Men’s basketball loses at home to Clackamas

After a dominating 36-point win last weekend, a disappointing home court loss on Wednesday left the Saints men’s basketball team tied for fourth in their division.

On Saturday, Mt. Hood won in convincing fashion, pounding the Linn-Benton Roadrunners, 92-56.

Head Coach Geoff Gibor had nothing but positives to say about the victory.

“Everyone scored and everyone got a rebound,” he said. “Our team was very patient against (LBCC) zone defense. We rebounded the ball really well.

“These are some things we have really been working on. It was good to see us build a lead and then build on that lead. It was a good team win.”

The Saints (14-5, 3-3 in South Region play) controlled the game almost from the start, outscoring the Roadrunners by 18 points in the first half (47-29) and again by 18 in the second.

Sophomores Mac Johnson and Blake Updike led the team with 16 points apiece. Johnson led the team with eight rebounds, while Updike had the hot hand from long range, hitting four of five three-point shots. Fellow sophomores Landon Rushton and Thomas Simien each added 12 points.

The Saints shot well from the field, connecting on 58 percent of their shots.

“We feel that we gave away those first two league games (narrow losses), Gibor said. “We have really just tried to reinforce that we are a good team and maintain our confidence as a group. We have really focused on playing more freely offensively and rebounding the basketball.

“Protecting the paint is a point of emphasis for us every day,” he said. He also credits team unity as “a huge part of our success,” he said.

Wednesday brought a setback, however. The Saints dropped an 81-71 game against division rival Clackamas on their Gresham home court.

“ We were doing what we wanted in the first half but then shots stopped falling. If the shots would have gone in, it would have been a different game,” said Gibor.

Mt. Hood trailed by nine at the half and was never able to rally, shooting only 36 percent from the field against the Cougars. The home loss, the Saints’ second in January, stumped their coach.

“ We haven’t played good at home this year. Playing on your home court should give you an advantage,” said Gibor.

Some bright spots came from the play of Johnson, Updike, and sophomore Denzel Green. Johnson recorded an impressive double-double, with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Green led the Saints with 16 points while Updike added 15.

The loss left Mt. Hood tied for fourth in division play, following an up-and-down start. The Saints rebounded from two close losses of four points or less with three wins in a row, prior to the Clackamas letdown.

“Our players were definitely frustrated it was a rivalry game and we were at home but you have to move on. This puts more pressure on us to win games now,” said Gibor.

Gibor said the team’s goal remains winning the South Region.

“We have to take care of what we can control and hope some teams lose some games,” he said. If Mt. Hood plays together and competes hard each game, “this will put us in position to win a lot of games,” he predicted.

The Saints will play the Cougars again Feb. 19, at Clackamas.

“ We want to get that game back. They just beat us on our court, so now we want to go there and win on theirs,” said Gibor.

On Saturday, the team heads to Roseburg to take on the (5-13, 1-5) Umpqua Riverhawks.