Mt. Hood women hope to turn slow start around

After a fairly up-and-down preseason, the Saints women’s basketball team has pushed into its regular season schedule.

Mt. Hood came into the season excited about the prospect of a full roster, compared to last year’s squad where there were only five healthy players most of the year. The “Fab Five” were forced to play every minute of every game, with no one to come off the bench.

So, with a full lineup, this year’s Saints appeared to have a competitive season ahead. Then, after a few weeks of play, Mt. Hood found itself with just seven healthy players and a bench full of injuries.

Impressively, the Saints played well through the rough patch and now sit just three games below .500, at 6-9. With post player Katlin Farris back in action this week, Mt. Hood now is missing only guard Alexa Mulford. Both were sidelined due to concussions.

With a relatively healthy roster again, the Saints started off league play with a gritty 67-65 overtime win over Clark College in Vancouver on Jan. 4. It was a big victory to kick off their NWAC South Region play at 1-0.

Since then the Saints have lost two games and had one rescheduled due to the snow –- the Jan. 11 game against Chemeketa Community College. They fell to Umpqua Monday, 89-53, at home, then to Clackamas, 64-37, on the road.

The Saints will play their makeup game against Chemeketa Monday at 5:30 pm in Salem.

The Saints have a lot to be proud of, so far.

Freshman point guard Jessica Parker is leading the team in scoring, averaging a little under 14 points per game. One of MHCC head coach John Hawley’s goals on the year was to see Parker become a key scorer for the team. So far it appears to be working.

Sophomore forward Chloe Cummins is second on the team in scoring, averaging just over 12 points per game. She is also leading the team in rebounding pulling down just shy of six rebounds per game.

Freshman guard Alicia Owens has been a solid contributor, providing seven points, shy of six rebounds, and one steal per game. And second on the team on the boards is post Courtney Bay, averaging a little than six rebounds.

Ideally, if the right pieces can continue to contribute and with the return of their bench, the Saints can be real contenders this year.

Brooke Plecker, starting freshman point guard who leads the Saints in assists with nearly two-and-a-half per game, is impressed with the team’s recent success and pointed to the work it has put in.

“We have improved a lot since our first practice in early September. We are starting to really scout out our opponents,” Plecker said. “We watch film and take notes on every team. We are focusing on better execution in our offensive game.”

Plecker has set her eye on postseason play. “We are looking to make it to the NWACC tournament later this winter. And to do our best each game and work to improve ourselves every day,” she said.

Cummins said the Saints have greatly improved their defense, and need to keep at it. “I would say we have definitely improved on our defense – as far as rotation and help the helper – we can always get better, especially with communication,” she said.

The goal is the NWAC tournament, and “that means we need to play each game as if it were our last because every game matters,” Cummins added.

Now it’s time to see if the team can stay healthy and make a strong run.

The Saints next play tomorrow, Saturday, at home against Linn Benton Community College at 2 p.m.