SPORTS
WOMEN’S BBALL PREPARES TO TAKE IT ALL
STORY BY JACOB THOMPSON
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Clackamas Community College’s .w om en’ s
basketball picked up two big wins to open
their 2019-20 campaign. On Wednesday
the team knocked off Pacific University’s
junior varsity team 101-55 and Friday they
fought tooth and nail, outlasting Walla Walla
Community College 66-61.
The Cougars came out strong and quickly
took a 9-2 lead a little over two minutes
into the game, but the Warriors were able
to shrink Clackamas’ lead to 2 before the
opening quarter ended, 17-15.
The game was a back-and-forth affair from
that point until the 8:34 mark when Walla
Walla mounted a -yr a run to take a 57 "48 lead
with 5:30 left in the contest. After sophomore
post Landy Williams hit a jump shot to make
it a 57-50 game, Head Coach Jim Martineau
called a timeout and changed the Cougars
defensive strategy and Clackamas went
back into their aggressive half-court trap.
Martineau said foul trouble in the first half
led to the Cougars having to abandon the trap
for most of the game, but when it counted the
team stepped up.
“ Tonight, we got two or three turnovers
in the fourth quarter when we needed to,”
Martineau said. “ We’re making a little run
and we’re got into the press a little bit.
§rooke [Bullock] got a tip, Landy [Williams]
got a steal. It was a good defensive battle.” I
' The press led to the pace of the game
being accelerated and the Cougars took
full advantage of the run-and-gun style.
Sophomore post Brooke Bullock took a
defensive rebound coast to coast for a layup
that trimmed the lead to five and she also;
had a steal that led to a Walla Walla foul and
Bullock knocked in two from the charity
stripe to give Clackamas a 59-57 lead with
3:21 left in the game. It was the Cougars
first lead since the opening
since the 9-m inute mark
in the final
quarter.
Kess LaCounte, freshman guare
Clackamas Print....... ...........
Bullock led the Cougars in points with 22, before sophomore guard Ambreece Gaskins
rebounds with 10 and tied for the team lead hit two free throws with five seconds left to
with three assists; Bullock’ s great play had give the Cougars a five-point lead that would
Martineau singing her praises after the game. stand, 66-61.
“ I think the whole team brought a lot
“ She’ s special, she’ s a really good one.
She’ s a 5’9” kid that plays like she’s 6’i ” . She of energy and we really wanted to w in,”
gets her hands on everything. It makes us sophomore post Savannah Duarte said about
feel we always have a chance when we have the Cougar’ s fourth quarter comeback. “ We
put it together and made it at the end.”
her,” Martineau said.
Clackamas beefed up their non-conference
After B ullocks free throws, Walla Walla
tied the game at59"59, but on the Warriors’ play this season and Martineau said that
next possession, the sophomore speedster between the incoming-players and returners,
struck again, stealing the Walla Walla pass he felt the team could hang with tôugh
and blazing past everyone on the court for an competition.
“ I wanted to schedule a little tougher
unContested layup with 2:02 left.
Both teams, failed to score for the next because I thought we were going to be a little
minute and a half, but Williams was able to bit better and you always want to play good
end the drought. With one second left on the team s,” Martineau said. “ We aren’t playing
inbound, the Cougars attempted to inbound Umpqua at Thanksgiving for the first time in
the ball to. Williams, but she was unable a long tim e, so I thought we could play Walla
to get a hand on the pass, the ball started Walla because they wanted to come over and
rolling deep beyond the three-point line and they’re always good. Then we’ re going to
Longview and Longview’s always fun. They
Williajhs chased it down.
“ At first I didn’t know what was on the shot have a nice gym and they take care of it so it’s
clock until my coaches said to shoot it, so I fun to go up there. It’s a good preseason.”
Clackamas will be back in action over the
shot it,” Williams said.
The ball was several feet beyond the three- Thanksgiving break as they host Portland
point and Williams heaved a high arcing shot Community College, Southwest Community
nothing but net College and Pacific University’s junior varsity
that found
Clackamas a 64-59 team for the Clackamas Community College
and gave
lead.
only three-
attempt of
Walla Walla
not go away
hit a two
pointer to
tighten the
game at
61-64
*
theclackamasprint.com
Photo by Jonathan Villagomez
----------------- November 27, .2019