It was a big week for Clipper Men’s Basketball as they went two for two in their games to improve their conference record to a perfect 4-0. Not only that, but they were able to defeat bitter rivals, and No. 1 ranked team in the NWAC, Lower Columbia in an impressive defensive showdown.
“It was a great environment and it was a really big win for our program,” said Assistant Coach Michael Wade about the win against LCC. “Opening up conference play against Tacoma, who was ranked No. 2, and getting a chance to have No. 1 Lower Columbia come in here gave our guys an opportunity to play as a unit and defend at a high level.”
The Clips’ week started off with a game against the Highline Thunderbirds. MBB got off to a rocky start as the team were down 12 at one point. However, the Clippers were able to get it together and ended on a run to go up by 12 at halftime. The second half was a bit of a struggle for MBB as they saw their lead evaporate after allowing the T-Birds to get some easy baskets in the paint. The T-Birds kept pressuring and chipping away at the lead but in the end, the Clips were able to hold off the Highline offense for the victory.
“Everybody was playing together and sharing the ball. I feel like our style could have been executed better, but we stayed together through the end and got a hard-fought win,” said Sophomore Guard Cameron Lawson about their 72-69 win against Highline.
Nehemiah Pollard led the charge for the guys, ending the game with an impressive stat line of 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists. Quincy Linton and Jeremiah Lewis also had big contributions as both had double-digit points, with 10 and 13 points respectively.
The following game was the one that has been circled on SPSCC’s calendars for quite some time. The Lower Columbia Red Devils came in from Longview, with a sizable crowd in tow, looking to score a win against the Clippers. With their main rival coming into their building and some past bad blood still on the mind of returning sophomores, MBB knew that this was a chance to show everyone why they should be considered the top dog in the West.
While the Clippers’ offense got going, starting with the game off on a 13-0 run, their defense suffocated the Red Devils, not allowing them to set up any plays. It took LCC almost six minutes before they got any points on the board and the Clippers’ stifling defense continued to operate that way for the entire 40 minutes, holding LCC to their lowest point total in any game so far in the season. The Red Devils were held to a 33% shooting percentage and only 8 assists for the game, showing how well the Clippers were in not allowing any effective, easy passes that led to scoring.
On the offensive side of the ball, Sophomores Marcus Lawson and Cameron Lawson got the team going, shooting the ball well from beyond the three. The Lawsons ended the game with double-digit points (17 for Marcus and 11 for Cameron), with Cameron going 100% from three-point range (3 for 3) in the team’s 61-50 win over LCC.
“LCC is our rival and with nine sophomores coming back, I felt like everyone just knew the plan and what we wanted – and at the end of the day that’s to win. Whether we had to dive for a ball on the court or raise each other up on the sideline, we all came together as a team to get this big win,” said Sophomore Forward Osvaldo Biebrich.
Clipper Men’s Basketball now hits the road for four consecutive games away from home, starting on Wednesday Jan. 22 against Pierce in Lakewood. MBB comes back home on Saturday, Feb. 8 for a game against Grays Harbor. For more information, visit www.spsccathletics.com.