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Anthony Owens admits that before the season began, he couldn’t imagine his Columbia Basin College men’s basketball team only having six losses to this point of the season.
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But here the Hawks are, finally getting to play their first game in the Northwest Athletic Conference men’s tournament on the fourth day of the event. And they enter play with a 20-6 record.
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They’ll play Peninsula at noon Saturday, in a first-round game at CBC.
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And they’ll do it together.
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“Their strength is that they play together,” said Owens. “For us to do well, we’ve got to defend. Most of these teams, only a handful of teams try to defend at a high level. Most guys having scoring on their mind.”
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Now, Owens isn’t against scoring. You have to score more points than your opponent.
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And he’ll do it by sending his guys out in waves: play as hard as you can for as long as you can; then let the next group take over and do some damage.
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“I plan on (that philosophy) going into every season,” said Owens. “These guys have really bought into it and have had success.”
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And when he tells them before they come to CBC that they’ll get an opportunity, Owens isn’t lying to them.
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They all get to play.
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“My expectations for these guys are pretty high,” Owens said.
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Whoever wins that CBC-Peninsula game will come back on Sunday for a quarterfinal contest.
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Meanwhile, half of the men’s 16-team field played on Friday, including Walla Walla. The Warriors couldn’t overcome Edmonds’ speed, and they lost 85-76.
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“We finished 24-6, so that’s a pretty good season,” said Walla Walla coach Jeff Reinland. “We were concerned about (the Tritons’) speed getting up and down the floor. They beat us earlier this season in a same type of game.”
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Down 21-20 in the middle of the first half, Edmonds exploded on a 13-0 run to take a 33-21.
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Walla Walla spent the rest of the game trying to cut into that lead. And the Warriors cut it to within 1 point, 74-73, with 4:56 to play.
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But then Chris Lee sank two unanswered 3-point field goals on consecutive possessions to right the Tritons’ ship for the win.
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“It was a big time in the game,” said Lee, who finished with 28 points. “And we needed a big-time play. We felt at the beginning of the season this is where’d we be. We lost a few guys on the way. But this team here, it wanted this the most. That’s why we’re here.”
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Elyon Zevenbergen added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Tritons (20-7).
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Kamiakin grad Kyson Rose, playing center for WWCC, battled leg cramps and ankle problems late in the game — his final contest for the Warriors.
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“I’ve been dealing with ankle problems a lot lately,” said Rose. “It’s tough to end this season. We had a bunch of community college guys who didn’t care how much they scored. I haven’t been on a team like this before.”
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Rose finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Teammate Trey Arland — also a Kamiakin graduate — added 16 points and 6 rebounds for the Warriors. Arland sank four 3-point field goals in the first half.
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CLACKAMAS 70, SOUTH PUGET SOUND 66: Ryan Lewis scored 19 points and TJ Damon added 17 points and 7 rebounds, as Clackamas (22-8) beat South Puget Sound (14-15).
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Jason Montes had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the Clippers.
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EVERETT 86, SPOKANE 58: Everett held a slim 36-34 halftime lead. But the Trojans outscored the Sasquatch 50-24 in the second half.
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Tucker Molina led the way for Everett (23-7) with a triple-double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
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Teammate Jadin Penigar added 28 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
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Demarion Delaney led Spokane (20-9) with 12 points.
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LOWER COLUMBIA 81, UMPQUA 69: Sherman Royal III led the Red Devils with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists in the win. Emanuel Steward added 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for Lower Columbia (24-5).
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Jake Estep had 16 points and 7 rebounds for Spokane (18-12).
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NWAC Men’s tournament
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Friday, March 10
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Game 1 — Edmonds 85, Walla Walla 76
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Game 2 — Clackamas 70, South Puget Sound 66
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Game 3 — Everett 86, Spokane 58
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Game 4 — Lower Columbia 81, Umpqua 69
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Saturday, March 11
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Game 5 — Southwestern Oregon vs. Green River, 10 a.m.
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Game 6 — Peninsula vs. Columbia Basin, 12 p.m.
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Game 7 — Tacoma vs. Linn-Benton, 6 p.m.
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Game 8 — North Idaho vs. Bellevue, 8 p.m.
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Game 9 — Edmonds vs. Clackamas, 2 p.m.
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Game 10 — Everett vs. Lower Columbia, 4 p.m.
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Sunday, March 12
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Game 11 — Winner 5 vs. winner 6, 2 p.m.
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Game 12 — Winner 7 vs. winner 8, 4 p.m.
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NWAC women’s tournament
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PENINSULA 68, WALLA WALLA 60: The Pirates (22-4) used two major runs to put away the Warriors (22-8).
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Peninsula went on an 18-0 run that began late in the first quarter and ran deep into the second. It turned the Pirates’ lead from 11-10 to 29-10.
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But Walla Walla worked its way back into the game, cutting Peninsula’s lead to 44-39 late in the third quarter.
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That’s when the Pirates put together a 20-0 to clinch the victory.
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Ituau Tuisaula led Peninsula with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots; while Emilia Long added 19 points and four steals.
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WWCC was led by McKenzie Long, who scored 19 points.
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LANE 58, NORTH IDAHO 42: The Titans improved their season record to 30-1 with the victory.
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Lane will meet Peninsula in the semifinals next Saturday.
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Sierra Scheppele led Lane with 18 points, while Chloe Daniels added 10.
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North Idaho finishes its season at 17-12.
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NWAC Women’s tournament
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Friday, March 10
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Game 11 — Quarterfinal: Peninsula 68, Walla Walla 60
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Game 12 — Quarterfinal: Lane 58, North Idaho 42
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Saturday, March 18
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Game 13 — Semifinal: Green River vs. Columbia Basin, 1 p.m.
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Game 14 — Semifinal: Peninsula vs. Lane, 3 p.m.
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Sunday, March 19
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Game 15 — Championship, winner 13 vs. winner 14, 2 p.m.
