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Photos by Devin Courtright/The Advocate
The Saints celebrate during a Jan. 28 victory over the Umpqua Riverhawks 84-51 in the Mt. Hood gymnasium. This was the beginning of a three-game win streak. The team sits in fifth place in the Southern Region with a 4-4 record and 11-8 overall.
Saints continue to surge through Southern Region
With three consecutive wins, the Saints are back in playoff picture
The Advocate
Despite all the chitchat and excitement leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, the Saints stayed focused Saturday and picked up their third home win in a row by beating the PCC Panthers 82-77.
The Saints (11-8, 4-4) again walked away from their gym as happy campers after picking up another must-win against the scrappy Portland Panthers (7-11, 2-6).
"They're getting it," head coach Geoff Gibor said Monday night. "They're playing with a little bit of confidence and recognizing things better."
Freshman point guard Marcus Moore said, "We played well as a team on both ends of the floor. We withstood their runs and never let them lead. We protected home court."
Freshman power forward Spencer Clayton made his presence known loud and clear. The 6'9'' Clayton, made the defense of the undersized Panthers pay. He finished the game with 22 points (9-of-14) and 12 rebounds, making it his fifth double- double of the season.
"Anytime you have a guys 6'7'', 6'8'' and 6'9'' it's important to get the ball down to them," Gibor said. "Spencer is a good post-up player with his back against the hoop.
"He was just shooting over the top of those guys. That's the advantage of having a guy that is 6'9'' and that athletic. (His) 12 boards didn't hurt either."
Clayton was at least three inches taller than any post player on the Panthers.
Two other Saints chipped in with double figures. Moore tallied 16 to go along with his game-high eight assists, while sophomore shooting guard Delroy Gibbs added 12 points.
"I feel it's a statement," Gibbs said Monday night. "As a team we're clicking and starting to know each other better on the court."
The Saints led by as much as 20 points in the early going but that didn't stop the Panthers from clawing their way back in the game. At the half the Saints led 46-43.
Gibor praised the play of his post players for their role in Saturday night's victory.
Freshman power forward Gerron Powell matched Clayton's 12 rebounds and added six points.
"G (Powell) was a beast," Gibor said. "He was taking rebounds out of other people's hands. He was really cleaning the glass."
Gibor said he expects the rest of the season to be challenging and that his players need to continue to learn and improve.
"Every game is big at this point where we're sitting (in the standings)," Gibor said. "Everything is in our hands.
"We don't have the luxury to lose a game and learn from it. We have to learn from our wins. That can be a tricky thing."
Freshman forward Rei Jensen added, "I feel a run coming on. This weekend is huge for us. If we can steal these two games (Linn-Benton today at home and Lane Saturday in Eugene), we'll put ourselves in a great position for NWAACCs.
"This team has heart. It's about time we started showing up."
When the game buzzer went off Saturday with victory in hand, the Saints were smiling again.
"I said it last week," Gibor said. "Just smile and have fun. They're starting to do that. Happiness is a choice. When you're having fun and smiling, you tend to get better and be more successful. It's made a big difference."
Assistant coach Steffen Harvey added, "Something special could be brewing. We will just have to see."
Today the Saints host the Linn-Benton Roadrunners (8-10, 5-3) at 7:30 p.m., then head to Eugene Saturday for a 6 p.m. game against the Lane Titans (11-8, 6-2).
Both teams beat the Saints in the first go-around.
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