EVERETT, Wash. - First-year head coach Zach Smith and the Clipper men's basketball program traveled to Everett Community College for an opening weekend tournament. 

Opening night saw the Clippers face off with top-ten-ranked Everett Community College. The first half saw both teams make runs and trade the lead. With under two minutes remaining in the first half, the Trojans scored seven unanswered points to take the lead into halftime. Sophomore Jason Montes paced the Clipper offense in the first half with a team-high 16 points. SPSCC played quality team basketball and shared the basketball in the second half, which saw them have a game-tying three-point shot with under 30 seconds remaining. However, they could not convert and lost the game by 5.

Following the late game on Friday night, the Clippers took the court at 1:00 pm on Saturday against Edmonds College. The Tritons forced the Clippers into 16 turnovers with their pressure defense and disrupted any offensive flow SPSCC attempted to establish. Freshman Jazen Guillory led the Clippers in both points and rebounds with 17 and 8, respectively. Despite Guillory's stand-out performance, the Clippers fell to the Tritons 89-73. 

Day three of the opening weekend action at Everett Community College saw the Clippers face the #4 ranked Skagit Valley College Cardinals. The Clippers were up for the challenge early, as they stymied the Cardinals' offense using a zone defense. Entering the halftime break, the Cardinals held a 5-point lead and looked flustered against the Clipper's defense. Coming out of the break, however, the Cardinals would up their defensive pressure and force the Clippers into 11 second-half turnovers. That would prove to be the difference in the contest as SVC cruised to a 72-55 victory. 

Despite going winless for the weekend, head coach Zach Smith shared that the program learned a lot about themselves and what they need to improve on as they work towards regional play in January. Smith complimented his team's effort and attitude over the weekend as they faced two top-10-ranked teams in three days. 

Next Up: 

The Clippers head south to face off with Clark College on Wednesday, November 23rd, at 12:00 pm. A live-stream will be available on the NWAC Sports Network.