Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2013)
P R IN T : Sports Wednesday, November27,2013 J Men’s basketball falls to Highline Zak Laster Ad Manager F acing their toughest game m entally and physically so far in the season, the "Clackamas C ougars fell to the H ighline T h u n d erb ird s, 105-89 la st Friday. Starting early in the gam e, fans could feel a different vibe in the arena. The C ougars w ere fiX facing a team th at w as bigger, faster and stronger than they w ere, and as the gam e w ore on, the C ougars w ore down. A fter a spirited first h a lf w here the C ougars show ed great fight and only trailed by tw o points, they cam e out in the second h a lf and had a hard tim e g etting anything going; they w ere o u tsco red 53-39. A fter the gam e, C oach C lif W egner was not pleased w ith their perform ance, he said. “We d id n ’t have a good gam e shooting the b ask etb all,’ said Wegner. “I ju s t feel like w e n ever got into a rhythm and had five guys who really p lay ed w ell fo r any substantial length o f tim e.” The C ougars shot 44.9 p er cent from the field, com pared to H ighline who shot 54.4 p er cent, and w ere out-rebounded by 13. This is an area the p lay ers know they need to im prove on. “We ju s t need better team d e fe n s e ,” said so p h o m o re point guard Spencer Bankofier. “C oach w as pissed, but he has a right to be pissed. I m ean, we got m anhandled on the boards. That w as em barrassing.” ' One o f the b right spots o f the nig h t w as the perform ance by forw ard G rant Sitton who finished w ith 34 points and six rebounds. B eing the tallest guy on the team at 6-foot-9, he w as tasked w ith guarding the ta l ented H ighline forw ard Joseph Stroud, who fin ish ed w ith 16 points and 13 rebounds. “H e’s a good strong play er out there” said sophom ore forw ard G rant S itton. “We w e’re going back and forw ard throughout the gam e,” S itto n ag reed th a t the defense needs im proving. He also com m ented on his indi vidual perform ance. “I ’m not satisfied w ith our defensive aspect o f the gam e,” said Sitton. “I ’d m uch rather w in a gam e and score 10 points than score w hatever I scored tonight and lose.” ! r ° ° tS thr, ° W in fn e game a%ainst HisMine Community College. Martin finished with five points and three rebounds. Atte and then coming back strong, the Cougars struggle to rally again, but are out muscled my the Thunderbirds. J behind earlier in the Cougars bounce back, choke Grays Harbor Chris Browarski The Clackamas Print T h e visiting Grays Harbor Chokers were no match for the Clackamas men’s basketball team as the Cougars picked up the win 95-79 last Saturday. Defense was the game plan as Clackamas was able to score 28 points off turnovers to gain a lead early in the game. They did not let go. Much o f the scoring came from forward Brandon Halter, who came on the floor with a seemingly endless supply o f energy. Halter scored 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Cougars in his double-double performance. Running hard on the court, Halter was able to get a lot o f good looks at the basket, shooting 53 percent for the night. He also led the team in three-pointers by sinking four balls from beyond the arc. Guard Spencer Bankofier also had a good night of scoring on mixed opportunities. He was 4/9 for the night, including a three pointer. Bankofier also managed to get sent to the free-throw line and did not miss all night, shooting six out of six foul shots. He scored 15 points and passed four assists in the game. Clackamas Coach Cliff Wegner controlled the pace o f the game well and called defensive schemes that limited the Chokers’ ability to get to the rim. Much o f the game was played in zone sets. But after GHC sunk three consecutive three- point shots, Wegner called a time out to switch to man defense. The adjustment was successful in limit ing outside’scoring while keeping the interior tightly guarded. Wegner felt that the previ ous night’s loss against Highline was frustrating and that defense and rebounding was a focus on Saturday’s game. H e’s optimistic about the young team’s future, he said. “Putting five freshmen out there can be scary,” said Wegner. “[They can] grow up a lot as the season goes on.” No. 10 freshman point guard Anthony Russell (left) o f the Cougars plays defense against the Chokers’guard Riley Alvord. a ’ ? Foreword Moe Keita was a huge defensive weapon for the team who challenged the opponents’ shots all night. Keita swatted post shots all night with three blocks and robbed the opponents for two steals. He also showcased his offensive abil ity, scoring 14 points and passing four assists. He even drained a big three near the end o f the game with a spot-up jump shot. “After [Friday’s] loss, defense was an emphasis,” said Keita. “We have a lot more to learn and have to keep working hard.” The Cougars’effortorithe boards gave them a huge advantage in the game as Clackamas out-rebounded GHC 53-36. Clackamas had twice as many offensive rebounds as the opponents that made for 16 second- chance points. Forward Ezekiel Martin was a huge factor as he was able to box out well and grab 11 rebounds on the night, five o f which on offense. Martin also scored 10 points for a double-double and was able to dish out two assists. He was also active on offense away from the ball and would set several picks that would lead to scores. The bleachers in Randall Hall filled up nicely with many Cougars fans, who drowned out the few Chokers supporters in attendance. The crowd cheered loudly for Clackamas’ scoring and was espe cially excited to see blocked shots. “They’re playing really good,” said Clackamas fan Tiffany Sloans. “I think they’re making lots of shots, they’re scoring a lot.” The Cougars advanced to 2-1 on the season with the win. Up next for Clackamas is the Skagit Valley Tournament held in Mt. Veronon, Wash., followed by a return home to face Clark Community College on Dec. 7. No. 12 sophomore point guard Spencer Bankofier fights through a pick set by the Chokers.
