Saints fail to snag win in final game

 

Hoping to snap a 20-game losing streak that began in early December, the women’s basketball team fell just short on Saturday, ending the season in a close 64-59 loss to Linn-Benton (8-18).

Freshman forward Kirsten Shockman finished her season on a high note, going for a near- double-double in the finale, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

Sophomore Sadie Jenks, playing at the top of her game the last couple weeks, tagged on another 10 points for the Saints.
By halftime, MHCC was down 33-25 to Linn-Benton. In the second half, the Saints hustled their way up the scoreboard and outscored Linn-Benton 34-31, closing the gap to just five points.

“We started out slow and got behind but then began to chip away. We were within eight at the half and kept it close. We just could not pull it off at the end,” said head coach Jocelyn McIntire.

“They stretched their lead out a bit and we couldn’t get it back,” she said.

Though the game resulted in another loss, the Saints, who have scrambled to get their offense rolling all season long, had one of their most efficient games of the year, finishing with 40 percent shooting.As for turnovers, also an Achilles heel for the team, the Saints kept them down to 13, compared with Linn-Benton’s 20.
The Saints finished with 37 rebounds and 44 defensive stops.

“I thought the team came out and played hard, and for the first time put together an entire game. It was great to see,” said McIntire.
Despite playing Linn-Benton to a hard-fought close finish, the Saints suffered a season more full of downs than ups. They finished with a 2-23 overall record (third-worst in the NWAACC) and finished last in the Southern Region (0-14).

“This was a tough year for us. We never got into a groove, our youth was apparent, and the fact that we lost all of our post players made it difficult to compete,” said McIntire.
However, with 10 freshman players on the roster, the Saints will only lose three players for certain next season. Yet, those three sophomores, Hannah Mocaby, Jenks and Danica Lewis, have been significant contributors both on offense (at which the team struggled all season) and defense.

McIntire said she isn’t sure how many freshman players will return, but she will sit with down with each to figure out their plans.

“It is always hard to replace sophomores, but you also hope that your incoming sophomores can step up and do the job,” she said.

Whether they retain most players to form a veteran squad for the 2013-14 season or not, given the outcome of this season, the Saints have only one way to go, and that is up.