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.