Saints hoops: down to the wire

The Mt. Hood Saints and the Clark Penguins womens basketball teams met for the second and final time this season on Feb. 15. Mt. Hood took the first match, 79-78 in 2OTs, on Jan. 18, so Clark was looking for a little revenge.

The game was tight throughout, with the Saints holding a narrow 31-26 lead at halftime. The Penguins trailed for most of the game but they came back and took their first lead in the final minutes. The Saints weren’t done, however – and 40 minutes was not enough for these two teams to decide a winner. They played an additional 5 minutes but that still wasn’t enough: Double overtime, again! Each team kept it close and with 3.5 seconds remaining, tied at 86, it was Saints guard McKenzie Kosmicki who took the inbounds pass and hit the game-winning three to complete the season sweep and get her 40th point of the game – tying a single game scoring record!

The mens game was also very exciting. The Saints started very hot, hitting 3s from all angles and growing their lead to a 47-31 at halftime. The Saints knew they weren’t done; Clark is known as a second-half team and they showed it, starting with a 13-0 run to pull close. Mt. Hood maintained a small cushion before Clark finally broke through, taking their first lead late.

The Saints weren’t finished, though: Wayne Hampton hit a clutch 3 with 45 seconds to go and that helped the Saints hold off the Penguins, 88-85, redeeming themselves after being dominated 89-62 in their first meeting.

Yours truly called all of the exciting action – see Saints’ clinching shots on QR codes above!