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Michael Carter Sports Editor The men and women's basketball teams broke open the winter quarter with a double-header against their Skagit Valley counterparts at home January 8th. The men scored a big victory, winning 93-85, while the women lost 65-56 in a hard-fought matchup. The evening tipped off at 5:30 pm with the women. After completing warm-ups and motivational chants, SCC and Skagit Valley starters stormed the court.
But, the SCC women rallied back with a foul shot and tied the game with a three-pointer from Kamela Lyons. The Dolphins initially had to shoot from the perimeter due to difficulties penetrating the Cardinals' zone defense. Halfway through the first period, Skagit Valley began to establish control of the game with a six-point lead. However, the Shoreline women never were out of reach and kept the contest competitive, closing the gap with good defense and several critical offensive rebounds. They took the lead near the end of the period, but their foes fought back, taking advantage of foul shots to pull ahead. SCC clawed back to tie the game at 32 at the end of the first half, and when the second period began, they jumped out to a five-point lead. The Dolphins controlled the action briefly by forcing turnovers and making shots. Unfortunately it turned out to be their last hurrah. Facing a player shortage (the team currently consists of seven women) as stamina appeared to diminish, they faded rapidly and was unable to fend off the Cardinals. The loss dropped the women's record to 6-6. The moderate crowd that had gathered for the women's game dramatically increased when the men took the court at 7:30. The SCC men desperately needed a win, as they entered the game with a 2-9 record. This became apparent as they started action rigidly, which played into Skagit Valley's hands, who scored five unanswered points. The Dolphins rallied back. Taking advantage of early field goal accuracy, Shoreline disrupted the Cardinals' zone defense when Mandell Jones and Collin Waterton both drilled three-pointers. Six minutes into the first period SCC was ahead 12-9. The Dolphins pressured the Cardinals with perimeter ball movement and made them struggle by nailing several more three-pointers. The strategy from the outside was a winning solution as Shoreline began to dominate with an early 10-point lead. Another key to success was the rebounding of 6-10 center Sunri Nicholas, who dominated the glass, racking up a game-total 10 rebounds. The Cardinals' woes continued as they turned the ball over numerous times. Shoreline poured on the pressure, finishing the first half strong with a 44-32 lead. Near the end of the first half, Jorge Williams took a blow to the face and came out of the game with a bloody nose. However, he entered the second half unfazed. In the second period the Cardinals caught the Dolphins off guard. While SCC was out of rhythm, Skagit Valley fought back, tightening the home lead to 60-56. Halfway through the period, Skagit pulled within one point and momentarily took the lead. This sent the decibel level of the frenzied Shoreline fans into a roar for the last 10 minutes, as they attempted to rally their team. The Dolphins, as if reacting to the shouts, pulled out their accurate shooting and closed the show, winning 93-85 and improving their record to 3-9. They had shot 60 percent from three-point range and had achieved 100-percent accuracy from behind the three-point arc in the second half. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |
