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Photo by Brett Stanley/The Advocate
Sophomore point guard Earl Jones looks to drive the ball against Chemeketa Storm’s Alex Frace during the Saints 72-71 home victory back on Jan. 16.
Men lose overtime battle against Salem's Storm
The Advocate
The Saint’s men’s basketball team fell short in Saturday night’s overtime loss to the South’s best, the Chemeketa Community College Storm, in a 102-96 shootout.
“That’s two games in a row,” said Head Coach Geoff Gibor on the back-to-back losses. “They’re hard to stomach for our guys (players).
Skyler Ashbaugh, the Saints assistant coach, told Gibor after the game to keep his head up and to know that the team is headed in the right direction for the final four regular season games, before heading into the NWAACC tournament.
“He (Ashbaugh) told me, ‘You never have anything negative to say after games,’ and that is such a nice perspective for me as a young head coach to have. I’m always self-evaluating myself.”
The Saints were down at the half 43-29, something the team isn’t accustomed to this season. The Saints made a comeback in the second half, outscoring the Storm 56-42 to force an extra period but couldn’t generate intensity in overtime.
The shot of the night came from back-up point guard Drew Johnson, who hit a three-pointer with less than 25 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. The Storm took the final shot in the second half, but weren’t able to connect after penetrating the defense and kicking out for a three-point attempt.
In the five-minute overtime period, the Storm outscored the Saints 17-11 to seal the deal.
David Abderhalden, the Storm’s head coach, said nothing can be taken for granted in games like this “playoff atmosphere.”
Abderhalden said, “The first time we played, we came charging back to make it close and this time the roles were reversed. It goes to show that you can’t take anything for granted when two good teams play.”
Forward Jamar Johnson had a career night, scoring 35 points on 8 of 15 from the field and a season’s best 17 for 20 from the free throw stripe.
The Saints shot 82.5 percent from the stripe (33 for 40) compared the Storm’s 69 percent (29 for 42).
“Jamar had a big-time game,” said Gibor. “He doesn’t always play that aggressively but when he does it’s fun to watch.”
Abderhalden added, “Jamar does a great job of driving and creating contact every time you play against him. The officiating changed for both teams in the second half. He did a great job of recognizing the situation and he took full advantage of that.
“I will be honest,” said Gibor. “The referees helped us get back in the game. I told my guys to keep going to the basket once the fouls started being called. There were some pretty rough calls for both teams.
“I’ve always thought that the players and coaches should decide the outcome of games. You don’t want the refs to determine the games. Sixty-two fouls is a little bit nuts.”
Jamar Johnson fouled out, along with three other Saints (Drew Johnson, Earl Jones and Chris Weitzel). Two Storm players, Alex Frace and Greg McWilliams, also fouled out. A total of 63 fouls were called through out the game and 82 free throws were shot between the two teams.
Drew Johnson ended the game with 21 points, 5 of 8 from behind the arc and 6 for 6 from the free throw line.
“It was definitely a big confidence booster,” said Drew Johnson. “I’ve just continued to work hard in practice. I was feeling it this game. I wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone beside trying to help my team get the win.”
Gibor said, “That’s big for him (Drew). As long as he can stay confident he will do fine down the stretch. We have to have young guys step up for us in order to be successful.”
Earl Jones chipped in 18 points on 7 of 16 shooting and four steals on the defensive side in the losing effort. Garrett Strasburg was one point away from a double-double, ending the game with nine points and a team high 12 rebounds.
The Storm had four players end the game in double figures. Shiloh Rowland, had a team-high 27 points. Trent Roos finished with 20 points and right behind him was Tyrone Phillips with 19 points and a game-high nine assists. Raveon Samuel chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
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