Cougars score double wins
MEN DUNK HIGHLINE
BY DOUG FRY
Inside room 201 in Randall
H a ll, th e C la ck a m a s
Community College men’s
basketball team celebrated
their 89-83 win over the
Highline Community College
Thunderbirds in a game that
had eight ties and eight
lead changes throughout.
From outside the room,
fans heard the Cougars end
their meeting w ith a break ,
on, “ Family.”
“ We want to be treated like
fa m ily, and fam ily means
there is a certain amount of
privacy,” said Head Coach Clif
W egner. “ You don’ t share
fam ily business outside of
the fam ily. You treat fam ily
special. Family is there for you
no matter w hat.”
The players feel the fam ily
mentality too. Sophomore point
guard Eiroi Butler commented
. . on the win.
“ It just shows us what
we can do,” Butler
s a id . “ I f we
keep p la y in g
together as a
fa m ily we
can get far
and do great
things.”
A P e a r ly
tim eout refocused and regrouped the
Cougars, propelling them to a 14-poipt
lead, the biggest lead of the night.
The second half was close throughout,
with six total lead changes. The Cougars
weathered thè storm as thé Thunderbirds
showed they weren’t giving in easily.
“ Teamwork, teamwork^ teamwork,”
said sophomore forward RyunGibson.
“ We passed the ball and moved the ball,
got shooters open and got players open.”
The crowd showed up to cheer on the
Cougars.
“ Our bench was crazy,” said Butler.
“ I think people in the neighborhood even
' heard our fans tonight. ”
6 Clackamas Print November 23.2016 theclackamasprintcom
Eiroi Butler
shoots during
a game against
Highline
Community
College.
In the second h a lf, when
Clackam as struggled to. find
any offense, Butler was able to
keep them going. He finished
w ith just six points, but he
found his shot when the team
needed him most, ipcluding
a go-ahead three late in the
second half.
“ I’m always thinking
about the team first,”
said Butler. “ T hat’ s
s o m e th in g th a t
the team needed. I
wouldn’t have been
able to do that on
m y ow n. They
actually motivated
m e . E v e ry b o d y
- inspired me to do that.”
Freshm an guard Briggs Young also
contributed, shooting 3 out of 5 from ,
behind the arc, including his gam e
sealing dagger. :
“ Briggs Young, he hit a couple big ones
and of course the big, big shot at the end
was Briggs from the baseline that put us
up for good,” Wegner said.
The coaching staff is happy with the
w in, and W egner believes that they
became a better team.
“ When they walked up that hallway
tonight after tfie gam e, they were a
different group than when they walked
down the hallway before the gam e,”
Wegner said.
The Cougars continue their season next
weekend at the Pierce tournament in
Lakewood, Wash. They will open their
Southern Region League play at home on.
Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m . against Linn-Benton
Community College.
WOMEN’S TEAM BRINGS DOWN
GEORGE FOX JV
BY TY DELBRIDGE
The Clackamas women’s basketball team
defeated George Fox University Bruins JV
with a final score of 91-57 in their first
game of the season on.Friday, Nov. 18.
The Cougars took control from the
opening tip. They pushed the pace early,
and played fu ll-co u rt tight pressure
defense that clearly bothered the Bruins.
“ This is the pace we want to play, ” said
sophomore Tierrany Marshall-McBride.
“ We want to get other teams out of their
comfort zones and have them.play at our
pace. It’s the only way you are going tò
win the gam e.”
The Cougars used their size advantage
all game, forcing the ball down low to get
good shots in the paint.
On the defensive side, Clackamas forced
the Bruins into a ,lot of turnovers with
their aggressive style and taking away
the passing lanes. The Bruins had a hard
time getting good shots and getting the
ball up the court.
At the half, Clackamas led 51-30 over
the Bruins. Marshall-McBride chipped in
10 first-half points and freshman Kayce
Mock added 18.
The Cougars’ aggressive mentality on
both offense and defense continued into
thè second ha-has they determined to get
the ball to Mock, shoot open three- .
pointers and to not let the Bruins
get comfortable on offense.
Tri her first gam e w ith the
Cougars, Mock didn’t look or play
like a freshman out there Friday
night. She was the biggest player
on the court,, using her height
advantage to be a defensive
anchor, a low post threat and
even stepping behind the arch
for a couple of threes. Mock
finished the game with
a double-double,
le a d in g th e
photos by Austin Boltz
Cougars in points and rebounds,.
The Cougars’ Head Coach and Athletic
Director Jim Martineau was happy with
the team’s win and their aggressive style.
“ I th in k we have to play that way
to w in ,” Martineau said. “ It’ s a more
enjoyable style to plaÿ and watch. We
have the athletes to keep it up.”
The Cougars will look to build on this
strong first season victory, when they play
again in the Thanksgiving Invitational
this Friday through Sunday, Nov. 25-
27, which will take place at Clackamas
C o m m u n ity
C o lle g e
startin g
at 5 p.m.
Brittany McCormick
plays offense
against George Fox
University JV.