one o f the greatest seasons that has ever been played in the NBA by the Miami Heat’s freight train of a small- forward, LeBron James. James, in his ninth season and third in Miami, is the most efficient player in the league accordingtoNBA.com . Not only that, James has led Miami to the best record in the NBA, including a monumental 27-game winning streak, which ranks second best in league his- tory. James is averaging 26.8 points, a career-high 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals and almost one block per game. More importantly, he is shooting a career best from the field and the 3-point line. His .565 field goal percent age ranks seventh in the league, while his .403 m ark from behind the 3-point line is sensational for a 6’8, 250-pound steamroller. Those marks are way above Ins career averages o f .490 from the field and .337 from the 3-point line. James has also improved his shot selection and is becom ing known as a late game closer, ranking fourth in the league, in fourth quarter scoring. James is a shoe-in to win his second straight and fourth overall MVP award. All o f this is good and great for the game, but more importantly LeBron is actually living up to the mas sive hype that he created when Sports ä I All of the relay races on the track featured four legs, running anywhere from 100 meters to 1,600 meters per leg. Forbito believes it’s important to work together on the exchanges with the relay baton. “It’s really based on the team, because you have all the relays,” said Forbito. “You really have to rely on your teammates to get the handoffs and believe in them.” Clackamas had success on the track and in the field on both the men’s and women’s sides. On the track, the men won the 4-by-100, 4-by-800 and distance medley relays, while the women won the 4-by-1,600, the 800-meter sprint medley and the distance medley relays. Mantalas was impressed with a couple of the distance relay teams. The men’s 4-by-1,600 quartet of Zach Hibbs, Jordan Grimes, Chris Stash and Colton Snook were a close second to Corban in a thrill ing men’s race, running 19:23.27. “The men’s four by one mile broke a school record, anytime you can do that it is a fun achieve ment,” said Mantalas. “It was a lot of our guys that have really worked hard to get better the last couple years. To walk away from this with a school record is cool, you know.” The women’s distance medley relay also impressed Mantalas, as the foursome of Cia Bywater, Grace Viuhkola, Randi Chance and Allison Pugsley won by fourteen seconds in 13:21.36. “They are kind of a fun group, all those girls have been together now for two years,” said Mantalas. “Just to see them working together and making their way through that DMR was kind of fun.” In the field events, the CCC women won the pole vault and javelin, while the men took down the triple jump and shot put, while tying for the pole vault title. Clackamas sophomore Austin Collins was one athlete who used the event as a train ing run, running legs on both the 4-by-800 and 4-by-1,600 relays. “Yeah, definitely a workout day,” said Collins. “The 800 I got a decent time in. The 1,600 was definitely a workout.” Mantalas said Collins’ 800 split was. about 1:55. Collins is focusing on meets later in the season, where he will be competing in his main event, the 800. Collins has yet to see what this season holds after running the fourth fastest time in school history last season. “It’s going good, but I don’t really know yet. I haven’t run the 800 a whole lot yet,” said Collins. “Pretty much the whole next half of the season, I will be focusing on my event. Then I’ll know how I do in about a month.” We all believe we can win it, so I think that’s what w e’ll do, both sides the girls and the guys. ” Tiffany Forbito Clackamas sophomore “It will be at U. of O., at die Oregon Relays,” said Collins. “It’s a pretty big meet with a lot of Division I lads, so I gotta go fast. It’ll be good, I’ll be able to stick on guys and have a good race.” Collins came into the season less than a second off the school record of 1:50.9 from 1984, with a best of 1:51.67. He knows he must go faster to get a scholarship to a Division I school. “I have to run fast still,” said Collins. “I gotta run fast to go where I want to go.” Forbito says it’s meets like these that are preparing the Cougars for big things at the NWAACC Championships on May 20 and 21 in Spokane. “To help rely on your team, it will help for the championships,” said Forbito. “We all believe we can win it, so I think that’s what we’ll do, both sides the girls and the guys.” Track and field team to host home meet Collins’ next race will be against a lineup of Division I kids with better lifetime bests, but he seems unfazed and ready to race. The Cougar track and field team is hosting the CCC Cougar open on Saturday. The field events and running events begin at 11 a.m. at Oregon City High School’s track. he. a n n n iin c « l he. w a s le a v in g Cleveland to sign with Miami, in the publicly panned and mocked “The Decision.” The nationally televised episode on ESPN was seen as unnecessary and self-indulgent by many fans and media, espe cially in Cleveland, James tried to lessen the individual impact by inviting freshly signed team mates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to attend the event, but it didn’t work out that way and many were happy to. see the Heat stumble in their first year together as the “Big 3” in 2011. The Heat lost the NBAFinais that first year, four games to two, as Dallas blitzed Miami with superior teamwork anti shoot ing. Miami rebounded from that disappointment and won the 2012 NBA Championship, as LeBron got the monkey off his back and he was nam ed NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career. There are many rea sons to believe it will not be the last title headed to South Beach. The Heat handily defeated Oklahoma City four games to one in the finals a year ago and they are virtually unchallenged in the Eastern Conference this season. Miami will be favored over their finals opponent, who ever that may be. The Western Conference champion will be tired and beaten after making it through the meat-grinder that is playoff basketball in the West. The Thunder is poised to defend its Western Conference title and is eager to dethrone Miami. Oklahoma City’s top player, Kevin Durant, is seeking his fourth straight NBA scor ing title and is often mentioned in the same breath as James when experts talk about the best player in the game. - But, it doesn’t really matter if Durant and the Thunder make it through or if it’s Tim Duncan and the Spurts, LeBron will be front and center during the 2013 NBA Finals, leading the Heat to another championship and probable second straight Finals MVP trophy. Maybe, “The Decision” wasn’t so bad after all. » Peila (43) during the 4-by-800 meter relay at F riday’s Pacific N W Relays. The Cougars won the race by almost one minute in 8:01.65 as Collins sped to a 1:55 split on the anchor leg. Clackamas sophomore Tiffany Forbito (right) had an excellent start in her 100 hurdles race on her way to a personal record time. Forbito, a recent signee to Cal-State Long Beach to throw the javelin, also set new personal bests in the javelin and shot p u t during the meet. ZZ* i z* *^ z^ j E — Rapid HIV <« Testing 800.777.2437 cascadeaids.org/hiv-testing-resources \ ✓ **> / I f —> Cascade AIDS Project j I / 1 / ——J cascadeaids.org Got Acne? ...Get ALA-PIM 1-800-458- ï W ° w w w .A LA -P IM . CO M prom o C ode: C C C STU D EN T
