Men’s basketball falls on last second shot

The Mt. Hood men’s basketball team took a heart-breaking loss Wednesday, dropping a 76-74 overtime contest to Clackamas Community College, played on its rival’s floor.

That leaves the Saints with a virtual do-or-die home game at 4 p.m. Saturday against Umpqua.

Mt. Hood (8-5 South region, 19-7 overall) is tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the South region of the NWAACC with Chemeketa (8-5 in the South, 12-13 overall).

The Saints hope to beat Umpqua, (2-11 in the South, 6-19 overall), while Chemeketa, also playing at home, is likely to beat Lane (5-8 in the South, 12-15 overall).

Should the two teams tie for fourth, a special play-in game against Chemeketa would follow early next week, on the Storm’s home court in Salem.

Against the Clackamas Cougars on Wednesday, Mt. Hood trailed most of the game but came back late in the second half to force overtime, with the score knotted at 64.

Following a game-tying Clackamas basket late in the extra period, the Saints turned the ball over on an inbounds play.

The mistake proved fatal. With less than 2 seconds on the clock, Clackamas sophomore forward Grant Sitton hit a clutch jump shot.

And that was it. Sitton has a history of hitting crucial shots against the Saints. Last season at the Mt. Hood gym, he hit a game winning three-pointer as time expired.

Sophomore Mac Johnson finished with team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds in the hard-fought defeat.

“Honestly, it’s tough and easily my toughest loss here at Hood,” Johnson said. “I know I’m not just speaking for myself. But the good thing is that we’re still in it.

“One of the hardest things to do is to forget a loss like that and look forward, but that is really what we need,” he said.

Sophomores Landon Rushton, Blake Updike, and Brock Otis also scored in double digits with 14, 12 and 10 points respectively.

Otis said Saturday’s critical game with Umpqua is “going to come down to how bad we want it.”

Geoff Gibor, Mt. Hood head coach, said he couldn’t fault the effort at Clackamas.

“I cannot express how proud I am of these guys,” Gibor said. “Our guys did everything they needed to do to give us a chance to win that game. Sometimes in close games it just comes down to a couple little things.”

The loss came two days after Mt. Hood fought back and defeated Lane Community College in Eugene, 71-69. The game was rescheduled from Feb. 8 after heavy snow scratched that contest.

Monday’s game didn’t start well for the Saints as they shot 26 percent in the first half, to Lane’s 46 percent, and trailed the Titans, 34-25.

The deficit grew to 15 points late in the second half, but several bench players began to hit shots, including sophomore Jalen Thomas, who scored 14 points. While Mt. Hood starters struggled, the Saints’ bench outscoring Lane’s by 31-10 was crucial.

Thomas’s 4-for-6 shooting was vital. Gibor said it got his teammates warmed up and they started hitting shots, too.

“It was good to see them fight back. Jalen has come a long way since last season. He’s matured, game-wise, and it was good to see the other guys support him,” said Gibor.

Thomas was happy to make the the most of his opportunity.

“I knew we weren’t getting the looks we wanted and nothing was really going our way. Coach called a great play that allowed us to play freely so I knew this was my chance,” he said. “There have been some games where I knew I could’ve helped my team but I was just playing too timid. So, I couldn’t sit back.”

Johnson finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Lane, leading the Saints in both categories.

Last Saturday, the Saints kept themselves in the playoff picture by beating Linn-Benton at home, 88-80, to sweep the two-game season series.

Otis had one of his best games, scoring a team-high 27 points. He shot 10-for-15 from the field and netted 5 of 9 three pointers.  Rushton also lit it up from the three-point line, making 5 of 8 and finishing with 17 points.

“Both Brock and Landon shot well. Brock had some turnovers but made up for it with his shooting and boards,” Gibor said. “We were on a roll. I never felt like we were out of control the entire game.”

Johnson and sophomores Blake Updike and Thomas Simien scored 10, 11 and 17 points, respectively.

Now comes the pressure-packed game against Umpqua – and, potentially, another against Chemeketa.

The Saints beat the Riverhawks 73-70 on Jan. 25, and know they’re in for a battle.

“We need to come out Saturday and bring everything we have,” Johnson said. “We have to understand that from here on out, we have to leave everything on the court because there might not be a next game.”

It will be the last home game for the Saints’ sophomores, regardless.

“As (team) captain, I take full responsibility in getting my guys ready for a huge day on Saturday, especially for our sophomores,” said Otis.