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..
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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.
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