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Photo by Brett Stanley/The Advocate
Above: Freshman forward Nate Gepford fights for a loose ball with Linn-Benton Community College Roadrunner Xavier Watson during the Saints 80-69 home victory Saturday. Gepford finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of action.
Saints seek solution to second-half scoring woes
The Advocate
The Saints men’s basketball team defeated the Linn-Benton Community College Roadrunners Saturday night 80-69 in front of a packed house in the MHCC gymnasium.
The Roadrunners came into Saturday night’s action on a high note, winning seven of their last eight games. They are tied for second place in the Southern Region with a record of 5-2 in league and 10-8 overall.
The Saints took a 15-point lead heading into half 41-26, which was nothing new for the team’s offense. In seven league games this season, the Saints have led or been tied at the half. In six out of those seven games, the Saints have been outscored by their opponents by an average of six points per game in the second half.
“It’s almost like a snowball effect,” said Head Coach Geoff Gibor on the difference between the first and second half. “Seventy-five percent of the time between the 12-minute and three-minute mark, we go through a wall. Trust me, we are working on it. It’s really frustrating as the coach. You want your guys to push through it. It’s really interesting — when we play very well defensively, we play real well offensively. I am trying to teach the guys to split it (the game) up into eight five-minute games.”
Saints forward Jamar Johnson was crucial in the 11-point victory, scoring a game high 24 points with 7 of 14 from the field and 9 of 15 from the free throw line. Johnson leads the Saints in scoring with a 15.7-point average.
Center Chris Weitzel scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Saints. Forward reserve Nate Gepford was one point away from his first double-double, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds.
“Nate had a great game for us,” said Gibor. “Anytime you get 10 rebounds, the coach is happy. We need guys playing like that down the stretch.”
Gibor had a feeling that his team had the game won from the start. “(We) had total control of the game,” he said. “The game kind of got boring in the second half. They (Roadrunners) weren’t explosive at all, and then all of a sudden they started chipping away in the second half. To their credit they were doing a great job.
The Roadrunners defense held point guard Earl Jones to a season-low six points — which is nine points under his season average — on two-of-nine shooting from the floor.
“Everyone is coming after him this year,” said Gibor on how teams are defending Earl Jones. “People know about him. He knows that his numbers are down from last year and I know that’s frustrating for him. But he makes the rest of the guys on the court so much better. I just told him recently to be the best teammate that he can be for the final six weeks of the season.”
Leading the way for the Roadrunners was Jordan Highland, who scored 23 points. Andrew Carter had 16 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort.
The Saints travel to Portland Community College Saturday to play the Panthers in a 6 p.m. game. The Panthers are in last place in the Southern Region with a record of 1-6, and 7-11 overall. The Panthers are led by freshman forwards Kenneth Kirkland Jr. and Kashias Lewis, who are both among the top 15 scorers in the NWAACC. Kirkland averages 21.9 points per game and Lewis 17.7 points per contest.
Gibor knows the importance of taking it one game at a time and making sure his team goes into the match with a strong mindset.
“They are coming off a high with beating Lane Community College (on Saturday night) who beat us recently,” he said. “They want it in their house.
We need to continue to grow and play through injuries.”
In their first matchup of the season at home, the Saints walked away with an easy 20-point blowout, 87-67. In that game the Saints were led by forward Jeremy Jones, who scored a game-high 24 points. The Saints for the second game in a row will be with out Jeremy Jones, who is sidelined with a left high ankle sprain.
“It’s much worse then I thought,” said Jeremy Jones on the injury. “The doctor said he doesn’t have a name for the injury. I have torn ligaments and muscles. He (the doctor) said it’s the worst high-ankle sprain he has ever seen.
The doctor said I should be out for the season, but that’s not going to happen. I want to be back in time for NWAACCs to help my team win a championship.”
Gibor said, “The doctor he went to wasn’t as positive as we thought,” he said.
“We are keeping him in strong cardiovascular shape. That way he doesn’t lose a lot by not being on the court. We aren’t sure when he will be able to come back. Obviously we are losing a lot with him not being on the court.”
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